YAPPY HOUR is that kind of tall “tail” where dogs meet drinks in Asbury Park, New Jersey. What’s Yappy Hour? Pesky little Chihuahuas, Cujo-sized Irish wolfhounds, plus Dobermans, pit bulls, Golden Retrievers, English bulldogs, and scores of other dogs caught up in a great swirling shaggy dash around the world famous Wonder Bar. Dogs run free, but that doesn’t mean they run wild. It’s no surprise it has found in home in Asbury Park, which may be the most pet-friendly town on the Jersey Shore. Attendees bring their dogs to the bar where they frolic in a fenced-in outside area that has pools, sandboxes, toys and sundry amusements. The dogs have fun, too. Yappy Hour was founded 12 years ago by Debbie DeLisa, a former Eastern Airlines flight attendant, who cuts a striking figure with flowing blond hair and enough keys on her belt to open a hardware store. She’s the manager at the Wonder Bar and hasn’t heard of anything like it on the East Coast. “Everybody knows your name, everybody knows your dog’s name,” says DeLisa.
