Your dog's birthday: what to do on the day, and what to give
The date matters more to the owner than to the dog. So most of what follows is the dog's favourite things, a little more of them, and something for the owner to keep.
Ideas for the day at home
- The walk it likes best, at its own pace, with time to sniff.
- A new toy, opened together. PDSA advises watching while the dog plays, so nothing gets swallowed.
- A small dog-safe cake or a few extra treats, with less food in the bowl that day (PDSA).
- A photo in the same spot every year. After a few birthdays you have a row of them.
- A visit from the person it is most pleased to see.
What stays out of a birthday cake
Several things people bake with are poisonous to dogs. Leave out:
- Chocolate and cocoa.
- Xylitol, a sweetener in some sugar-free foods.
- Grapes and raisins.
- Onions and garlic.
- Macadamia nuts.
When you do not know the birthday
A rescue dog may come without a date of birth. Some owners use the day the dog came home instead, which some call Gotcha Day. Others pick a date and keep it every year.
Lines for a card or a caption
Written for this page. Put the dog's name where it says [name].
- Another year of you taking the best spot on the sofa. Happy birthday, [name].
- [Name] is [age] today. Still suspicious of the hoover, still first at the door.
- Happy birthday to the one who wakes this house up.
- For [name]: one more year of walks we did not plan and socks we did not get back.
- To the owner: happy birthday to [name], and well done to you for another year of it.
A gift for the owner on the day
If the dog belongs to someone else, give the owner the book. They answer eight questions about the dog and get a 28-page book about the life it has now: where it sleeps, what it steals, what it is still afraid of. The gift can arrive by email at eight in the morning on the birthday, or you hand over a printed card.
If it is your own dog, make the book yourself. It is ready to read about ten minutes after paying. A hardcover usually arrives about two weeks after the order, at most thirty days.
Example: Fien and the word 'beach'
Fien is a long-haired dachshund born in 2019. Her book has a page about the zip on Joris's coat: she hears it from upstairs and is at the door before it is done up. On Saturdays the zip means the beach. Fien is an example, not a customer.
This is the face when someone says the word 'beach'.
Fien9The zip and the word
It isn't the door and it isn't the lead. It's the zip of Joris's coat. Fien can be asleep upstairs, and she is at the door before it's done up. Most days that zip means work, on the bike, and she stands there anyway. On Saturdays it means the beach, and she knows the difference by the bag he picks up. The word does the same job. Spell it out and she still comes running.
Fien10
More gift pages
Questions
What can I give a dog owner for their dog's birthday?
A book about the dog, made by the owner from their own photos and answers. It can arrive by email on the morning of the birthday.
Can dogs eat birthday cake?
Not ordinary cake. Bake one without chocolate, xylitol, grapes, raisins, onions, garlic or macadamia nuts, keep the slice small and put less in the bowl that day.
What if I don't know my dog's birthday?
Use the day it came home, or choose a date and keep it each year.
How do I celebrate my dog's birthday at home?
Do more of what it already likes: its favourite walk, a new toy you watch it play with, a small treat, and time with you.
Does the book work for a puppy's first birthday?
Yes. A year is enough for habits: a spot it has claimed, a thing it steals, a sound it runs from.
Give the owner a book on the birthday
They make the book about their own dog, from the life it has now. A card to hand over, or an email at eight on the day.
Give the giftGift €34.99. The eBook and the hardcover, shipping included. Or the eBook alone for €6.99. The recipient makes the book themselves. Valid one year.
Make a book about your own dog.
Make one for your peteBook €6.99, hardcover €27.99 on top, shipping included. You pay after the questions.