May is National Pet Month and around my house, 'pets' = dogs. In fact, my husband and I share our home with three of them. Our dogs, a yorkie, a chihuahua and a terrier mix, are all rescued from local shelters and are all fairly small. Having small dogs works better for us in our small to medium sized mid-century home.
But that doesn't mean I've never pondered the idea of living in even less space. And I'm not alone. Lots of people are embracing minimalism and even opting to live in tiny homes. My best friend's daughter, who is currently in middle school, already has plans of living in a tiny home one day, with a few dogs of her own.
So when I got the opportunity to throw a dog party, along with my BFF yorkie girl Ruthie, in a tiny home, I jumped at the chance!
Planning a Dog Party
When planning a dog party, it's important to manage your expectations. Dogs are man's best friend, but partying with our pampered pooches might be a little unpredictable.
Consider your guest list before you send out any invites. Which of your pal's dogs are most likely to get along with each other and enjoy the party? Make sure to consider your space and keep things manageable.
Time of day matters when party planning too. If you have a party during what is traditionally a lunch or dinner hour of the day, your guests will expect to be fed a meal. If you plan on serving lighter appetizers or just desserts, time your party right.
Brunch parties are always fun too!
Time of day matters when party planning too. If you have a party during what is traditionally a lunch or dinner hour of the day, your guests will expect to be fed a meal. If you plan on serving lighter appetizers or just desserts, time your party right.
Brunch parties are always fun too!
Creating a Custom Invitation for a Dog Party
Invitations always set the tone for any party, since this is the first thing your guest is going to see to let them know what fun is to come!
I love the look of classic cut-out silhouette art so I decided to recreate this style with my dog party invitations.
First, I created a template in Microsoft Publisher, but you could use whatever program you prefer. If you'd like to access a PDF of my invitation, with fill-in-the-blank options, click here. I had mine printed at a local print shop on nice cardstock. I left the space on the right side blank so I could add a bit of my own style with the hand-cut dog silhouettes.
To create these, I just gathered a couple small photos of dogs and cut out just the outline. You can also do a Google search for "dog silhouette" and you'll find TONS of options to use for inspiration. Once I had my dog silhouettes picked out, I created those same shapes in bright colorful cardstock.
Ruthie supervised the entire process, but was really no help at all.
Finally, I glued my cut-out silhouettes to the cardstock invitations.
I really love the way these turned out!
For the envelopes, I chose some plain brown paper ones and gave them a little bit of pizzazz with a stamp technique. Using acrylic paint, I added a bright pink puppy paw to each envelope. Like I said, the invites are really what set the tone for the party so your guests will know something fun is inside this envelope before they even open it!
Who wouldn't want to attend what is sure to be a tail waggin' good time? Now that you've got your invitations taken care of, it's time to get to my favorite part of any party, the food and decorations!
Decorations & Food Ideas for a Dog Party
To really create a memorable dog party, it's important to set the scene. Contrary to popular belief that dogs are color-blind, they do actually see some colors, including blue and yellow. So Ruthie & I made sure to use plenty of those shades for our party, including a bright blue tablecloth as a backdrop for other punchy shades.
Use party hats in bright colors instead of a big floral centerpiece. This will add lots of color to your table, but still be dog-friendly. I also found some multi-colored cardboard cake rounds from the baking section of my local party supply store. Then I snagged some cardstock circles in vibrant hues from the scrapbooking department. These are an inexpensive way to add more color to your decor.
When planning the food for your dog party, consider delicious options that guests can eat in a couple of bites. Since your guests might have to double as dog wranglers, they probably don't need to try and eat anything too involved. No spaghetti please!
Antipasti salads on wooden skewers are always a crowd-pleaser. I made mine with cured salami, pepperocini, green & black olives, and small mozzarella bites.
When in a smaller space, I find that it helps to serve your food buffet style and create small stations where people can enjoy different things as they move about the party.
I also grabbed a few doggie food dishes at my local Dollar store and used these (after washing them) as serving dishes for popcorn and other snacks. It definitely helped keep with the theme and made for a fun conversation piece.
Another great dog party food option is some type of slider or mini sandwich. You can't go wrong with ham and Swiss on Hawaiian rolls with a pickle on top. I have said this before, but the secret to planning memorable parties is all about presentation. You can put out a few bags of chips and open some plastic tubs of dip for a so-so gathering, or you can put in a tiny bit more effort and pay attention to how things are presented, for a really wow-worthy shindig.
Small plastic stemware from your local Dollar store makes a great way to serve some individual cups of guacamole with a few pita chips. I snagged some colorful doggie chew toys (including the cute braided rope pictured below) to use as an accent on my food serving station.
Some other doggie chew toys from the Dollar store made a great addition to the decor, scattered around the table and food serving station.
For beverages, Ruthie & I decided on a variety of flavors of classic sodas, which we served in a big metal tub. You could also create a signature drink for your dog party, like this cherry soda mocktail, made with cherry syrup and club soda (or your favorite lemon-lime soda) over ice. Garnish with a maraschino cherry and a brightly colored paper straw. Cheers!
And we can't have a dog party without at least one treat for the dogs! I found a great recipe for a healthy doggie treat made with pumpkin and peanut butter on the blog Pinch of Yum.
These were super easy to make and a BIG hit with the pups in attendance at our party!
Pet-Friendly Party Favors for a Dog Party
Ruthie and I had a blast making these fun custom tote bags as party favors for our guests. To make these, all you need is:
1) Plain canvas tote bags
2) Iron-on letters & shapes
3) An iron
We selected gold glittery letters in a classic font as well as a few pink glittery hearts. These, plus the canvas totes were purchased at my local craft store. Using the letters, we created bags that said fun dog-related phrases, such as "Arf," "Wag More," and "I (Heart) Dogs!"
You could also customize your canvas tote bags with the names of various furry friends in attendance at the party. What a fun favor to leave the party with!
Enjoying Your Dog Party!
After all your party planning is complete, the best part is getting to enjoy your fabulous shindig. Our guests seemed to have a wonderful time. Even my Yorkie Ruthie, who is normally a refined English lady, let her hair down enough to hop up onto the table. Keep in mind that dog parties don't have the same etiquette rules as people parties and a dog on the table means it was a success!
We thoroughly enjoyed every aspect of our dog party in the beautiful tiny home. It served as the most beautiful backdrop for our event and with just 452 square feet, we had plenty of space for everyone to feel comfortable and enjoy themselves.
From planning and creating our dog party invitations to gathering our food and drinks, decorating for the party and entertaining our guests, this was a truly memorable experience for my adopted dog Ruthie and me. And finally, it was fun to send everyone home with their custom tote bags!
I hope your next dog party is as fun as ours!