Celebrating the life of our furry love

In October 2010 we got our first family dog – Kona (formerly known as PeeWee).   

A business I frequent for trophies had two miniature Australian shepherds I would adore every time I dropped by the store. Loving the temperament of the dogs and doing some research, I knew I wanted this type of dog and the breeder from which these dogs were bread. Getting the right breeder is just as important as the getting the right dog for your family. I’m not a dog expert; however, I’ve learned that a breeder makes a difference in having a great dog.  

I called the breeder Lynn of Greenleaf Mini Aussies (greenleafminiaussies.com) to see if there were any available dogs and PeeWee was it – the last dog. PeeWee, only being 20 ounces at birth, wasn’t expected to survive and most people go for girl dogs.

After seeing the picture of him on the Internet, I was hooked. He was everything I wanted in a dog – cute, great bread, right size, good temperament and potty trained.  OK, who doesn’t like a dog that is already potty trained to go outside and already knows 15 commands?  I was hooked! A five month old dog that is ready to go to a good home and I wanted it to be ours.   We just needed get him to us and figure out a new name.

After going through the logistics, we planned to get PeeWee from Boise, Idaho to us on Delta Airlines – who I have to say did an excellent job getting him to us in one piece, clean, and happy.  Their Pet First Program, in our experience, is awesome and I would recommend it to anyone.    

Kona has been a great addition to our family and we couldn’t imagine our lives without him.

As part of the family, it only seemed right to throw him a birthday party – right?   I polled several of my friends on Facebook to see who celebrates their dogs’ birthday and what do they do.

I wasn’t surprised to get a response back from several people telling me how they celebrate.  The responses ranged anywhere from a fully fledged birthday party with other dogs, to just giving a new toy, or giving wet dog food on the special day.

Being the party planner I am, I wanted to make Kona proud without going too over the top.   We invited a few of our friends over with their kids, had a cookout, put on party hats and sang "Happy Birthday" to Kona. Kona receive a few presents along with a special frozen treat – Frosty Paws by Purina. 

Wondering why I didn’t invite all of Kona’s friends over? I thought of it, but those of you who have children know that getting through the first birthday party is hard enough. More will come in future years.

I received something that is a great gift for any pet or pet owner – customized dog tags from yappyhappy.com.  They provide what looks like a driver’s license with important information about your dog.  Deanne, the Founder of Yappy Happy said, "my dogs are considered members of my own family. There is nothing I wouldn't do to keep them safe. I hope our products will not only add some fun in your lives, but will aid in the return of your pet should they ever get lost."

I’ve found that during the years, it is important and fun to celebrate the milestones in your family whether they are your pets’ birthdays to your kids learning to ride their bike.  Celebrations make us all happier people and who can argue with that?