2008.12.09
Gift ideas for pets and pet parents
Yesterday's Happy Wag print column was about gift ideas for pets and pet parents this holiday season.
My boss, Thai, visiting Santa last year.
I recommended the FURminator, which we have discussed at length here at the blog. It's a great tool and we have seen a signigicant reduction in the pounds of hair that embeds our carpets, hardwood floors and furniture at Chez Nelson since we started FURminating our furry ones. Now I deal with managable little dust bunnies instead of big, scary dust bisons.
I also mentioned making homemade treats, which is what I will stuff our dogs' stockings with, and making donations to local animal rescue groups. You can make donations to national groups like the Humane Society of the US or the American SPCA, but I would rather give my money directly to a group in Roanoke that I know is helping pets and families in my community.
And I wrote that giving a live animal as a surprise gift is not a good idea, especially amidst the hubub of the holidays. A pet is such a personal choice, I can't really see making it for someone else by way of a surprise gift; it would be like an arranged marriage or a blind date that lasts for 10 to 20 years.
What are your ideas for holiday gifts for the pets and pet lovers in your life? Do you wrap up presents for your pets, stuff their stockings, or just let them play with the discarded wrapping paper*?
Share your ideas for creative gift giving for critters and the people who love them.
(*Be careful to keep an eye on pooches and kitties playing with ribbon and make sure they don't eat it. Stringy stuff can get wrapped up in the intestines and can cause some serious problems. I had a friend that spent more than $400 on surgery after her kitty ate tinsel off the tree, and that was back in the 1980s. It would probably be thousands of dollars now.)
I wrap a present or two for Cali and let her open them. She is a big fan of soft squeaky toys so this year she is getting a replacement squirrel for the one that no longer has any stuffing or a squeaker!
My cats don't really care for store-bought toys and they go through phases of like and dislike with cat treats so I gave up on them too. Their favorite thing is for me to ball up wrapping paper or tissue paper so they can play "soccer" with it. Cheap entertainment for those two!!
As a pet parent I can vouch for the FURminator (thanks again Nona!!) and lint rollers. My husband travels quite a bit so I got him a travel size lint roller as a stocking stuffer to eliminate the hair that inevitably makes it into the suitcase. As we all know, pet food has increased in price along with human food so if you know what brand the pet eats I'm sure the pet parent would appreciate some of that under the tree! Perhaps a good idea would be a gift certificate to the veterinarian (if they offer such a thing). We all have to go at least once for yearly vaccinations so that would help out, especially for an elderly pet parent on a fixed income.
Comment by Kim — December 9, 2008 @ 10:02 am
I was just talking to a friend last night about that ribbon on trees hurting cats and dogs if they get to it..and believe me, they will eat it. As far as presents, I like to give donations to different animal organizations in people's names as gifts and also give them a gift card to PetsMart or another pet store if they are out of Roanoke so they can buy whatever they want. For my pets, they get some new toys and treats but I never wrap them because they will eat the paper! I usually wrap one friend's dog's present though because she loves to unwrap her presents and doesn't eat the paper.
Comment by Deborah — December 9, 2008 @ 10:02 am
Hair always makes it into our suitcases because Thai lays in the suitcase while I am packing. He's determined to keep me from leaving or he thinks he's going with me. A travel size lint roller is a great idea for a stocking stuffer. Hope my hubby is reading this.
Comment by nonanelson — December 9, 2008 @ 10:44 am
I always stuff a stocking for my grandoggie Olive. I put toys and treats in it. This year I'll be putting a cookbook in there for Mommy and Daddy called Real Food For Dogs, along with some goodies for her.
Comment by Debbie — December 9, 2008 @ 8:33 pm