Children of all ages just love dogs. It doesn’t really matter what size, shape, color or breed, dogs are truly a man’s (and woman’s) best friend. Since they are such a highly loved companion, especially to children, why not make dogs the theme of your child’s next birthday?

If you want to be brave, you can start out your party with a “doggie date”! Have everyone you invite bring their puppy or dog with them for a bit of fun. Provide Frisbees, bones, and other doggie treats and let the guests show off their pets. (Make sure to stress to the parents that if there is any doubt their pet might have a problem around other animals, they should be left at home. All invited pets should be brought and kept on a leash, as well.) Parents should take the pets back home with them after the "show-and-tell" - don't let it take longer than the first half-hour of the party or so, or the party could become very unfocussed.

After all the doggies have headed home, you can start some games with dog themes. Although the basis of the game “Red Rover, Red Rover” is unclear, you can always say it was named after that favorite pet “Rover”! You can play other variations of the game “Red Rover”, too. One, called “Green Rover”, has a team calling out colors and everyone on the other team wearing that color has to run over. This game is always full of laughs and everyone is on the “winning” team at the end of the game!

Games at a doggie party can go along with any popular dog on television or in literature. Some favorites include Clifford, Scooby Doo and Spot. Instead of playing “Mother, May I?”, why not make it “Clifford, May I?”. In several Spot books by Eric Hill, you will find Spot and his friends playing “Hide and Seek”. Scooby and the gang are always getting chased by something or someone, so you can have a wild game of “Freeze Tag”!

Food at a doggie party can be really creative. Before the party or with the help of the guests, you can make some yummy “Scooby Snacks”! These do require cooking, so you may want to start the party making the batter and then have them baking while you play the games. Other food can follow some of Scooby and Shaggy’s favorite snacks, like pizza!

A craft idea can also be a snack for your guests. Make cookies shaped like dogs. Have various colors of icing available and the guests can make their cookie whatever dog character they would like. Top them off with some candy eyes, a licorice collar and an M&M license!

To finish off your party, let the guests pick their favorite doggie cartoon to watch. Various Scooby Doo, Clifford and Spot videos are available, along with other fun dog movies like “White Fang”, “Cats & Dogs” and “101 Dalmatians”.

The dog theme is easy to find in many party outlet stores. You will be able to find plates, cups, napkins, decorations, invitations and thank you notes, all with different dog themes. If you do happen to have trouble located paper products, go to your computer and look at the many quality party stores that are located online. (Tip: when ordering online, leave plenty of time for shipping!)

If offering a goodie bag at the end of the party, search your local dollar stores for cute dog stuffed animals or toys. You can also give balls, Frisbees or other toys that are enjoyed by children just as much as their dogs!