My Dogs: The Paw-fect Valentine’s Day Companions!

This post contains affiliate links. This is a sponsored post for Pup-Peroni dog treats. 

I haven't been a fan of Valentine's Day for quite a while. It's not exactly the kind of day that resonates with you when you're widowed!

That being said, my parents met on February 13, 1942 at a Valentine's Day dance. Were it not for them, I wouldn't be sitting here writing this. So, I guess V-Day is ok in my book.

So, all right, I'll write about than my love for my two dogs, Charlie Brown and Cooper on Valentine's Day!

Since my favorite four-legged (and three-legged in our case!) best friends deserve delicious gifts on holidays, and every day, I'm surprising them with Pup-Peroni Original Beef Flavor dog snacks for Valentine's Day.

Our gifts from Pup-Peroni! Two bags of treats, and a chuck-it type ball launcher!
The dog on the packages looks a little like Cooper, and he's going to love the ball launcher.
Both dogs got prime-rib flavor Pup-Peroni treats for dessert on Valentine's Day!

You, too, can join in the fun with your favorite pooch. In the spirit of sharing the love with your pup on Valentine’s Day, here are three special ways to treat Fido:

1.  Valentine’s Day Is All About Indulgence!

Pup-Peroni is the paw-fect mouthwatering meaty treat that your dog will love. And on this indulgent holiday, make sure your dog gets this extra special treat! But delicious snacks shouldn’t just be given on special occasions. Stock up on Pup-Peroni Original Beef Flavor dog snacks for your four-legged friend, and no matter what day it is, your pup will know they come straight from your heart.

2.  Fun-Themed Ideas for Pup-Peroni Treats

With Pup-Peroni, you can create Valentine’s Day-themed treats to help celebrate the holiday. Pup-Peroni sticks can be twisted into hearts and broken into shapes that say “I love you.” Use these yummy treats to create your own doggie conversation hearts and Valentine’s Day messages that perfectly show the bond you share with your pup. They're also a fun treat to have around for a pup's birthday.

Mom, I can SIT for a Pup-Peroni!

I can also LIE DOWN, Mom.... for a Pup-Peroni! Please??!

3.  Special Occasions Call for REAL MEAT (for dogs)!

I happen to be a semi-vegetarian, so the beef thing isn't a turn-on for me. But, oh, it is for Cooper and Charlie! On this holiday we humans might treat ourselves to chocolate, but don't give chocolate to your dog... EVER. Instead, give Fido the one snack he craves the most – the superior taste of the real meat in Pup-Peroni Original Beef Flavor dog snacks – He just might say, "YUM!" This is sure to show your dog how much you care about him this Valentine’s Day!

No matter how you celebrate Valentine’s Day, make sure to show your dog how much you love him, too!

Want to see how your dog really wants to celebrate Valentine’s Day? Check out this cute video: 

>> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZtCXlgKl2w

You can learn more about Pup-Peroni Original Beef Flavor dog snacks here: 

>> http://bit.ly/2ksiV8R-travelingdoglady

Pssst! Newman, did Charlie just say "Pup-Peroni"?! 

This blog post is sponsored by Pup-Peroni dog treats. The pack is being compensated with a box of treats and toys. All opinions written here are just that: my opinions. 

This post also contains affiliate links, if you buy something by clicking on a link (you are NOT obligated to, by any means!), we get a tiny bit of Moolah for Mueller off to the side, and it doesn't cost you anything extra. Not only that, it's much appreciated. 

How are you and your furry friend celebrating Valentine’s Day? 

Tell me in the comments below! 

18 Steps For A Successful Dog Birthday Party

Yesterday, November 11th, was my dogs' 5th birthday.  As you probably know from the last few years, we get together with their siblings every year on their birthday.  I'm so happy that we stay in touch with the other dogs and humans.

"Group photo" -- Simon, Cooper, Katie and Charlie get some treats

Their birthday just so happens to be on Veterans Day, and so most of us had the day off from work, which was convenient.  I offered to host the pawty, instead of us all getting together at the ocean like we normally do.  Everyone said yes, and I was thrilled to host everybody at the Pink House in central Massachusetts just west of Worcester.

This year, the pack had some changes.  Franklin moved far away with his human parents, and now actually lives closer to their other brother, Copper (not to be confused with Cooper!).  Maybe I'll get to see them the next time I go to the southern states for a visit.

Simon, who previously never attended any of the pawties, was adopted by "our" foster mom!  So, now the foster mom actually has one of the pups!!  It was so nice to finally meet Simon!

