pamperedpuppy // luxury lifestyles for dogs

It's Raining Puppies

It's an exciting moment in a pet owner's life: Baby is on the way and it's time to prepare for his arrival. Throwing a puppy shower is a wonderful way to welcome the newest family member and help the pet parent get off to a flying start.

Make no mistake; adding a fur child to your family has a hefty price tag attached. According to the American Kennel Club (AKC), the first year of pet ownership can set you back as much as $5,000. One-time costs of a crate, spaying/neutering, training fees and initial supplies can average $2,000. When you add in the annual costs of food, grooming, vet check-ups, pet sitting fees, and other ancillary expenses be prepared to spend another $2500 per year. A little help from generous friends can go a long way to help defray these costs.

If no one offers to throw the party, fear not. Unlike traditional baby showers, it isn't considered gauche to throw a party in honor of your own dog. And don't forget about your friends with pound pets: A shower for a rescued dog is a caring way to thank a pet owner who has saved a life.

Sold on the idea? Now it's time to get started. For those in need of comprehensive party planning help, pick up How to Host a Puppy Shower by Dona and Juliann Penfold. After hosting a shower in honor of a friend's Yorkie puppy, Dona Penfold decided to write a book to encourage others to do the same. Her book is jammed with tips and tricks to execute a flawless affair. A few years ago, Beverly Smith, owner of Make a Tail Wag, threw a puppy shower for her son's English bulldog. Since then she's gotten into the business of puppy parties. In addition to being a great resource for invitations and games, Smith's Web site offers a comprehensive list of party planning tips.

Whether self-hosting or throwing the party for a friend, the first step is pull out the calendar and settle on a date. Give yourself at least six weeks to get organized and order all your supplies. When picking the date for the shower, Penfold feels the event can take place in the weeks leading up to the birth of the puppy or after the "baby" has gone home with its adoptive family. One bit of advice: Make sure the new pet has ample time to adjust to his surroundings prior to the big event.

To keep costs down, Penfold suggests sharing the responsibilities with a few co-hosts, "Dividing purchases and preparations among several people will definitely save you money." Set a budget early in the process and stick to it - don't let costs spiral out of control.

After you've selected the date, it's time to draw up the guest list. In general, proper canine etiquette means all dogs (besides the guest of honor) should stay behind. But that doesn't mean they'll be left out, "Doggie bags" can be sent home with all the guests (we'll have more details about this later - keep reading!).

With guest list in hand it's time to settle on invitations and pick a theme. Clever hosts will coordinate theme and invite. There are sensational invitation resources available on the Internet. Fun Stuff for Dogs offers a adorable set of 10 invites with a poofy pink bow, and Tail Waggin' Celebrations also offers a selection of invitesfor every taste. Make a Tail Wag also carries a fine selection of new puppy announcement cards and shower invitations. Chocolate Peanut offers a host of cool graphics that can be downloaded for free and printed as puppy announcements and party invitations.

Lisa Woody, owner of Fun Stuff for Dogs, also suggests using Snapfish or another photo-card Web site to create a personalized invite with a photo of the puppy. Visit the baby section and you'll get lots of great ideas. For crafty folks, Woody offers this idea: tie a hand written invite to a rawhide and mail in a padded envelope.

With four weeks to go until the party, it's time to get the invites addressed and out in the mail. Have fun with the invite design, but be sure you provide all the basics: the purpose of the celebration (it's fun to note the dog's birthday or adoption day and vital statistics); time, date, and location of the party; directions; and the kindly respond by date.

Three or four weeks from the event is the time to order party supplies and set a menu. For decorations, consider traditional baby colors--pink or blue. Penfold suggests a few other festive themes: farm animals, sports teams, or dog breeds. Order adorable paw print balloons to fill the party room from Fun Stuff for Dogs ($1.99 for a set of 4).

Don't forget about the goodie bags. Tail Waggin' Celebrations has premade gift bags complete with a ball and yogurt dipped cookie ($2.99 per guest). My Best Friend Specialty Pet Bakery is an excellent resource for special treats. Chef and owner, Natalie Marquardt, bakes fresh dog treats in her California bakery for canine celebrations. Her Pooch pops ($7.99) or Rocking Horse Favors ($9.99 for 6) are lovely thank you gift to send home with guests. The creative chef can customize treats in unique colors and shapes. Just give her plenty of notice. Marquardt suggests hosts plan early when catering their events. She says, "Often people don't take into account shipping time." To get the timing right, Marquadt advises ordering your baked goods when you send out the invitations.

When it comes to paper supplies, here's a tip from Penfold's book: purchase dog related stickers and rubber ink stamps and use them to dress up plain paper supplies from a discount party store. Lisa Woody adds that scrap-booking stores are a great resource for adorable doggie props. Consider picking up a blank album like the 8'x8" album from Scrapjazz.com to fill with photos from the shower. Give each guest a page to fill in with advice and best wishes for the new puppy.

Menu planning can be simple or elaborate depending on your talents in the kitchen and your budget. In general, try to include a few items with a fun doggie-centric feel. Cookies and cakes can be shaped like bones, fire hydrants or dog toys. Serve all the human snacks in dog bowls.

Woody thinks offering up some entertainment is a great idea for the shower. Why not invite a dog trainer along to give brief demonstration or hire a doggie yoga instructor to lead the group in a few quick stretches?

Games are another way to break the ice and get guests mingling. Penfold suggests the "guess the number of doggie bones game." Fill a large canister with bones and let guests take a guess at the number inside. The one who guesses correctly (or closest) gets to take the treat bin home to their pet. There's also the popular "Match the animal with the gestation period game" in which the host will read off animals and guest will take a gander at how long the pregnancy lasts (22 months for an elephant and 3 weeks for a mouse).

Smith recommends limiting the activities to one or two shower games. Her company, Make a Tail Wag, sells puppy game sets for (10 cards for $15) which includes: Puppy Bingo Cards, Puppy-Themed Word Search Cards (with answers), and Tic Tac Paw Cards. Puppy Bingo couldn't be simpler. Everyone gets a bingo card. The hostess draws a card from a stack of picture cards (each card will have a picture of something to do with dogs). As the hostess announces the picture word, guests will fill out their cards with dog-food shaped game pieces. The first person to bingo wins a prize.

Now that you're ready for the guests to arrive, it's time to think about gifts. Lisa Peterson, Director of Club Communications at the AKC, thinks the idea of a puppy shower is a great way to get a new pet owner properly outfitted. In fact, the AKC now offers a line of "puppy toys." Peterson warns well-intended shower guests not to go wild with buying edible treats for the new dog. A better bet might be one of these practical gifts:

• Leash
• Collar
• Crate
• Water and food bowls
• Bed
• Food
• Toys
• Bones
• Grooming implements (brush, nail clippers, shampoo, toothbrush, ear cleaning kit, etc.)
• Reference books on training
• Pooper scooper
• Pee pads

Smart puppy owners-to-be can set up a wish list for their pet so everyone knows what is most needed - and then send the link to each party guest via email. This way you ensure you don't get duplicates, and make sure that larger gifts like beds or bowls will match your home. For the pet who's already well set up (thanks to brothers and sisters or a doting puppy grandma), don't forget about gift certificate for services such as:

• Veterinary visits
• Training
• Pet sitting or dog walking

Now sit back and relax, you're on your way to throwing the best puppy shower ever!