Sunday was Super Bowl (and Puppy Bowl) Sunday and it marked my Second Annual Super Bowl Party and Potluck.

Luna’s ears perk up at the word Potluck. Food and lots of it.

So how did we celebrate the big game(s) with both pets and people?

Super Bowl 2014

1. Give your guests a heads up that pets will be present. Some people may have fears, allergies, or just questions, so advanced notice helps.

2. Have fun decorating, but keep things pet friendly. I made a football banner, football utensil holders, and a football field tablescape. All of these are super cheap and pretty easy.

The football banner cost less than $3. All you need is thin white ribbon, three pieces of green felt, three pieces of brown felt, and some fabric glue. I printed off patterns from Google Images and then traced them onto the felt. I made sure the footballs and pennants were the same height. I was able to get three pennants and two footballs on each sheet of felt. Once the shapes were cut out, I cut little holes so I could weave the ribbon through and added a bit of glue to keep everything in place.

Football utensil holders for Super Bowl 2014

The football utensil holders were just a bit of construction paper wrapped around Solo cups.

The football field table cloth started as a plain green table cloth from Party City. A bit of white masking tape from the dollar store created the lines on the field. The field goal posts are made out of PVC pipe and the buckets are from the dollar store as well. One piece of PVC (cut in half at the store) and a few joints are enough for both posts. A few rocks had to be added to the buckets for stability.

Pet safe decorations for Super Bowl 2014

3. Get plenty of exercises before the party. A dog with excess energy could be more than an handful during the party.

4. Keep food up high and trash safe. Provide plenty of safe surface space so your guests can set their food and drinks down.

5. Make special dog treats, so your pup can enjoy something tasty too. You and your guests can feed your dog the treats instead of table scraps. Monitor how much your dog gets to eat. You may be stuffed, but she doesn’t have to be.

Luna tried Peanut Butter Bacon treats originally found on Sally’s Baking Addiction. The recipe is super quick and tastes like peanut butter cookies without the sugar. Yes, I tried one.

Peanut Butter Bacon Dog Treats

Ingredients

  • 1 cup creamy peanut butter
  • 3/4 cup skim milk
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 cups whole wheat flour
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1/3 cup oats
  • 3 strips bacon, crumbled or chopped

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 325 F
  2. Mix peanut butter, milk, and egg. Make sure there are no lumps.
  3. Add the flour and baking powder. The dough will be very thick.
  4. Add the oats and bacon.
  5. Roll the dough out about 1/4" thick.
  6. Cut into shapes with a cookie cutter.
  7. Bake for 18-20 minutes.
https://www.beaglesandbargains.com/pet-safe-super-bowl-celebrations/

Peanut Butter Bacon Dog Treats for Super Bowl 2014

6. Have distractions on hand. We used a KONG filled with frozen mixture of peanut butter and yogurt and a pig’s ear. Pigskin, pig ear. Makes sense right?

7. Provide a safe space for your dog to go. For Luna that is her bed. I moved it to a more accessible area. She didn’t use it until she got tired, but when she did she knew she had a place to lay down.

8. Tag team. It can be difficult to socialize and keep an eye on your dog at all times. If you have a significant other, switch off. You don’t have to be watching your dog’s every move, but you should be quick enough to react if she chooses to jump onto the coffee table (it may have happened).

9. Keep training. A well trained dog is much better behaved at a party. Luna’s current training definitely helped, but we may still need to conquer not jumping at everything that looks like food.

10. Expect the unexpected and be flexible when it happens. Luna has never jumped onto the coffee table before, but now I know she can and so do all my guests.

How was your Super Bowl (or Puppy Bowl) Sunday?

Today we are participating in a delicious blog hop called Tasty Tuesday! It is hosted by our friends Sugar the Golden Retriever and Kol’s Notes. Hop along and find some tasty treats for your pup!

[bloghop020414]

Jessica Shipman
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