#Voices: Q+A with Jung Pak, Jake’s Yappy Hour King

If you’ve been to Jake’s on Devine St. for Yappy Hour – the dog-friendly happy hour where pups enjoy playtime while their owners enjoy drinks – then you’ve probably noticed Jung Pak. He’s the man tasked with keeping the bar’s four-footed patrons under control and breaking up any roughhousing.

Watching Pak work at Yappy Hour is like watching Columbia’s version of Cesar Millan, a.k.a The Dog Whisper, in action. He knows most of the dogs’ names and is usually surrounded by a pack of wagging tails. Pak, himself, isn’t even sure how he got the job or why other people’s pets tend to listen to him, but one thing is for sure: He really loves dogs. Below, five questions with Pak, the Yappy Hour King. 👑 👇

Q: How did you get involved with Yappy Hour at Jake’s?

A: Jake’s opened up in 2011 and being the new kids on the block meant it took us a little while to establish a happy hour crowd. We were trying to come up with ideas for happy hour and the owners were dog lovers and I’m a dog lover, so we settled on Yappy Hour. We started off with eight dogs and by word of mouth it kept spreading and spreading to the point where it is now, where we have 60-70 dogs during happy hour. It’s a fun time for sure!

Q: Do you have any dog training experience?

A: I have no formal dog training experience or anything like that. I just really like dogs. So I don’t know if they pick up on it or sense it, but they just listen to me. Sometimes they don’t listen to their owners, but will listen to me. An owner might tell their dog to get off a table and it doesn’t move. Then I look at it and say ‘down’ and it gets down. If you told me before we started Yappy Hour that there would be all these dogs in the bar and that they'd listen to me, I wouldn’t have believed it. It's just one of those things that happened. I found my niche in life.

Q: How do you feel about having nicknames like the Dog Whisperer at Jake’s?

A: I’m not sure what exactly the ‘dog whisperer’ term means. I can’t explain it. The way I see it, dogs are territorial by nature. They understand that is not their territory. Their home is their territory. Maybe they recognize me as the alpha and Jake’s as my territory. That's the only thing I can think of.

Q: Do you have dogs of your own?

A: I have no dogs of my own. Honestly, I think that's the only way it works. Yappy Hour is twice a week, so after Thursday, I have Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday with no dogs. By the time Tuesday comes around, I’m looking forward to playing with them again. I feel like if I had my own, I might be over it. The separation makes me want to see the dogs more.

Q: Do you have a favorite type of dog?

A: I could no sooner pick my favorite star from the heavens.

When Yappy Hour first started, Pak told the owners of Jake’s that he wouldn’t be happy until they had a courtyard of puppies. “And that’s what happened,” he said.

Now on Tuesdays and Thursdays (4-8 p.m.), you can feel like you’re at a dog park with a beer in hand. Just be careful when ordering food – some of those dogs can be pretty stealthy. But if you need help, just ask the Dog Whisperer.

–Erin Shaw

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