‘He’s so handsome, and So good at posing!” With a swipe of a brush and a bit of gold paint, the portrait was finished. The subject sits on a leather armchair, with a tower of luxurious afternoon tea pieces in front of him, and his eager brown eyes look at you with an air of hope, anticipation and more than a little imperiousness.
I grabbed the painting and turned it so he could look at the watercolor splatters. With a quick sniff, he left the work of art completely aside and looked back at his tower of treats. Not all of artist Shelley’s subjects are so uninterested in their portraits, but what can you expect when you paint a Manchester terrier with a superiority complex?
This was not the first time Shelley The Artist painted a dog. Most of her work is in the pet field, depicting the beloved animals of loving owners who pay her to immortalize their dogs or cats in watercolor. I met her at the cozy Egerton House Hotel in Knightsbridge, where she is the resident artist for a unique experience; dog owners can bring their animals for afternoon tea, including a portrait of their pet.
In their salon-like parlor, I had crustless sandwiches, warm scones and a divine array of sweets, including plum cake with white chocolate mousse and a rose-infused sponge cake, while the dog devoured three layers of homemade meatloaf, peanut butter cookies and cookies. carrot cupcakes. This is all included in the package, and for the princely sum of €550, you can also take home a small piece of hand-painted art that shows off your dog’s best side.
You’re probably thinking that this deal might be a little niche – and a bit on the steep side. Who on earth would pay £550 for afternoon tea and a portrait of their dog? Well, I’m certainly not the only person who showers their dog with expensive experiences and gifts, because I’m part of the #DINKWAD generation – and we have some serious purchasing power.
DINK stands for “double income, no children”, and this target group is one of the most sought-after customers in the travel industry. Research from Hotels.com shows that 41 percent of DINKs have postponed having children so they can enjoy more adventurous vacations, and 64 percent say they haven’t had children yet because they would like to have more disposable income.
It’s that disposable income that travel companies are after, and Egerton House Hotel is getting in on the action by calling on us DINKs with dogs – also known as DINKWADs, although I suppose I’m actually a SINKWAD, because I am single. dog mother.
Pet-friendly accommodation website PetsPyjamas says DINKWADs likely made up the vast majority of their customers last year, with 89 percent of bookings in the 12 months leading up to November 2023 made by pet owners traveling without children. So Egerton House is not the only travel company that tempts us wealthy dog owners with unusual offers. Personally, I’ve spent nights in luxury accommodation such as the Four Seasons Hotel in Hampshire, where the dog gets his own bed and food bowls in the room and there’s a menu just for him downstairs in the Wild Carrot bar.
I also stayed at the five-star Boringdon Hall Hotel & Spa in Plymouth, where I enjoyed Michelin-starred food at the inventive Àclèaf and the dog got his own welcome pack with a ball, treats and a leaflet of local walks. I then set my sights on London’s Mandarin Oriental, which offers similar dog facilities, but also has a dog walking and pet sitting service.
We dog owners are known to spend a little more money when it comes to treating our pets. So much so that when adventure park ROARR! dinosaur themed! launched their Santa’s Cave experience in December 2023, the ‘Bark in the Park’ evening, which welcomed dogs to sit on Santa’s knee, was the first to sell out.
However, the DINKWAD and SINKWAD label is not just a way for marketing agencies to talk about a specific target group. On social media, young people with dogs own and embrace the label, posting videos of their pets eating at fancy restaurants, lounging on plush hotel beds and exploring wild places from mountain peaks to empty beaches. The tag #dinkwad has been viewed almost 60 million times on TikTok, and on Instagram thousands of posts have been tagged with, for example, #dinkwad and #dinkwadlife.
George Bridges is one such dog owner who leans against the label. He and his two Sprocker Spaniels have traveled all over Wales together, climbing mountains in Snowdonia and climbing hills in the Brecon Beacons. “I would always spend more on the dogs than I would myself. They have luxury collars, leashes, bowls, blankets and beds, and they get treats and lots of toys.” He even buys them fillet steak for their birthday dinners, despite only treating himself to a sirloin steak at best.
“[When we travel]I book and stay in an Airbnb or a cabin so the dogs can stay more comfortably, while when traveling alone I’ve slept in the backs of cars, vans, cheap hotels, or on the couches of family and friends. For the dogs, it has to be more comfortable at all costs,” he says.
Bridges also embraces the label. “People who know me know that the dogs come first. I work two jobs to maintain the life I have with my dogs, I live in the house I do so I can have the dogs, I have the car I drive because it’s better for the dogs, all my social media are littered with photos of the dogs, and I celebrate birthdays and Christmas with gifts and personalized bags for the dogs. I can’t say I’ve ever used the label in conversations or while posting on social media, but when I see the label being used I think to myself: That’s me.”
Tom Woods and Mags Doyle are the loving owners of Atticus, a three-year-old Lhasa Apso who is truly living his best life. They take him everywhere: “If it’s not dog-friendly somewhere, chances are we won’t spend our money there,” says Mags. “He is part of our family, we don’t want to leave him behind if we can avoid it.”
They are typical DINKWADs and while they don’t necessarily openly label themselves as such, they do identify with the concept and say they have also made many DINKWAD friends during their travels.
As I left the Egerton House Hotel, dog in one hand and portrait in the other, I saw another couple drinking afternoon tea while their miniature dachshund sniffed out treats under the table. As I looked at the dog and back up at them, we shared a knowing look and a small nod. Fellow DINKWADs, I suspect. We are everywhere – especially if there is special treatment for the dog.
Essentials
Lottie Gross was a guest at the Egerton House Hotel (020 7589 2412; egertonhousehotel.com), which has double rooms from £455 including breakfast. Afternoon tea from £30; “pawtrait” experience £550 includes afternoon tea for two plus afternoon tea for dogs, as well as a portrait of your pet by Shelley the Artist.