Recently, my wife, son, and I traveled to lower Manhattan for a birthday party for a seven-year-old that was to be held outside of a bar/restaurant in the Chelsea neighborhood.
This was not an ordinary seven-year-old birthday party. It was a birthday party for our daughters’ seven-year-old female bulldog named Ellie, who they adopted one year ago from a local rescue. My initial thought was, “why would I want to spend two hours outside in early February in New York City for a seven-year-old bulldog’s party?”
The birthday party was part of a larger Sunday weekly meet-up group for New York City bulldog owners. The group consisted of a mix of young and old, single and married, from different cultures, ethnicities, and life stages, and of course, their bulldogs.
An occasion I thought would be very ordinary and cold turned into something magical that happened on the sidewalk outside the restaurant/bar on Gansevoort Street in Chelsea between the hours of noon and 3 pm on Sunday, February 5th.
Walkers by, both locals and tourists, saw 18 bulldogs dressed up in Valentine’s sweaters and tutus. As they rushed to get to their brunch destination after making a visit to the Whitney Museum or coming off the High Line, they could not stop smiling upon seeing these beautiful bulldogs dressed in their Sunday finest for a Valentine’s bulldog birthday party. Most stopped to take pictures or Facetime with a friend, describing what they were witnessing. These bulldogs immediately brought happiness to people.
They even were able to put a smile on my face. What started as a reluctant bulldog party for me transformed into a magical experience. Happy seventh birthday Ellie, and thank you to you and your friends for making it so very special for your human friends as well.
Click here to see Ellie’s special day!