On the 27th August, the Saturday after National Dog Day, Chelsea will welcome dogs and their owners to the borough when dogs will be celebrated.
We are lucky to live in a neighbourhood that is probably the most dog-friendly in ALL of England! And probably in the whole UK. Seriously!!! Having all these dog-friendly places on our doorstep had literally saved our lives! Well, maybe Mum’s mental health!
Because when Darcy was a pup, Mum had separation anxiety whenever she left her alone at home. She never really enjoyed watching a movie as she was constantly thinking about Darcy being on her own. She stopped accepting invitations to dine out with friends as she knew she wouldn’t be relaxed and be worried the whole time.
But she wasn’t going to let dog ownership rule her life. She wanted to live life the way she did before she had a dog, but she would live her life with Darcy. She knew she had to do something. So one day she walked around our neighbourhood, up and down King’s Road and went into every shop to ask if she could take Darcy in. That was in 2011 – a good ten years ago. And that was the reason we began our blog – to share all our discoveries.
Mum loved dining out with friends. She didn’t just settle for pubs – which usually are already dog-friendly. She wanted to dine where she liked and for Darcy to be able to accompany her.
While restaurants proved to be more challenging but she soon discovered it wasn’t impossible. And as the years passed, we would find more and more restaurants started to welcome dogs.
Before long we had compiled a long list of places – showcasing a wide range of cuisines.
Today, we are spoilt for choice of places where we can dine together.
Amazingly, Mum now enjoy movies at Picturehouse Fulham Road where they have two dog screenings a month.
And yes, we go shopping with Mum. It did get a bit boring waiting for her in fitting rooms or when she’s trying on shoes! But we usually entertained the staff with our antics – I usually demanded a belly rub and Darcy would do her “happy dance” on their plush carpets. And Darcy always went behind all the counters because she once found food in a bin – and never ever forgot that!
At Richard Ward Hair & Metro Spa, we would sit for hours while she had her hair done. Must admit we always got a lot of fuss.
Over the years, Mum had wanted to do something about highlighting King’s Road – whether it was stickers on shop windows to say they welcome dogs or create a dog-friendly map for the neighbourhood. Nothing came to fruition.
So when Mum along with Gaynor (of Four Legged Foodies) approached Cadogan to suggest that we should have a celebration of Dog Day along Kings Road, it was like the meeting of minds. Mum knew she couldn’t do it on her own and was thrilled to learn that Cadogan Estates had thoughts to promote Chelsea as dog-friendly. And that was how Chelsea Dog Day began. And so in two weeks time a dream will be fulfilled – we look forward to having all of you enjoying the treats galore and special welcomes at shops and most restaurants in Chelsea.
It just seems right that the first neighbourhood Dog Day should be at Chelsea. This inclusive event highlights and celebrates all the ways that Chelsea makes dogs and their owners feel welcome. We hope dogs, and their owners, will come for a memorable day in our neighbourhood.
May’s comment: Saturday 27th August will see Chelsea’s first ‘pawfect’ neighbourhood dog festival take place, celebrating International Dog Day and in support of The Dogs Trust. Kick starting the bank holiday weekend, the streets of Chelsea will be transformed into a doggy haven with a dog-themed market, a host of doggy entertainment throughout the day and over 50 brands from Anya Hindmarch, Gucci, Prada and Ralph Lauren to Peter Jones, The Cadogan Hotel, Picturehouse Cinema, Bluebird and Ice Cream Union participating with in-store activity, menus, hydration stations and enticing treats.
Highlights include dog-friendly cinema screenings; doggy brunches and teas from local restaurants, pubs and hotels; ‘pawtrait’ artists and photographers; dog-friendly ice-cream; free bones from the local butcher; paw massage from The Organic Pharmacy; floral dog collars from Moyes Stevens and an array of fabulous accessories to entice from the luxury brands on Sloane Street.
The ‘Four Legged Foodies’ dog market at Duke of York Square (10-4pm) will host 20 fantastic food, art and accessories stallholders, from some of the most distinguished doggy brands including Bashe showcasing stylish leather collars, Sniffe & Likkit with their renowned grooming and fragrance products, delicious treats from Happy Paws and Claws and Chelsea favourite, Love My Human – along with the chance to be painted alongside your pooch as artists and illustrators will be dotted around to capture you and your pet.
