A woman has revealed how she manages to spoil her eight dogs to 'barkday parties' and McDonald's on a £15 budget. Bethany Stokoe, 27, from Consett, County Durham, proudly owns eight Staffordshire bull terrier mixes named Kira, Rio, Ziggy, Ziva, Max, Dexter, Misty and Mitzey.
The pack are very much pampered by owner Bethany who hires out doggy cafes for their birthdays and even takes them on trips to Starbucks and McDonald’s. Bethany has been sharing footage of their outings on TikTok - and has racked in more than 100,000 views from dog lovers asking how she manages to pull it all off.
She said: "I took them to Starbucks and McDonald’s in memory of Snoop, he was one of the pack who sadly passed away last year.
"At both places we went through the drive-thru because I daren't tie them all to the bench outside as they'd probably pull it out of the ground.
"Everyone was staring at us asking me questions like 'are they yours?' or 'are you a dog walker?' - meanwhile all the staff found it so funny.
"Each doggy got a puppuccino and a plain cheeseburger, so they were all very pleased.
"We always try to celebrate their birthdays in style, either by hiring out a doggy cafe which is very cheap, or hire out a field with some climbing area for them - both costs no more than £15.
"We've done some amazing Barkday parties at doggy cafes where I've invited friends and their dogs along to play games like doggy pass the parcel while each pup wears a party hat."
Bethany grew up around canine's and absolutely loves having a pack of her own, even admitting there are some soft spots too.
She added: "Kira is the mummy's girl of the pack, she knows it and she's also the baby, yet Dexter is my dad's favourite, and he knows it as well.
"Ziva is definitely the naughtiest, most mischievous of the pack and in family portraits she's always got the biggest, cheesiest smile.
"Rio and Ziggy are actually brothers, they have the same mum and are inseparable. I decided to call them the Cray Twins!
"Max is the biggest of the pack, he's crossed with a bulldog - so heavy weighing around 32kilos and he's definitely the goofy, gentle giant of the pack.
"Dexter was our first Staffy and I've sort of grown up with him because I was around 16/17 when we got him, and it was love at first sight.
"I've always grown up with dogs but when I was growing up, we had Boxer dogs. I absolutely love Staffies, and I think they're all rounded dogs.
"The thing with this breed is you can stay in and cuddle up with them, or you can go out and literally walk 10 miles. They're happy to do both.
"They're also absolutely great with other dogs and although I don't have kids, my pack is great around kids, and they get so excited to see little humans.
"It's like they have an intuition to be gentle around kids, they have never jumped up at a child either."
The pack, who’ve mostly grown up together, are incredibly good around other dogs due to mum's occupation, but they're also great around each other too.
Unfortunately, Bethany revealed she and the pack also faced their fair share of stick too.
She said: "I've had comments from the public like 'look at those vicious dogs' or people generally acting cautious around them.
"However, the stereotypes about Staffies that have been painted are just not true at all - my lot are extremely well-mannered dogs.
"A lot of people in the local area know me now though so comments like that are something I don't get very often.
"I'd like to add when we take them to shows I get comments from other owners like 'Can you train my dog?' which makes me laugh.
"The pack always thrive at shows, especially in the fancy dress category, and of course winning the best family rosette.
"When people see us out and about, it's normally met with a warm welcome and most places we visit it's the same reaction.
"Their favourite place to go is Druridge Bay, a beach with very soft sand, and when we arrive the car is honestly bouncing with how excited they all are."
Do you have a dog story to share? Email paige.freshwater@reachplc.com.
