I know, the whole concept of a “dog party” sounds a little…odd. But bear with me, because I can also speak from personal experience, and dog parties? Despite what it looks like in the photo above, they’re totally fun. Mostly because the dogs just do their thing while the humans have cocktails, it’s all very cute and entertaining, and at the end you’re guaranteed some extremely zoned-out puppies (which translates to a morning free of barking far beyond the usual hour).
Also: any excuse for a party, right?
The key when it comes to dog parties: make the dogs the guests of honor…but good lord, not the focal point, because that would be silly. Add touches here and there that keep the dogs feeling, you know, like little fawned-over heroes…but when it comes down to it, make sure that the point of the party is that the human attendees have fun – dogs are pretty easy to please, after all.
Beverages:
– For the guests of honor: Poochinis (homemade ice cream sundaes formulated specifically with doggies in mind). You can pick them up at Shake Shack if you’re not feeling handy, but they’re so easy to make: just mash a little banana and peanut butter into some plain yogurt, pour into paper cups, and freeze. The dogs will go insane over them, promise.
– For the humans: Salty Dogs (vodka/grapefruits with a salted rim and a lime garnish).
Do:
– Play some themed games (obstacle courses, races, etc), if you’re up for it and your dogs are a bit more with-the-program than mine (mine would look at me like I was a crazy person if I tried to get them to do…anything).
– Keep lots and lots of water on hand…plus Wee-Wee pads.
– And speaking of: make sure to bring everyone down for regular bathroom breaks; you don’t know how often your friends’ dogs are used to going out, and accidents aren’t fun for your carpets.
– Feed all the dogs out of separate bowls, to prevent fights.
– Keep some sure-fire peacemakers (like bully sticks) on hand in case things get rowdy – give one of these to each dog, and they’ll happily munch away until everything calms down.
Don’t:
– Invite anyone who doesn’t have a pet. They will not have fun.
– Invite dogs that you know have “problem” personalities – it only takes one dramatic incident to create a disaster that lasts the entire night.
– Leave valuables out and unattended. All purses, shoes, and other chewable things should be behind a closed door.
And as a party favor, try wrapping up some of these lovely – and easy-to-make – dog treats in pretty pouches and sending each of your guests home with a few.
HOMEMADE DOG TREATS (basically just hard, unsweetened peanut butter cookies)
What you need:
1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 cup peanut butter
3/4 cup milk
What you do:
1. Preheat your oven to 375F.
2. In a bowl, combine the flour and baking powder, then mix in the peanut butter and milk.
3. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead until it comes together, then roll out and cut into dog-themed shapes (a cookie-cutter helps, but I made these hearts and dog bones free-hand).
4. Place on a greased cookie sheet and bake 15-20 minutes, or until golden-brown and crunchy.
Aw.
