San Antonio Express-News (Sunday)
Resident canines dish about their dog days at the Pearl
You know that thing about dogs reflecting their owners? That tends to go for their neighborhoods, too.
Take the resident dogs at the Pearl. The culinary and retail district positively teems with pooches as urban and urbane as their owners and surroundings. But even though one doggo gets driven 2 1⁄2 hours every six weeks for a special grooming appointment and another pair of canines like to play chess with their owners, they’re still dogs, and they beg for treats and belly rubs just like any other.
Here’s their guide to the best spots at the Pearl to score free snacks, plus the best places to chill out and have fun — intel sure to make any Pearl visitor and their furry friend feel right at home.
Sir Henry Templeton
• Miniature schnauzer, age 5, at
Cellars at Pearl
An old soul in a young body. Henry’s owner, Julio Lujano, said his dog’s stately name comes from his usually reserved demeanor.
“His attitude is very calm, like an old man, a 90-year-old just taking naps,” said Lujano, who teaches nursing at the University of the Incarnate Word.
Henry goes to Laredo every six weeks to get groomed. Lujano takes Hendy to the same
groomer in Laredo he’s been going to since he was was 6 months old.
Henry prefers sticking close to home. Unlike other Pearl dogs that yank their owners all over the grounds, Henry tends to stay close to Cellars, though sometimes they will explore a northern stretch of the San Antonio River along the Museum Reach.
“He has a perimeter,” Lujano said. “If we go past the perimeter, he’ll just sit down.”
Henry’s idea of a welcome
mat isn’t very welcoming. “He likes to poop in front of the entrance to the apartments as if to tell everyone, ‘This is my apartment,’ ” Lujano said. “It’s the most overt way of saying, ‘You’re coming in here, but it’s my place.’ ”
Henry’s Pearl tip: Chill out under a bridge. When Henry and his human need a break from all the Pearl hustle and bustle, they head to a quiet spot on the San Antonio River under the East Grayson Street bridge by La Gloria or upriver under the West Josephine Street bridge.
Kiwi and Nassau
• English yellow Labradors, Kiwi, age 12 and Nassau, age 18 months, at Cellars at Pearl
Some of the Cellars’ first dwellers. Kiwi and his late canine brother Aussie moved to Cellars with Whitney Solcher and her husband, Joe Miller, in 2017, soon after the luxury apartments opened. After Aussie died last year, Nassau joined the family from the same breeder.
“They are like the mascots of the building,” said Solcher, who works in private wealth management.
Nassau landed in San Antonio with Miller flying the plane. Miller is a private pilot. So when it came time to pick up Nassau from the breeder in Iowa, Miller borrowed a Cirrus SR22 to make the more than 1,000 mile trip to the nearest airport in Wisconsin. Solcher joined him and sat in the back seat with Nassau for the return flight.
They’ve really got a thing for Hotel Emma. Kiwi and Nassau often drag Miller to the hotel front desk for a quick dog treat and a cuddle.
“The young one gets so excited, he generally tinkles on himself,” Solcher said.
They’ll go for a splash in the San Antonio River. Speaking of splashes, Kiwi and Nassau love to frolic in a shallow lagoon along the river behind the Pearl during their walks, especially in summer.
Kiwi and Nassau’s Pearl tip: Hit the central park for scraps. If you’re a dog, the main park at the Pearl is a great place to find
dropped food. And plenty of pet-loving kids often have food on fingers just begging to be licked.
Newton
• Pembroke Welsh corgi, age 8, at Southline Residences
Newton has more Instagram followers than his owner. Newton has around 800 fans on the ’gram to owner Kristen Brown’s 530. No wonder she refers to herself on her Instagram account (@kris_newt) as “Bossed around by @corgi.convos.”
He’s the boss of the Pearl’s main park, too. Newton often flutters about the Pearl’s central park area like a social butterfly, charming folks for nuzzles and scraps.
“His all-time favorite thing to
do is just walk around the little turf area,” Brown said. “He thinks it’s his job to greet every group that’s out there. And if he can, he likes to talk them out of their French fries and eat any taco meat that’s on the ground.”
The Pearl life is the life for Newton. Newton’s never too pooped to pop about the Pearl grounds he calls home. “So I end up dragging him or carrying him back home, because he never wants to go home,” Brown said.
Newton’s Pearl tip: Bark for Bakery Lorraine. The French bakery’s flagship location at the Pearl is bound to have at least one little sweet treat for your dog. And even if your dog doesn’t get scraps from over the counter, “pastries are really flaky, so
there’s a lot of crumbs,” Brown said.
Noodle
• Goldendoodle, age 2, at Southline Residences
That’s F1B to you. Noodle is classified as a F1B Goldendoodle, which means she’s 75 percent poodle and 25 percent golden retriever, meaning she’s hypoallergenic and rarely sheds — perfect for owner Oliver McGuire’s partner, who has a pet allergy.
Noodle helped one of her dads land a job. McGuire works in social media marketing, a gig he got in part thanks to Noodle’s Instagram account @2dudesandadood, which he created when she was 8 weeks old. “It pretty much helped me get my job,” McGuire said.
Noodle knows her Pearl watering holes. She has two favorite Pearl sites where everybody knows her name: the outdoor bar at Southerleigh Fine Food and Brewery, and the counter at Local Coffee.
Noodle and Newton are BFFs, as in best furry friends. She loves all the dogs at the Pearl but has a special place in her heart for her Southline corgi neighbor, Newton. “She’s all over his face licking him,” McGuire said.
Noodle’s Pearl tip: Hydrate for free. The water fountain at the San Antonio Bike Share station between Southerleigh and Botika is great for humans and dogs.
Winston
• Miniature Labradoodle, 5 months old, at Can Plant Residences at Pearl
Winston’s literally at home at his owner’s work. His owner, Aaron Rodriguez, is both a Can Plant leasing professional and a Can Plant resident, so Winston sometimes pops into the office, though he spends most of his indoor time inside their apartment.
Winston has an Instagram account, too. Like Noodle, Winston also shares his Pearl adventures with his two dads on Instagram. Check them out at @winston_at_thepearl.
Winston has his own kind of retail therapy. He also likes to pop into many of the Pearl’s shops and takes even longer walks whenever there’s a farmers market.
“He’s super sociable,” Rodriguez said. “He loves his belly rubs by random strangers.”
But he’s not so neighborly when it comes to Cellars. “He loves to mark right in front of the Cellars,” Rodriguez said. “He loves to do his daily business there.”
Winston’s Pearl tip: Try a refreshing doggy margarita. La Gloria at Pearl offers dogs an alcohol-free Puppyrita, a serving of chicken stock and ice with a paper lime wedge.