Attention animal lovers! Have you ever considered having a dog (or cat) party when it’s your pet’s birthday, or a puppy shower to welcome a new furry friend? It’s more of an excuse to get together with other canine lovers than anything else … because it’s doubtful your dog will actually realise they are turning three! But how fun would it be to gather in your garden or at your local dog-friendly park to celebrate?

• There are all manner of ways you can host an animal get-together. If you have a massive backyard, host the doggy do at home and set up some activity stations to keep them entertained. Serve doggy treats and make your pet a cake to devour messily (if it doesn’t upset their diet). Send each pet home with a doggy bag of chew toys!
• If you don’t have the space at home to entertain your friends and their playful pooches, you’ll need an off-the-leash location. Check out Doggo for state-by-state lists of parks, reserves and beaches that welcome dogs.
• Another fun idea is to all head to a dog-friendly café – some go so far as to serve doggy-chinos and b’day cakes for pets (as well as food for humans, of course), making them the perfect pet party location. This site has a comprehensive list.
• Having a pet party is also a fine opportunity to put together a collection for a worthy animal charity – suggest your guests donate a nominal amount (such as $5 each) to benefit your local animal rescue service, for example.
• Get the party started by sending out one of our cute new pet invites. Have a woof of a time!