These are just some of the shops and restaurants taking part on the day. Click here for the map of these stores. We will update this list in the coming weeks.
28-50 Wine Workshop & Kitchen: serving paw-secco and doggy canapés at their dog bar.
Anabela Chan: offering treats outside the store and pop in to see their painting of Anabela’s dog, Valentino.
Anya Hindmarch: dog biscuits will be available at Anya Café and the Anya Hindmarch dog collection is available in store.
Bluebird: hosting a doggy brunch – dine from the brunch menu and receive special dog treats from Love My Human. Blankets and bowls will be available.
The Cadogan Arms: offering a dog menu, perfect for a trip to the pub with your furry friend.
The Cadogan, A Belmond Hotel: a tempting dog menu including beef tartare, salmon and eggs with the option to create your own dog bowl.
Dermalogica: personalised dog bowl and working with Fluff & Crumble to create tasty Dermalogica dog biscuits.
The Carlton Tower Jumeirah: station outside Al Mare restaurant with complimentary homemade treats from their chef.
Fiona Finds: luxury dog bowls in store to purchase.
Gucci: showcasing their pet collection with refreshments and hydration station.
Ice Cream Union: dog-friendly ice cream and complimentary treats.
Jigsaw: showcasing handmade dog coats in the windows made from offcuts of Jigsaw fabrics. The handmade dog coats will be raffled off in aid of Dogs Trust who are the store’s chosen year-long charity partner. Treats and a water bowl will be available as a permanent fixture.
Les Nereides: offering a free pink dog paw bracelet with any purchase over £140 at the King’s Road store, with an animals window display, treats and water outside the store.
Love My Human: giving away free puppacinos and treats all day in the café.
Moyses Stevens: creating beautiful floral collars for picture moments along with a dog themed window display and dog treats.
No. Fifty Cheyne: giving away 50 servings of the new Teddy Maximus treats between midday and 4pm. Weather permitting, there will also be a photographer to capture photos of dogs and their owners on their Instagrammable bench.
The Organic Pharmacy: complimentary ‘Charlie hydrating & relaxing paw massage’ and ‘Charlie aroma calming mist’ along with a pop up of Charlie & Co Naturals in store. Scratch cards will be available to be in with the chance of winning a prize, along with treats and water throughout the day.
Prada: dedicated pet display along with hydration station outside the store.
Papersmiths: special dog themed window featuring all their dog themed products. All visiting dogs will be photographed for their social media! Treats will be available inside.
Peter Jones: complimentary dog photographer to take beautiful snaps of your pooch in store. No need to book ahead, simply bring your pooch to the 2nd floor and Andrew from Raven Imagery will offer a 10/15 minute session. Your photos will then be edited and emailed over to you. Paw prints will also guide you to the pet section to purchase new accessories and much more.
Picture House Fulham Road: hosting an exclusive screening of Bullet Train to enjoy with your canine friends.
Provenance: complimentary individually wrapped bones for all pups that stop by.
Sarah Chapman: working with Pu-La for dog bowls, poo bags and more available throughout the day, as well as treats in store and the chance of meeting Sarah’s two beautiful Italian Greyhounds.
Sloane Place: collaborating with Love My Human for complimentary dog treats upon check-in, along with free puppacinos to the dogs who join their pawrents for lunch. Make sure you ask for their map of curated walks in the area from 10 minutes to an hour for your four-legged friend.
Taschen: highlighting all their dog books with water and treats available.
Timothy Oulton: their Westminster Dog Bed is ready and waiting for anyone who needs a rest, along with a water bowl.
There will also be plenty of water bowls and tempting treats dotted around the neighbourhood, including at Ad Hoc,Aesop, Anthropologie, Balenciaga, beeboon, Clarendon Fine Art, Club Monaco, Dubarry, GANNI, Jimmy Fairly, LK Bennett, Mackage, ME+EM, Monica Vinader, Mother Vine, Mucci’s Restaurant, NARS, Nike, Oliver Peoples, Osborne & Little, Rabbit, Ralph Lauren, Really Wild Clothing, Salon Sloane, Sunspel, Tateossian, The Aubrey at The Mandarin Oriental, Trotters, Vardo, Wulf and Lamb and Yves Delorme.
Chelsea Dog Day is presented and organised by Cadogan, with the support of us, “local dog enthusiasts” (www.missdarcy.org) and Gaynor Jackson (Four Legged Foodies).
