I didn’t want to be home that night.
It wasn’t meant to be a traditional Valentine’s plan.
I just knew my dog was coming with us.

This place makes that an easy decision. Dogs aren’t tucked away or treated like an afterthought, they are part of the main space, stretched out on the floor inside or lounging on the patio, and even on the couches, like they belong there. There is a real dog menu, real plates for the pups, real intention behind it. It feels designed for the life you are actually living.

We went as the light started to soften, Valentine’s week energy humming quietly without being loud. Couples leaning in. Dogs everywhere. No pressure to make the night perform.

We started with pork belly and parmesan truffle fries, the kind of appetizers that slow the table down. I ordered shrimp and grits, one of my favorites. My partner went with the Manila bowl. Easy choices. Comforting. Familiar.

Then the dogs ATE.

Zero got the doggie TV dinner, beef meatloaf with dog safe gravy, peas, and carrots. Sandy went for the loaded sweet potato, topped with whipped cream and ground chicken. Later, a PB&B oatmeal bowl for dessert….peanut butter, banana, oatmeal. Watching them eat felt oddly ceremonial, like this night was for them too.

At some point, dessert showed up for us.

A Kookies & Milk plate, warm cookies from the Kookee batch, paired with a boozy milk punch instead of the expected glass of cold milk. Brandy, vanilla, simple, nutmeg. Sweet, and nostalgic. It felt playful in a way that made sense here with the dogs.

I love sitting across from my partner while my dog is right there with us, completely content. No distractions. No rush. Just quiet conversation, shared plates, and the occasional glance down to check on the dogs.

That’s when it really felt like Valentine’s week. Not because of the date on the calendar, but because everyone at the table was included. Because the night felt intentional without trying too hard. Because love, in this version of life, looks relaxed and familiar.

When the patio lights came on and the air cooled, the dogs walked out full and happy. We walked out slower than we walked in. And it felt like the kind of Valentine’s you don’t post about, and funny enough I haven’t posted about it yet…it is the kind you remember because it felt honest. Find more ways to spend this Valentines Day with your pup with the Military Pet Club!

The four of us. Exactly where we were supposed to be.