Doggone it! Where are they now?

THEY made a ferocious entry to Singapore, but scattered as quickly as they came - and with nary a whimper. This time two years ago, there were at least eight standalone outlets offering different takes on gourmet hot dogs, or hot dog sandwiches made with premium sausages rather than your low-brow canned frankfurter.

But recent young shoots aside, a scarce few of those ventures seem to have lasted the distance. Gourmet dogs and craft beer joint Li'l Papa's Wieners Beerstro, which closed in Craig Road in June, last month re-opened as craft beer retail kiosk The Papa Shop in Kallang - sans the hot dogs.

Earlier casualties include Superdog at Vivocity, The Purple Mustard at Icon Village in Tanjong Pagar, Zen Dog at The Sail at Marina Bay, and gourmet dog and artisan coffee joint Homebodies in Boat Quay, which has since been reconceptualised as Ah Sam's Cold Drink Stall under the same owners. Even O My Dog at Great World City, which opened in September 2011 serving dogs made with grain-fed meats in flavours such as truffle mushroom and bak chor mee, has now scaled down its operations to a weekend-only affair.