I’ve been telling Mabel she’ll be four soon for about a month. I bought her present similarly early, though I am unsure whether to wrap it. When the Amazon guy delivers a gift from my sister on the day, he wishes Mabel “happy birthday” through the gate. As I sing the opening bars, the build-up has clearly worked: she jumps up with excitement and licks my knees. I should clarify at this point that Mabel is not my child – she’s a cocker spaniel.
If this sounds unhinged, I’d like to stress it’s statistically very normal, actually. “Pet birthdays” are a booming market, with the UK industry alone now worth an estimated £1.7bn. A recent survey by Moonpig found 64% of pet owners in the UK celebrate their pets’ birthdays, with as many as 83% of gen Z embracing gourmet treats or even themed parties.
