By For many of us, our dogs are like our children. They’re certainly beloved family members, so we can’t just let their birthdays pass by like any other day. Whether you’re celebrating your puppy’s first year or another year achieved for your senior dog, a birthday party is a great way to mark the occasion. If you aren’t sure of the date for your dog, a party for their adoption day or another special moment in their lives works just as well.
If you’re ready to throw your dog the biggest birthday bash, here’s everything you’ll need to plan for.
Guest List
Your dog’s party can’t be the biggest birthday bash without guests. Since the guest of honor is a dog, it’s perfectly reasonable for the guest list to include your pet’s favorite canine companions. To prevent unnecessary fights between attending dogs, keep it small and only invite dogs that already know each other and are known to get along. And make sure the owners stick around to help out.
A human-only party might even be best if your pup doesn’t have any fellow furry friends they like to have around. Keep in mind the temperament and personality of your pet to decide what kind of and how many guests to include at your party.
The Location
The type of guests you have coming makes a difference in where your birthday party should take place. While several smaller dogs might be fine with staying inside the house, most gatherings of doggies would take place better outdoors. If you stay outside, you don’t have to worry about any accidents. As long as it’s an enclosed space, there are many options for a dog party, including a doggy daycare facility, the beach, dog park, or other dog-friendly venue like a restaurant. You might even just have the bash in your own backyard.
Theming
Once you’ve got the guests and the location down, you should make sure you have a theme. It’s up to you how basic or out of the box you want to be. Don’t let the fact that the party is for a dog hold you back. Any of the themes you see in the aisles of a party store will work for your pup. Once you’ve decided on the perfect theme, it will be even easier to plan invites, decorations, party games, and other fun finishing touches.
Invitations
The first thing to take your theme into account for is the invitations. Guests need to know that your dog’s birthday bash is taking place and that they’re invited. How you tell them is completely up to you. Mail a physical card or send over an e-vite. As long as they know the when and where, invites will be good to go.
Decorating
You can also use your theme to go all out with decorations for your dog’s birthday celebrations. Just like with every other aspect of the party, decoration is all up to you. So, if you’re not into it, just keep it simple. But if you want the biggest bash, decorations are an important part of reaching that next level.
Activities
To make sure your dog enjoys their birthday, make the party a fun time for them. Dogs love to play and for a party, you can take the playtime a step further with fun activities. Keep the birthday boy or girl entertained by getting them and their buddies involved in some Dog Limbo, setting up a full agility course, or filling up a ball pit. You can also have fun with the human party-goers with a simple photo booth to snap some pics with their pups.
Food and Drinks
Many parties take place during meal times so people can enjoy good food together. If it’s dogs you’re having over, you can also let them enjoy something tasty. After all, dogs love food! Just be careful and ask owners before feeding anything, because there may be something a certain dog can’t eat. Keep the dietary restrictions of dogs in mind as well when planning food for human guests, because food often makes it to the floor where dogs consider it fair game.
Also, whether you offer treats or not, be sure to provide plenty of water so none of the doggy guests go thirsty.
Cake
Don’t get too full though, because no birthday party is complete without cake. Yes, your beloved pet can enjoy a birthday cake too! There are many recipes floating around for dog-friendly cakes that you can bake for your pup’s special day. Without sugar or chocolate, these recipes make for a cake your dog is sure to love.
Many specialty shops sell cakes for dogs as well. You might be able to custom order something truly unique from a local dog bakery.
Gifts
To make your dog’s birthday the best, treat them to something extra special, like a new favorite toy. While you can just go and pick out something for them to play with yourself, your dog knows best what will make them happiest. So, you might consider bringing your pet along to choose their own gift.
If you want to surprise them though, wrap it up like you would a human friend’s present. Many dogs love the fun of unwrapping with teeth and paws. If this is too difficult for your pet, you can also just keep it simple with a gift bag.
Party Favors
Don’t limit the giving spirit to your own furry friend. All of your guests can also enjoy some small gifts through cute party favors. These souvenirs of your dog’s big bash can include dog treats, dog shampoo, a recipe card for that yummy dog cake, a thank you card, or any other items your guests might appreciate.
A Party Your Dog Will Love
With all these decisions made, you’ll have the biggest birthday bash for your dog. Of course, you don’t have to go all out or have a party at all for your dog to appreciate. Your pet will just be happy spending time with you. This is probably our dogs’ favorite part about every ordinary day, so it’s sure to make them happy on their birthday as well.