Celebrate your dog’s special day with a themed party complete with homemade treats, games and visits from their best friends! Pamper your pooch, but remember that safety always comes first.

As pets become more entwined in the lives of people, we find ourselves catering to our dogs more and more. Pets are considered part of the family and just as we commemorate our family’s birthdays with celebrations we can also plan parties for our four-legged friends. There are tons of

pet party options, so determine what makes your pet happy and incorporate those elements.

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Woofy Cookies

Peanut Butter Bones

Ice-Cool Tail Waggler

The theme of your party will vary based on the dog’s interests. Just as you would plan a party around the likes and dislikes of your child, the same goes for your dog party. Get to know your four-legged friend. Also consider his heritage; if he is a German Shepherd, a German-themed party would be great, with sausages as a main dish. Or if you have an Australian Border Collie, consider dried kangaroo jerky for appetizers.

Most dogs prefer being outside, so hold your party in a location like a fenced-in backyard or at a dog park (although the downside of the dog park is uninvited party crashers.) Of course, have a backup plan for inclement weather. Many doggie day care facilities and county or state parks also rent out for parties.

As for the guest list, remember not to invite dogs that your four-legged friend has not previously met and played with. With all the excitement of the event it’s a good rule of thumb to invite only close friends.

Minimal decorations are needed for your party, and contrary to what you may have heard,  dogs are not color blind but see fewer colors than humans. Dogs are dichromatic (they see only two primary colors—blue and yellow) whereas humans are trichromatic, meaning we see three primary colors—red, blue and yellow. So use blue and yellow for dog parties unless you have a certain theme such as incorporating a tartan plaid for your Scottish Terrier. Piñatas are great for dog parties, but remember that the guests can’t jump up and break them so put about four on the ground and spread them throughout the area. (Be sure to have a video camera handy to record the dogs breaking open the piñatas.)

Determine the party attire based on whether your dog is used to dressing up or wearing clothes. Dogs are used to collars, so provide decorative collars and party hats (though it’s a little harder to get the dogs to wear a hat). You’ll find a large variety at your local pet stores or online. If you do decide to supply costumes for the guest of honor and attendees, be sure the outfit doesn’t constrict the dog’s movement, breathing ability, hearing or even vision. The key is to have fun, but always put your dog’s safety first.

If you have a Labrador retriever or a dog that loves water, consider having the party at a river or creek. You could even set up small baby pools and sprinklers in your backyard. For activities, form teams with your dogs and hold relay races or have the dogs retrieve decoys. The team with the most decoys within a certain amount of time wins. Remember that dogs have a short attention span so five to 10 minutes is a long time for your canine friend. Some dogs love physical challenges and enjoy having a party with an agility course. You can set up a ring or tunnel for the dogs to run through and create teams with their two-legged parents. Also, for a nominal fee, a local dog school employee or obedience trainer may be able to chaperone the party to ensure the dogs play nicely.

Most dogs love food and their palate is easier to please than ours. Try to stay away from rich foods and, of course, chocolate. Give them a nutritious and delicious snack like Peanut Butter Bones made with molasses and peanut butter. Or if your dog is more of a chewy meat lover, try beef jerky treats. Most trainers use these for training or showing dogs.

Party favors are easy for this event. Small toys for each guest or a bag of Woofy Cookies are always appreciated. Remember, don’t give toys that have eyes or anything else a dog can tear apart and choke on. Rubber kong toys are an excellent choice because the dogs can’t chew through these. You can also include a  can of Cheez Whiz or a small jar of peanut butter.

Remember to have plenty of leashes and waste bags on hand, as well as disposable cameras. Not only will your four-legged pals be entertained, but your human guests will be too!

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Woofy Cookies

3 c. whole wheat flour

3 c. uncooked oatmeal

1/2 c. wheat germ

5 Tbsp. margarine

1/4 c. plain molasses

1 c. evaporated milk

1 c. water

1. In a large bowl, combined flour, oatmeal and wheat germ. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well.
2. Place in the refrigerator to chill for about 30 minutes.
3. Preheat oven to 300°F
4. Carefully roll out the dough. Cut out your cookie shapes and place on oiled baking sheet.
5. Bake for about one hour. Leave to cool. Store your dog party treats in an airtight container.

Peanut Butter Bones

1 packet dry yeast

1/2 c. lukewarm water

1 c. mashed potatoes

1 c. milk

1/4 c. molasses

1/2 c. chicken stock

1 c. chunky peanut butter

1 c. whole wheat flour

1/2 c. rye flour

1/2 c. rice flour

1 egg

2 c. all-purpose white flour

1. Preheat oven to 325 ° F
2. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in water. Put aside.
3. Using a large saucepan, mix together potatoes, milk, molasses, chicken stock and peanut butter. Bring to boil, stirring frequently.
4. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature. Add yeast mixture. Gradually blend in egg, wheat, rye and rice flours. (Add enough white flour to form a stiff dough.)
5. Transfer to a floured surface and knead until smooth, about 3 to 5 minutes.
6. Shape dough into a ball and roll to 1/2 inch thick. Using cookie cutters, cut out biscuits. Place on ungreased cookie sheets, spacing them about 1/4 inch apart. Gather up scraps, roll out again and cut additional biscuits.
7. Bake for 45 minutes. Leave to cool overnight. The biscuits should be the consistency of pizza crusts and are great dog party treats.

