Woman treats her dog like a ‘baby’ and throws him lavish birthday parties

By Holly Mei-Yu Stafford via SWNS

A woman who treats her dog like a "baby" has thrown him a lavish birthday party - with personalized cakes and a tennis ball piñata.

Sandra Macedo, 27, pulled out all the stops for her beloved dog, Ryder,1, a long-haired Dalmatian, with a $200 fiesta-themed celebration.

She dressed her pooch up in a party hat and tie, invited five human guests and decorated her house for the celebrations.

Ryder even received lots of rubber chew toys and dog treats from his well-wishers.

Sandra spends around $250 a month on her pooch.

Despite friends and family finding her antics ''bizarre',' Sandra insists ''he is worth every penny'' and just like a child to her.

Sandra, a freelance marketer, from Decatur, Ga., said: "Dogs are the new kids for millennials and Ryder is my baby.

"I'm not going to even think about having children until I'm in my 30s.

"Some of my friends who have kids tell me how hard it really is.

"Of course, having a pet is a commitment but it just suits where I'm at in my life at the moment.

"Ryder is the best pup in the world and I wanted to celebrate his first year in the best way.

"He knew the party was for him and was so excited when he was given his presents.

"The bash was a huge success, and I can't wait to go bigger next year."

Sandra who lives with her boyfriend, Jessie Magana, 27, who works in finance, got Ryder in July 2022 from a local breeder.

After bringing him home at 13 weeks, Sandra quickly started treating the pup to luxury goods such as plush toys and a comfy bed.

But it wasn't until his first birthday, this year that she decided to go ''all out'' with a big celebration.

In May 2023, Sandra and Jessie decided to pull out all the stops for Ryder's first birthday on 21 May.

She said: ''One of the highlights of the night was his cake, which cost $20, and was personalized to read 'Yappy Barkday.'

''We filled the house with balloons and treats, as well as spending 30 minutes putting up decorations, and dressing him up in his best hat and tie.

"It was definitely a treat for Ryder but seeing how happy he was, made it all worth it and I don't care if anyone says it's excessive.

"Ryder is the light of our lives and I wanted to have an event to celebrate him."

Sandra said: "Ryder isn't neutered yet, so we couldn't invite any other dogs, but five of our friends came to the party and even brought Ryder toys that he loved.

"He devoured the cake as he doesn't get many treats day-to-day to maintain the high rewards training method we follow.

"It was lovely to have our friends gather at our house to celebrate the special pup that Ryder is."

In August 2022, Sandra set up an TikTok account for her dog, where she documents his adventures.

Combined with Ryder's Instagram page, the pooch boasts over 125k followers.

Sandra said: "His socials are more for me than Ryder, but we have lots of fun uploading content and if it can make someone smile, it's worth it.

"He's got the best community who follow us, and we've since had amazing brand deals with PetSmart, Bounce and even a brand affiliation with Wag Wellies.

"Any money that is generated will help towards Ryder's vet neutering vet bills and we're planning on taking him to a dog-friendly beach trip which he'll love and, of course, lots of new chew toys.

"Jessie is just as into it as me and all his co-workers know about Ryder's social media platforms, a few even follow him.

"Managing Ryder isn't too dissimilar to what I do as a freelancer, and I'd love if it became a full-time thing but who's to say.

"To some, throwing Ryder a lavish party may be over the top, but I loved it and did he.

"The sad reality is the average dog owner only gets 10 summers with the pooch and I want to make the most of my beautiful boy."