Charlie and Cooper's brother, Simon

The part that struck me was that Charlie, whom I call a member of the "huge" family, is actually smaller than his brother, Simon, and his sister, Molly!!  "Charlie, they are bigger than you!"

Molly was definitely the alpha female of the bunch.  She promptly took Charlie's spot at the top of the stairs (I call it "the power spot" -- all my alpha dogs have hung out there).  And Charlie let her have the power spot.  He didn't even try to challenge her.  Cooper, on the other hand, was not as nice.  He had to go into time-out over that one.

 Sister Molly at the top of the stairs!

Here are some steps for a successful dog birthday party:

1. The first thing I did was email back and forth with individuals to see if they'd be interested in coming here, instead of going to the beach. 
2. Once I had their tentative "yesses", I suggested dates and times.  We settled on November 11th, the actual birthday (yay!) because we all had the day off for Veterans Day.
3. I went onto a e-card website, and created a dog-themed invitation.  This took me less then 5 minutes to create, and it was free because I already have an account on that site. After creating the invitation, I put everyone's email addresses into the platform and hit "send".  It's that easy!
4. After they all responded, I grabbed my purse and headed to PetSmart to get doggy treats for the pawty.  I found three Happy Birthday-themed items and a bunch of smaller, grain-free treats.
5. Next, at the mall, I went next door to the craft/party supply store, and got gift bags and stickers. The plan was to make a gift bag for every dog that attended, including those who were not celebrating a birthday (we had two non-birthday dogs on the guest list!). 

   

   The finished gift bags, as Tux looks on.

6. The night before the party, I went to the grocery store and picked up bottles of water, cookies for humans, and a fruit platter.  No one ended up eating the cookies or the fruit, but that's ok.  

   

   Treats for the humans.

7. Clean the house!  My only screw-up here was, I had envisioned that if we needed to go indoors, we would be in my basement.  I cleaned the basement from corner-to-corner, and set up the basement bathroom all nice with extra toilet paper, and everything.  Somehow, we ended up in the main part of my house, NOT the basement!  And folks used my main bathroom that is "under renovation".  That is embarrassing enough (you should see the place!), but I had inadvertently left it nearly devoid of toilet paper, towels and soap, thinking no one would be using that bathroom.  There was one teeny tiny roll of t.p., and a dirty towel on the rack!  I realized this after everyone had left.... to my horror!  Oops!  Not bad if that was my only oops, I suppose... but really embarrassing.  You only get one chance to make a first impression. 
8. Give everyone your exact address and your cell phone number and land line number (if you still have one).  Two of my three guests did contact me using the cell phone when they were on their way.  Very important!  Almost everyone has GPS or Google Maps nowadays, but be willing to give directions if you have to. My house is very remote ("you can't get there, from here!") so it was important that they all knew the exact address.
9. Put a time limit on the event.  I chose two hours.  This worked out well because my guests all arrived at different times.  So, it was more like an "open house" than a party. Dogs can only take so much socializing.  It can be overwhelming.  If you have a time limit, everyone knows their dog will have chill-out-in-the-back-seat time soon enough.   

   

   Charlie takes a breather, mid-party.

10. Pick up all toys in the yard and the house.  Put away your regular dog bowls (I bought new bowls so the dogs could share water).  Dogs are territorial, and will fight over toys or another dog going near their bowl.  I picked up all the toys and bowls and put them out of sight, smell, and reach.
11. Put your cats away in a safe place where they can't escape, and where the dogs can't get to them.   

    

    Kitty, Newman, safely locked in the upstairs bedroom.

12. Upon arrival, try to walk the dogs together as a pack, if possible.  This didn't go exactly as I had hoped.  My guests all arrived at different times.  The first guest and I did walk our dogs up and down the road, to the lake and back.  We managed to introduce the rest of the dogs easily enough after all, but this part stresses me out because Cooper can sometimes be a little inhospitable.  Plan B was to isolate Cooper and bring him out after everyone else had arrived.  And that's what I ended up doing. It wasn't perfect, but it worked well enough.
13. Take pictures!!  Take more pictures!  Take video.  I can't stress enough that you should document your event.  Just like any party for humans or children, document your event in photos. It turns out one of my guests' photos came out better than mine!  And that's ok! ** Make sure you share on Facebook and email directly to any attendees who don't have a Facebook account!

    

    Cooper & Charlie playing with their mother, Katie!

