Maxx Chewning knew he wanted to do something big for his dog Dood’s first birthday.
Not only did he want to show his pup an amazing time — he wanted his entire Texas town to know about it.
The best way to get his message out? Rent an electronic billboard for the day and put Dood’s smiling face on it. “The billboard company had never heard of anything like this and they were excited for something creative and fun to be on their digital screen,” Chewning told The Dodo.
But not all of Chewning’s friends were as positive about his plans. Friends questioned why Chewning would actually pay to rent a billboard for his dog’s birthday — especially since Dood can’t read. But to Chewning, it was a worthwhile investment.
“I don’t even have a girlfriend so I’m not spending any money on that, so why don’t I spend it all on my dog?” Chewning said in a video on YouTube. “Seems like the better option, to be honest.”
Since Dood came into Chewning’s life, the two have been inseparable. “Dood is a very energetic puppy who loves to be around people as much as possible,” Chewning told The Dodo. “He goes with me everywhere I go, and I bring him to work every day.”
“Every time I walk through the door he bursts up from the ground and greets me with a bundle of energy and love,” he added. “Dood is a great dog and he truly has brought happiness into my life. He is my best friend.”
When the big day finally arrived, Chewning filmed it from start to finish. First, he drove Dood to Starbucks for a Puppuccino and stopped by the billboard. Dood didn’t seem too interested in the sign, so they continued on with their plans.
They played a game of fetch and then Chewning presented Dood with a custom dog-friendly cake. At night, Chewning took Dood back to the billboard to see it all lit up. “Look at that, Dood! Everyone’s so happy to see your face up there,” he said in the video.
Dood’s big day wrapped up with a trip to the pet store: “I let him pick out anything he wanted,” Chewning said. “He gets spoiled every day, so basically his birthday is all the time.”
You can watch the video of their adorable day here:
Dood was clearly thrilled to go on an adventure with his dad and with all the special treats he was getting. Whether or not Dood knew what was going on didn’t matter to Chewning. What was important was that Dood got the best day a dog could ask for.
“I think getting Dood was probably one of the best things I’ve done in my life and he brings a lot of happiness to my day … that I didn’t know that I needed,” Chewning said.
Good thing Chewning has an entire year to plan for the pup’s second birthday.
