Washington dog-friendly Cafe K9 offers chance for pets to visit Santa with unique 'Santa Paws' experience

A dog-friendly cafe is set for Christmas fun as Santa Paws brings a unique experience and festive cheer for family pets.
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

Cafe K9 in Concord was taken over by Washington sisters Layla Lowery and Kerry O’hair in 2020, welcoming dog lovers and their pets for a warm and welcoming place to eat and drink.

Now, the cafe is preparing to offer a unique festive experience for dogs and their owners as Santa Paws will be visiting the cafe throughout December.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The cafe will be opening a Santa’s grotto in its garden area and pet owners will be able to see their four-legged friends get photos with Santa Paws, while also taking advantage of an afternoon tea for themselves.

Cafe K9 Santa Paws event last yearCafe K9 Santa Paws event last year
Cafe K9 Santa Paws event last year

Layla’s husband Steve Lowery will be donning the Santa Paws costume and is excited to spread some festive cheer.

He said: “We did a Santa Paws event last year to try and offer a laugh during Covid and thought if we could get 10 or 15 people turning up that would be great. We ended up having over 100 people and their dogs turn up throughout the month and people just seemed to love it.

“It’s a really fun thing to do and the photo makes a nice keepsake. Dogs will get a special bag of treats and afternoon tea will be available too. It’s great being Santa Paws, it was a bit daunting last year but it was good fun and I’m looking forward to doing it again, it’s a great community event.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Pictures taken with Santa Paws are imposed onto festive backgrounds which can be taken home as a keepsake.

Cafe K9 owners Layla Lowery and Kerry O’HairCafe K9 owners Layla Lowery and Kerry O’Hair
Cafe K9 owners Layla Lowery and Kerry O’Hair

After taking over, Layla and Kerry spent months putting their own stamp on the business, refurbishing the cafe, expanding its offering and adding more outdoor seating.

The Santa Paws grotto will take place at Cafe K9, in Spout Lane, on Saturday December 4 and then every Saturday in December until Christmas.

Support your Echo and become a subscriber today.

Cafe K9 Santa Paws event last yearCafe K9 Santa Paws event last year
Cafe K9 Santa Paws event last year

Enjoy unlimited access to all of our news and sport, see fewer ads, experience faster load times, test your brain with daily puzzles and get access to exclusive newsletters.

Your support for our journalism means we can continue telling Sunderland’s stories for generations to come. Click here to subscribe - and click here to get a snapshot of the Echo’s news and sport to your inbox through our email newsletters

Related topics: