Over-the-top ways to spoil your pet this Christmas

From $100 cakes to dog beers and pretzels, find out the top ways to pamper your pet.

It really is a dog’s life.

Pampered, entertained and fashion forward, the modern dog wears designer, handmade bandannas, collars, harnesses, winter scarfs and bow ties.

They go to doggie daycare for adventure and education while their owners are at work. They enjoy special subscription club toys and treats that are posted to their homes every month. They have regular playmates with their doggo friends. They go on holidays with their humans and sit by them in cafes.

Brisbane business The Brisbane Barkery provides custom made cakes and treats for dogs. Photo: Ruth Black.

Birthdays are a big deal and they celebrate with pool parties (in bone-shaped hired paddle pools), chomping down handcrafted bespoke birthday cakes and slurping bone broth beer. Dog pals receive party bags too.

COVID-19 has been tough. It is serious, it is disruptive, it is heartbreaking.

But with widespread economic hardship, humans often embrace what, in economic circles, is called “the lipstick effect’’ – with less disposable income for big-ticket items, we buy smaller luxury items for a feel-good effect.

COVID-19 has seen a growing interest in all things dog because dogs, quite simply, are fun. They make you feel better. They love unconditionally. They are welcome relief in our new virus-ridden world and, suddenly, we can’t get enough of them.

Not only have dog adoptions skyrocketed while people spend more time working from home, local dog businesses specialising in dog treats, cakes, fashion items, toys, parties and “enrichment’’ experiences are booming.

Man and woman’s best friend has emerged from the doghouse and it seems we can’t spoil our best four-legged friends enough.

Every month, Kate Herbert ships thousands of boxes filled with treats and toys to dogs all over Australia.

Her online subscription service, Waggly Club, sends customisable boxes, costing between $45 to $52 a month, filled with products selected for “play, stimulation, and nutrition’’.

Her business goal is “to deliver joy and tail wags to dogs and bring smiles to the faces of the people who love them’’.

Dog treats and toys delivered in a monthly subscription box from Waggly Club.

Herbert, 35, who is based in Melbourne, says business is booming, with subscriptions up about 100 per cent from a year ago.

“Dogs aren’t just dogs anymore,’’ she says.

“The old way of thinking with the dog staying outside, eating food out of a tin twice a day, that’s changed,’’ she says.

“Our customers say their dogs are like family members.

“People are looking for something that brightens their day. A lot of people are feeling pain but this is a small way for someone to bring a lot of joy to their day-to-day life.

“If there’s a delivery for the dog, the dog gets super excited and the owner gets excited and it’s like a really great shared experience for both of them.

“Any dog businesses that are a celebration and are fun are really taking off which is great. It’s a fantastic foil for COVID-19.’’

Herbert says there has been a move away from supermarket dog treats to higher end products that “almost follow human food trends’’ such as Australian made, single ingredient, no sugar, no preservatives, grain free or gluten free.

“We let customers customise their subscriptions,’’ she says.

“We see dogs that have preferences for certain things or they have allergies and intolerances. People are really tuned into that now.’’

At some point, dog birthdays have become a big deal.

Naomi Buer, 36, of The Gap, in Brisbane’s west, owns a business called Brisbane Barkery, baking and decorating dog-friendly birthday cakes that range in price from $50 to $100.

It’s a far cry from her day job as a forensic recording analyst for Queensland Police where she edit, enhances and prepares CCTV footage for investigations and viewing in court.

“Dogs are now regarded as part of the family,’’ Buer says.

“They are treated like people’s children and their owners want them to be able to have parties and dog-friendly treats like humans.’’

Naomi Buer owns The Brisbane Barkery, a dog cake and treat business. Picture: Mark Cranitch.

Cakes aside, customers can also spoil their dog with a dog beer (bone broth) for $6. There are also “pupcakes’’, doughnuts, pretzels and famous face biscuits of Donald Trump, Snoop Dogg, Kim Jong-un and Einstein.

One of the most popular items is the “dogg-elganger cake’’ (a delicious grain-free peanut butter cake with Greek yoghurt icing) decorated with a custom lookalike dog.

“With COVID I’ve noticed an increase in business as people are spending more time at home with their dogs,’’ Buer says.

“My customers vary. I get a lot of women in their mid to late 20s who are pre-kids and their lives kind of revolve around their dog.

“Others do have children and they want their kids to celebrate with the dog.

“A lot of people plan parties for their dogs so they will order a cake and some dog beers. They like to have a beer with their dog.’’

Dogcakes at Chapel Hill, in Brisbane’s west, also does personalised dog cakes for $65 as well as bone-shaped, chew-resistant dog pool hire ($50 for the weekend) for “the doggie pool party of the century!’’.

There are pupcakes starting from $40 for a half dozen, lollypups (a paw-shaped biscuit on a rawhide stick) for $6, while dog party bags are $9 each.

A whole dog party pack is $70 that includes paw-print balloons, party hats, streamers and party games.

Of course, fashionable party dogs need to look the part. Brisbane business Hound & Hair launched in May 2019 selling handmade bandannas and matching scrunchies.

It has since expanded its shop to bow ties, snap-on bandannas, winter scarfs, ‘upcycled denim pieces’ and personalised products.

Naomi Buer owns The Brisbane Barkery, a dog cake and treat business. Dog biscuits of various famous faces. Picture: Mark Cranitch.

Dog owners are increasingly reluctant to leave their best friends alone at home while they go to work.

They want their dogs to have a fun and enriching day and doggie daycare is booming.

Brisbane business Wolfhouse launched in 2017 and is now planning to expand nationally.

Founder and managing director Josh Woodhouse, 31, founded Wolfhouse with his wife Larissa, 30, as a “unique and different standard’’ of traditional dog daycare.

The 1000-square metre indoors campus at Eagle Farm, in Brisbane’s north east, offers “education and adventure’’ for up to 80 dogs, costing $50 for a one-off half day or $70 for a full day.

All breeds of dogs are welcome and work with certified trainers and “team dogs’’ – three Siberian huskies Anuk, Tuuq and Portland – who are Woodhouse’s own pets.

Education tackles general obedience, behavioural issues as well as more complex service and support skills. The site can simulate storms, fireworks and lawnmowers.

The adventure aspect aims to “appease the inner wolf in all dogs’’ and the facility’s design allows dogs to “run, climb, swim, smell, explore, jump’’.

“We’ve created more of a college or uni or high school feel where the dogs come in, work with certified trainers, go through their rotations – like young adults go through their subjects at uni,’’ Woodhouse says.

Josh Woodhouse, co-owner of doggy care day venue Wolfhouse, in Brisbane, pictured with team dog Anuk.

“Since lockdown restrictions and people being home more with their dogs, there’s a significant amount of empathy and understanding about what dogs experience every day of their lives – the boredom, not being able to go anywhere, the same environment all of the time.

“Ten or 15 years ago it was quite common to go to someone’s barbecue and have a dog tethered to a kennel – that was the life of a dog.

“These days, dogs are now such a prominent member of the family. There’s an understanding about how much value this animal can provide to the family in support and companionship and there’s a massive jump in the per cent of the wallet share that people are willing to spend on dogs.

“We have a high per cent of our customer base that has a fair amount of disposable income but we also have a lot of people who are happy to work that into their household budget and live off two-minute noodles if they have to so their dog has the type of life they can be proud of as dog owners.

“To contribute a portion of the family budget to making sure their dog can live a life they were destined to live, is incredibly important in today’s society.’’