If you’re planning to throw a party for your puppy or dog to celebrate his birthday, you’re in for a very exciting time. I recently planned one for Finlay, my youngest Golden Retriever, and his littermates, when they turned one. To say it was epic and fun for the dogs and humans alike, would be an understatement. I even battled to sleep the evening after the party, as I was still buzzing and excited with how well the day turned out, and I’m sure Finlay felt the same.
Perfect planning
Here are some tips to help you plan that fun barkday (birthday).
- Theme
Decide on a theme and send out a ‘save the date’ or an invitation. The party can be as simple or elaborate as you like, from a red-carpet Hollywood soiree to a plain and fun birthday party like I did. I had seen a specific colour scheme that I loved, and knew it would work well for both sexes of dogs, so I planned the entire party around that.
- Venue
Find a dog-friendly venue. You can use your house and garden, if it’s big enough. If lots of dogs are coming, contact a few dog-friendly parks and find out if they would be happy for you to host your pup-shindig there. We were very fortunate to have the party at the ginormous and beautiful farm of the breeder, which had ample space for humans, pups, food and drink stands and games!
- Snacks
Make a list of supplies that you would need: you can go complex or very simple here. I decided on a cake table for the humans and a cake table for the pooches. I constantly had to make sure that the humans knew which table was whose.
- Humans
For the humans I did individual savoury snacking boxes, and there was a menu from which to choose a gourmet hot dog with toppings. There were soft drinks on ice and a ’Puppies and Prosecco’ wall – for the humans, of course! To sit with a cold drink or a glass of champagne, under a gazebo, and watch your pooch have fun is a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon.
- Doggy table
I made sure all treats on the doggy table were dog-safe. The treats included:
- Main birthday cake
- Pupcakes
- Frozen pupsicles (dog-safe fruit popsicles)
- Little bowls with dried chicken strips
- Fish bars
- Pork patties
- Little peanut butter sandwiches
- A doggie donut wall
- Pupcorn
- Turkey and cucumber bites
Goodies for pup owners included:
- Poop bags
- Rope toys
- Tennis balls
- Other toys they could help themselves to.
- Water station
I had a separate water station for the dogs, with new bowls (part of their favours) and loads of fresh water, so no pup went thirsty. I also had water bowls dotted all over the venue where the dogs played.
- Doggy bags
Another lovely touch is a doggie bag containing a few little essentials, and that owners could use to put their pups’ gifts into, as well as their own. I love to make sure both humans and pooches are spoilt, so humans received felt Golden Retriever teddies, lint rollers and stainless-steel bottles with ‘Dog Mama’ printed on it.
- Seating
Make sure there is adequate seating and shade for both the dogs and the humans to kick back and relax.
- Games
- After some feasting by the humans and dogs, playing some games is always fun, especially if there are prizes up for grabs! We all had to bring a wrapped dog toy of a certain monetary value, and played a ‘secret Santa swop-out’.
- We also played ‘musical chairs’, where music is played, and the moment the music stops, all the dogs have to sit and stay. Lots of laughs and lots of raucous behaviour!
- We blew the most monumentally large bubbles for the pups, which they chased and loved.
- You can set up a ball pit and hide treats in it.
- If it’s very hot, set up some sprinklers. The dogs will enjoy it, and it would make for fun photos.
- You could also put together an obstacle course for the doggies to complete.
- Photographer
Make sure you have a great photographer on hand to capture all the fun. Our photographer had a great time and had to edit 1,800 photos. Photobooth props are also super fun. I had bandannas made for the pups to wear that said ‘It’s my Barkday’. There were also Hawaiian leis for humans or dogs to wear for more fun and super photos.
4 tips to remember
- If the dogs are meeting for the first time, slowly introduce them one by one in a holding area, so that they can get acquainted with each other.
- Keep the dogs in the holding area until all adults are able to control their dogs. We had five Golden Retrievers who escaped the holding pen and made a mad dash for the human table.
- Allow the birthday boy to have the first bite of the birthday cake, and then let the other dogs have their turn one at a time. Don’t allow all the dogs to charge at once, as there could be loads of fights instead of happy memories.
- After the party, remember that your pooch has had a very busy afternoon. Allow him peace, quiet and space once you get home and enjoy a low-key evening together.
A puppy party is a day you will never forget. It will bring you more fun and joy than you could ever imagine, and memories to last a lifetime.
By Debbie Rossi
