Dog N’ Pony was born out of a perfect convergence of passion and opportunity. For more than a decade now Gary has been sharing ideas for businesses he and Alisha could pursue together. With their combined professional backgrounds and diverse expertise, the possibilities were endless. Alisha, ever the pragmatic one, would respond, “Just because we can, doesn’t mean we should, or that I choose to.” It would seem it would take a unicorn of a business prospect to entice them away from the successful careers they had been building and the lifestyle they had been enjoying. And that’s exactly what appeared.

During the challenging times of the pandemic, Alisha’s perspective shifted when she attended a party at an outdoor dog park with a bar—an idea she instantly fell in love with. Intrigued, Gary began his research and discovered an emerging dog industry with fewer than 100 concepts like this in the country. After some number crunching he was excited to share his findings and approached Alisha with the simple question, “How ‘bout this?”

This was the business prospect they’d been waiting for—an ideal intersection of professional growth and personal passion. “Not only can we do this,” Alisha replied, “I want to do this. We should totally do this.”

In April 2023, Dog N’ Pony was recognized as the Startup Business Pitch Winner by the Renton Downtown Partnership, and with the support and collaboration of the City of Renton, Alisha and Gary have zeroed in on a handful of Renton properties that could be perfect for the first Dog N’ Pony location.