Okay, I love my dog just as much as the next guy. And I love the holiday season and gift giving. But for the life of me I just cannot fathom buying a Christmas gift for my dog. I've seen gift baskets for $20 or more at different stores filled with bones and toys and covered with red and green decorations and I'm just thinking, who buys these things? I mean Sparky doesn't know it's Christmas. Sparky can't tell one day from the next. So who buys these things and why?

Not trying to step on any toes and I love my pet too but what the hell?

my mom and grandma ALWAYS bought gifts for the pets. and they WRAPPED them!

i don't mind the idea of the pets having something to play with while we're all playing with our new goodies, but how's a cat gonna unwrap a damn present?!

My family always gives something to my kitty. And I absolutely love them for it.

CarrieMpls said:

Anx said:

I buy my dogs the same thing for Christmas every year.

Dentabones...which is something they get all the time anyway.

I wrap them too because they love tearing the paper off.

Every Christmas,I give my dog new balls,a new Nylabone and extra treats


I dont wrap it though
[Edited 12/8/06 19:51pm]

i'm just so thrifty i can hardly stand myself
last year after christmas i bought my sister's dog some santa boots
and i bought new cat toys for my creatures

i'm usually away so i think they deserve some new toys to occupy the time

Well, after reading this thread so far I feel like a real bastard.

I always buy my dog presents. Actually, what I do is buy her a few extra treats and wrap them in old wrapping paper. She loves opening them and rips the paper to shreds. She's always been really excited by Christmas but now she's very old and is less excitable.

When she was younger, I'd put her presents under the tree but I've learned to wait until Christmas morning now, because she would get too excited when she smelt her presents and badger us for weeks because she wanted to open them.

I'll be sad when she goes - it won't be the same here when we haven't got an excited dog ripping open all her presents on Christmas morning

GottaLetitgo said:

Anx said:

My dogs actually DO unwrap presents.

I don't know about cats, but all 3 of our dogs will gladly rip all the wrapping paper off everything. In fact, thats one of the reason's why we DO give them Christmas gifts - it's keeps them occupied so they will stop tearing up all of ours, LOL.

GangstaFam said:

if i gave grady a present he'd probably lay on it until i went over, pulled it out from under his heft, and unwrapped it for him. then he'd sniff the treat and waddle away.

We used to get my dog one of those huge rawhide bones and a plush squeak toy thing, just 'cause he loves ripping them to shreds.

In fact, now that I think about it, Muse gave my kitty almost a whole stocking full of gifts last year.

My dog and I had a long talk this morning. We worked out some issues. He cried, I cried. Long story short, I'm buying him a Wii for Christmas.

it's the least you could do for all abuse he's gotten

now can i have an mp3 player? i've just decided i need one
i can't promise to smell your butt but i am a pretty good cuddler

Ok I haven't read this whole thread but wrapping packages for pets?


I try to be good for my pet all year and still i am faced with problems with my big red cat and his teeth


So no wrapped packages this year but a surgery in which they will remove 4 teeth from my kitty;s mouth a la 300 euros!!


But I love him so


big edit
[Edited 12/9/06 11:32am]

Before I became a wrinkly mean grouchy old scrooge, yes, I ALWAYS got my pets xmas presents.

And they always thought the wrapping paper was the best part.


I love spoiling my dog. Whenever I go to the petstore I get a couple of special yummies for him, and it makes me really unreasonably happy to give them to him. I could be a really scary parent.

GottaLetitgo said:

i always include gifts for the family pet

I buy my cat a gift certificate to Target.

2the9s said:

I don't wrap it but I put it in one of those gift bags with the colored tissue paper stuffed inside, and I write her a card (of course I read it to her).

2the9s said:

Then I put some eggnog in her bowl and we wind up arguing all night.

2the9s said:

isn't that nice. how nutjob quirky of you

XxAxX said:

You should hear us carrolling.

2the9s said:

it's probably the eggnog. too much eggnog can make anyone 'carroll'

emm said:

No can do. Since I'm buying a Wii for my dog, everyone else is getting kibbles and bits.

Okay I now guess I understand the gifts for pets but I saw a DAY SPA for pets on my way to dinner tonight. A freaking day spa?! What, because they are so stressed? Is there not a fine line between taking care of and loving our pets to treating them like four legged hairy humans?