behind the pop up
Meet Clematis Paws: A New Kind of Dog-Friendly Neighborhood Experience
July 29, 2026 · 9 min read
Clematis Paws is a West Palm Beach brand creating temporary, dog-friendly pop-up social experiences for dogs, people, and neighborhoods.
Clematis Paws is a West Palm Beach community brand creating temporary, dog-friendly pop-up social experiences that bring dogs, people, local businesses, and neighborhoods together.
Through modular pop-up parks, Yappy Hours, community gatherings, and local collaborations, Clematis Paws transforms everyday spaces into welcoming places where dogs can play, people can meet, and nearby businesses can be discovered.
It begins with a simple belief: good dogs can help create great neighbors.
A West Palm Beach Idea Inspired by Everyday Encounters
Clematis Paws began with a familiar scene.
Two neighbors are walking in opposite directions. Their dogs notice each other. Everyone pauses. The dogs make the introduction, the people begin talking, and an ordinary sidewalk becomes a small social space.
These moments happen every day throughout West Palm Beach. They may last only a few minutes, but they reveal something important. Dogs make it easier for people to slow down, say hello, and connect with the neighborhood around them.
Clematis Paws was created to make more room for those moments.
Instead of waiting for community connections to happen by chance, we design temporary spaces where they can happen naturally. Each experience is playful, welcoming, locally rooted, and designed for both two-legged and four-legged guests.
What Is Clematis Paws?
Clematis Paws creates pop-up social experiences for dogs, people, and neighborhoods in West Palm Beach, Florida.
It is not a permanent dog park, dog daycare, or traditional pet-service business. It is a flexible community activation concept that can temporarily appear near a storefront, restaurant, patio, public space, apartment community, hotel, neighborhood event, or other suitable location.
Depending on the setting, a Clematis Paws experience may take the form of:
A Pop-Up Dog Park
A temporary, enclosed play area created within a compact urban footprint. The concept can transform two adjacent parking spaces into a welcoming place for supervised dog play, neighbor-to-neighbor conversation, and local discovery.
A Yappy Hour
A relaxed dog-friendly social hosted with a participating venue, such as a restaurant, café, brewery, hotel, or neighborhood business.
A Hybrid Community Activation
A larger experience that combines a temporary play area with a Yappy Hour, local vendors, music, branded moments, and opportunities for neighborhood organizations to participate.
Each format can be adapted to the location, available space, event goals, municipal requirements, and surrounding community.
What If a Parking Space Could Become a Place?
One of the central ideas behind Clematis Paws is that even a small piece of a street can become meaningful public space.
Our signature pop-up concept is designed to fit within approximately two adjacent parking spaces. Using lightweight and modular elements, the space can become a temporary dog-friendly environment without needing to permanently change the street or property.
A typical activation may include:
- Enclosed artificial turf for supervised play
- Temporary modular fencing
- Shade for dogs and people
- A clean dog-water station
- Seating and resting areas
- Playful agility or enrichment elements
- A photo moment
- A waste and cleanup station
- A welcome or check-in area
- Clearly posted participation guidelines
The result is intentionally compact. It is not meant to replace a full-size municipal dog park. Instead, it demonstrates how an overlooked or underused space can temporarily support play, conversation, local business activity, and a stronger sense of place.
The activation can appear for a single event, a weekend, a seasonal program, or a community pilot. When the experience ends, the physical setup can move, but the relationships created there can continue.
Designed for Dogs, People, and the Block Around Them
A successful dog-friendly event must work for more than the dogs attending it.
Dogs need water, shade, appropriate boundaries, opportunities to rest, and owners who remain attentive. People need comfortable spaces to stand, sit, talk, and understand how the experience works. Businesses and residents need an activation that respects access, cleanliness, safety, and the character of the surrounding neighborhood.
Clematis Paws brings these needs together through thoughtful planning.
Before an activation takes place, we consider the site, its neighbors, access conditions, available space, insurance requirements, permits, event operations, and the kind of experience the location can comfortably support.
Each event may have different participation requirements. Event-specific information will explain admission details, vaccination expectations, leash rules, family guidance, weather procedures, accessibility, and any registration requirements.
In general, dogs remain under the responsibility and supervision of their owners. Leashes are required outside designated enclosed play areas, and current vaccinations are expected.
Clear expectations help create a more comfortable experience for everyone.
Meet Zoey and Riri
At the heart of Clematis Paws are two very real dogs with two very different personalities.
Zoey, Head of Good Times
Zoey is a Pomeranian and Papillon mix — bright, curious, energetic, and always ready to find out where the fun is happening. Small in size but full of presence, she brings movement and playfulness to the Clematis Paws story.
She represents the spark that turns an ordinary stop along a walk into an invitation to explore, play, and meet someone new.
