How to Give a Dog a Bark Mitzvah

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When a Jewish boy turns 13 or a Jewish girl turns 12—they may have a ceremony called a bar/bat mitzvah to celebrate their coming of age. Now, when one of our canine family members reaches the age of 13—that is also quite a milestone—don’t ya think? For those of us lucky enough to have our dog around that long, why not honor him/her with a bark mitzvah? Or if you'd rather not wait that long—you can always celebrate sooner—perhaps when he/she turns 2 (14 in human years).

You don’t have to be of the Jewish religion to throw a bark mitzvah—you can be any religion—or no religion at all. A tradition that dates back to sometime in the new millennium—bark mitzvahs are a way to signify our spiritual connection to our canine companions—or simply show some love and appreciation for all the years of unconditional love they have given us.

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Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

Invitations
Decorations
Bark Mitzvah Cake
Food
Drinks
Party Favors
Music (optional)

Step1

Decide the setting for your bark mitzvah. Some people have it at home and others have a more formal ceremony at a synagogue, usually on the lawn or in the parking lot. Certain congregations combine it with a pet blessing, in which congregation members and their guests are invited to bring their pets to be blessed by a rabbi or cantor who then awards each a certificate along with a certificate for the bark mitzvah dog. This is similar to the pet blessing ritual held in the Catholic Church.

Step2

Decide who will perform the ceremony if you are having it at home or at a non place of worship. Could be your cousin—your yoga instructor—anyone you consider spiritual, really.

Step3

Make a guest list. Invite friends and relatives with dogs, and anyone else who may be a part of your dog’s life and wouldn't think you're a weirdo—or be too serious and uptight to enjoy it.

Step4

Decide what food to serve. It can be a gourmet meal or foot-long party subs—you name it.

Step5

Pick out a cake. Many larger cities have dog bakeries that sell special cakes with dog friendly ingredients. Cleo’s Barkery (cleosbarkery.com) offers a choice of bark mitzvah party packages, including an all meat canine bark mitzvah cake and doggie treat bags filled with homemade biscuits. And guess what? They ship all over the U.S. Could ya plotz?

Step6

Decide if there will be music. You can play some CDs or maybe even have a singer/guitarist. And as with a traditional bar/bat mitzvah, why not dance the Horah? Neil Diamond's version would be fun for a bark mitzvah.

Step7

Decide on the bark mitzvah boy or girl's attire. Should he/she get all farputzt (dressed up) for the occasion with a doggie yarmulke and tallit (fringed prayer shawl)?—or just show up in the birthday suit?

Step8

Figure out how you would like the ceremony conducted, or you can leave it up to the person conducting it. Let them know what personal things you would like included about your dog. And if you like, you can participate.

Step9

Play the reception by ear, since it's hard to plan organized activities for a bunch of canines. Odds are there’s gonna be at least one show-off who will want everyone’s undivided attention—and so will their dog. So between that, the ceremony, the food, the opening of gifts and the mingling, you should be all set.

Step10

Decide if you want extra entertainment. For instance, a caricature artist might be fun to have on hand. Who wouldn't love a caricature of themself and their dog as a souvenir?

Tips & Warnings

If your dog was a stray or from a shelter and you don't know his exact age, a veterinarian can usually give you an approximate age. Then you can make the bark mitzvah date close to the date you brought him home.
See my article: "How to Determine a Dog's Age in Human Years," which explains why one in dog years is equal to 15 in human years.
Some people send their guests home with satin yarmulkes with the dog's name and bark mitzvah date printed inside. There’s also a company called wrapsodydesigns.com that designs a chocolate bar wrapper with information about the bark mitzvah for each guest to have a “sweet" memory.
In the invitation you might want to specify what types of gifts are off limits to your dog, such as raw hide bones, lingerie.
If your dog is aggressive toward other dogs, invite just people.
If there will be children attending, make sure anyone who is bringing a dog is aware. Dogs that aren’t used to being around kids can be unpredictable.
A bark mitzvah might not be for every dog. Only have one if your dog is not aggressive and enjoys being around people and other animals.