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From start to finish, it's got a message that will thrill them: Hey, little hounds, this time we believe you, and a great time to help give to your local animal shelter.

INVITATIONS

Call in the dogs with this easy card. Cut out two matching squares of construction paper and tape them together along the top edge. From the top square, cut away the center part and round the ears. Decorate the bottom square with a face and collar, then clip on a detachable dog tag cut from the bottom of an aluminum pie plate (bend back the tag's sharp edges). Write the child's name backward on the tag's reverse side (so the type is embossed). Put the party information under the earflaps and ask guests to come with their licenses in paw. To keep the ruff-housing to a minimum, limit your pack to four or five pups.

In lieu of gifts ask for donations to the RSPCA / your local animal shelter (could be old warm blankets / dog biscuits etc) Give your local animal shelter a call, as they will have a 'wish list' and you can include that with the invitation.

An easy invitation is to cut dog bone shapes on recycled cardboard /  email invites.

DECORATIONS

For this imaginative group, you don't need many props. Decorate the front door with a discreet Kennel Club sign / cut cardboard paw prints and paint with eco friendly paint and place from the entrance to the party area.Inside, set up a table as the groomer's salon. Hang a sign to that effect and place a mirror on the table. Fill the playroom with doghouses made from large cardboard boxes--one for each kid, with his name over a simple cutout door. (Wait until the kids arrive if you think they'll choose special puppy names.) Doghouse facades are even simpler to make. Cut them from the sides of a box and lean them against a wall. With the addition of clean dog bowls--gauche, but the kids will love it plus a handmade ball from a fair trade store--the scene is set for playtime, games and snacks.

As children come in the door, have grown-up "groomers" turn them into puppies. Use eco-friendly face paint and optional dog ears (pieces of fabric  fastened to the child's hair with silver hair clips). Lay out a tableful of beads, buttons, string and extra dog tags to make a dog collar. Let the pups string their own (help them center the tag). It'll be your job to make sure nobody's necklace gets turned into a choke collar. Have a digital camera / instant camera  handy for portraits.

GAMES (optional)

THE SNOOP: Hide about 40 cardboard bones at "dog height," and have the puppies hunt on hands and knees. Found bones get buried at the end of the game in a bag in exchange for healthy 'dog' treats / stickers/ stamp.

DOG TRAINER SAYS: Based on Simon Says, this game has the kids doing dog tricks--but only when the leader prefaces the command with "Trainer says..." The trainer will need a cheat sheet to remember appropriate dog commands: Sit. Lie down. Roll over. Speak. Jump. Shake. Stay. Three-year-olds may have trouble keeping the rules straight. For them, forget the "Trainer says" part and just pretend to teach them tricks like Run around the yard, backward. Five-year-olds might like the game better if you speed it up and add silly commands like Growl, Wag your tail, and Bark your head off. All good puppies get 'dog' treats/ stickers etc for learning their tricks.

ACTIVITY: Make a healthy batch of cookie dough and have the children roll and cut with bone cookie cutters. Great to fill the doggie bag as a take home treat.


PUPPY CHOW

The usual favourites with a doggie theme - use the dog bone cookie cutter to cut best quality organic bread / sprouted bread for open face party sandwiches. Seasonal organic fruit platter, dog sticks(carrot and celery, scattered around the table. Dip + dog 'kibbles' - gorp mixture of seeds, nuts, dried fruit and spelt organic crispies. Use cookie cutters (bows, etc) to cut cheese. Could make hotdogs from mashed sweet potato with cooked grain and grated veges, shape into hotdog shape and fry / oven bake. A spotted tablecloth (paint spots on old sheets / butchers paper) and if you desire, new dog bowls to eat out of and than donate with your hamper to your local animal shelter.

FAVOURS AND GOODIE BAGS
Send each pup home with--what else?--a doggie bag, either  brown paper plain or decorated with spots. Stuff it with the child's photograph (puppy name and breed underneath, with some remark like "Loves Bones" or "Beautifully Groomed"). Throw in  the fair trade ball and the bone cookie and coconut balls. And, of course, leave room for the collar.

THANK-YOU NOTE

Send a message from the birthday pup in dog language. For example, on the front you might put a picture of your child with a cartoon dog dialogue : "Woof-woof, arf, RSPCA, grrrrr, woof-WOOF! Rrrr, Thierry" Translation inside: "That means, 'Thank you for your kindness to the RSPCA and for attending my birthday! Love, Thierry".

www.rspca.org.au Join / online donation / adopt a pet

www.seda.org.au Adopt a seeing eye puppy