I have never been much of a dog person but I make an exception for chihuahuas.
I have never been much of a dog person—that’s not to say I don’t like them. Before all the canine crew reading this start clutching their pearls, they’re fine, and I will pat a cute one if I see one, but I am not their biggest fan.
However, there is one exception to this rule. Chihuahuas. I absolutely adore chihuahuas. I love their tiny little paws, their bulging eyes, their fluffy ears and even their high-pitched scratching yelps.
This love is why, when I was browsing TikTok several months ago and came across a video of a café in Edinburgh that allows you to spend time with a pack of these gorgeous little dogs, I immediately booked a train.
I had a whole weekend in Edinburgh planned, but it was the café I was most excited for, so when we turned up bright and early on Saturday morning, I could barely contain myself – although I tried, as I had read the dogs were more likely to come to you if you were calm.
I even managed to convince my boyfriend to come with me, even though his idea of a good time may not involve a dozen tiny dogs climbing over you. Luckily for me, he is very patient, and I am very convincing.
We happened to book our trip to the café on the seventh anniversary of the cafe’s opening, so there were some cute surprises in store.
We were welcomed in with the other people who had booked the sessions and instructed to choose a couch to sit on before the dogs were let out. Once we were seated we got a briefing from the lovely staff about how to treat the chihuahuas – like cats rather than Labradors. What they meant by that is to be calm, quiet and remember that chihuahuas are tiny – so don’t get all in their face or you might stress them out.
Once we had been briefed, the nine chihuahuas were let out. The café usually operates with seven dogs, but as this was a special occasion, two retired dogs had re-joined the pack.
As an extra adorable touch, all the dogs were dressed as anime characters from Pikachu to the Catbus from My Neighbour Totoro.
Immediately, the dogs hopped up onto our laps and I promptly had tears in my eyes from how adorable they were.
It was like a dream come true to be able to see these tiny little creatures and be able to pat them. They weren’t yappy at all, nor shaky or any of the other nasty rumours people spread about this breed. They were gorgeous, calm and cuddly and I absolutely loved every second of our 50 minute session.
We had some playtime on the floor with the dogs (although they were more interested in just cuddling) before they all posed perfectly for pictures on our lap.
Towards the end of the session, we headed back to the couch and each of us got a chihuahua on our laps as we drank our coffees and chatted quietly. I had Faery, and my partner had Hepburn – both fell fast asleep curled in our laps within about three minutes.
When the session came to a close I was sad to say goodbye – but I left with a renewed determination to one day own one of these gorgeous dogs.
If you want to visit these digs, you can book at the website here – but get in early as sessions fill up quickly.
