Bella’s 11-ish charTREATerie Birthday

I realize this post is a couple of months late, but better late than never. I’m finally getting around to recapping Bella’s 11-ish Birthday and sharing all the details of the goodies on her charTREATerie board. I wish I could say Covid is the reason we didn’t have a party, but Bella is not very fond of other dogs to begin with so this was her ideal birthday.

How do you get Bella to sit still for photos?

I often get asked how I get Bella to sit still for photos. There’s no secret other than she hates wearing a party hat. She freezes like a mime the second I put it on, and it’s usually on just long enough to snap a few photos before she starts pawing it away. If only I could train her to start taking my photos, then it would make this Instagram gig a whole lot easier. HA!

How many treats did you let Bella eat?

The other frequently asked question. Bella snagged about 4 pumpkin bones off of this board while I was snapping pictures. Other than that she only got cucumber slices, blueberries, and a small piece of whoopie pie that was on part of her dinner. She got to snack on the rest throughout the next week. Some of the treats were given to her dog cousin and dog aunt in lieu of their absence from the party.

What human foods are safe for dogs?

When in doubt, Google. If you’re looking for other foods that are safe for dogs, here are a couple of resources for you to check out:

• American Kennel Club
• Health Line
• Pets WebMD

Okay, let’s dive into this charTREATerie board…

Dog charTREATerie 101:

Moving from left to right, here are all the items on her board!

• Dog food in white ceramic “1” dish from Amazon. These dishes are great for any boards. They have numbers and letters!
• Blueberries, Bella LOVES blueberries.
• Pumpkin bones from Costco. I’m not sure what it is about these bones, but Bella can smell these as soon as they come out of the car. This is the first treat she grabbed off her board.
• Donuts, chewy sticks, Whoopie Pie, sprinkle pupcakes, assorted treats all from Pet People. Warning: The dye from the whoopie pie made Bella VERY sick for 2 days. She bolted outside to the grass for one full day. While this is the focal point of the board, I would not buy one of these again.
• Cheddar cheese cubes, because we can’t have a charTREATerie board without any cheese.
• Sliced cucumber around the square ramekin. Bella sure does love raw vegetables. She knows when I’m cutting cucumbers every time and will whine until I drop some on the floor. They’re healthy. How can I say no?
• Salmon treats from Trader Joe’s in square ramekin. Warning: These treats have a pretty strong salmon stench when the bag is first opened.
• Apple heart! This idea was originated from Meg over at @ainttooproudtomeg. She first posted this idea on Valentine’s Day boards.
• Wine [plastic] glass filled with dog food and bully sticks! I like how this turned out because it helped add some dimension to the board that was otherwise pretty flat.
• Ramekin of peanut butter for dipping! 😉

You may also love:

• Bella’s 10th Birthday

I’d love to see your creations so don’t forget to tag @rightbackspatula on Instagram!