Gareth of Wales Celebrates His 2nd Bday at Lucky Lab!

It's not every day your doggie nephew, Gareth of Wales, turns two years old. Darling Gareth celebrated in style, with a good old fashioned birthday party at Lucky Labrador Brew Hall on NW Quimby, complete with a Costume Competition, Talent Show, and Gareth's Choice contest, and of course, a doggie birthday cake made by Bone-Jour GourMutt Bakery in West Linn.

The party's official motto: You Sniff My Butt, I'll Sniff Yours. 


The menu was for the dogs, and included bowls of people crackers on every table. From what I could tell, they were in the shape of a dogcatcher, a mailman, and a Russian Cossack dancer. 

 

Thankfully, Gareth provided people food too, and more importantly, people drinks, chosen from Lucky Lab's colorful beer board. 

  

Bad news: Super Dog, a popular Double IPA, was OUT, and needless to say, SuperDog was not happy. 

  

After he calmed SuperDog down, Gareth ordered pitchers of  Organic Golden Ale, a German-style, malty golden ale, and the Irish Stout, a black beer with roasted hops, coffee and licorice notes. For any dogs on the wagon, Lucky Lab makes their own root beer, too. 

After a few glasses, Gareth's buddy Charlie was ready to par-tay!

Gareth also ordered a few pizzas, like the Dog Breath--spicy sauce, roasted garlic, fresh minced garlic, red onion, and black olives ($19.50); and The Big Dog--pepperoni, Italian sausage, salami, green pepper, mushroom, yellow onion, red onion, broccoli, tomato, and black olives ($24.50). The pizza was tasty, but if you're into thinner crispier crusts and a more sparing application of toppings a la Ken's Artisan Pizza or Apizza Scholls, you'll be choking on the 3/4 inch thick crust and slew of cheese and ingredients on top.  

Steve Lanning liked his pizza.

The devil, aka Jack, arrived, and the party was ON.


There was some stiff competition in the costume contest, but Spartacus triumphed. He was totally unmoved by his victory and remained ever vigilant, refusing even to sniff his prize as he watched the crowd suspiciously, sure that an enemy gladiator was going to leap out from under a picnic table and pillage the people crackers.


Next up, the Talent Show. Leigh and Lavi perform some very elaborate maneuvers, including The Between-The-Legs-Weave. 

Gareth chooses Lavi as his favorite friend in the "Gareth's Choice" competition.

Eric cuts the cake (peanut butter studded with fake doggie chocolate bones), and Thalia distributes it to the canine guests. 

Like any good party, the guests do a little dance,

make a little (Eskimo) love,

And get down tonight! Look, Brian had the See-Food pizza! Ha ha! 

Sorry.

Everyone goes home happy. Except maybe Homer, who gets a goodbye Wet Willy from Gareth.

If you are into photos of dog birthday parties, click HERE to see the TableTalkPortland Picasa Web Album chronicling Gareth's entire celebration, complete with plenty of captions that make believe that the dogs are actually talking! Who has too much time on their hands?!

-J