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I know it might sound strange to those who are not dog people, but yesterday we hosted Labrador Gus' birthday party in our backyard.

It all started a few weeks ago when my 4-year-old daughter was asking me when certain family member's birthdays were. Finally she got around to Gus, who joined our family last summer as an adorable 8-week-old ball of chocolate fur.

"Well, let's see, when will Gus turn one?" I racked my brain trying to remember, "I think Gus was born at the end of May, so in just a few weeks."

That was all Annie needed.

The next thing I knew, she was inviting neighbors, friends and random people with dogs that we met on the street. "My dog Gus is having a birthday, ya wanna come?" she would ask.

Our neighbors who live two doors down just happen to have Gus' littermate, Bowie (as in David), so suddenly it became Gus and Bowie's big birthday adventure.

At certain points my husband or I tried to stop the madness, but the Gus and Bowie birthday machine could not be stopped.

When people - including us - rolled our eyes at the thought of a full-on party for a DOG, I justified it by citing an article I had read recently about the importance of family traditions.

Apparently it is soothing to children, particularly in times of stress or transition, to participate in familiar rituals or events.

I tried to remind myself of this bit of wisdom, as our backyard became doggy Lord of the Flies yesterday with about 10 dogs of all sizes running in chaotic circles.

All in all, it went off without a hitch. Thanks to Bowie's mommy, all dogs left with a goody bag filled with dog treats and smile on their faces.

But the biggest smile was on big sister Annie's face.

"Did you have fun?" I asked.

"Yep" she replied. "Can we do it again?"