Freddy’s Birthday Party!
A Buffalo Check Themed Dog Birthday Party
Right before the holidays, we celebrated Freddy’s 5th birthday. We were informed of his actual birthdate when we adopted Freddy from a wonderful rescue group just over 2 years ago. He has brought so much laughter and joy into our family so I wanted to do something fun for his birthday to celebrate his special day! I began planning a small birthday party for him at home with a theme to make it more festive. Because it is the winter season, I thought that the buffalo check pattern and colors would be a perfect fit for Freddy’s party. And so the planning began…
Freddy’s Buffalo Check and Vintage Truck Themed Party
The plan was to keep it simple and fun. I knew I wanted the pups to have something cute to wear for photos, a few decor items, a couple of gifts for Freddy and of course a cake for the dogs to share. I added some sugar cookies for my husband and I because I thought they would be a quick and easy add. Yeah, I was wrong. LOL.
In the photo above, you can see that I found some buffalo check bandanas for the dogs. I made a ribbon banner for a cute backdrop that stayed up (although on the mantel) through the holiday season. I also made a little sign from a chalkboard to celebrate and remember the event in future years. It was after I found the cake recipe that I decided to add the vintage truck element to our theme for the cookies and plates which I think was a perfect little touch to add to our small party.
human family to enjoy on the right.
Freddy’s Dog-Friendly Birthday Cake
After searching online for a dog-friendly cake recipe that included ingredients that I already had available, I found this Dog Birthday Cake Recipe that I thought would work well. I did substitute the coconut oil for regular canola oil because I’ve never been a believer that a solid oil such as coconut oil could be healthy for you, so I have always avoided it.
I baked the cakes in two small 4″ springform pans and let them cool before stacking and frosting them. Using rosemary from the garden, I added a few sprigs to add color and even used one sprig as the makeshift candle. Then, I served the individual cake slices on the cute red truck plates I found that perfectly matched our theme!
so we can get some pictures.
I think his bigger slice was gone in 1.78 seconds.
Human Treats – Vintage Truck Sugar Cookies
I wanted to include some treats for my husband and I so I found a cute vintage truck cookie cutter and made some sugar cookies! Using the prepared sugar cookie dough and cookie icing from the grocery store to helped me save on time, because little did I know, I was going to need it…
Now, it has been a very long time since I’ve made sugar cookies and I forgot how tricky they can be! The trick to getting your cookies to keep their shape and not poof up like my first batch did is once you cut out your cookies and place them on the cookie sheet, place the cookie sheet with your cookies in the refrigerator for an hour to chill before putting them in the oven! My first batch went from, ‘What is this supposed to be’, to my second batch of ‘Oh, what a cute truck with a Christmas tree!’ I iced the cookies, which took way longer than I anticipated due to drying time between colors, and decorated the trees with some fun sprinkle mix. I think they turned out pretty cute, almost too cute to eat!
Freddy’s Buffalo Check Themed Gifts
Freddy got two gifts for his birthday. The first gift was a snuffle mat that I made for him. A snuffle mat is a great enrichment activity for dogs that provides mental stimulation and entertainment as they use their highly developed sense of smell to sniff out treats hidden in the fabric scraps of the mat. This mat was very easy to make using a rubber sink mat, fleece I purchased in a buffalo check pattern, and rotary scissors. If you’d like to make your own snuffle mat for your dogs, there are DIY instructions of how to make these online. I’ll try to add a post how I made mine soon.
The second gift was some buffalo check pajamas I found while at HomeGoods (similar here). The only pair they had just happened to be Freddy’s size. He looks like he’s ready for his night, night treats and some bedtime tummy rubs. Ohh, he looks so cute in his new PJs!
I think Freddy enjoyed his special day as he slept pretty well that night. It was fun planning our little party and celebrating Freddy for a day. Next birthday we get to celebrate will be for our cat. If we throw this little diva a party, something tells me it will be much simpler than this! She’d just say something like “Just give me some catnip and tell me I’m pretty.”
Do you celebrate your dog’s birthday? What special things have you done to make your dog’s day special?
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2 Comments.
Adorabs…as worldofjaxonmorkie gets a birthday party every other year, as we order a cake from Three Dog Bakery, handout goodie bags, and have hooman foods, one time it was in our backyard and one time it was at Mutts Cantina. Trying to plan something big this year, he will be 10, so love the ideas.
It’s awesome that you celebrate Jaxon’s birthday too. And with goodie bags and hooman foods, you go all out! Sounds like fun! We love Three Dog Bakery. I’ve bought cakes and other treats from there before and the dogs go crazy. Can’t wait to see what you have planned for Jaxon this year. Thanks for stopping by!