Party Time!

After nearly twenty-four hours of anticipation, Singer got her birthday cake, complete with edible doggie candles.  Singer's never eaten at the table before, so she really wasn't sure what was going on.  My pointing to the plate didn't help; I think she thought I was tricking her.  Once I put the cake on the floor though, all bets were off!

First, a trip in the way-back machine.  This is a picture I took of Singer on December 20, 2010, the night I took her home.  I'd been approved to take her home a whole day earlier than expected, and I didn't have all of her gear ready yet other than a dog crate I'd picked up that afternoon.  Thanks, Craigslist!  I remember being terrified on the car ride over to the pound to pick her up, knowing that this skinny little dog was going to be my responsibility for the long haul.

Notice the purple leopard collar and the carabiner leash.  The collar I'd purchased to take her home in was too small, and I didn't have a fancy car harness (or know they existed yet).  Don't worry, I've stimulated the economy and purchased all of the gear and accessories necessary to keep her safe and spoil her rotten.  

Back the party prep now.  After I let the cake cool, I cut it into a cute little bone shape.

Here, Singer begs for the parts of the cake I cut off.  No dice, Singer, not yet!

I ended up nixing the cottage cheese "frosting" the original recipe called for and going with a sweet potato-organic yogurt mixture.  Sweet, orange and probiotically delicious.  I tried it myself, and I give it a 4 out of 5.

Singer thought the frosting was pretty good too.

Since no birthday cake is complete without candles, I made some flameless, edible candles for Singer.  Okay, really for me, because they're cute.  And I really didn't want to see if she would really try to eat a lit candle.  How did I do it?  Ziti "candles" and grated carrot "flames".

Once I had that all set up, it was time for the birthday girl to take her throne.  Unfortunately or fortunately, she doesn't normally eat at the table and had no idea what was going on, as evidenced by the pictures below.

Am I going to get in trouble?

Are you sure this is mine?

Once I put the cake on the floor though, she knew it was hers.  I don't think they make shutter speeds fast enough to capture what happened next.

It was a blur of chomping, wagging, scarfing, and licking.  I actually had to stop her so I could take the cake away and cut it up into smaller pieces.





 And when it was all over, Singer, in typical Singer fashion, looked up at me for more.  Just tonight, Singer! May your days be filled with happiness and wonderment and your nights be filled with dreams of slow-footed squirrels.  Happy birthday to my favorite Singer in the world.