Plano — Every Friday and Saturday evening, Eric Langford and his dog Bear prepare for a party that they hope will go to the dogs. This pup and his owner happen to be in the movie theater business and they work like a dog until the movie starts.
You’ll find their theater called K9 Cinemas in a peculiar shopping center in Plano.
“Between a theater and Korean BBQ, and there’s a karate place, this is not easy to find,” said Eric.
Somehow it gets sniffed out by people who want to bring their best friend on a movie date.
“Honestly the best part about coming here is probably how happy my dog is,” said Hadar Bernstin.
“You get to meet new people and new dogs, so that’s a great opportunity,” commented Brandon Martin, “plus you get to watch a good movie.”
“We’re the only indoor place in all of DFW for dogs,” Eric explained.
Now he does the majority of the work when it comes to this movie theater dedicated to man’s best friend, but make no mistake, Bear is the star.
“Welcome everybody this is Bear, and I’m Eric, and this is the world’s first dog friendly movie theater. He’s the founder, I’m just the stage hand,” he said.
Eric used to be in pharmaceutical sales but he decided to trade it all in for K9 Cinemas.
“I’ve done the whole money deal, where…that’s all I cared about, but I never felt fulfilled, never felt happy,” he explained, “when I started this and decided I finally want to do something that just makes me happy… I don’t care if anybody shows up, I’ve got a place for me and Bear to watch movies at.”
When it comes to mixed company in the canine world, you can never know what to expect, so a strict leash policy is in effect. If nature should call, there’s no need to worry because intermission happens halfway through the movie.
“Luckily, to my surprise, I thought a lot of male dogs would want to be marking everything,” Eric said, “but it never happens.”
Besides the feature film, what really gets tail wagging is Eric’s policy on parched customers. At K9 Cinemas, the drinks are free and that includes beer, wine and whiskey. Now you see why intermission is so important.
“I was hoping that people would see that we have free wine and whiskey and want to come and watch a movie and hang out with other dogs, even if they don’t have a dog,” Eric explained.
All Bear asks is you act responsibly because you don’t want to end up needing a little hair of the dog.
What makes this doggy diversion so darn delightful is the smiles—both on the owners and the pooch patrons.
“Going out to dinner with a dog isn’t the same as going and seeing a movie and having place indoors especially in the Texas heat when it’s over 100 degrees outside,” said Hadar, “it’s amazing and I’m so glad it came to Plano.”
“I’d say if you like going to a park during the day, you need to go to a movie at night with a dog,” said Brandon.
“Whether it takes off, and we make a ton of money and it becomes a hit, great,” said Eric, “if it just stays a small little hole in the wall deal, and we can pay our bills and come to a place everyday where we’ve got dogs, and booze, and movies, I’ll be happy.”
“Such a friendly environment, there’s so many cute dogs and it’s just a lot of fun,” commented Hadar.
“Get out here, have some free booze, enjoy some fun loving puppies,” said Eric, “watch a movie and experience something you can’t experience anywhere in the world, except right here in Plano.”