Riri, Chief Welcome Officer
Riri is the tan dog with a warm, grounded personality. She has a calm way of observing a new environment and making it feel familiar. Social, treat-motivated, and always aware of the people around her, Riri represents the welcoming side of Clematis Paws.
She reminds us that hospitality does not need to be complicated. Sometimes it begins with a comfortable place to pause and someone who is happy to see you.
Together, Zoey and Riri are more than brand mascots. They are the inspiration behind the experience and a daily reminder that the best neighborhood connections often begin with a curious hello.
Supporting Local Businesses Through Community Experiences
Clematis Paws is designed to complement the neighborhood, not compete with it.
A pop-up near a storefront, patio, hotel, restaurant, or public edge can introduce new visitors to the surrounding area. It can encourage people to stay longer, explore nearby businesses, and associate participating organizations with a positive community experience.
Business partnerships may include:
- Hosting a Clematis Paws pop-up
- Participating as a local vendor
- Creating a co-branded neighborhood event
- Providing products or services
- Supporting an event as a sponsor
- Sponsoring an amenity such as shade, water, or a photo area
- Collaborating on programming for residents, guests, or customers
We welcome conversations with restaurants, cafés, breweries, hotels, retailers, apartment communities, veterinarians, groomers, trainers, dog daycares, pet brands, local makers, neighborhood organizations, and community-minded companies.
Every partnership begins with the location and the people it serves. The goal is not simply to place logos around an event. It is to create something useful, memorable, and appropriate for the neighborhood.
Starting in West Palm Beach
Clematis Paws was created in West Palm Beach and is shaped by the city’s outdoor lifestyle, walkable districts, local businesses, coastal personality, and growing dog-friendly community.
Our launch calendar begins with a PARK(ing) Day Pop-Up planned for Friday, September 18, 2026, in West Palm Beach. The exact location, event time, registration information, and participation details will be announced as they are confirmed.
This first activation will introduce the Clematis Paws concept in the environment that inspired it: at street level, close to local businesses, and within the everyday life of the neighborhood.
From there, the idea can grow through additional pop-up parks, Yappy Hours, seasonal gatherings, business collaborations, community pilots, and neighborhood partnerships.
Who Is Clematis Paws For?
Clematis Paws is for dog owners looking for thoughtful ways to spend time with their dogs.
It is for residents who want to meet more of the people living around them.
It is for local businesses that want to welcome new customers through an authentic neighborhood experience.
It is for vendors and makers who care about dogs, design, community, and local culture.
It is for sponsors that want to support visible, positive experiences at the neighborhood level.
It is also for people who may not own a dog but appreciate the energy, conversation, and sense of connection that dogs often bring to a public space.
The dogs may start the introductions, but the experience belongs to the whole neighborhood.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Clematis Paws a permanent dog park?
No. Clematis Paws creates temporary and modular dog-friendly pop-up experiences. An activation may operate for an event, a weekend, or a limited community pilot.
Where is Clematis Paws located?
Clematis Paws is based in West Palm Beach, Florida. Individual experiences may take place at different participating locations throughout the city and surrounding area.
Are Clematis Paws events free?
Admission details may vary by event. Each event announcement will clearly explain whether registration, a ticket, or another participation requirement applies.
Can my business host a pop-up?
Yes. Restaurants, cafés, breweries, hotels, retailers, apartment communities, public-space partners, and other suitable locations can contact Clematis Paws to discuss a potential activation.
Can local vendors participate?
Yes. Clematis Paws welcomes conversations with local pet, food, beverage, lifestyle, art, and community vendors whose products and services are a thoughtful fit for the event.
Can a company sponsor an event?
Yes. Sponsorship opportunities may include event sponsorship, amenity sponsorship, product contributions, on-site recognition, social media mentions, and other agreed-upon benefits.
Do dogs need to remain on a leash?
Leashes are required except within designated enclosed play areas. Owners remain responsible for supervising and controlling their dogs at all times.
How can I find upcoming events?
Upcoming events, announcements, first merchandise releases, and neighborhood news will be shared through the Clematis Paws website, email list, Instagram, and Facebook.
Welcome to the Clematis Paws Journal
This Journal will follow the people, dogs, businesses, and ideas helping Clematis Paws grow.
Future stories will include behind-the-scenes looks at our pop-ups, event recaps, neighborhood spotlights, dog-friendly West Palm Beach guides, conversations with local partners, updates from Zoey and Riri, and practical lessons about creating welcoming temporary public spaces.
Clematis Paws is starting with two dogs, two parking spaces, and one neighborhood-sized idea.
Make room to play. Stay long enough to connect. Discover something local.
Good dogs. Great neighbors.
Welcome to Clematis Paws.
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