I think we can all agree that pets won the great quarantine of 2020. Not only did they get extra attention and lots of outdoor walks, they also kept their stir-crazy owners sane during the stay-at-home orders. There was also a rise in pet adoptions nationwide as many people decided they had the necessary time to spend with a new pet. 

And if they were really lucky pups, they were lavished with elaborate birthday parties and fun dress-up opportunities. Captain the English Bulldog was one such pet. His family in Grandville, Michigan celebrated Captain’s fifth birthday with an exuberant party, complete with cake, balloons and decorations.

The Dewey family includes mom Stephanie, dad Ben, Kennedy, 16, Kaden, 15 and Rylee, 12, and of course Captain and little Lenni Sue, a 2-year-old French Bulldog. They all get involved when it comes to dressing up the dogs. 

“We love the dogs and taking pictures of them dressed up,” Stephanie said. “Captain’s birthday was the perfect excuse to do that – and we were crazy bored stuck in the house during quarantine,” she added.

For the epic Pet Pawty on April 4, Dewey and her daughters baked two cakes, one human cakeand one dog cake. The girls blew up the balloons and decorated the living room. Dewey ordered the decoration set, by Zerodeco, online since stores were still closed because of the quarantine. They recently celebrated Lenni’s second birthday with another party.

In addition to parties, the family loves to dress up the dogs for Halloween. “Last year Captain was a donut, Lenni was a frappuccino and Rylee was a Starbucks barista to go with them,” Dewey shared. 

Julie McCallum

Julie McCallum is publisher of Gift Shop Magazine. She is formerly the editor-in-chief of the publication, as well as editor of Museums & More, and she has more than 25 years experience in publishing.