A wonderful paw-ty

Stefanie Frith

The birthday cake, a special peanut butter mix, was a big hit. And

those in attendance were lapping it up.

Literally.

On Sunday afternoon, The Barkery on Balboa Island played host to a

birthday party for Tequi and Becky, a Havanese and toy poodle who both

turned one Sunday. Eleven people and 12 dogs in attendance were decked in

party hats and bearing gifts. The cake, of course, was for dog guests

only.

“I just thought it would be very fun to have a party at The Barkery,”

said Newport Beach resident Christie McClaire, Tequi’s owner. “We could

make it an annual birthday party. It just happened that my sister’s

[Joanne Stuetz] dog, Becky, has the same birthday as Tequi. So we decided

to do this together.”

Stephanie Bailiff, The Barkery’s owner, recently hosted a wedding for

her own pug dog at the shop, and said she was up for the challenge of

organizing a birthday party for Tequi and Becky.

“It was maybe even the first time that she [McClaire] came into the

store and talked about doing a birthday party,” said Bailiff, a Costa

Mesa resident. “So I made the cake and special party favors for both big

and small dogs. This way, she doesn’t have to do it at her house. It’s so

cute.”

Out on the patio adjacent to The Barkery, party-goers played musical

chairs and bobbed for tennis balls. Tequi, wearing a tiny T-shirt that

read “It’s my party and I’ll bark if I want to,” as well as a sparkly

tiara, greeted each guest with a kiss and Becky barked at any dog bigger

than she.

“This just makes our whole Sunday,” said Stephanie Robertson of

Newport Beach, who escorted her dog, Grizzy, to the party. “I thought I

was too old for this, but it’s lots of fun.”

Laguna Niguel resident Rich Englemark, who attended the birthday party

with his dogs, Anori and Wicca, said he’s not so sure he would ever host

a party for one of his own pets.

“I don’t know, it seems like a lot of responsibility,” he said,

starting to laugh as Anori gulped down a slice of cake. “Oh no, there

goes the diet. I will have to confirm with these guys after [the party]

to see if they had a good time.”

Robertson said that even though people may think it’s a bit much to

host a party for their dog, they should do it anyway.

“It’s good for the dogs to get out and socialize,” she said, adjusting

Grizzy’s party hat. “It’s cute. It’s fun. It’s the ultimate Newport Beach

dog experience.”