“Frankie was lifted in her chair like the true queen that she is, and our friends were laughing, crying and chanting ‘mazel tov’ louder than we expected,” Mason shares. “We know Frankie loved being the focal point of the day.”

“We talked a lot with our friends about the necessity of creating and sharing little moments of joy, so we knew we had to lean all the way in with decor and Frankie’s Delicatessen & Appetizing theme – gift bags with Frankie’s merch and black and white cookies, and all.”

Mason recommends other dog owners host a “Bark Mitzvah” for their dogs as well, noting that “any gathering that brings joy and celebrates culture, tradition, or just the things (and pets!) we love is something we all need more of in our lives.”

“Pets are such a big part of so many of our families; they deserve to be celebrated, too. We’ve seen all kinds of celebrations for animals — from 100-day ceremonies to quinceañeras to sweet 16s — and all have been beautiful to witness,” Mason says.

For those looking to follow in Mason and Kossoff’s footsteps, their celebrations should include “good people, good food and good times!”

“There’s no one right way to do it — it’s really a ‘choose your own adventure’ kind of celebration,” she adds. “I’m really happy we could do something that honored our heritage, celebrated our senior dog, and brought our friends together for an afternoon of fun. Add some bagels and belly rubs and you’re basically guaranteed success.”

This isn’t the first time they celebrated their dogs, and they hope it’s not their last. Mason shares that they also celebrated Frankie’s 3rd birthday with a bang, and hope they can celebrate Frankie’s 16th in equally lavish fashion. They also hope to have another “Bark Mitzvah” for their 5-year-old rescue pug, Dorothy, when the time comes.