We still tell the story in our house about the year our spaniel Shiner beat everyone else out of bed Christmas morning. By the looks of things, she never slept. There was wrapping paper everywhere and all gifts were already unwrapped for us. There Shiner sat; looking as pleased as only a spaniel can look, with her own present, a ball, tucked between her paws.
This routine is likely the same at almost every dog’s home on Dec. 25 because many dogs understand the excitement of presents. After that Christmas, Shiner’s presents had to be put up out of sight until Christmas morning.
“Our Chihuahua/poodle-cross Isabelle gets a Christmas present. This year it will likely be a squeaky toy and she unwraps her own gift,” said Adrian Theroux-Nielsen, general manager of Paradise Pet Centre.
Hanging out in a pet store, as she often does, Isabelle didn’t seem to feel any vibes about the wrapped boxes under the store tree until Theroux-Nielsen said the word “treats.” Then she perked up her ears.
Due to the overall business and excitement of the season, Theroux-Nielsen advises against giving pets of any kind as Christmas presents. The animals have enough trouble adjusting to a new home, without the added stress of Christmas, he said.
“That’s most important. No animal should be given as a Christmas present. The only exception might be if the owner has done a lot of research about the pet they want and about caring for it,” Theroux-Nielsen said.
To add a little thrill to your favourite pooch’s Christmas, local pet stores and pet-boarding businesses now carry pet-toys, but they also sell everything from doggie clothing, to jewelled, necklace-like collars.
“We also offer day care by the hour so if you are wanting to go shopping, you can drop your dog off here and go do errands or whatever,” said Megan McDonald, day-care attendant at K-9 Awareness.
Opening a gift voucher for a day at doggie day care might be a little too subtle for most animals, but more likely the attached present could be a Jive ball just for Rover. These balls are more than something to chase because they are easy for dogs to grab onto and they often are designed to take strange leaps and bounces, so they are fun to throw too.
“”We have cool products from West Paw Design, like puzzles for dogs or Jive balls. The balls have divots and they do weird things when you throw them because they bounce and they float. The dogs love them,” McDonald said.
Dog puzzles are a bit like those toys for babies that are designed to challenge. Puppy puzzles are usually treat-related. They may be dishes with three or four compartments with sliding covers. Only one slot has a treat in it and the dog has to find the hidden goodie.
Walk down Red Willow Trail and you’ll soon see most dogs are wearing the latest parkas, hoodies, sweaters and bandanas. Such human-like clothing items keep the pet warm in winter and the walk more enjoyable. Small dogs look adorable in elf suits or Santa sweaters.
“We also sell custom-collars made by an Edmonton woman, Christine Casavant. There are so many varieties and they come in any colour you want including bright neon orange or plaid or Christmas-themed collars,” said McDonald.
It’s also possible to special order collars studded with fake diamonds or encrusted with rhinestones, she said.
As for toys, the biggest thing for all pets, Theroux-Nielsen said, is to find something that will keep the pet busy.
“There are so many changes in the house in the festive season. Dogs can feel the anxiety and that comes out sometimes in ways that we don’t like when they chew on things. Get them something that is OK to chew on,” he said.
K-9 Awareness offers treadmill exercising for dogs, and for the ultimate gift, they also sell the mechanisms for $2,000 and up.
“We do sell dog treadmills, which are like the human treadmills except you can sit in a chair and catch up on your emails while the dog exercises. All you have to do is give the dog a little attention once in a while and they really like them,” McDonald said.
