Event planner Kimberley Schlegel Whitman has written a delightful book for morons, obsessives, and lunatics called Dog Parties: Entertaining Your Party Animals (2006).

Important factors for dogs and their guests are extra-fancy birthday cake from a dog bakery (oh, we've got four or five of those around here), good music like Elvis's "Ain't Nothin' but a Hound Dog," and Chuck Berry's "Roll Over Beethoven," with tea sandwiches cut in the shape of fire hydrants (so that the dogs can pee on them before eating).

A guest book for paw prints of all the party-attendees is required. Oh, and if a game of fetch is included, the tennis balls should be monogrammed with the birthday-dog's initials. Dogs always notice the little things. Makes me feel inadequate that my dog's initials would only be an initial.

The insane author is shown below with her chihuahua after their appearance on The Early Show. I'm just so sure that pup is thinking, "I really like this hat" rather than "how long before you feed me?" (If not "Put me down so I can run away.")