London's barking for dogs

Change the cupcakes to pupcakes, goody bags to doggy bags, pass the parcel to paws the parcel and in place of the children are, yes, that's right, dogs.

Cat-lovers stifle your giggles, because right now the London dog-owner's social calendar is awash with events from dog birthdays (barkdays) to puppy showers, and if you don't have a dog, well, you're not invited.

The social scene begins in the parks, where "meet-up" groups such as The Hackney Dog Lovers Group or the North London Small Dog and Toy Breed Meetup Group have regular get-togethers where owners will chat over a cup of coffee or a picnic while the dogs run together.

"If you walk your dog at the same time every day you meet a whole community of people — and then you start getting invited to birthday parties," says Kate Lyall-Grant, whose Patterdale terrier, Jasper, has added a new dimension to her diary since she got him seven months ago. They recently attended a labrador's fifth birthday together where they played doggy musical chairs. "You walk the dogs in a circle and when the music stops the last dog to sit is out. Jasper and I won," Lyall-Grant says quite proudly.

"I actually only get to know the dogs' names," she explains. "The owner will just say: "It's Maple and Teddy's birthday, come along to the park at four o'clock."

"A lot of the dogs have Facebook profiles. That way you can link up to people via your dog's page instead of your own," says Christine Chau, who runs the Italian Greyhounds in London meet-up group and whose dog Fat-Charley Ig is on Facebook himself.

One Jack Russell called Ralph Lumsden has dozens of happy birthday messages on his wall.

"It's almost like having a baby," says Chau of the birthday parties. "Everybody has to take something along — soft toys or treats."

At Holly & Lil, a fancy dog collar and accessories shop in London Bridge, you can buy edible (for dogs, anyway) greetings cards made of rawhide with messages such as "Pupstar", "Happy Birthday" or even "Paw You", for when a dog isn't feeling well.

"People come in and say they're having a pawty'," says Chelsea Muir, who works in the shop. "We have a doggy gift set that loads of people buy."

Staff members at Mungo & Maud, the luxury dog and cat outfitters, have found themselves offering advice to people unsure of what to buy for a doggy birthday or a puppy shower — held when someone gets a new pup.

"If you don't know what to get, you come with a toy — that's the etiquette," says Stephanie Mehanna, founder of the Canine Cookie Company, which makes dog occasion cakes and treats. She organises bespoke dog parties for clients at her Harrods outlet that can cost from £500 to £1,000 — depending on the cakes and the gifts selected for doggy bags. "People will spend as much as they would on a children's birthday party," she says.

"For a puppy shower it can be a bit like a wedding, with a gift list from a particular range." Mehanna sells three-tiered "cakes" designed for puppy showers that are made out of puppy pads (dog nappies) with gifts tucked into the tiers.

She also caters for about six dog birthdays a month in the summer and two or three a month in the winter. "It's easier to have a birthday party in the summer because the dogs can run around outside," she says. "A lot of people will pretend it's the dog's birthday in the summer so that they can have a party."

But dogs born in November (which many are, apparently — bred in time for Christmas) shouldn't fret. Mehanna has just opened the Harrods Pet Spa so winter-born dogs can be bought a Spa Day Experience package for their big day — with a pedicure (pawdicure?), luxury shampoo and
breath-freshening treatment.

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