With Thanksgiving around the corner, lists are being made, recipes are being tweaked to perfection, and the rich, savory smell of turkey wafts around the room fresh out of the oven. As you gather with family and friends, you reflect on all that you’re grateful for this year. You’ve adopted a puppy this year and want to show him how thankful you are and how much you love him. Rather than merely sneaking him a piece of turkey, there’s a different way you can show appreciation to your puppy this Thanksgiving that you might not have considered.
One idea to show gratitude this season is to host a Dogsgiving gathering for puppies and human friends. Inviting fully vaccinated dogs and their owners encourages fellowship while having fun and eating delicious food – a perfect way to show thanks to your puppies for providing unconditional love and companionship with other dog lovers. Dogsgiving parties help puppies socialize, a crucial part of their development as they learn to explore the world around them in a calm, curious manner. Your puppies will interact with each other and unfamiliar people, building their confidence and keeping their minds engaged.
Read on to see how to throw a Dogsgiving gathering, serve delicious fall foods for dogs, and how Pawrade can help take a task off your plate this busy season.
Where Should I Host a Dogsgiving Gathering?
Before you start planning, you’ll need to decide on a location for your Dogsgiving gathering. A dog-friendly spot is paramount, so double-check to ensure dogs are allowed before you commit to a space.
You may have the space, resources, and bandwidth to host in your home, especially if you have an enclosed outdoor area. You can rearrange furniture to create a large, puppy-proof open space or set up a dog-friendly backyard if it’s not too cold outside.
If you are not able to host, check with a local dog-friendly business to see if they have a private, sectioned-off space for your dog party. Avoid public dog parks or beaches if there’s a chance other dogs and people who aren’t invited will show up because things could get awkward quickly!
Fun Dogsgiving Activities
Other than eating, you’ll want to plan some party activities to keep your puppy guests entertained and engaged. If you have an active group of friends with high-energy, athletic dogs, find a Turkey Trot 5K to run and celebrate with Dogsgiving gathering afterparty. However, that may be ambitious for some people. It’s okay if the only activity you do is pass your puppy some popcorn while watching a movie though!
Keeping puppies mentally stimulated at Dogsgiving will cut down on crazy behavior and give them “jobs” to do in a new environment. Organize a hide-and-seek activity where you release the hounds and let them snoof around looking for toys and treats. You could also set up an apple-bobbing station outside so their drooly mess doesn’t get everywhere inside. Every puppy will love launching themselves into a pile of leaves!
It’s important to make memories and reflect on how to express gratitude toward your puppy. Guests can capture the moment with a photo booth featuring “Gobble till you wobble” accessories and props. While your puppies are calm and inhaling their food, you can go around the room and have puppy owners share what they are thankful for.
It’s difficult to imagine that it’s already time for Thanksgiving, as it may seem like this busy year has flown by. When you’re getting your plans ready for Turkey Day, don’t forget about celebrating Thanksgiving with your dog!
Special Thanksgiving Foods For Dogs
No party is complete without delicious doggy food and treats, especially a Dogsgiving gathering! While you should avoid feeding your puppies scraps from the dinner table, there are so many other choices using fresh, seasonal ingredients traditionally served at the human Thanksgiving table you can use to make dog-friendly Thanksgiving foods like appetizers, the main meal, desserts and even drinks safe for dogs to celebrate Dogsgiving.
Can dogs eat Thanksgiving table scraps?
We all know not to feed a dog chocolate, xylitol, or alcohol, but what about the food we serve at a Thanksgiving dinner? Dogs like bones, right? What about parts of the turkey like meat, crispy turkey skin, or gravy, not to mention delicious stuffing, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, and more?
Not so fast – even though a human’s Thanksgiving dinner table does contain individual ingredients safe for dogs to eat such as turkey, cranberries, pumpkin, and green beans, you shouldn’t serve them to your dog combined in rich, fatty, or sugary dishes. Our Thanksgiving food can make our puppies incredibly sick and even send them to the emergency vet. Never give a dog turkey bones because poultry bones split and break easily causing perforation or obstruction leading to more serious problems. Gravy is simply too rich and fatty for your dog to process. Thanksgiving foods have added ingredients like spices, butter, onion, and garlic which can cause pancreatitis or worse.
Appetizers
Have some Thanksgiving-themed dog appetizers ready at the door when your guests arrive. You can also entice your puppies to work on proper door greeting behavior and make them work for the treat!
Try out these delicious small bites for dogs to serve before you begin the main activities at Dogsgiving:
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Sweet Potato Chews from Pam at Just Around the Corner features baked sweet potatoes using only sweet potato slices, olive oil, and a little bit of cinnamon. You can make these ahead and store them in the refrigerator for two weeks prior for easy preparation.
