For my son's 4th birthday he wanted a dog theme party. I found some dog shaped invitations and used grosgrain ribbon to tie charms around the neck to resemble a dog collar and tag. Charms at the craft store came printed with the letters of the alphabet so each child could receive an invite with their initial on it. Weeks before the party I cut dog ears from assorted felt colors and sewed them to elastic headbands so the children could become dogs themselves.  As the children arrived I handed out the headbands. I contacted a local dog trainer who agreed to bring several dogs to perform tricks for the children, which was the most important part for my son. I set up a table with a variety of snack foods (pretzels, goldfish, raisins, etc.) and gave each child a large red plastic dog bowl so that they could create their own dog food. We also had a pet adoption station. I ordered an assortment of small stuffed dogs (Oriental Trading) and created an adoption certificate so each child could select a dog, name it, and take it to a vet station to be examined. After the exam, they made and decorated a collar using craft foam cut into strips and self adhesive shapes. A friend of my painted a giant dog on butcher paper and the children played pin the bone on the dog bowl. For lunch, we served hot dogs of course and fruit salad served out of large stainless steel dog food bowls. The cake was a dalmation holding a dog bowl and then I surrounded it with cupcakes that were white with chocolate paw prints on top (using chocolate chips turned upside down to make the print). We served the cake using the same red dog bowls and several of the children put their faces into the bowl and ate like dogs!  At the end of the party the children left with their dog ears, their dog bowl, and their newly adopted dog with birth certificate.  Months later, my son still talks about his dog party and eating like a dog with no hands!