I love hearts and chocolate and champagne, so it is no surprise that I love celebrating Valentine’s Day.

But most of all I love my dog and cats.  This is a holiday that is always celebrated in our house, which is full of puppy love and kitten love every day of the year. 

All you need is love – and a Properly Posh party to entertain your friends and their pups with lavish refreshments and memorable Puppy Swag Bags.  I love to spoil my pets, and I love to spoil my friends, so this party is a perfect excuse to do both.  We’ll serve dog-friendly Carob Peanut Butter Cups for the Pups and Kir Royales for the Pup Parents!

Puppy Love 

Have you noticed that the world is having a love affair with their pets, and it continues to strengthen.  A 2021 study by www.Rover.com found that 69% of Pet Parents were planning to buy their pet a present for Valentine’s Day last year, and 60% of dog owners said their Valentine in 2021 was their dog!  Yes, we are all truly in love with our pups.

And why wouldn’t I love this small, perfect creature who knows all about me and still likes me? Through good times and bad – fun adventures and challenging problems – quiet times at home alone and rowdy parties with our friends and their pups, he’s always there with his tail wagging and bursting with excitement that we are together.

There is no greater gift than this love and friendship.  It should be celebrated on Valentine’s Day – and every day of the year.

Kitten Love 

Cats like parties too! But if your cat prefers a private party, then find a special time for just the two of you to cuddle and enjoy your favorite things.

What are my cat’s favorite things? Catnip, feather wands, fresh shrimp, and lots of hugs from me.

What would I add to that list? Lots of cat affection – head bunting, cheek rubs, “cutting cookies”, and cat chirps.

Carob Peanut Butter Cups and Gourmet Dog Cookies 

Chocolate peanut butter cups are one of my favorite candies.  This is the perfect party for treating my pup to his own version of this classic candy made with carob chips that are safe for dogs to eat.

Carob Peanut Butter Cups 

Ingredients

• 1 cup of carob chips, divided into two parts (do not use chocolate chips as a substitute)
• 2 tablespoons of coconut oil, divided into two parts
• 2 tablespoons of natural peanut butter (no salt, no xylitol) 

Directions

• Place cupcake liners in a cupcake tin.
• Melt ½ of the carob chips (1/2 cup) and ½ of the coconut oil (1 tablespoon) in a double boiler.
• Whisk the carob chips and coconut oil until they are fully melted and smooth.
• Spoon 1 tablespoon of the melted mixture into each cupcake liner to create a thin layer.
• Place the tin in the freezer for 10 minutes to set.
• Add 1 teaspoon of peanut butter into each cupcake liner.
• Place the tin back in the freezer for 10 minutes to set.
• Repeat the carob chip and coconut melting process with the second half of the carob chips and coconut oil.
• Add 1 tablespoon of the melted mixture into each cupcake liner again to create a thin layer covering the peanut butter.
• Place back in the freezer for 10 minutes until firm.
• Recipe makes 6 carob peanut butter cups.
• Important: Dogs cannot eat chocolate, so do not use chocolate chips as a substitute for carob chips. Make sure you use only carob chips.

My Westie, Beckham, LOVES treats, and he really LOVES cookies, both dog cookies and people cookies.  A company called Wufers makes his favorite cookies, which are not only delicious but perfectly decorated for all kinds of parties.  We’ll be serving them at our party, and you can find them on Amazon.

The Champagne Cocktail: Kir Royale

Champagne cocktails are perfect for a holiday centered on love, and we plan to serve our Pup Parent Guests one of our favorite champagne cocktails, the Kir Royale. It’s a terrific celebratory cocktail – fizzy, sparkling, sweet, and who can resist the color! A classy alternative to the cocktail is good quality Champagne with a fresh raspberry as garnish.

Kir Royale 

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons Crème de cassis (blackcurrant liquor)
• ¾ cup champagne or sparkling wine

Directions

• Pour Crème de cassis in a champagne flute, then top with the Champagne and serve!

Valentine’s Day Puppy Swag Bag

A Valentine’s Day Puppy Swag Bag should be full of treats for Pups and Pup Parents.

For pups, include a tiny bag of your homemade Carob Peanut Butter Cups. You can find these pup treats on Amazon.  Click on the picture to purchase.

Include an adorable plush Valentine’s Day dog toy, and your pup will have lots of adoring Pup Valentine’s craving his attention. Click on the picture to purchase.

For Pup Parents, you can include a tiny bag of conversation heart candies.  Buy a big bag of them and create your own cute mini bags tied with heart ribbon. Make heart-shaped sugar cookies decorated with “Be Mine” and “True Love.” Include homemade truffles or a mini box of gourmet chocolates.  And, of course, a mini bottle of Champagne to be enjoyed at home by your guests after the party!

Parties are always better with dogs, and we have written the perfect party guidebook to give you lots of fun ideas about how to plan a year full of parties including a Valentine’s Day party for your cats.  Posh Celebrations is our award-winning party book that includes 7 themed pet parties including a Happy Barkday Party, available on Amazon. 

A Properly Posh Valentine’s Day Pet Party 

There has been no greater gift in my life than the friendship of my pets who have taught me how to celebrate life with love and laughter. I love planning parties that are full of laughter and good food and special cocktails and extravagant swag bags. The memories live on long after the party is over.

Parties are always better with dogs – and cats if they are willing to attend – and a party that has LOVE as its theme is a perfect pet party.

Making memories with my pets – one dog-friendly peanut butter cup at a time.