Our pets may just be animals, but that doesn’t mean that they don’t deserve a great birthday celebration – and that is exactly what Maxx Chewning did for his dog Dood’s first birthday.

Not only did he want to make it a celebration that Dood wouldn’t forget – but he also wanted his entire Texas town to remember it as well.

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So, how exactly did he get the message out? He rented an electronic billboard with 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 said to The Dodo.

But not all of Chewning’s friends were as excited about his plans for Dood’s birthday as he was. In fact, his friends questioned why Chewning paid for the billboard, particularly since Dood can’t read. But to Chewning, the investment was worthwhile.

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“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 stated in a

” rel=”noopener noreferrer” target=”_blank”>YouTube video. “Seems like the better option, to be honest.”

Dood and Chewning have been joined at the hip since coming into each other’s life.

“Dood is a very energetic puppy who loves to be around people as much as possible,” Chewning explained to 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. Dood is a great dog and he truly has brought happiness into my life. He is my best friend,” Chewning added.

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When Dood’s birthday finally arrived, Chewning was sure to get the whole thing on video from start to finish – and boy, was it quite the day. First, the two went to Starbucks where Chewning bought Dood a Puppuccino before stopping by the billboard. Dood wasn’t too interested in the sign, so they went on their day.

The pair played a game of fetch and then Dood was presented with a custom dog-friendly cake. That evening, Chewning took Dood back to the billboard in order to see it lit up in all its glory.

“Look at that, Dood! Everyone’s so happy to see your face up there,” he said in the video.

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Dood’s big day finished with a trip to the pet store for gifts.

“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 Dood’s big day below:

Dood was thrilled about his big day, whether or not he knew exactly what was going on. But that doesn’t matter, so long as he had fun on his birthday.

“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.

Now to see what he’s got in store for Dood’s second birthday.