Galentine's Day With Dogs: A Practical Guide for Hosts and Guests

Planning a galentine's day with dogs comes down to a few small decisions, and it helps to make them before anyone rings the bell. Do that and the afternoon mostly runs itself. This guide works for the host and for the guest who is bringing a dog.

Ask about each dog before your galentine's day with dogs

A week out, send one short message to the group. Ask each guest for the dog's name and size, and ask whether the dogs have met before. Ask about food rules too, since some dogs eat a set diet and the owner should say so ahead of time.

Hosts, tell people what is in the house. If a cat lives there, say so, and say which room is closed to dogs. Guests, reply even if your answer is short. A host who knows what is coming can plan the floor space and the snacks.

A leash at the door

Every dog comes in on a leash. Put a hook or a basket by the entrance so the leashes have a spot, and take them off only once the host says the room is ready. Set one water bowl on a mat, away from the walkway.

Pick a room that can be closed, and put a bed and a water bowl in it before the first guest arrives. If a dog needs to be somewhere else for a while, nobody has to scramble.

One treat bowl for everyone

The easiest rule for a party is one bowl. Fill it with plain, single ingredient pieces and set it where the host can see it. Guests hand out pieces from that bowl and nothing else, so nobody is reaching into a coat pocket for something of unknown origin.

For ours, the bowl is freeze-dried cheddar cheese bites. We freeze-dry them in small batches in Malvern, Pennsylvania, and the only ingredient is cheddar cheese. The pieces are small, and freeze-drying leaves them crunchy and non-greasy rather than soft. They need no refrigeration, so a bag sits on the counter all afternoon.

Cheddar contains dairy, so it is not suited to a dog with a dairy sensitivity. If a guest says that is their dog, leave that dog out of the bowl and ask what the owner brought instead. The label says to feed it as a treat and to supervise while snacking. If a dog is on a special diet, ask your veterinarian before it shares from any bowl.

The board goes on a high table

A snack board is the center of most Galentine's parties, and it is also the one thing at dog height that does not belong there. Put it on a table a dog cannot reach, and keep the plates and napkins up there with it. Grapes and chocolate are the two things to watch for.

The ASPCA's page on people foods to avoid says: "Tartaric acid is speculated to be the toxic component in grapes and raisins." That is its line on grapes.

On chocolate, the same ASPCA page says: "The darker (higher cacao percentage) the chocolate, or the higher the caffeine content, the greater the risk for toxicity." Keep the chocolate on the board.

Take a minute after the party to look under the table and along the couch for anything that fell.

Wine glasses and other drinks

Drinks stay out of reach. Use a side table or a counter, and tell guests where to set a glass down. The ASPCA page quoted above also says: "Alcoholic beverages and food products containing alcohol can cause vomiting, diarrhea, incoordination, depression, difficulty breathing, tremors, changes in blood pH, coma and even death."

Flowers on the table

Galentine's Day usually means flowers. For roses, the ASPCA plant entry for roses is the one to read, and the petals and stems come off the floor before the dogs find them.

Lilies are different. The ASPCA plant entry for lilies is the one to read if a cat lives there; lilies stay off the guest list. We say nothing here about any other flower.

The group photo

Take the picture early, while every dog is still near the door on a leash and the board is still in the kitchen. Everyone is dressed and the light is better. We wrote a separate guide to Valentine's Day photos with your dog if you want more than one frame.

A favor bag for each dog

People usually send guests home with something small. Send the dog home with something too. A bag of the cheddar works, and so does the Cheddar and Beef Liver Duo, which is two bags in one box: freeze-dried cheddar cheese and freeze-dried beef liver, with the liver in a 3 ounce or 6 ounce size chosen at checkout. Each bag is a single ingredient, freeze-dried raw in Pennsylvania. The duo contains dairy and is not for a dog with a known dairy sensitivity.

If you are the guest

Ask before you bring the dog, and take no for an answer. Bring a leash, a mat or a bed, and a bag for cleanup. Keep your own snacks in your bag and use the host's bowl, since the host knows what is in it. When it is time to go, thank the host before you leave.

Questions

Can I bring my dog to a Galentine's Day party?

Ask the host first and do not assume. Tell them your dog's size and whether it has met the other dogs, and ask whether a cat lives in the house.

How many dogs can one host handle?

It depends on the room. A plain test is whether every dog can have a spot to lie down and its own access to water. If the answer is no, invite fewer dogs or move part of the party outside.

What should the dogs eat at the party?

One bowl of plain, single ingredient pieces, handed out by guests from that bowl only. Keep the board, the plates and the drinks up high.

Can a dog have cheese from the board?

Keep the board's cheese on the board, since it may be seasoned or served with other things. If you want to hand out cheddar, hand out pieces from the treat bowl, and skip it for any dog with a dairy sensitivity.

Are roses fine to put on the table?

If a cat lives in the house, leave the lilies out.

What do I send home with each guest's dog?

A small bag of single ingredient treats is enough. Check with each owner about dairy before you hand over the cheddar.