Dog Party - 8 year old My daughter loves dogs and wanted a dog party this year.   The guest list included 12 kids ages 4-13.  I had found toy dogs at US toys reasonably priced, so the theme of the party became "dog adoption".  As the kids came in, we had our front room filled with 12 puppies up for adoption. My daughter had made a card for each dog - listing date of puppy birth, color, personality (playful, smart, obedient, etc).  Each guest chose a dog then moved into another room where they made a collar for it.  This was a great first activity while we were waiting for everyone to arrive and good for all age groups.  We made our collars out of stretchy thread and beads found at a craft store. We used regular beads and letter beads - most kids named their dogs and used the letters to put it on their collars.  Activities: 1.Dog bone scavenger hunt - using permanent marker, I had written each guests name on a dog biscuit (milkbone worked great). Each guest took a dog biscuit (not their own)and hid it in the yard. After all were hidden, the kids went searching for their own. We did this a couple of times - the kids really liked this. The reward was "dog pillows" I'd found at Target for $.25. 2.  Find the gum - bowls filled with whipped cream, hide a piece of gum, no using hands - we had two kids at a time race to find the piece of gum. Lots of fun. 3. Tag game - "Doggy, doggy what are you doing?"  Form a circle, one person is it - the dog- and stands in the middle, the rest of the kids chant "doggy, doggy what are you doing?" The dog answers various things - "scratching my nose, eating, taking a drink," etc.  When the dog answers, "chasing you" he goes after the other kids. The first one tagged becomes the new dog. 4. Relay - we divided up into two teams of 6. The kids had to push a ball through a tunnel, then pick up a plastic spoon carrying a dog biscuit back to the starting line.  Decorations:  Cake was a sheet cake decorated with a dog (a picture I'd found on some napkins). The table had a plastic table cloth, confetti, and of course, dog biscuits.  Refreshments:  hot dogs and chips served in bowls. Goody bags:  Brown paper lunch bags - using paw stamps and bone stamps - I stamped brown paws and red bones on the bags.  Then I folded down the top, punched two holes in the top and threaded twine through it.  Very cute.  On my computer I had made a "Puppy Survival Kit" sheet that explained the items in the bag.  1.  Bouncy ball to play ball with your dog. 2. Sunglasses (I'd found for $.25 a pair) to use while you walk your dog 3. Puppy Chow (chex mix) for a snack  4.  A game (small wooden game - again found at Target for $.25) to play while your puppy naps. The kids took home their puppy, pillow, collar and treat bag. Most of these ideas were found on this great website. It was a great party.