Just have to share how I prepared for Marriot's 1st birthday party last October 25, 2010:1) Get a venue that's very spacious, where the other dogs in the party can play, run around and loiter.
Our garage was perfect. And whether the guests (or the celebrant) wanted to poop or pee, it was no problem!
2) Make sure you have a theme!!!
Marriot's party theme was Toy Story. So pretty much everything revolved around this. Had a huge tarpaulin made where Marriot was PhotoShopped beside Woody and Buzz. Marriot has this cowboy hat, so I pretty much thought of the theme based on this one item. That was the inspiration that created the big idea. What are the things that your dog is interested in? That can be your theme!
3) Don't forget the cake!
Marriot loves, loves, loooooves cheese! So his birthday cake was just that. A yellow, yummy slice of cheese. Other cool ideas I was thinking of were: an apple (he also loves apples), a slipper (my mom's slipper to be exact, which doubles up as his chew toy) or a ball (because he's a boy and he loves playing with these too)!
4) Invite friends who also own dogs!
They would have a better appreciation of your dog party that your friends without pets. Make sure they're all DOG owners. No cats or other types of pets allowed (This is high risk, obviously!) Have ready containers with water for the other dogs. You can serve them snacks too! Have cheese bits and dog food ready.
5) Send the invites early!
And what's cute is that you can have your dog sign his invitation. Use his paw like a stamp for that personal touch!
6) Loot bags!!!
Every party goer expects a loot bag! The contents of Marriot's loot bag were: a frisbee, a Rubik's cube and two stress balls... things that the owner can use while playing with their pup!
7) Have games for the guests (dog and human)
I had games prepared but we were not able to play! The humans and I opted to just watch our dogs play. My games were: "Pin the Tail on the Doggie", Relay where the human and his dog would run from one end of the garage to the other, circle around an orange cone, and go back to tag the next dog and owner pair, and a Marriot trivia game. I had Starbucks GCs as prizes (which I eventually used myself, hehe).
8) Have a supportive partner who will arrange the party with you!
In my case, it was Marriot's 'dad' (my boyfriend), Mac who pretty much put up with me the whole time I was planning his son's special day. Hahaha! Awesome! You need someone who can help you with the physical arrangements and making sure everything is set on the day of the big event.
