Tofu, a friendly 6 year old Boston Terrier, and an effigy sit at the entrance to a café. The café is about the size of a living room, tucked away on a side street in a trendy neighborhood in downtown Taipei.
Inside, it is decorated with appealing images of Boston Terriers, from tapestries lining the walls to bags, porcelain coffee cups, and other Boston Terrier themed items. The design elements elicit a sense of caring and companionship.
Outside, Tofu greets passersby and puts his paws on his owner for attention, making people feel welcome and freeing his owner of the burden of social expectations.
The owner is a middle-aged Taiwanese man, who runs the café by himself. He adopted Tofu’s father from a friend and says Tofu’s father loved entertaining customers even more than Tofu does.
Pet cafés have long existed in Taiwan, which created the world’s first cat café in 1998. Although the pairing of Boston Terriers with coffee is rare, the business nevertheless provides a familiar environment that facilitates personal conversation with animal interaction.