According to Dwayne Kling's The Rise Of The Biggest Little City, The Dog House was quite the place in the thirties. Named in honor of a wire-haired terrier named Poochy. Termed in the whole page devoted to it (plus pic) as Reno's most heavily patronized club and largest nightclub in Nevada. Slogan of "The Divorcee's Haven". Actually in those days, Reno looked upon gaming as a suppliment to the divorce industry which the city promoted as a revenue maker before legalized gambling. The range riding thing probably stemmed from the image the eastern part of the country had of Nevada and was a come-on for those seeking marriage dissolution. The employees wore cowboy and cowgirl attire. The place sounds like one of theheavy hitters on the Reno scene at the time and was located across the street from the Golden Hotel. Continued remodeling just enhanced all its appeal when suddenly, Zounds!, they were busted for cheating! Of course the owners claimed to be victims of the guys running the actual games etc. Closed, became The Tropics and of course, being in Reno, they razed it and you can park your car there now.
Anybody with an interest in gaming in Nevada ought to have this excellent book. Many, many pictures and the real deal as to names and dates. Kling also visits the sites and tells you what stands there today. He's a good guy and gracious with his time for the chip collecting hobby.