How To: Throw Your Dog a Birthday Party
Monday, January 27, 2020 09:15:00 AM America/Los_Angeles
If you’re as obsessed with your pup as I am, celebrating his/her birthday is a necessity. I like to think of myself as an expert in dog party planning. I don’t have a degree in the field, per say, but I feel like I am not only qualified, but in fact, over qualified. I have two years of experience under my belt and if you would like a list of references, please contact me personally and I can provide that for you. If you want to plan a birthday party for your dog that his/her friends will be barking about for years to come, you’ve stumbled upon the right blog.
Let’s begin with the necessities: A birthday cake. I suggest having both a human cake and a dog cake to please all of your guests. Below are my suggestions on places to get dog cakes!
The Barkery: The Barkery is based in Massachusetts, but delivers throughout the Unites States. They offer round cakes, as well as paw and bone shaped cakes. You can choose your color scheme, flavor, and personalized message. The Barkery also sells “Birthday Boy” and “Birthday Girl” gift baskets, if you want to go all out!
The Dog Treatery: The Dog Treatery is another great online store that delivers to the continental US. They allow very specific cake customization: flavor, occasion (themes anywhere from “happy adoption day” to “happy retirement day”), size, base icing color, and writing icing color. They also sell red fire hydrant and florescent green tennis ball birthday candles, which make great toppers to any cake!
Puppy Cake: If you want to provide a cake made with a little more love, you can opt to make your own! Puppy Cake offers dog cake mixes and icing on their website! They also have dog ice cream, bone and paw shaped baking molds, and the option to order a personalized cake made by the Puppy Cake team as well!
Local: I also encourage you to buy your dog cakes & treats locally! A simple google search for “dog bakery” will provide you with a list of all of the places to pick up a dog cake in your area (they’re more common than you think!) If you’re in the LA area, like myself, I suggest going to The Dog Bakery. They’re an incredible business that makes all of their treats and cakes with natural, chemical-free ingredients! You can go in person to one of their six locations, or you can build your own personalized cake with online cake builder!
After you've figured out the cake, it's time to send out invites! As far as the guest list is concerned, you want to consult your pooch of course. My suggestion is to keep it short and exclusive. Don’t just invite the annoying Chihuahua across the street because you feel guilty. If you’re princess/prince doesn’t get along with a particular dog, you definitely don’t want them in attendance. There’s nothing worse than having to entertain someone else on YOUR birthday. Keep the invite list to only your dog’s closest friends and family members. I would suggest no more than five dogs. In my experience, too many dogs in the same space will cause chaos and will take away from the incredibly fun and beautifully decorated party you’ve created.
Next, plan a couple of games. Activities are an incredibly important aspect to any party. You need to keep the guests entertained so that they go home and tell all of their friends about the incredible experience they had. You want your party guests to look forward to your pup's birthday every year!
Fetch: The classic dog party game. Fetch is great for dogs of all ages, sizes, and breeds. Take a tennis ball, or two, in your hands, and throw them as far as possible. Let the dogs chase the ball and catch it. Hopefully, the other party guests are as well trained as your pooch and will bring the ball back to you, so you can throw it again. Your dog and his/her friends will love chasing the ball together!
Swimming: Is there anything more fun than a pool party?! If you’re having your party in the summer, it is extremely important that you keep the dogs cool! If you don’t have an in-ground pool/Jacuzzi in your home already, you can purchase a plastic kiddie pool for your party guests to splash around in.
Pinata: No birthday party is complete without a pinata. Fill the pinata with a wide variety of dog treats and bones! Make sure the pinata is low enough that the dogs can knock it around, and watch the fun unfold!
Last but not least, let's talk about gifts! Your dog will love opening up all of their presents, but what do you get the dog who has everything? Surely, they already have a plentiful supply of toys and treats. One gift that you and your dog will love is an indoor dog potty. There are many fake grass and real grass options on the market, but we really love Bark Potty. It's made from real bark and super great at getting rid of odors. The best part is that it's available in pet stores across the country if you need it away and don't have time for it ship.
Your life wouldn’t be the same without your dog. The day they were born was the day your life truly began. What better way to say “I love you” than by throwing them an epic party once a year?! By following my surefire steps to dog party success, your dog guests will thank you, your friends will pity you, and your pooch will appreciate you for being the perfect owner that you are.