Pet-friendly events are booming, dog-friendly company picnics are becoming a genuine workplace perk, and yes, we brought the glitter.

There is a moment at every dog-friendly event we have worked where the room shifts. It happens when the first dog walks in. Conversations stop mid-sentence, people who have been standing with their work friends suddenly drift toward the door, someone crouches down, Someone else pulls out their phone. And within about four minutes, a dog that has never met any of these people has become the most popular guest at the event.

We have been doing this long enough to know that the best event entertainment is the kind that brings people together without making them feel like they are being brought together. Dogs do this better than almost anything we have ever seen, and the pet-friendly event trend is real, growing, and overdue for the attention it is starting to receive.

Why Pet-Friendly Events Are Having This Moment Right Now

Pet ownership in the United States has climbed steadily since 2020 and has not come back down. The American Veterinary Medical Association reports that approximately 48 million US households now own at least one dog. For a significant portion of the workforce, a dog is not a pet in the traditional sense. It is a family member, a roommate, a daily companion who was present through remote work, isolation, and every other thing the last several years brought with them.

Companies that recognize this are doing something smart. A dog-friendly summer picnic or bring-your-dog company event is not just a fun activity on a calendar. It is a signal about what the company values and who it considers part of the employee’s life. That signal reaches people before the event, when they read the invitation, and it travels home with them afterward. Pet-friendly workplace policies consistently rank among the benefits employees cite as meaningful to their job satisfaction and loyalty.

Beyond the workplace context, dog-friendly events of all kinds are growing. Yappy hours, dog birthday parties, pet-inclusive wedding celebrations, community festivals with dedicated dog zones: the dog has moved from a guest who was tolerated at events to one who is planned for and celebrated. And wherever dogs go, their people follow with enthusiasm and a very good camera.

What Dog Glam Actually Is

We want to be clear about this, because dog owners are understandably protective of their animals and should be. Dog glam at a Laine Too event uses pet-safe glitter powder applied to the dog’s fur in decorative designs. The products we use are non-toxic, cytotoxicity-tested, and specifically formulated for use on animals. No ink, no chemicals that would concern a vet, no application process that requires anything from the dog beyond existing and being adorable, which most of them manage without any trouble at all.

The designs can be customized to match an event theme, a company logo, or whatever the dog’s owner has in mind. A golden retriever dusted in rose gold glitter for a bridal shower is one thing. A black lab with a company monogram for a corporate picnic is another. Both are completely delightful and photograph extremely well, which is very much the point.

The application is quick, low-stress for the dog, and produces a result that generates more event excitement per square foot than almost anything else we offer. We have worked stations where people waited longer to get their dog glamoured than they did to get their own glitter tattoo, and nobody in that line seemed to mind.

The Event Case for Including Dogs

Research on dogs in workplace settings is consistent on a few points. The presence of dogs reduces cortisol levels and increases oxytocin, the same hormone associated with bonding and trust. People who interact with dogs in social settings report higher mood and are more likely to initiate conversation with strangers. Dogs function, in other words, as social lubricant of the highest order, and they do it without being asked, without a facilitator, and without anyone having to put on a name tag.

For corporate event planners, this translates into something practical. The cross-departmental connection that structured team building activities try very hard to manufacture happens without anyone manufacturing it when a dog walks into a room. The junior employee who would never approach the CFO at a company picnic will absolutely crouch down next to them to pet the same dog. That moment of shared experience, brief as it is, is the kind of connection that corporate events exist to create.

Dog-friendly events also tend to extend dwell time significantly. People stay longer when they are enjoying themselves, and a dog-friendly event with a glam station gives guests a reason to keep circulating, keep photographing, and keep talking long past the point where a standard company picnic would start to empty out.

What a Laine Too Dog-Friendly Event Looks Like

We design dog-friendly events the same way we design every event: starting from the experience we want guests and their dogs to have, and working backward to the station layout, the service mix, and the branded touches that make it feel specific to this event rather than generic.

A dog-friendly corporate picnic in the Chicago area might combine a dog glam station for the four-legged attendees with glitter tattoos or festival makeup for the humans, a make-and-take candle or scrub station for guests who want something to bring home, and laser engraving on a keepsake that works whether or not the employee happened to bring their dog that day. Everyone leaves with something. Everyone had a reason to participate. The dog leaves looking spectacular.

The same logic applies to non-corporate dog events. A yappy hour benefits from dog glam plus make-and-take stations that give the humans something to do between rounds of photographing each other’s dogs. A pet-inclusive wedding celebration or bridal shower can incorporate dog glam alongside flower crown making, permanent jewelry, or any number of stations that serve the human guests just as well. The dog is the star, but nobody in the room feels left out.

A Few Practical Notes for Planners

Dog-friendly events require a bit more pre-event coordination than standard events, and a few things are worth thinking through before the day arrives.

Outdoor venues are almost always the right call. Dogs are more comfortable outside, the space is easier to manage, and the photographs tend to be better. If an indoor venue is the only option, designating a specific dog-friendly zone with easy outdoor access makes a significant difference in how smoothly the event runs.

Communication ahead of the event matters. Letting guests know what to expect, that dogs are welcome and that a glam station will be available, gives dog owners time to plan and builds anticipation in a way that a standard event invitation rarely does. Half your guests will be excited before they arrive. The other half will wish they had brought a dog.

And it is worth acknowledging that not every guest loves dogs, or is comfortable around them, or does not have an allergy. A well-designed dog-friendly event accounts for this by ensuring there are stations and spaces that work for everyone, so the dog-inclusive element is a delight for those who want it and simply not the part of the event for those who do not.

We Consider Dogs Guests Too

We are Laine Too, Chicago’s Guest Participation Experts, and our definition of guest is expansive. If you are planning a pet-friendly event in the Chicago area, a summer corporate picnic where dogs are welcome, a yappy hour, a dog-inclusive celebration of any kind, we would love to help you design something that works beautifully for everyone in attendance, regardless of how many legs they arrived on!