Congratulations! It’s your dog’s birthday. Well, maybe not yet, but the third weekend in September is my dog’s birthday. Yes, it’s a week-long celebration in this house. My crazy Sprocker was a Pandemic Pup (for decades, we’ll know that reference). That means she’s five years old now!

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But she’s still a puppy at heart – and in behaviour. That means a birthday celebration involves a lot of activity and chances to run. Here’s my attempt at creating happy zoomies and Instagram-worthy moments.

A Day (or two) at Doggie Daycare

Doggie Daycare has been a godsend for me since I first started sending my crazy spaniel to the Canine Bond Socialization Centre, a local dog daycare and training facility that offers drop-off and pick-up service, which I take advantage of twice a week while working. Her regularly scheduled adventure happened to fall on her 5^th birthday, and if I could ask her what she wanted to do for her birthday, I’m sure play with friends on the farm would have been her answer.

Later that week, my dog spent a day at Dogtopia, a dog daycare franchise where she’s also very popular. Once a month, Dogtopia has a ‘birthday day.’ If a dog’s birthday falls in that month, they can attend that day and get a photo and birthday bag. Dogtopia’s September birthday event fell the same week as my dog’s actual birthday, so guess what? Another birthday adventure for her. Her favourite thing in her Dogtopia birthday bag? A ball, of course. Another ball.

Bake Homemade Dog Treats

The night before my dog’s birthday, I got out the cookie sheets to bake some homemade dog treats – sort of. They weren’t entirely from scratch. I bought a premixed kit from Droolable Pet Treats, who I met at a pet-focused craft show, and added my own peanut butter (xylitol or birch sugar-free, of course).

Then knead the dough, roll it out, and cut out bone-shaped cookies. This kit came with a cookie cutter (affiliate link) attached. It worked well, and yes, my dog ate them. And no, I didn’t burn them. For once.

Doggie Birthday Cake

Sure, you can make your own dog birthday cake (affiliate link) instead of homemade cookies (or in addition to). But I took a shortcut and cracked open the Lazy Dog Pup-pie pizza-shaped birthday cookie/cake, which looked impressive. My dog had a first piece but wasn’t overly enthusiastic for more. No surprise, she preferred her special birthday dinner of fresh chicken.

Donation to a Pet Rescue

If your dog has a lot of stuff – definitely, mine does – consider a donation to a pet rescue in their name, especially if you adopted them from a rescue. Why not give a donation every year in your pet’s name to thank them for leading you to your best buddy?

Special Delivery Gift Basket

Of course, my dog got a big gift basket for her birthday. And this one was fun for me too, because I didn’t know what was in it. Mazee Gift Baskets specializes in Greek-themed gift baskets for people – mostly Greek food such as real feta cheese and kalamata olives (which I can’t get enough of). But they also have a dog-themed basket with no food, only stuff – no need to worry about allergies.

Even better, Skeelo, the Mazee gift basket for dogs (that comes in a basket perfect for dog toys), contains all Greek dog stuff. It’s not the same toys or accessories, like leashes and dog poop bag holders, you’ll find in North American pet stores. Plus, they are delivered in Southern Ontario (or shipped across Canada). Surprise your dog (and yourself) or your friend and her new puppy.

Good value for quality products. A nice touch is the ‘evil eye’ (known as Mati in Greek) charm designed to deflect the effects of envy and jealousy, because your dog needs some protection too. My dog’s evil eye amulet hangs from her collar now (and her St. Christopher charm on another collar because we like to cover our bases).

Overall, my dog’s birthday lasted a week – after all, a dog’s birthday is the perfect excuse to indulge in a little extra fun or finally use that dog treat mix in the cupboard. Most important is time with your dog because that’s one thing we all want more of. Ten, twelve or sixteen birthdays is never enough. Happy Birthday, my sweet Victoria, and I’ll be cherishing each one every year.

Writer bio: Sherri Telenko has been a professional writer for decades and a travel writer for the last two. She’s a member of TMAC (Travel Media Association of Canada) and Dog Writers Association of America and travels almost weekly with her canine companion, Victoria. Contact Sherri at dogtrotting.net here. All written content is original, written by a person, and based on experience and research. Please subscribe!