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Our cocker spaniel, Bayley, turned 9 a few days ago.

We've always done something special to celebrate his birthday, as birthdays are a big deal in our house, even if you are just the dog.

Plans included normal things you would do when planning a celebration in honor of your special fur baby, including buying some Frosty Paws Peanut Butter Flavored Ice Cream, made by Purina, which is especially made for dogs. (I understand there is a cat version, too.) We also planned to take Bayley to the store so he could pick out a birthday present for himself.

When the big day arrived, we put Bayley in his collar and leash and helped him into the car. He sat patiently as I drove him and the kids to PetSmart on University Drive in Elon.

When we arrived, we stopped momentarily at the shopping buggies. I wondered if it would be better for Bayley to ride or walk through the store. Bayley assured me he would stay right by our side if I let him walk.

Bayley smelled other dogs there and saw the whole range of dog toys, treats, food and accessories.

I am sure it started sinking in that we probably had been holding back on him. He saw so many things in the store that could give him a life of luxury. (As if living in his people's house were not enough.)

We continued down the main aisle, stopping momentarily to let him sniff some of the other toy choices. The plan was to replace his beloved froggy, which we recently had to throw in the trash.

He didn't stop long at the rack in the middle of the main aisle of toys in the shapes of elephants and donkeys with the year "2008" embroidered on the front in colors of red, white and blue. Bayley was unimpressed with PetSmart's attempts to sway his presidential vote.

Finally we arrived at the main toy aisle, where dog toys lined both sides. I found the peg that held the froggies just like the one he had defluffed and destroyed a month ago. I pulled it toward his nose and asked him if that's what he wanted. A quick wag of the tail and a woof told me yes. No other toy would do.

With a new froggy in hand, we headed to the dog-treat aisle. Ever since Bayley was a puppy, he has loved Bil-Jac Liver Treats. They are great for training, tricks and encouraging him to sit patiently while I take pictures of him.

As we made our way to the front cashier, Bayley passed several dogs but didn't care to stop and chat. He was on a mission to get home as soon as possible to play with his new toy.

We told the cashier it was his birthday. The cashier told us that later that day they would be holding a pet birthday party for any pets that would like to come. What are the chances that on our dog's exact birthday, a retail store would be holding a birthday party?

We went home and allowed Bayley to have one of his ice cream cups. We took time to sing "Happy Birthday" and watched him begin to enjoy his new froggy. I took photos of him with some balloons we got at the grocery store.

A few hours later, we loaded him back into the car for a return trip to PetSmart for the birthday party. As we were welcomed by the staff, they were all amazed that it really was Bayley's birthday that day. They gave Bayley a goodie bag with a coupon booklet, a birthday bandanna, a tennis ball and some trial sizes of dog treats.

Bayley had the chance to make a dog birthday hat, but he declined. He did stand in line, however, to have his picture taken. He smiled big when it was his turn. We returned home again with a very tired dog. He went over to a corner in my room and passed out to sleep off the day's festivities.

I always laughed at those people that would pamper their dogs, making a big deal over them. I laughed until my family and I became those people. We now just laugh at ourselves.

Linda Vestal is a wife, mother, daughter, sister and friend living in Gibsonville. Contact her with comments or story ideas at lindavestal@triad.rr.com.

Linda Vestal