Fort Worth's Sundance Square gets first shop dedicated to glamming up dogs

Animal News

Origami Dog

There's a new shop in Fort Worth's Sundance Squre that's all about the pets: Called The Origami Dog, it just opened at 309 Houston St., where it's providing pet grooming, supplies, toys, and food for the downtown area.

Focused primarily on dogs but has cat supplies as well, Origami provides the first pet supply outlet for downtown residents and denizens.

The shop is from young husband-and-wife Roy and Londyn Meharg, who are opening what is their first business as part of The Big Idea, an entrepreneurship program hosted by Sundance Square that gives a leg up to small businesses.

"Our goal is to give Fort Worth pet owners who live, work, visit, shop, or eat downtown an opportunity to bring their furry loved ones to a truly peaceful and loving grooming experience,” Londyn says.

Breed-specific grooming is done by appointment by Londyn, a former swimming coach and a graduate of the Texas AllBreed Grooming School in Arlington.

"I have had many doodles and poodle mixes, I have four now," she says. "I was spending a lot of money getting them groomed, and decided to learn to do it myself. I love dogs and discovered I enjoyed grooming them, as well."

The shop also offers "pawdicures," mud baths for dogs, plus supplies to ensure that the grooming will be long-lasting and beautiful, including products such as Hartman & Rose, Lucy & Co., and The Worthy Dog.

"I was surprised there was nowhere in downtown that sold pet supplies," Londyn says. "There's so many people in apartments, I thought they would appreciate having a place that was convenient and close by."

The feedback she's received has proven her point, with customers not only booking appointments but thanking her for bring the convenient amenity to the neighborhood. (And for customers who are driving in, there's validated fee parking in Sundance Square Garage No. 3.)

There's one other benefit:

“After grooming pick up, owners can snap a selfie or glamour shot with their pet beside any of the iconic landmarks in Sundance Square Plaza including the Chisholm Trail mural,” Meharg says.

If you think this puppy is cute now, wait until he falls down.

Get free pet food, vaccines, and spay/neuter at Fort Worth animal event

Animal News

Animal shelters across North Texas are overcrowded right now, due to an increase in owner surrenders, and a group of animal rescues are coming to the rescue.

Several Texas-based animal welfare organizations are coming together on Saturday June 3, to offer a day of free pet food, vaccines, microchips, and spay/neuter vouchers to pet owners in Fort Worth.

The owner surrenders are a symptom of economic pressures and related issues such as food insecurity, which are up in Texas and across the U.S.

According to a release, in Fort Worth alone, the North Texas Food Bank estimates that 30 percent of the population faces challenges accessing nutritious food. These issues affect not only people, but pets as well - often resulting in families surrendering their pets to a shelter or to an animal rescue.

Fort Worth Animal Care and Control (FWACC), which receives animals from the area, has seen an increase in animals—more than 1,000 additional animals coming through its doors so far this ﬁscal year—with many exhibiting signs of illness easily prevented by vaccinations.

The signiﬁcant increase in animals has stressed resources that are already maxed out. FWACC for example, has faced a difficult crease in its "live release rate" - the percentage of animals that leave their care alive. Last year, its live release rate was at 96 percent and a year later, it has decreased to 87 percent.

Keeping pets at home where they have families who love them is a key component to preventing shelter crowding and the impact felt by the organizations who are faced with it.

The event is Saturday June 3, from 8 am-12 pm, rain or shine, and will take place at 1678 Rockwood Ln., across from Rockwood Park.

Organizations stepping up to help include Cowtown Friends of Fort Worth Animal Control; Spay Neuter Network; Dallas Pets Alive; The Love Pit; and SPCA of Texas.Partners: Fort Worth Animal Care and Control; Don’t Forget to Feed Me Pet Food Bank; Saving Hope Animal Rescue; and Rahr to the Rescue.

The event is supported by CUDDLY, a mission-driven company centered around the needs of rescued animals and the community focused programs that sustain them.

The British Emporium

The British Emporium presents Crowns, Corgis, Cycles, and Car Show

Crowns, Corgis, Cycles, and Car Show gives fans can a chance see some classic cars while giving owners a way to display their treasured car or motorbike. Awards will be given for “Best of Show.”

Corgi owners are encouraged to bring their pets in costume, whether it is something British-themed, Coronation-themed, or something different. There will be a prize for the best-dressed Corgi and another award for the best-dressed Corgi/Owner Duo.

While admission is free, attendees are asked to bring items for the GRACE Grapevine Food Pantry.

Photo courtesy of MUTTS Canine Cantina

MUTTS Canine Cantina presents LOVE Event

MUTTS Canine Cantina is kicking off the Valentine's Day festivities with its annual MUTTS Love Event, where visitors can trade the heart shaped chocolate box for new goodies from the local pet-friendly vendors, or even a new furever-friend with rescue groups on site. MUTTS’ Fort Worth location will have pups from Saving Hope – and any dog that’s adopted at MUTTS will receive a free one-year MUTTS membership. Whether you are walking out hand-in-hand or hand-in-leash, the MUTTS LOVE Event has Valentine’s for everyone. The event is open to the public, and non-members can purchase a day pass for entry.

