How to Throw Your Dog a Gotcha Day Party

It’s National Love Your Pet Day, and I think it’s no secret that I adore my little Border Collie. He’s so stinking rotten, and I wouldn’t have him any other way (but I mean, can you blame me? That sweet little face is a heart melter).

His Gotcha Day was in January, and I threw him a little Gotcha Day party. He was found abandoned on the side of the road, so I don’t know his birthday. I know it’s around November, according to vet records. So, of course, we celebrate the day I brought that little furball home.

Remus turned two this year! I can’t believe he’s already in his terrible twos (although two has been MUCH easier than his puppy stage)! If you want to see his first year with me, check out my post on his first gotcha day.

This year, I got some little decorations. The balloons spell out “Let’s Pawty”, which I thought was adorable. The dog bone balloons are included. It came with paw print balloons, but we didn’t use them because Remus was TERRIFIED of them. He would just sit on the couch and growl at them, which was really cute. It also comes with a little crown, which is so cute!

I just tied the balloons on a piece of yarn. I have a small bookshelf in my living room, so I placed a grey blanket over the front and down the floor, and weighed it down with some things on the top shelf, to create a simple backdrop. I hung the pawty balloons the same way.

I had his birthday hat and bandana from his first Gotcha Day, so we reused those. We picked them up at Southern Barker, our local pup boutique. If you’re in the Lexington area, I highly recommend stopping by to check them out (if you’re not local, check out their online shop!). They are so sweet, and they love Remus. They have the perfect accessories for pups, from bandanas to treats. They also usually do a holiday photobooth for pups, and Remus and I try to go to all of them! I’ll leave a link to some of my Instagram posts from their photobooths at the bottom of this post.

Last year I also picked up a doggy friendly cake mix at Southern Barker, but this year I decided to just make some pupcakes for Remus. I used a recipe from Pinterest, and it was really easy! I had almost all of the ingredients already, so I just followed the instructions. The ingredients make a full cake, but I decided cupcakes (or, pupcakes, as I call them) would be easier. I didn’t want Remus eating a full cake by himself. He had a couple of pupcakes over a few days, and we gave some to friends who have pups.

He LOVED his pupcakes!

I just added a letter board, snapped some pics, and celebrated with him! Feel free to invite other pups, but I wanted just a little celebration for us. After all, it is OUR special day! His Barkbox happened to come on his Gotcha Day too, so those were his presents! If you’re looking for a GREAT present for your pup, we LOVE Barkbox! Remus has gotten one since he was a baby, and he knows the word Barkbox. He gets so excited opening his monthly box! Check out the bottom of this post for more info!

Do you celebrate your pup’s Gotcha Day or Birthday? If so, let me know in the comments how you celebrate!

To sign up for Barkbox, click HERE! You will earn a special treat for your pup (this is a referral code and I will earn something special for Remus with your subscription)!

Southern Barker holiday photo booths: Christmas with Santa 2017 // Christmas with Santa 2018 // Valentine’s Day 2018 // Valentine’s Day 2019 // St. Patrick’s Day 2018

*Apologies for the photo quality in this post. All photos were taken on my phone. So sorry!*

3 COMMENTS

  1. Angela Addington | 21st Feb 19

    How fun is this. We just got our new pup in November but will have to check out this for her first “gotcha” day with us later this year. Your pup is super cute!!

  2. Alex A | 22nd Feb 19

    Oh my gosh this is the cutest thing! I love the idea of celebrating this almost more than birthdays, it’s such a special and meaningful day. LOVE this!!

  3. Johnna Wilford | 22nd Feb 19

    How sweet! Once I finally convince my husband to get a pet, I will definitely be using this to plan a Gotcha Day. <3

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