Eugene Khutoryanskiy and Yana Kozicheva launched the Lakewood Ranch Dog Social Club on April 7 with a simple goal: find more friends for themselves and their Cavapoo, Mittens.

Six months later, the Facebook group had 1,600 members as of Oct. 30, as first reported by Your Observer. The group hit 90 members in its first week and 200 by the second.

The club is free to join.

Khutoryanskiy, who lives in Avalon Woods, said he met Kozicheva and Mittens in 2024. The couple met in Sarasota. One night in April, while admiring Mittens, they came up with the idea for the club, Your Observer reported.

Mittens, described as a social dog who always wants to be playing or walking, set the tone. According to Discover Bradenton, the Cavapoo greets every stranger on the sidewalk like a long-lost friend, jumping up for kisses before anyone says hello.

The club holds dog meetups at spots including Bob Gardner Park, Creekwood Park, Dog Bar Sarasota and Nathan Benderson Park. New dogs are introduced on-leash until everyone is comfortable. Members who prefer a smaller setting can request one-on-one introductions or breed-specific groups instead of the full crowd, Discover Bradenton reported.

The group also hosts "Human Social Nights" without dogs so owners can connect with each other. Members met at Big Top Brewery for one such gathering.

Ellen Richless, a Lakehouse Cove resident who moved to the area six months ago with her Chihuahua terrier mix Jasper Jax, said her first event was a meetup at Bob Gardner Park. She said she felt comfortable with everyone who attended and knew it would be easy to build relationships, according to Your Observer.

Grace Harvey, a Greyhawk resident who works as marketing social specialist at Dog Perfect, said the club makes it easy to connect because members already share a love of dogs. Harvey, 26, said her generation is leaning toward seeing dogs as their children.

The club has drawn members beyond Lakewood Ranch. Pia Ceccarelli Rosenberg, founder of Queen's Ranch Dog Rescue in Duette, said she felt welcomed at her first event when Kozicheva greeted her with a hug. Kayleigh Lewallen, a North Port dog-sitter who does not own a dog herself, said the group pushes her out of her comfort zone to meet people.

Beyond meetups, the club has rallied around animals in need. Members helped rehome a Shetland sheepdog whose owner had passed away. That post drew more than 10,000 views, almost 300 likes and over 100 comments, Discover Bradenton reported. The group also helped track down a lost dog in Bradenton by sharing the post until the dog made it home.

On Instagram, the founders post a new breed every Monday, name a Dog of the Week each Sunday and run "Local Love" spotlights on small businesses and nonprofits. A WhatsApp chat lets members trade plans and questions in real time.

Khutoryanskiy and Kozicheva showed up at the Barks and Boos event Oct. 13 at The Green at University Town Center with Mittens, all three dressed in coffee-themed outfits, Your Observer reported. Meetups are planned every other week; the club's Facebook group lists upcoming dates.