Xmas for pets

Christmas is for humans. dogs love us and pick up on the vibe of festive generosity. How can we not include them in some doggie-suitable way?

I have wrapped presents in my bedroom ready for our two dogs at Christmas. Only a cuddly toy each , which they love , and a pkt of treats each .
Earlier today one dog found them in a bag and opened two cuddly toys and was playing with them . Little madam !

My Romanian rescue is loved, adored, well exercised, and well fed, has plenty of toys to wreck too. She certainly has no idea about Christmas and doesn't need to, as long as she gets the above things each and every day we're all happy.

She would toss the old on into a corner and lie on her back, rubbing the new one round her face with her front paws.
Scent marking it to claim ownership- "it's mine"! 🐱

Due to moving and living abroad, I have not had my own dog , but did for a time, have a rescue cat. At Christmas I used to get her a new catnip mouse. She would toss the old on into a corner and lie on her back, rubbing the new one round her face with her front paws. Absolutely addicted to the smell, and loving it. She could be quite a haughty cat who would only let you hold her on her terms, but the way she treated the catnip mouse showed a different side to her character!

For many people their dogs are closer, far more important
and provide more cheer and valuable companionship, than any family they may or may not have.
So spend away safely on your lovely companions I say!

Whitewavemark2

Talking about my cat’s vast toy mouse collection - 😬 - I was picking up a group of her toys this morning and guess what, one was hard and cold 😩 a real dead mouse “hidden” amongst her others.

She'll be writing a book next: 'How To Hide A Murder In Plain Sight 😀

Oh no, I forgot to put the dogs and cats (granddogs and grandcats) on my Christmas list!
Thank you for the reminder.

Talking about my cat’s vast toy mouse collection - 😬 - I was picking up a group of her toys this morning and guess what, one was hard and cold 😩 a real dead mouse “hidden” amongst her others.

Last Christmas there were four dogs in the house on Christmas day. SIL had bought them all a toy. The cocker spaniel, Hungarian visla and the cavapoo all went home with theirs completely in tact. Our Border Terrier demolished his in five minutes flat. No, I don't buy him Christmas presents but he might, just might have some turkey if he's a good boy. I wouldn't be without a dog but he does have to fit in and have good manners!

emilie

I think you're all barmy.

And we're absolutely fine with that!

I think you're all barmy.

i do not have any pets, but some people treat there pet like any other member of the family and if they want to do a santa letter and a stocking then great, it is just fun for christmas. my son has two dogs and they will get treats the same as them and the grandchildren.

I don't have a dog myself, but have a huge on-going love affair with my daughter's dog (my grand-dog) I've already bought her a soft toy which I know she will not massacre as she just loves being given new toys, and will carry it round for ages till eventually bits (ears/arms/legs) will get chewed - but that is months away!! Definitely turkey for her on Christmas day and for my son's dog too (she's being given a hard chewy toy). I couldn't possibly buy christmas presents for the grand-children, and not buy something for the dogs.........

CabbageWars13

Think more than twice before buying squeaky dog toys. They get over-enthusiastic in the first few days and the noise can/will drive you nuts.

I stand in the Pet section of Sainsbury 'testing' all the squashy toys looking for something non-squeaky.

My dog loves her squeaky tuggy toys but the squeak doesn’t last for long ( she still has all of her toys from puppy hood so she isn’t destructive at all; it’s only her Tuggy toys that lose their squeak). So I’ve bought a bag of squeakers and opened up her furry tuggy toy and replaced them. The ones made from actual rabbit skin are too tough to cut open. The company did replace one when I told them how disappointed she was when her new toy stopped squeaking but it only lasted a week . I’ve never had a dog that loves toys as much a this one.

My cat will eat the same as usual, there is only one make he'll eat, he won't touch fresh chicken, Turkey, fish etc. The only new toys he'll have are conkers, he's not interested in any thing else. He won't touch a catscratcher of any type, and won't go in a cat bed. He's so fussy over what and how he likes things to be that I've given up tryong to spoil him.

Think more than twice before buying squeaky dog toys. They get over-enthusiastic in the first few days and the noise can/will drive you nuts.

