In the heart of Paris, where cafés usually mean espresso, croissants and long conversations, a quieter but slightly more unusual scene is unfolding. Here, dogs are not just allowed inside the café culture, they are being served baked treats of their own. From cream-filled pastries to biscuit-style snacks shaped like croissants, a new wave of dog-friendly bakeries is turning the French capital into a small paradise for pets and their owners.

Loulou, a fluffy Pomeranian, lets out a satisfied “woof” after polishing off a five-euro ($5.90) “Le Merveilleux” made from banana puree, cream cheese, apple and beef.

The one-year-old pup is a regular at this dog bakery, where the treats lined up under a glass counter, like the heart-shaped “Le Mignon” made with sweet potato, cream cheese and blueberry, look almost good enough for humans to eat.

A bakery inspired by a pet

French owner Clara Zambuto said adopting her three-year-old Pomeranian Hulk inspired her to open the canine-friendly patisserie, where dogs and their humans can enjoy time together.

“I’d often go for walks with him, pop into a café like a proper Parisian, but he’d soon get bored,” said the 26-year-old owner of Casa del Doggo.

“I thought it was a shame there weren’t places in Paris where, while you’re having a quick coffee, you can also treat your pet,” she added.

She said, “Nowadays our dog is really like our child. We want to be able to take him everywhere.”

The bakery is one of several dog-focused spaces appearing across Paris, a city home to an estimated 100,000 dogs, where some owners feel pet-friendly options are still limited.

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Safe ingredients and careful recipes

Zambuto initially began preparing the treats at home before bringing in a trained pastry chef to refine the menu.

She said the recipes avoid ingredients that are harmful to dogs, including chocolate, avocado, grapes and onion.

“No chocolate, no avocado, no grapes and no onion,” she said, adding that these foods are toxic for dogs.

Veterinary expert Lolita Sommaire, a specialist in canine and feline nutrition, said moderation is still important even with pet-friendly treats.

“If they’ve been to a patisserie, you need to adjust their next meal, cut back a little, or get them doing more exercise,” she said.

“But if it’s once a month, it’s not a big deal,” she added.

Dog cafés becoming social spaces

At another dog café in Paris, pets sit on bench-lined terraces while munching on croissant- and baguette-shaped treats priced at around four euros.

One dog, Marley, a beret-wearing American shepherd, is seen licking the last of a chantilly-based “pup cup” on the pavement.

For Rebecca Anhalt, who runs another dog-first café called Le Bone Appart, the idea came after she was fined for letting her whippet Napoleon off-leash in a park.

“I wanted to create a place where people could come and not fear being scolded for having your dog,” said the US-born owner.

The café name is a playful reference to French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte.

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Dogs as a social connection

While Paris has more than 40 off-leash dog areas, advocacy group Paris Condition Canine says they remain “insufficient, unevenly distributed, and sometimes ill-suited”.

Dogs even became a talking point during local politics ahead of March’s mayoral race, with mayor Emmanuel Gregoire sharing dog photos on social media and rival Rachida Dati hosting a dog-themed “apero”.

For Loulou’s owner Sarah Elgamal, a 32-year-old pharmacist who calls herself a “mother” to her pet, visits to Casa del Doggo are about more than food.

“It improves our connection, because we’re both in a third place that’s neither work nor home,” she said.

Cafe owner Anhalt added that dog cafés also help people connect with each other.

“Dogs are a really good connector,” she said.

One regular visitor, who comes daily with his 17-year-old dachshund after recently moving to Paris, said the café helps him “be part of the group and meet people”.

As one owner summed it up simply, “You’ll talk to anybody about your dog.”