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Turkey Cranberry Meatballs for Dogs from the team at Chewy.com: This recipe combines cooked ground turkey, eggs, cranberries, and panko breadcrumbs to produce bite-sized meatballs every dog guest will love.
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Green Bean “Fries” are not actually fried, but just another name for simple green beans. You can serve them like you’re passing fries to a friend! Green beans contain vitamins A, B6, C, and K and are low in calories, promoting vision, their immune system, and more.
DIY Dog Food with Turkey and Veggies
The main meal
Your canine guests can still get the real deal at Thanksgiving meal when Thanksgiving and fall foods safe for dogs are prepared properly using ingredients that are in season.
For example, a recipe for DIY Dog Food with Turkey and Veggies from This Mess is Ours is the perfect main dish to serve at Dogsgiving. This recipe yields 13 cups, plenty to go around and take home, but don’t count on there being any leftovers of this tasty meal!
While shopping for the Big Day, you can pick up ground turkey, brown rice, eggs, sweet potatoes, frozen peas, fresh cranberries, hemp hearts, sage, parsley, rosemary, and olive oil. Cook the ground turkey and rice, chop and steam the sweet potatoes, hard boil the eggs, and combine all the ingredients in one large bowl. Portion out into smaller bowls, and bone appétit!
Desserts
What’s a special occasion meal without a delicious dessert buffet? While dogs cannot have fatty, sugary human desserts, that doesn’t mean they can’t feast on delectable dog desserts while humans enjoy their pecan pie. Check out these dog-safe Thanksgiving desserts for dogs to serve at Dogsgiving.
Apple Pup Pies from Snort and Snarfle: These mini apple pies for dogs only contain 5 simple ingredients: Coconut oil, coconut flour, apple slices, egg, and cinnamon. Not only do they taste great, but they are also high in protein, naturally sweet, and full of healthy fats. Apple pup pies are a good choice for puppies with allergies.
Flourless Pumpkin Pancakes For Dogs
Flourless Pumpkin Pancakes for Dogs from Proud Dog Mom: While pumpkin pie for humans calls for pumpkin pie filling in a can, you’ll want to stick to canned 100% pumpkin puree without all the sweetened additives. You’ll only need 3 ingredients: 100% pumpkin puree, egg, and a scoop of bone broth powder for dogs. Pumpkin is loaded with fiber, and the egg and bone broth give it a punch of protein. You may be tempted to throw them like a frisbee to your dog guests!
Barista-style fall drinks for dogs
Barista-style fall drinks for dogs from the team at Chewy.com: Who says only humans get to enjoy fall coffee shop beverages? While you shouldn’t serve drinks with caffeine or chocolate, dogs will enjoy slurping up some after-dinner drinks like a “pupkin” spice latte, a carrot-maple latte, or a not-so-salted “mocha” latte all using dog-safe ingredients like carob powder, broth, pumpkin, peanut butter, natural maple syrup, and more.
Doggy treat bags
Every good Dogsgiving host will not forget to give their canine friends a doggy bag full of DIY fall treats for dogs before they depart. You can also fill them with dog toys or personalized accessories like festive fabric bandanas or little pilgrim hats. Here are some recipes you can make to put in your doggy bags.
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Pumpkin Peanut Butter Dog Treats from Danielle at Cardamom & Coconut: Here’s another super simple recipe using pumpkin puree, peanut butter, and whole wheat flour. Combine and roll out, using dog-shaped cookie cutters, and bake in the oven. You can also use leaf or turkey-shaped cookie cutters for some variety.
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Apple Cinnamon Biscuits from Dan’s Pet Care: Oat flour, unsweetened applesauce, chopped apples, and cinnamon come together to create bite-sized biscuits for your pooch’s friends.
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Pumpkin Puppy Pretzels from Kathryn at Tasty Thrifty Timely: These adorable pretzels look like little pumpkins with a decorative pumpkin seed stem and carefully shaped ropes of dough. Check out the recipe for twisting tips for these fun, seasonal dog treats.
Celebrate Dogsgiving With a Pawrade Puppy
The holiday season is always filled with to-do lists to prepare for the festivities. You know you’re ready to find a puppy to add to your family. However, your time is limited, and you don’t have time to join long puppy adoption waitlists or conduct research on reputable breeders. Pawrade can help.
We offer a scam-free, secure puppy adoption experience where we have partnered with trustworthy dog breeders who have passed a rigorous selection process. All Pawrade puppies come with a 3-year comprehensive health guarantee, 30 days of MetLife insurance, a health certificate, up-to-date vaccines, and other perks. You’ll be so thankful for our seamless experience. Let us help take something off your plate this season. Browse our puppies for sale to find your new best friend!
