Let me be real: my dog, like yours, doesn’t know what a birthday is. But, like anyone who has ever loved a dog, I still want to celebrate the joy he brings to my life. My dog turned 12 last month. Usually, birthday celebrations are limited to some bonus treats or a toy, but following a cancer diagnosis, we realized this year was different: it would undoubtedly be his last.
We were stumped for ideas on how to celebrate. Walks, food, attention — it all felt a little too routine. In the end, we treated him to some ice cream and saved our celebrations for a weekend trip to the mountains.
It wasn’t until weeks later that I began to discover missed opportunities. It turns out Edmonton is secretly a hotbed of quirky, adorable offerings for celebrating your four-legged friend — any time of the year. Whether it’s for your dog or for you, here’s the perfect itinerary to celebrate your best friend.
Sure there’s the classic Starbucks pup cup (whipped cream in a small cup), but dog-loving Edmonton restaurants offer more than that. At Hathaway’s Diner, you can order Puppy Pies, filled with oats, pumpkin puree, whole eggs and cream cheese. The tiny treats are available to grab-and-go at any time. (My dog, who has mouth cancer and has become picky with his food, almost moved me to tears by absolutely devouring it.)
Kind Ice Cream offers a special dog-friendly ice cream treat made of pumpkin purée, maple syrup and coconut milk, available at all of its locations. Over at Rocky Mountain Ice House, there’s an entire Puppy Menu that includes everything from a 6-oz Sirloin Patty to a 6-oz Alberta Bison Patty, grain-fed chicken breast and three strips of bacon. Dessert is a bowl of whipped cream, ice cream or (free) puppy treats. The Ice House’s patio is open year-round for pooches, but if it’s very snowy, call ahead and the helpful staff will make sure they brush off a seat.
The Pawsome Pup Barkery offers a range of treats, but it also creates made-to-order dog birthday cakes. You choose the flavour (beef or apple/carrot) and the colour and they’ll take care of the rest. However, there’s no delivery or shipping for these elaborate designs — only for pickup in Edmonton.
There’s also the option of throwing your dog a traditional birthday party. Second Pup, a doggy daycare on the city’s southside, has seen huge demand for its dog-only birthday parties, created for its existing clients. The company tailors the experience to the dog — so if your pooch doesn’t like decorations, for example, Second Pup won’t include those. This month alone they have about 20 parties booked.
“We pick out dogs they get along with and they go to the party together and we do an album of them and they get a cake to share,” says manager Brittany Silva. “We also do a video of what they do during the day. We try to make it about them and what they want to do.”
Second Pup has started renting out its indoor and outdoor spaces to the wider public, but dog owners are required to provide everything and do their own set up.
For those who want to show up to a ready-made party, the company also owns Fantasia, located in West Edmonton Mall. It offers dog birthday packages for the public, including dog-friendly cupcakes, professional photos and a take-home puppy treat. “There’s play areas for the dogs, as well as a splash pad, a little pool they can fill and fountains that squirt water,” Silva says.
Forget a low-key walk around the block. If ever there was a day to load your dog up in the car and head to an off-leash area, it’s their birthday. There are the obvious choices: the massive Buena Vista and Terwillegar Parks. But there are other off-leash trails to explore too. One option is to park at Capilano Park and head over the footbridge that leads to the riverfront trails underneath the Highlands Golf Course. (Just leash your pooch on the bridge.) If you’re feeling particularly fit, you can wind all the way down to the Dawson Park boat launch.
On the west end of town, start at the entrance to Rio Park and head into the forest before popping out for the view at the Rocky Rio Beach.
For another meander-through-the-trees off-leash walk, visit the Mill Creek Ravine South, with multiple access points, starting from 48 Street. In total, the city has more than 60 off-leash parks and trails to visit.
At the end of the day, even if you don’t plan an elaborate birthday outing, don’t feel guilty. After all, that’s the magic of dogs: they’ll just be happy with a little extra attention from their favourite person. Or the man she married.