I stand in the Pet section of Sainsbury 'testing' all the squashy toys looking for something non-squeaky.

labazs

this Christmas will break my heart. we lost my darling boy in the summer. Patch was a rescue and it took 4 years and a lot of stitches for me before he fell totally and utterly in love with me. i had never had a more soppy dog sadly he had diabetes come on suddenly due to his previous history we could not inject him we took him once more to Clarach to lie on the beach. the holiday took it all out of him but on the wednesday he lay on the beach in the sun loving it. he stopped eating Thursday he went blind he could not move i carried him which normally he would not tolerate and on the Saturday i took him to the vet. he had a sedative but he was barely conscious anyway but i sang you are my sunshine to him then held him as he slipped away
sorry to be morbid we do have another little dog also a rescue had him about 5 years but its hard to catch him he does not like being picked up except odd occasions. he is such a lovely dog though and i know he has taken losing Patch badly as he was his pal.
we will be away at Clarach for what will be a rough Christmas. our little dog Moo does not like toys but he likes some treats so i shall just make up a nice bag to take with us. we do all we can to ignore Xmas so that is just something i normally would do anyway.

So sorry Labazs, we all miss our pets when they go, they’re part of the family. But he had such a good life with you.

Some friends with 2 Flatcoat retrievers stayed with us more than once for Christmas. One of their Flatties, a really lovely boy called Charlie, took a great interest in everybody’s Christmas presents. Whenever anyone was opening one, he’d be there to see what you’d got!
Of course he’d have his own presents too.
Long RIP now, ❤️🐶

And a sister’s dog used to sit and ‘guard’ the presents under the tree. Presumably he could smell edibles like chocolate - he never tried to open any though.

Likewise, when the half eaten turkey was taken back to the kitchen after dinner, he’d sit and ‘guard’ that too - but never tried to scoff any himself. I’m sure they’d have given him some with his dinner, though.

We don’t have a dog now but I never bought ours a toy for Christmas although she did have a few, favourite ones replaced when needed.
I do have a problem with giving China my ££’s and I am feeling hypocritical now…..
A few years ago our garden centre was giving away squeaky chickens if you spent over a certain amount. I took it to Australia forDD’s dog and he adored it. DD rationed play with it to make it last and I have kept a lookout for a replacement for about 5years. This year the garden centre restocked and I bought 3. That should last him.
Re. food on Christmas Day, our dog always got extra juicy things in her bowl but that tended to happen regularly anyway.
Do whatever you want to do. It’s Christmas after all🧑🏻‍🎄

Last year Milo and Ripley’s Christmas present was a beautiful quilted cushion with their names embroidered on it.

this Christmas will break my heart. we lost my darling boy in the summer. Patch was a rescue and it took 4 years and a lot of stitches for me before he fell totally and utterly in love with me. i had never had a more soppy dog sadly he had diabetes come on suddenly due to his previous history we could not inject him we took him once more to Clarach to lie on the beach. the holiday took it all out of him but on the wednesday he lay on the beach in the sun loving it. he stopped eating Thursday he went blind he could not move i carried him which normally he would not tolerate and on the Saturday i took him to the vet. he had a sedative but he was barely conscious anyway but i sang you are my sunshine to him then held him as he slipped away
sorry to be morbid we do have another little dog also a rescue had him about 5 years but its hard to catch him he does not like being picked up except odd occasions. he is such a lovely dog though and i know he has taken losing Patch badly as he was his pal.
we will be away at Clarach for what will be a rough Christmas. our little dog Moo does not like toys but he likes some treats so i shall just make up a nice bag to take with us. we do all we can to ignore Xmas so that is just something i normally would do anyway.

Never gave the outside working dogs anything outside other than their usual food, but for DD2’s Little Dog, there’s a pack of (doggy) Christmas sausages waiting here for him.

*Again, I’ve absolutely no problem with how others choose to spend their money.

I had an email about "Pet gifts" the other day, although I don't have an animal at the moment I can't honestly say I ever gave mine a gift.

My dogs have always had a new toy and a full Christmas dinner on Christmas day. Strange now I dont have a dog I miss their enjoyment of it.