We threw a Puppy Pajama Party to celebrate our dachshund’s fifth birthday!
It seems like yesterday that we brought Dave home to our little Upper West Side apartment. And yet somehow, this week our tiny puppy turned FIVE! Honestly, it gives me all the feels and I’m getting a little weepy just thinking about it.
I wanted to throw a small party celebrating our little guy, but we’ve also been traveling and juggling quite a lot this month, so I knew it needed to be an easy, low-stress get-together.
After a whole lot of brainstorming about potential party themes representing Dave’s favorite things (a chicken party! a sunshine party! a squirrel party!) we landed on the idea of celebrating an iconic dachshund activity: napping.
My ninth birthday was a pajama party and it’s still one of my favorite birthdays I’ve ever had. I loved the idea of recreating that magic—but for our friends and their dogs. What if both the human guests and the dog guests were invited to come wearing pajamas? What if it was a brunch? What if there were waffles for both the humans and the dogs?
Honestly, I’m a little stunned by how easily the whole party came together. I think my new go-to barkday party theme is going to be a pajama party. After all, is there anything cuter than pups in their pajamas?
Read on below for more of our ideas for how to throw an unforgettable barkday pajama party!👇🏻
#1 Invite Your Human and Pup Guests to Attend the Brunch in Their PJs
Comfortable pup pajamas are easy to find on sites like Chewy, Amazon, and Target.
#2 Set The Table with Breakfast-themed pup treats and Brunchy people food
We prepped human brunch favorites like waffles, fruit, and mimosas, as well as dog waffles, dog treats, dog-friendly fruit, and themed dog toys. How cute are those champagne and doughnut dog toys?
#3 Keep Your guests busy with a fun DIY activity
We bought iron-on letters and silk sleep masks to let guests customize their own dog-lover sleep mask. Sweet dreams!
#4 Turn a Stack of Dog-friendly Waffles into a barkday cake
Add candles to a stack of waffles, and voila—you’ve got a perfect barkday cake! You can find our easy recipe for healthy, dog-treat waffles here.
Just remember that dogs + lighted candles isn’t a good combo. 👍🏻
#5 Buy a customizable letter garland to set the theme of your party
We love this Meri Meri paper garland. I have a feeling we’ll be reusing it for years to come!
Happy puppy partying, and don’t forget to share your party pics with us by tagging The Dapple on Instagram! You can find all of the shopping links from this shoot below, plus check out our book, Life’s a Puppy Party: Recipes, DIYs, and Activities for Celebrating the Seasons with Your Dog for more ideas. Thanks for reading!
Shop Our Pajama Party Picks!
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