Have a howling good time at this Bangkok husky cafe

If you are a canine or animal lover, this is a place you need to visit the next time you're in Bangkok.

Dog cafe TrueLove@Neverland is a dream come true for Siberian husky dog lovers. Visitors get to interact with the dogs for 350 baht (S$14) an hour.

If you're worried that the place might reek of certain unpleasant odours, rest assured that this cafe is nothing like that.

It maintains a strict rule of cleanliness: Before entering the play area, visitors must wash and disinfect their hands, and wear plastic foot coverings. Visitors must also watch an etiquette video explaining the rules when playing with the dogs.

With their wolf-like features, unique markings, perky ears, and icy blues eyes, these dogs look elusive, extremely well-groomed and clean.

There, you'll get to meet huskies Moscow, Pushiki, Panda, Bacco, Aladdin, Kenya, and Jupiter, among others. Since they have thick fur, there are huge fans placed all over the play area to keep the place cool.

Once they're out of their air-conditioned enclosure, watch the dogs go crazy for carrots fed to them individually by the owner of the cafe Ms Chotiros Ratanabirabongse, also known as Paw.

They are later fed big bowls of ice for them to cool down.

Although highly intelligent, they are quite hard to train, said the owner. They love the outdoors, pulling sledges and chasing or grabbing anything that runs. That's why visitors are advised not to run in the area.

However, they are good natured and don't mind the many hands stroking their soft and thick fur.

But it's not just the huskies who have full reign of the place. The cafe also houses two Australian shepherd dogs: A Japanese Akita and a Shih Tzu called Momo.

Paw assured us that the huskies are kept in a 23 degrees Celsius air-conditioned enclosure that is switched on 24 hours daily.

They are let out to play five times a day. Out of which, three play times are with paying visitors.

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Before the cafe, TrueLove@Neverland was a farm where Paw used to breed huskies for 14 years.

Since the cafe opened in Dec 2013, it has already become a popular destination among Singaporeans and many were spotted queueing for tickets when we visited.

How to get there: The nearest BTS stations is Ari, then it's a short cab ride to the cafe as it is situated in a housing estate.

Price: Entrance fee is 350 baht (S$14) which can be redeemed for a cake and drink

Opening hours:

Tues to Thurs: 12.30pm and 3.30pm

Fri to Sun: 12.30pm, 3.30pm and 6pm

Closed on Mondays

(You would need to arrive 15 minutes before visiting hours to purchase your tickets and if you miss the timings, you'll need to wait for the next slot).

jacqo@sph.com.sg

The writer's trip was sponsored by the Tourism Authority of Thailand.