Puppy love: A Valentine's date at Dogs Trust's MicroChippy pop-up
Valentine's Day is all about sharing the love and they say there is no greater love than that of dog and owner.
With the Dogs Trust’s MicroChippy offering pet owners an alternative to the traditional Valentine’s scenario, creating a dining experience for dogs and their owners complete with champagne and a bespoke mutt-friendly menu, it seemed only fair to see what all the hype was about and let The Drum’s (part-time) office dog along to sniff it out.
A marketing stunt by Dogs Trust in conjunction with Bubbledogs, the MicroChippy aimed to raise awareness of new pet legislation coming in to play in April where all dogs must be microchipped. The event was a complete sell-out, proving just how much we Brit’s really do love our four-legged friends.
On arrival, dogs - and their owners - were greeted by the lovely ladies of Surname & Surname, a London-based brand communications agency, and led to their very own doggy booths and dining tables, fully equipped with beanbag beds to sit up at the table on or lounge cosily on the floor as well as their very own anti-slip water bowls.
Dog's Trust
After chowing down on a gluten free, sweet potato hotdog and peanut butter and banana champagne dog biscuit, our doggy correspondent, Mia, was scanned to ensure she was chipped with the MicroChippy team taking time explain the new way pet owners can locate their missing pets as well as update their chip’s details.
The two-day event was a great marketing initiative by Dogs Trust opening its doors to almost 200 dogs. Microchips were detected in almost every single four-legged visitor and for the one that had yet to be chipped; they were directed to free appointments at their nearest Dogs Trust rehoming centre.
London lacks venues where owners can enjoy a day out with their pets, I can’t speak for all pet owners, but I know if MicroChippy had permanent residence at the Printworks Kitchen, I would certainly be a regular.
Fantastic event, fantastic cause, scrummy food and educational for all pet owners.
More information on the new legislation or to support this important cause can be found here.
Yvonne Quinn is business development manager at the Reccomended Agencies Register (RAR). You can follow her - and Mia - on Twitter at @yvonne_RAR