Ice-Cool Tail Wagglers

4 oz. water

8 oz. strawberry yogurt

1 banana

1. Using a blender, mix ingredients until smooth.
2. Pour the mix into a variety of shaped holders like novelty ice-cube trays, small muffin pans, small paper cups (cut in half) or even purchase special bone shaped trays.
3. Freeze.

Note: Remove paper cups before giving the dogs these party treats. If you use muffin tins, try spraying them with nonstick cooking spray first.

If you’re not much of a makeup person- and even if you are- you should think about hiring a makeup artist for your wedding day.  Pros can give you picture-perfect make up that has staying power.  When Jessica Stallo, a bride approached me for recommendations on makeup we decided to visit Steve Moore of The Moore Agency.  Moore is a veteran in the bridal industry and just keeps getting better.  Not only does The Moore Agency specialize in bridal makeup and hair but is also known for makeup for runways and print campaigns promising “red carpet” looks for any occasion.

One of the most important things in a brides mind is how she will look for her big day.  As soon as Jessica became engaged she started pondering how she would look and scoured through bridal and beauty publications for ideas.  Jessica came armed with her bridal notebook with over 10 pages of examples of the look she was going for.  Steve’s advice was “find a model that looks like you, with your skin tone and let’s go from there, I have Asian girls who bring me photos of Jessica Simpson and want hair like that.” “It’s not going to happen” says Moore.   Keep in mind that this is not the time to start experimenting; you want an enhanced version of your everyday self.

“If anything I just want to look stunning, my dress is so simple that I want to stand out whether it is my eyes or hair”, states Jessica.  As Steve learns the details of the wedding he recommends a “convertible” hair style.  We learned that a convertible hair style is one which has more than one look.

“With the recession we have had to come up with more economical options for our clients.   For the ceremony we can do a soft up-do and assemble with pins, a clip etc. then after the ceremony the bride can just slip the pins out creating a different look” says Moore.  Pins and embellishments are the new thing and Steve highly recommends flowers or feathers.

Q.   How far in advance should you do waxing? 

A.   Final waxing should be the week prior to the wedding.  DON’T try new people two weeks prior to the wedding.   

Q.   What do you think of airbrush makeup? 

A.   We use it for fashion shoots or runway.  Its great on ethnic skins but Caucasians don’t do well with it.  

Q.   What about Lash Extensions or how can I accentuate my eyes?

A.   Lash extensions can be worn for three months and attach to your lashes but make sure you find the rigperson to do them.  Individual lashes are not good for the day of the wedding because you have to put at least five per eye to make a difference.  Steve prefers a track of false lashes for weddings.  These are the ones you see in the drug store and most of the people don’t know that they are numbered for certain eye shapes.  “The ones I use are 53, 117 and 119 because they are the most believable and work on all eye types,” says Moore.

Q.  I was told not to wear a foundation with SPF, is this true?

A.   SPF’s are not good for the day of the wedding because they carry titanium or paba and reflect light and photographers have a hard time capturing your beauty.  With mineral foundations it’s not ground up enough and is in a powder form and still reflects.

Q.   Will I need touch ups throughout my wedding?

A.    What your touch up is going to be is your lip.  If you are doing a gloss of course you are going to have to touch up more.  If you use a primer your make up will stay longer and not need touch ups.

Don’t forget your nails.  OPI carries a line of nail colors, Fairtytale Bride for every bride who wants to feel beautiful & cherished on her wedding day- or any day!  These are exceptionally dreamy shades that let a woman add a touch of romance to her day and give her the chance to feel even more beautiful. 

 Jessica and I both left our meeting with Steve more informed make up and how to achieve the look she was looking for on her wedding day.  No matter how small your budget do put aside monies for a professional makeup artist.  Keep in mind, there’s lots of pictures to be taken on your big day and a professional makeup artist knows the best makeup tricks to help you better emphasize your smile, your eyes, etc. for photos.

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Larry, co-owner of Foxgloves & Ivy helped me figure it out within the hour.   Remember, my goal is to incorporate the five senses: sight, smell, touch, hearing and taste.  So we got to work and here’s the result.  For smell oregano, rosemary, lavender, parsley,sage, basil or mint.  For touch lambs ear is the ticket;  sight – mums (button, Fuji or spider) kale, cabbage, sunflowers or any seasonal color, taste guest can pinch off the mint for the cocktails or the parsley to clean the palate. Hearing was the easiest to accomplish: the inherent sounds of Mother nature from the neighing of the horses, who all will be wearing organic garlands, may even let loose a sneeze or two.

Now this is all well and good for the reception but what about the ceremony?  Ask for flowers that are from growers who practice Fair Trade and a use non harmful fertilizers or chemical products.  Church flowers can be left for next days services so other people can enjoy them and then they can become compost material.

As I was leaving the shop Greg the head designer chased after me “Elizabeth don’t forget the herb stevia you can use it on the sorbet or dessert.  Its a natural sweetener.”   Greg don’t step on the caterers toes!  That’s Greg…. always thinking and wanting the last word.