Μake us preferred on Google Some 100,000 pooches call Paris home, and it is regarded as one of the world’s friendlier places for dogs.
Before antigovernment protests swept France and Paris this month, the city’s association with dogs was burnished in September when, between Paris Design Week and Paris Fashion Week, the first edition of Paris Dog Week brought dozens of canines and their owners to pool parties, tarot readings, runway shows and wellness events.
One night, at Eataly’s flagship location in the Marais, the drag queen Le Filip, a winner of “Drag Race France,” hosted bingo with her whippet Azur. They held court as four-legged guests wolfed down pizza pour chiens, or pizza for dogs. Toppings included puréed pumpkin, diced chicken and sweet potato.
With each number called, Le Filip served one-liners. “21—the legal age of drinking in the United States!” she said. “44—a shoe size I really like.” Then a voice cried: “Bingo!”
Bingo host Le Filip and her whippet Azur. Jonas Unger for WSJ
It belonged to Hsuan-An Pan, who was with her golden retriever, Theo. Le Filip petted his creamy coat while checking Pan’s card. “He’s so soft,” Le Filip said. “And so white … I don’t want to transfer makeup on him!”
Another guest, a long-haired Chihuahua-spitz mix named Foxy, trotted toward Le Filip’s open-toed stilettos. “He likes to lick toes,” said Ivana Vasić, Foxy’s owner and the French importer of King’s Choice, a Serbian dog beverage.
Pépin, a cocker spaniel, enjoying pizza pour chiens at Eataly. Jonas Unger for WSJ
Earlier that day, in Room 526 at the 25hours Hotel Terminus Nord, a crowd of women socialized with their dogs, who played with Paris-Dog-Week-branded balls. All of the humans were wearing pajamas, and so were some of the dogs.
“In Spain, we don’t have things like this,” said Elena Roig Roger, the founder of Dogtitude, an Ibizan line of dog and human clothing.
Aneka Johnson, 44, had come from London, where she has been organizing a dog week since 2019.
The city was by no means dog unfriendly, but Johnson, the founder of the Cuddle Club, a canine-assisted therapy provider in the U.K., said she saw an opportunity to raise more awareness for pro-dog businesses and initiatives. “I was sick of only being able to go to pubs with my dog,” Johnson said. “I was like, I want a salad.”
An Afghan Hound laps up King’s Choice, a juice for dogs, at the fashion show. Jonas Unger for WSJ
Her friend Ineke Meredith, 46, the host of the pajama party, co-founded Paris Dog Week. Meredith, who started a dog-cosmetics brand, Fur Love, in France in 2024, explained that she had long been contemplating a sister version of Johnson’s London event.
“Now, it’s our turn,” said Meredith, a former surgeon, as she poured bubbly for the pajama-clad crowd.
The global pet care market was valued at around $181 billion in 2025, according to the market-research firm Grand View Research, which projects that valuation to grow to around $283 billion by 2033. In France, the number of pet dogs grew from about 1.3 million in 2020 to about 9.6 million in 2026, according to annual reports from Facco, the French federation of pet-food manufacturers.
Canine guests at bingo. Jonas Unger for WSJ
Dog week arrived in Paris at a time when the city’s canines have been a focus of local politics. This spring, Paris Condition Canine, a group of 13 local associations that’s seeking to improve conditions for dogs, sent a manifesto to mayoral candidates pushing its agenda.
The group’s aims include simplifying rules about dogs on public transit and creating more off-leash spaces in every neighborhood. Many mayoral candidates campaigned on dog-inclusive measures, including Emmanuel Grégoire, the socialist who was elected to the office in March (he floated subsidized vet visits for low-income residents).
Grégoire did not comment, but Béchir Saket Bouderbala, a local assemblyman whose remit includes animal welfare and urban greening, said that city hall supported Paris Dog Week, which was organized by local business owners.
“Looking at Paris in terms of how dogs use it, their routes, and their needs also means asking ourselves very practical questions about how we share public space,” Bouderbala, 31, added.
Rebecca Anhalt, a co-founder of Paris Dog Week, and her whippet Napoléon. Jonas Unger for WSJ
Adrien Pillay, 36, an interior designer who helped form Paris Condition Canine, said that private events like dog week can play an important role. But he added that such initiatives can also give public officials “the impression that they don’t need to do more because private actors are already taking care of it.”
Meredith’s Paris Dog Week co-founders include Nour Dhif, 27, who worked in crisis management for Chanel before opening Doggy’s, a dog hotel, in 2025; Sofia Madafi, 45, an artistic director and owner of The Bark Society, a dog portrait studio; and Rebecca Anhalt, 57, a former international retail manager for Christofle silverware and now the owner of a dog cafe, Le Bone Appart.
The event came together quickly. The co-founders were having coffee in July, Anhalt recalled, “talking about our businesses, life in France and how dog culture was evolving around the world.” The conversation shifted to London Dog Week, she added. “Someone said, ‘We should do a Paris Dog Week.’ ”
Outside Le Bone Appart, the dog cafe owned by Anhalt.
Jonas Unger for WSJ
Goodies for sale at the cafe.
Jonas Unger for WSJ
The four founders invested about $23,000 collectively to get it off the ground. They asked venues like Eataly to provide space and charged brands between $225 and $450 to participate in events. Most were free to the public, but a few had nominal entrance fees.
The week ended in style with a fashion show, “Le Grand Dogwalk,” held in the courtyard of the dog-friendly Hôtel Alfred Sommier, a 19th-century former mansion where rooms now start at about $695 a night.
Jonas Unger for WSJ
Meredith served as MC. To the pulse of pop music, a Dachshund named Serge went down the catwalk in a woven pink poncho. “Sausage in particular can be difficult to dress,” Meredith said, referring to the wiener dog. “There’s conveniently an aperture for the leash to come out,” she added of the poncho.
Later, Meredith gushed when a King Charles Spaniel named Jack and his owner hit the runway in tailored navy plaid jackets. “Very Burberry, very Saville Row.”
Christian Schneider, a documentarian with a line of bespoke leather goods for dogs, had flown in for the show from Asheville, N.C. He hopes to return to Paris Dog Week next year to hawk his wares. “I love the energy and sense of community and can see this really taking off,” Schneider said.
Also in the audience were Cleora, a Spanish-Water-Dog-Bretagne-Spaniel mix, and her owner Nickolaus Wesley Fabro, a 40-year-old audio engineer and American expat living near Paris. The two had attended multiple dog week events. “I didn’t think it would be that high end,” Fabro said after the fashion show. “I wouldn’t have worn sweatpants!”
