More than 50 spaniels took reign over Sheffield’s Slug and Lettuce during a Cocker Spaniel Cafe on Sunday.
Pop and Bark, a national event organiser as seen on BBC’s Dragons’ Den, turned their venue partner on Holly Street into a dog paradise for the afternoon.
The event included toys, treats and even a puppuccino bar with the perfect opportunity to socialise with other dog lovers. Tickets for adults ranged from £11.75 to £15.75 with dogs getting in for free.
Organiser Sebastian Maitre, who has run 75 previous Pop and Bark pop-ups, said: “These events create a massive sense of community between like minded individuals, dog owners meet at Pop and Bark events and later return together.”
With 55 Spaniels and 110 dog owners at the event, Mr Maitre said: “It is a unique thing to experience in a social, off-lead environment that caters to all.”
With six sessions catered to different dog breeds spread across the day, owners and their dogs came from all over Sheffield as well as neighbouring cities.
Ellie Rhodes and her grandmother, Kate Robson, came from Chesterfield with their dog Luna. Ms Rhodes, who had attended a previous event held by Pop and Bark last year, said: “It took a while to find a cocker spaniel based event”.
The tickets were a Christmas gift from Ms Rhodes to her grandmother. Despite the wait, Ms Robson described the event as “spaniel heaven”.
Not all attendees felt the excitement presented by the dogs were matched by the owners.
Bod Cantwell, who described himself as a “proud dog dad” said: “I thought it would be a bit more sociable” but explained how he believed this to be due to the closed layout.
Mr Cantwell said: “Cocker spaniel owners get each other but it would be nice to have a bit more of a chat.”
While Pop and Bark have been coming to Sheffield since 2022, the interest in these events are clear and gives a new expansion opportunity in the hospitality industry transforming cocktail bars into interactive and off-lead experiences for all pet owners.
You can find more Pop and Bark events on their website https://popandbark.com/events/ or @popandbark on Instagram and Facebook.