Highly reputable Dallas-Fort Worth animal nonprofit expands hours

Animal News

A Dallas-Fort Worth nonprofit made up of compassionate veterinary professionals who are working to end pet overpopulation in North Texas by providing high quality, affordable vaccines, spays, and neuters is expanding its hours.

Texas Coalition for Animal Protection, better known as TCAP, has added days at two DFW locations:

TCAP Fort Worth will now be open for walk-in vaccines on Tuesdays.
TCAP Garland will now be open on Wednesdays.

They'll offer free rabies vaccines on Tuesdays in Fort Worth, as well as Wednesdays in Garland, every week in January.

TCAP was founded in November 2022 by Stacey Schumacher, whose vision was to end animal overpopulation by providing low-cost preventative services throughout North Texas.

"From the very beginning, Stacey knew that making spay and neuter affordable and accessible, she and her team could positively impact North Texas animal populations," their site says.

She started out with one clinic in Denton, where TCAP and its veterinary team built a reputation as a competent, effective high-volume clinic.

Eight locations
Since then, TCAP has opened eight stand-alone clinics, has established and maintained a M.A.S.H-style travel program, and has set up a weekend vaccine event program that services more than 40 locations each year, providing more than 630,000 low-cost spays and neuters, and more than 1,225,000 rabies vaccines.

TCAP also provides accessible and essential basic wellness services such as vaccines, microchipping, heartworm testing/ prevention, deworming, and flea/ tick prevention.

With each spay/neuter, Team TCAP eliminates the possibility of a litter of puppies or kittens without a home. With each low-cost wellness service provided, TCAP helps alleviate the cost of pet care for owners struggling to make ends meet. These efforts combined have resulted in keeping hundreds of thousands of pets in loving homes and out of animal shelters.

TCAP partners with like-minded groups of animal caretakers at city animal shelters as well as hundreds of animal rescue organizations throughout Dallas-Fort Worth.

Photo by Shelley Neuman

Willie Nelson-ZZ Top concert takes spotlight in this week's 5 hottest Fort Worth headlines

This week's hot headlines

Editor's note: A lot happened this week, so here's your chance to get caught up. Read on for the week's most popular headlines. Looking for the best things to do this Christmas weekend? Find that list here. Searching for the best Christmas lights? Those lists are here and here.

1. Texas legends Willie Nelson and ZZ Top team up for concert at iconic Hill Country venue. Next April, "Shotgun Willie" will be a "Sharp Dressed Man." Taking the iconic stage at Whitewater Amphitheater in New Braunfels, Willie Nelson and ZZ Top will perform together on April 14 and 15, 2023. The shows come before ZZ Top teams up with Lynyrd Skynyrd at Fort Worth's Dickies Arena on July 29, 2023.

2. Fort Worth's animal shelter holds event to get dogs out of the cold. Fort Worth is seeking help to solve a crisis at its animal shelters, which are brimming with pets. Fort Worth Animal Care and Control (FWACC) is facing a record-high population, and is inviting the public to come in and adopt or foster an animal. While one special event took place December 16-17, the initiative will be ongoing.

3. Fort Worth's award-winning Vietnamese restaurant Four Sisters to close. An award-winning Vietnamese restaurant in Fort Worth has closed: Four Sisters - Taste of Vietnam, the acclaimed, family-centric restaurant located at 1001 S. Main St. that is literally named for the owner's four sisters, has closed after four years. According to owner Tuan Pham, the restaurant's final day would be December 23.

4. Son of a Butcher restaurant with sliders & shakes to open in Grapevine. A restaurant that specializes in sliders is coming to Grapevine: Son of a Butcher, which currently has locations in Plano and Dallas, will open a new one at 480 W. SH-114, with an opening set for February 2023. This will be the biggest yet, with 3,405 square feet of indoor and pet-friendly outdoor dining space.

5. Vegan pastry and coffee shop opens in Fort Worth with best inspiration: mom. There's a new place to get vegan food and great coffee in Fort Worth: Called Von's Coffee Shoppe, it's a virtual restaurant operating out of Fort Worth Food Works, the restaurant hub at 3004 Cullen St., where it's serving vegan pastries, omelets, burritos, wraps, and soups. Von's was founded by Monique Farrell, a food & beverage veteran with more than 20 years experience in the hospitality industry who is taking her first step into entrepreneurship.

Ad Placement 300x100

Ad Placement 300x600

CultureMap Emails are Awesome

Property Showcase

'Yellowstone' stars to greet fans at Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo

Yellowstone news

Yellowstone fans, get your comfy shoes ready - there'll be a long line for this one. Cole Hauser a.k.a. "Rip Wheeler" on Yellowstone, and Taylor Sheridan, the show's co-creator, executive producer, and director of the series, will meet fans and sign autographs at the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo.

The event will take place from 4:30-6:30 pm only on Friday, February 3. Location is the 6666 Ranch booth near the south end of Aisle 700 in the Amon G. Carter, Jr. Exhibits Hall.

