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PrintA “Howl-O-Ween” Party for Your Four-Legged Friends
Halloween is the perfect time to throw a costume party…for your pets! Here’s how you do it:
The best place for a doggie party is outdoors (for obvious reasons). If your yard can’t accommodate pets and their owners, consider a local park or check with one of the local doggie daycare facilities to see about using their space.
The Invites.
Invite your guests and their owners to a “howl-o-ween” party by designing a bone-shaped invitation decorated with pumpkins, bats and other traditional Halloween items. You can find bone templates online, or you can purchase dog-themed scrapbooking paper. Be sure to ask your guests to wear their Halloween finery, and let the humans know that prizes will be awarded for costumes for both pets and their owners.
The Pictures.
As your guests arrive, have a photographer available to capture a picture of each pet with their human escort. You can print copies during the party to give as favors at the end. Set up a fun backdrop with a Halloween theme to make the pictures extra special.
The Games.
What’s a party without games? Here are some fun things you can do to make sure all of your four and two-legged friends have a great time:
Costume Parade – Start the party with a costume parade before the dog’s costumes get messed up while playing. Award prizes for Most Original, Scariest, Funniest, Best Dog/Human Duo and whatever else you can think of. Prizes can be blue ribbons or a plastic loving cup filled with doggie treats.
Snoopy Says – Guests form a line with their dog and play a variation of the game Simon Says. You give commands like sit, Simon says sit, Simon says down your dog, you get the picture. The last dog 'standing' wins!
Obstacle Course – Set up an obstacle course in the yard using old tires, cones, boxes and other items to create an agility course for jumping, running and climbing.
Frisbee Chase – Give each human a Frisbee and let the fun begin!
Have plenty of dog treats available as well as bowls of water around; you don’t want your guests to be hungry or have to fight for a water dish. Local pet stores and doggie bakeries have Halloween colored or shaped treats that will add a special touch.
For the humans, set out clean dog bowls filled with “Puppy Chow.” Here’s my favorite recipe for this treat that looks like dog food but tastes great!
"Puppy Chow" Recipe for Humans
- 1 Cup Chocolate Chips
- 8 Cups Chex Cereal
- 1 Cup Peanut Butter
- 4 Cups Powdered Sugar
- 1 Cube Butter or Margarine
Melt butter, chocolate chips and peanut butter together.
Pour over Chex cereal. Put mixture in paper bag, add powdered sugar and shake until covered.
The most important point to keep in mind when hosting a doggie party is to make sure you have a group of dogs that know how to “play nice,” whether it’s dogs from the neighborhood, the park or day care, make sure the dogs know one another and can get along!
Dogs are a lot like young children; they have very short attention spans. To keep everyone happy, make sure you have lots of activity and limit your party to an hour or so. That way, everyone not only comes happy, but leaves happy as well.
