Tail-Wagging Birthday Party Themes for Your Dog

Whether you’re welcoming your four-legged family member home after adopting him or her from the local shelter or celebrating another year in your dog’s life, a doggie birthday party is a great way to say, "thank you for being a friend." Even if you’re not sure of the exact birth date, just pick one and get ready for a great party year after year with one of these fun themes.

Butterflies In The Garden
Perfect for spring and summer birthdays, you can set the stage by decorating your backyard with huge butterflies and yard signs shaped like flowers. Suspend them from tree branches and attach them to fences, and your yard will be bursting with butterflies. For the birthday girl’s attire, a pair of butterfly wings would be ideal, or maybe even a tiara for your little butterfly princess. Having lots of fun frolicking in the garden, your city dog and her friends might just enjoy celebrating like a country dog in a big field. Keep them from getting thirsty by placing butterfly buckets of water (you can decorate them yourself) in cool, shaded areas around the yard. The pails could even be sent home with the guests as party favors! And, for the food, set up a doggie buffet with flower pots full of dog bones, biscuits and peanut butter cookies as a treat. Since you’ll be outside, try playing catch, Frisbee or turn the sprinklers of for some "spring showers." Use beautiful butterfly invitations to ask her doggie friends to flutter on by for some birthday fun. Of course, they’ll need to RSVP with the "Head Gardener."

America’s Top Dog Model
Ripped from reality TV, create your own runway excitement with this fun, fashionable theme. Have all the guest "models" wear their best dog clothes to show that they are runway ready. Walking down the red carpet when they arrive will give them a grand entrance, and plan for a doggie fashion show as the entertainment. From small dog dresses to big dog tuxedos, there’s no telling what outfits you’ll see. Have a Polaroid camera or digital camera with printer set up to take their best picture and give it to them as a party favor in a frame. Perfect for males and females, what dog wouldn’t enjoy this kind of star treatment? It’s fun for parents, too, because they get to show off their prized pooch. You can even include a little pampering session where the dogs visit a "hair and makeup" station with plenty of grooming supplies before they hit the runway. Decorate with lots of mirrors, balloons and a stage for a slice of the glamorous life. Be sure to give the parents disposable cameras to catch those prime photo-ops!

Wild, Wild West
Create your own OK Corral for this Western-themed party with bales of hay, cactus plants and a big sign at the door that says, "Welcome To The Wild, Wild West!" Give those party-going pooches a cowboy hat and a bandana when they arrive. They make great party favors! Then, they can mosey on up to the watering hole (a tin tub of water) and enjoy a bevy of biscuits, dog treats and snacks at the "saloon," which you can create with signs and a bar. For a personalized touch, design a "Wanted" poster for the invitation and ask guests to submit their favorite doggie photo to create some additional signs to hang around the room as decorations. Give each "outlaw" a fun name, and print them out on a Western background. When it comes to the food, parents and dogs, alike, would enjoy a sizzling steak hot off the grill!

No matter which theme you choose, a doggie birthday cake made of peanut butter and yogurt would be a sweet surprise that all the dogs can get a bite of. Because everyone is sure to bring plenty of dog toys as gifts, your pet will be in doggie heaven!