To worry about a friend that has taken a day off work to celebrate her dogs birthday, alone, with hats, personalised cake and those blowie things

[jdoe8]

It's just her and her dog, there have been 14 photos posted. She took her last breakup badly and has been forced to move somewhere that she doesn't like with work.

Is this normal for a woman in her mid 30s to do?

Not sure If I should call her or try to visit her soon

We don't do birthdays for the cats - we have four but we do go a bit mad at Christmas.

Boy cat has a new cat house for in the garden. He hasn't sussed that he's meant to sleep on the veranda and not the roof though.

If anyone decides to throw a doggie party and needs help, them I'm your woman.

That's a point OP.
If you feel that you will come across as Judgy, perhaps it would be better if you got the cat to call instead.

MycatsaPirate - Snoopy Cat!

I'd say she just decided that she needs a day off work! why not her dog's birthday! I'm not even mad about dogs but I think back to pre-kids and I often think I just worked too hard!

Op your friend sounds like my biology teacher, batty as a rounders game and absolutely wonderful.
MrsX4 You are a bloody wonderful person. Same can be said of all the lovely people who celebrate their cats/dogs/teddies. I can't understand the problem with what occasions people celebrate on this thread, why are you guys so angry?

My doggy gets me a Mother's Day card. He loves his mummy more than his daddy

I think she sounds ace. We have birthday parties for our cat and invite friends and family. He gets cards and presents. At Christmas he gets a stocking plus presents under the tree. We love our cat.

She's having a mental health day, doing something fun with the pet that's there every day for her and gives her some pleasure and affection when she's going through a lonely stage in her life.

What's to judge?

He was a Valentine's Day present Flogging, came with a little t-shirt that said "My heart belongs to 🐯".

I suspect a lot of bears have the same birthday as their people.

Aww she sounds lonely if its just her and pupper but not weird....at least I hope not as we celebrate our pooch's birthday with party hats, cake and pressies Pets can be better than humans with relieving stress or emotional issues.
She must be finding life hard at the moment

I've thrown a party for my dog before. Made a doggy cake (liver cake) and took a store bought cake for the humans and some soft drinks. Hired a hall and played typical kids party games but in a dog friendly way (musical 'chairs' with mats, sleeping 'dogs' haha basically longest stay wins etc). Lasted about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

But, I was a dog trainer and the guests were part of my 'fun and tricks' class so were all well up for this sort of thing, more like a competitive training class I suppose, with prizes for the winners, and the hall was where I held the normal classes. But the guests (although told not to) all brought my dog a present which he opened himself, one by one. The presents probably cost less than the usual fee of the class, which of course for this party was free.

I love the look on this cat's face

I'd guess, if she doesn't have an OH, kids, many friends, but she sees her workmates taking days off for their OH/kids/friends' birthdays, she's just thought 'sod it, I'll have a day off for DDog's birthday'. She might not have many reasons to take days off and may have a ridiculous amount of holiday owing...

Honestly, I think that sounds like great fun. I'd do it for my cat if I knew when his birthday was. I might do it anyway.
If you think she's struggling then by all means lend her your support and friendship, I'm sure she'd appreciate it, but sometimes a day of silliness and cake is just what you need to lift your spirits, that may well be all this is.

DDog gets a sack of presents for Christmas (I do go a little overboard but it's fun) - she loves it. Helps herself to the presents, rips the paper off and moves onto the next one. DCats get a few pressies but aren't that into it.
I don't why some people are so scornful - who is it hurting?

Happy dog.

My conure (small parrot) had a stocking filled with parrot toys at Christmas, and I celebrate his hatch day with a special gift and favourtie treats too. Your friend isn't weird at all! And if she is feeling a bit low, having a birthday party for her dog is a nice way to chill out: better than lying in bed feeling sad.

MrsX4: I LOVED your hamster pics! squeeing

Ferdinandsrevenge - quite!

I prefer animals to most people, they're not judgement or conditional - maybe a break up and being somewhere she doesn't want to be has been hard and the companionship of an animal has helped with all the anxieties of that. I've lived somewhere I didn't want to with no friends close by and my dogs and horses were a massive help, can't imagine how miserable I would have been to have spent 5/6 hours a day at work to come home to a totally empty house
I don't throw birthday parties for my animals, I only know the date of 2 of them and may post a load of pics and a happy birthday ddog or dhorse, but on Christmas day the horses get a can of Guinness mixed in a feed (they love it and no it doesn't get them drunk !) And the dogs get some turkey and potatoes and veg left over from dinner for theirs and they all get a 'present' - usually something fun like a treat ball for the horses and chew bones for the dogs I don't wrap them though because I stress enough wrapping all the human presents!
They also give my dd gifts for Christmas - as in I write their names on the gift card, she used to think it was great as a smaller child and it's kind of a family thing now and she doesn't roll her eyes and think I'm sad now she's a teenager.....

I was sat in my car, crying over my steering wheel feeling so so down until I read this thread...

That hamster!

LOVE animals. If only my Landlord didn't prohibit pets, I would so have a cat.

Sounds like your friend could do with you or someone introducing her to a man!

"...I was sat in my car, crying over my steering wheel feeling so so down until I read this thread..."

That's odd because I started crying AFTER I started reading this thread.

Oh, Maudlin, your dog is actually grinning. So cute .

Love the hamster pics! I had a half day off on my dog's 1st birthday (ok it was also an inset day), a friend came over with her kids and new puppy, it was great! Haven't got round to posting a picture on our town dog owners Facebook page yet but will try and make more of an effort now with the hamster instead!

Luckily our dog's birthday is Christmas Eve but he gets presents, and lamb cutlets and we have a cake and we all sing to him but we don't post it on Facebook He gets a stocking and presents and a Christmas jumper the following day He's part of the family, he's not my baby but he is still important to us and gets treated like the rest of them.
I think it's harmless tbh just sad that she doesn't have people to share the day with her.