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| Kim Schlegel and Lola |
Whatever Lola Wants
With high-society dog parties all the rage, event planner Kim Schlegel throws an extravagant birthday bash for her pampered pooch.
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| Amy Tolleson in sunglasses and Snoop Dog in Doggles. |
Guthrie, a 10-week-old Burmese mountain dog with a fluffy coat and gigantic puppy paws, bounds joyfully across the damp grass on the vast, Versailles-like grounds of Myrna and Bob Schlegel’s estate. It stormed earlier, but now the air sparkles blue, and the sun is warm. Oh, spring! This is Guthrie’s first social engagement, and she tugs relentlessly at the leash owner Allison Levy is using to attempt to restrain her.
Seventy dogs and more than 100 humans gathered on a lovely April Sunday to celebrate Lola the Chihuahua’s sixth birthday. Lola, who belongs to the Schlegels daughter Kim, has had her toenails painted cotton-candy pink for the occasion and wears a collar of fresh pink roses. High-society dog parties are all the rage this season, so much so that Kim, who owns a local party-planning company, is documenting doggie soires across the country for a book. Think of her as the Nan Kempner of the poodle set.
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| Handmade doggie treats from Tails of the City |
Lola might prefer a romp on the lawn with Guthrie to the afternoon’s orchestrations, but what she gets is fit for a debutante: white-shirted waiters passing silver trays with finger sandwiches in the shapes of dog bones and fire hydrants, doggie massages, a portrait artist, and lavishly skirted tables full of dog treats so enticing that we saw an unsuspecting human pop a dog-treat-slash-cupcake with pink icing into her mouth. Given her pleasant expression, it must have been delicious.
Meanwhile, Lola, ever the dutiful hostess, never leaves her spot at the front gate where she greets guests, who, even after two-and-a-half hours, are still arriving.
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Lola’s Favorite Party Sources
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| Character artist Neal Asher sketches Amy Tolleson’s poodle, Snoop Dog |
Kimberly’s K9 Fitness Center & Spa
5706 W. Lovers Ln. 214-357-5467. www.kimberlysk9spa.com.
Take your pooch here for massages, yoga, pedicures, treadmills, day care, and overnight boarding. Or have the masseurs come to you, as Lola does.
Tails of the City
6819 Snider Plaza. 214-750-7602.
Makes home-baked dog treats, including some of those served at Lola’s party, from 20 different recipes. Atelier, a Workshop, located in the back of the store, sells fresh flowers “perfect for those special-occasion collars.
Pet Supplies Plus
6060 E. Mockingbird Ln. 214-827-1248. www.petsuppliesplus.com.
Carries a wide variety of pet supplies including feeders and the continuous-flow water coolers seen at Lola’s bash.
Nixon’s Top Dog Bakery & Boutique
464 NorthPark Center. 214-378-6739. Multiple locations.
In addition to their stock of accessories, beds, and collars, check out the freshly made treats, which were a huge hit with Lola’s guests.
Character artist
Neal Asher, 817-735-9170 or [email protected].
Asher can capture your pampered pet’s more playful side.
