205: puppy party part 2: the day

So here's how it all went down:

First, kids arrived and they just played around a bit.  The cardboard doghouse my dad made rocked!

Next it was time to adopt your own puppy (sorry, I don't have a good picture of them all doing it).  They got to choose from a big bin of cute stuffed puppies of lots of different breeds. And they got to fill out an adoption certificate and name it.

Next, we headed outside.  I had set up an obstacle course (which I also have no good pictures of) for them to run through like at a dog show.  I didn't make them do it on all fours, but they had the option.  It had things to jump over, tunnels to go through, planks to walk across, and hoops to jump through.  We even asked them to puppy tricks like "sit", "speak", "roll over" and gave them treats if they did so.  It was great fun and they all got a "Best in Show" ribbon.

Then the real fun began.  The puppies arrived.  Actually it was 1 puppy and 2 small dogs.  They loved playing around with them and giving them treats.

They even took some of them through the obstacle course.

After we had to say goodbye to the puppies we headed inside to do a quick craft.  They each got their own wooden doghouse, just right for their new puppy, and they got to paint it however they liked.  I made the dog houses by cutting a larger door into pre-made birdhouses and gluing a bone above it.  It was a bit tricky to get the jigsaw into the tight space but they came out great.

Next up: food.  We had sandwiches and goldfish all bagged up and ready to grab. There were healthy additions like fruit at each place and cups of veggies and ranch.  And the yummy, buttery, dog bone pretzels are to die for.  In dog bowls we had Scooby Snacks and Cocoa Puffs to look like real food.

The kids ate (where else?) on the floor doggie-style.  I laid out a runner on the deck and they even had dog bowls to eat from.  Many of them gave the "no hands" approach a try!

Last we sang to the birthday boy and had cupcakes.  

It turned to be a wonderful day and I know Theo had a great time.  However, it did nothing to help satisfy his desire for his very own puppy.  :)

JT

Comments

[Denise in PA]

Jessica - this is fantastic! This has got to be the best themed party I have ever seen, hands down! I'm sure Theo loved it (what a cutie pie he is!)

[courtney]

Your parties always amaze me! I love all the dog bowls!

[Kukki]

What a fun party! Beautiful, yet still appropriate/fun for little kids.

[SuzK]

that looks like it was an wonderful bday party. Love what you did with the birdhouses, but more than that, love that you thought about the kids being on the floor to eat - brilliant - they must have had a blast!

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the dog is very cute in the third picture!

[Stefanie]

I love it! I am planning a puppy party for my daughter's 5th birthday in December. Did you use a service to bring the dogs over? If so, where did you find it? I know that would be a big hit!

[Amdrea]

Wow!

Amazing! I have been looking for dog houses for my daughter's bday party and can't find any?

How did you make the birdhouse into a bird house?

Thanks!

[Jennifer]

I love your dog party. I am doing a dog party for my daughter and want to know if you bought or made the best in show awards. Would you please let me where you bought them or how you made them?

Thanks

[Anne Marie]

I love this party idea and am hoping to do something similar for my daughters 4th birthday this summer. How did you find real dogs to come and visit? Any help would be great, thank you!!