14. Don't feed too many treats to the dogs during the party.  They could get over-excited and get an upset stomach; they could fight over the food; and you're going to send them all home with a gift bag anyway.
15. If a dog fight does happen (and it very well may!) separate the dogs.  In my case, Cooper was the bad dog, and I had to send him into "time out" twice yesterday!  Naughty Cooper!
16. Send everyone home with their gift bag and extra treats and water.  Check the house for belongings left behind.  Despite my doing that, and asking everyone to check to make sure they had all their stuff, someone did leave behind a pair of sunglasses!
17. The next day, go back onto the e-card site and send a Thank-You card.
18. Stay in touch with your guests so you can do it again next year!

Pawty guest, Gizmo, watches from the porch in disbelief!
"How did they multiply?!"

The closest thing to a group photo.  Two sets of twins!

Do you celebrate your pet's birthday?  How?  Tell us in the comments.

Celebrating Your Dog's Birthday

All original content, written by me (Kathleen S. Mueller).  This was originally posted on DoggyLoot's blog, "DoggyWoof" (now FamilyPet.com) back in 2012.  

On Friday, my dogs and their siblings will turn five years old.  It went by so fast!  Everyone is coming to our house for a party, since it's Veterans Day and we have the day off from work.  Here's what I wrote about the pups in 2012:

My two puppies, Charlie Brown, and his brother, Mini-Cooper (the three-legged wonder), were born on 11/11/11. Pretty cool, right? Thanks to a remarkable woman who fostered these little babies along with their six brothers and sisters, and their mama, I’ve managed to stay in touch with all of the other adopters throughout this first year. We’re planning a tentative puppy reunion to celebrate their first birthday.

So far, we have two ideas: One, meet on the beach on Saturday, or Sunday, let the dogs romp, take some photos and have a good time. Weather permitting, of course. Two, everyone comes to my house to take advantage of my fenced-in yard. This option does present some issues such as parking, entertaining and refreshments, use of bathroom for humans, and putting the cats in a safe place (imagine the cats thinking “How did they multiply?” when they see all the look-alike dogs).

About a month ago, I sent out an email to all the adoptive parents asking if anyone would be interested in a first-birthday celebration. Only three of the seven adoptive pet parents seemed interested. One of the three interested pet parents has moved out of state, too far away to join us, but has become “friends” on Facebook, and we stay in touch quite frequently. Her pup looks exactly like Charlie Brown. The other two are ready to drive just about anywhere to make this happen (as am I). The others (including the adopter of the mama dog, Kate) have been silent. Former foster-mom is pretty much up for anything.

Look how little!!!

Most dog lovers probably don’t get the chance to remain in contact with the adopters of the original litter of puppies their dog came from, especially (as in our case) when they are mixed-breed “mutts.” But if you are so lucky, what a wonderful opportunity for some photos and a play date to burn off excess energy (assuming every one of the pups is as successfully socialized as mine, of course).

As long as your dog is well-socialized, and your family doesn’t mind putting up with a pack of dogs for a couple of hours, you, too can celebrate your dog’s birthday with a play date at your home. The easiest option is in your own back yard, and hopefully it is fenced in. Invite your dog’s favorite canine friends, have the guests bring presents (toys or treats are best), serve refreshments for both humans and dogs (no chocolate for dogs, please!) and break out the cameras. Let the dogs play in the yard before eating, and don’t over-feed, just a couple of small treats for each dog will suffice. Make sure plenty of tennis balls are available, as long as none of the dogs will fight or get possessive over the toys. Keep bowls of water freshly topped up. Keep the event short, one hour, two at the most.

Not up for hosting people at your house? As an alternative, get everyone together at a dog park or other safe location where the dogs can romp and play for a short time, and don’t bring any presents or worry about food or refreshments for anyone. Bring plenty of water to cool off the dogs, and make sure leashes are handy and dogs are fully identifiable with info tags on their collars.

If your dog does not play well with others, but you still want to celebrate his big day, don’t worry, you and your human pack can still have a great time commemorating your dog’s birthday. Grab a leash and take your pup on a nice walk either alone, or with the family. Take Puppy for a ride in the car (most dogs love this!) to nowhere special. Buy some new toys and a few special treats, put a birthday hat on his head, and take some photos.

Above all, be safe, have a great time, and take lots of pictures.  After your guests have gone home, snuggle with your dog while watching a dog-themed movie or TV show, or reading a dog-themed book.

Even if you skip commemorating your dog’s birthday, he won’t mind. Dogs don’t pay attention to the calendar!

K.S. Mueller is a travel executive living in Massachusetts who writes essays about dogs, cats and other topics in her spare time. Check out her web sites: ksmueller.com; k2k9.com; and fibroworks.com. Follow K.S.Mueller on Facebook and Twitter.

How do you celebrate your pet's birthday?  

Tell us about it in the comments!!

Stay tuned for a follow-up post with pics and video of the 5th Birthday Pawty!!