According to a February 2 announcement from FWSSR, "fans will have the opportunity to snag an autograph as well as purchase some distinctive Yellowstone and 6666 Ranch merchandise while also enjoying all the features the Stock Show offers."

The event is free to attend (with paid Stock Show admission) and open to the public.

It's the second year in a row for Hauser to appear at FWSSR; in 2022, he and fellow cast mates drew huge crowds.

Sheridan, a Paschal High School graduate, is no stranger to Fort Worth; he lives in a ranch near Weatherford and filmed 1883, the prequel to Yellowstone, in and around Fort Worth. Currently, another spinoff, 1883: The Bass Reeves Story, is filming in North Texas.

The Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo is winding up its 2023 run on Saturday, February 4.

Surprising family-friendly suburb tops this week's 5 most popular Fort Worth stories

This week's hot headlines

Editor's note: A lot happened this week, so here's your chance to get caught up. Read on for the week's most popular headlines. Looking for the best things to do this weekend? Find that listhere. Headed to the State Fair? Find a full list of discounts here.

1. Surprising Fort Worth suburb named No. 5 most family-friendly U.S. city. If Fort Worth-area residents are looking for the perfect new place to buy a home and raise a family, they should steer their interest toward Watauga. The northeast Fort Worth suburb, impressively, has been named the fifth most family-friendly city in the U.S. by real estate marketplace Opendoor.

2. Mr Gatti's Pizza returns to home turf Fort Worth with new location. A Fort Worth-based pizzeria concept has opened a location in Fort Worth: Mr Gatti's Pizza has opened a restaurant off Camp Bowie at 2812 Horne St. #100, a space previously occupied by Helen's Hot Chicken, where they're open with pizza, pizza rolls, and their signature ranch dressing.

3. Texas Christian University ranks as No. 6 school in Texas for 2024 by U.S. News. Texas Christian University has achieved a high ranking for its high-quality educational experiences this year. The home of the Horned Frogs earned a top-10 spot on U.S. News and World Report's just-released list of the Best Colleges in Texas for 2024.

4. Ultra-chic Postino WineCafe brings wine and bruschetta to Southlake. A nationally acclaimed wine bar-restaurant has opened in Southlake: Postino WineCafé, specializing in wine, bites, and a chic atmosphere, opened a location at 1440 Main St., in Southlake Town Square, in the no-brainer slot next to Trader Joe's.

5. Quonset hut in south Fort Worth to be transformed into ballroom. A Quonset hut in south Fort Worth is about to make a Cinderella-like transformation: Called the Quonset Ballroom, it's being developed into an entertainment space which will host live music, food trucks, and events.

Cidercade cider and games venue opens mega-facility in heart of Arlington

Cider News

Cider and games are coming to Arlington with the opening of Cidercade, a new entertainment venue opening at 500 E. Division St. in the heart of Arlington on September 29.

Cidercade has hundreds of arcade games, shuffleboard, pool tables, and more, all available for playing with a single admission fee, as well as dozens of drinks on tap. It's all ages during the day then turns 21+ at 8 pm.

Arlington is the fifth location in Texas, following existing Cidercades in Dallas, Fort Worth, Austin, and Houston, and is the largest yet with a huge space spanning 25,000-plus square feet.

It houses more than 300 retro and modern arcade games, pool tables, ping pong tables, shuffleboard courts (a Cidercade first), party rooms, and event spaces for groups of all sizes.

In a statement, co-founder and CEO Joel Malone says that with Arlington's reputation as an entertainment destination, he knew they had to build "something awesome."

"Cidercade Arlington is not only our largest location yet, but it includes a much larger variety of games and experiences," he says.

Cidercade customers pay an admission fee of $12 and get unlimited play on all the games and activities once inside. Cidercade also offers a $20 monthly membership that includes unlimited admissions as well as discounts on drinks and merch.

Beyond the games, multiple bars serve a big lineup of adult beverages on tap, all made by Bishop Cider, and soft drinks from soda machines with unlimited refills.

Customers are allowed to bring their own food or have it delivered from nearby restaurants.

In addition to the Arlington expansion, Bishop is also relocating the Dallas Cidercade to a new site near Love Field Airport, where it will be expanded dramatically to 79,000 square feet, nearly 10 times larger. It will feature concepts, games, and activities that aren’t offered anywhere else in Texas, and will open in 2024. The current location will remain open until then.

Malone and and his wife and partner Laura Malone initially founded Bishop Cider as a quaint 704-square-foot cider bar a decade ago. The company has since grown into a leader in beverage manufacturing and beverage experiences comprising four brands:

TexBev, a co-packer for carbonated soft drinks, juice, energy drinks, wine, beer, and RTDs.
Cidercade, the cider and game venue
Bishop Cider, the hard cider company
Wild Acre Brewing, a brewery and beer garden venue in Fort Worth that produces seasonal brews and year-round core beers like Texas Blonde, Juice Slinger IPA, and Sundance Wheat.

View All Listings