Search Party411:

• Party411 Home
• Using Party411
• Party Advice

Shop Online
• The Shops
    @ Party411.com

• Party Talk
    Newsletter
• Daily Dish Blog

Personalize Your Party
• Personalized Candy
• Banners
• Life-Sized Cutouts
• Photo Ops
• Caricatures
• Invitations
• Sign-In Boards and
    Sign-In Books
• Bottle Labels
• Centerpieces
• Seating Cards
• Personalized
    Mint Tins
• Favors, Accessories
    and more!
• Custom Party Plans
• Creations for You

Plan Your Party
• Theme Parties
• Special Occasions
• Holiday Parties
• Corporate Event
    Planning
• Party Decorating411
• Party Games
• Invitations
• PartyMenu411
• Planning Guides

Expert Advice
• Corporate Consultant
• The Party Girl
• The Etiquette Queen
• The Game Girl
• Invitation Diva
• Fashion Queen
• The Party Doctor
• Party FAQs

• Door Prizes
• Discussion Forums
• Your Parties
• About Party411
• Advertising
    Opportunities

• Site Map

Dog Day Afternoon
Party Sometime in August

For most of the places, August and September promise the dog days of summer. You know, the kind of day when it's so hot your sweat has sweat. The kind of day when you get out of the shower and go right from wet to sweat. I thought you'd remember. Well, misery loves company, so if you don't want to suffer alone, invite some pals and their pets over for a Dog Day Afternoon party, and for goodness sake, stay cool.

Send a fun invitation to you dog party. Creation For You has a personalized dog theme invitation that will get everyone's attention. Include on the invite that your guests should bring their 4-legged friend. BYOB (bring your own bone) should be prevalent since I'm sure your dog, like mine, will absolutely not share! You can add some yummy fun to the invite by including a small bag of dog treats in the envelope (fyi - the postage will be a little higher and you should mail it in a padded envelope).

You can make your own invitation if you are feeling creative.  Cut out three bone shapes from brown or off-white cardstock.  Write a personalized line of greeting, replacing Fido with the name of your friend's dog -

You and Fido are invited...

On the second bone write the party information -

To a Dog Day Afternoon!

Come and Pawty at Sally and Max's home

at 2 pm on August 15

BYOB (bring your own bone)

And on the third bone you can write the RSVP information -

Don't Make Us Beg! - RSVP 123-555-1234

Now layer the bones on top of one another and pin them together with a brad or a piece of ribbon tied through a hole  that you punched in the end. Perfect!

If you really want a "WOW" invitation have a caricature of you and your dog drawn from Creation For You! You're wearing a t-shirt with your dog's name and picture emblazoned across the front. And your dog is wearing a shirt as well, that says... "will work for food!" What ever you want!

Dog Party Decorations

As people enter, a sign that says... "It's a DOG DAY AFTERNOON at Max's house...WIPE YER PAWS!!" with both you and the puppy waving a warm welcome standing behind a wipe your paws welcome mat. Or choose a sign in board where your guests can leave you a fun message!

If you are fortunate to have air conditioning, and the heat is ungodly, let people inside by all means. You may not want the pups inside though, so do you bet to keep everyone cool outside in the backyard. Of course, if you have a pool what better way to cool off than sit poolside with your favorite beverage and take an occasional dip. Set up several hard plastic kiddie pools full of cold water for the pups and lawn chairs and beach umbrellas (unless you have a large shade tree) for the humans to sit and relax in.

The best party decoration for a dog party are tennis balls, Frisbees, and squeaky toys! Hand them out and let the fun begin!

Dog Party Table Decorations and Menu

Fill plastic dog bowls with K-9 candy,  or dog bone shaped cookies. Then tie dog themed balloons to them to make great centerpieces.  Buy the "paper" bowls you find in the supermarket and put each guest's name on the outside with magic marker--giving each guest a personalized dish, just like most puppies have. I wouldn't go as far as a large water bowl for everyone, but it's a thought! If you'd like a little more pizzazz, Party Pups or a Scooby Doo party supplies, will kick start those smiles.

If you plan to assign seating, I suggest you give each guest her/his own ball with name and table number attached. What's a party without having your own ball, I ask you?

Don't cook inside. Hot dogs on the grill, what else? Plus finger-sandwiches cut with a dog-bone shaped cookie cutter (just give the crust to the birds). A Jello mold with fruit in the shape of a dog bone plus salmon mousse (using that bone mold again) for dipping veggies and such.

For dessert, you will need cake to celebrate the dog days in the shape of a bone, of course, a VERY LARGE one. And dog treats (use those cookie cutters again), both for your guests (chocolate bark; bone shaped cookies) and their pets--be sure they are clearly marked.

Don't forget to have plenty of cool beverages for the doggies and their human parents!

Dog Party Activities

Well, if you can swim, do it. It's hot, after all. Don't do anything that will make you sweat more than you already are. Be sure to give all your guests sunglasses to shade them from the sun. Voila! You've made it through a dog day afternoon.

If you have puppies, you might have kids running around, too. Keep them, and yourself, amused with a few party games. You can have them play a game of Red Rover -

Or check out more Summer Party Games and Kids Birthday Party Games for more great ideas!

Favors

Our personalized candy bar wrappers make great handouts! But don't give chocolate to the dogs! Send them home with a few treats of their own -

• Treat bag filled with gourmet dog treats
• Rawhide bone
• Squeak toys from the party decorations
• Tennis balls
• Frisbees

If you have any kids attending send them home with a treat too. We love these Party Pups stickers and kooky chew treats.

Have a great time at your Dog Day Afternoon Party!

© Party411.com