Happy Holidays everyone! It’s that time of year when we gift our two and four legged friends. In this article, we wanted to address some fun personal gifts for your two-legged friends who love their pets.
If your friends love dogs as much as we do, then there are plenty of unique gifts that you can give them that fit any budget. Following are a few gifts that have wowed us and our friends over the years.
Picture This – Take a picture of your friend’s dog and have a custom item made. We’ve had t-shirts, pillows, coffee mugs, tree ornaments, portraits, bumper stickers and even welcome mats made for gift giving. We “borrow” our friend’s pets for a bit and dress them up or down depending on their personality. Our unique portraits have been the hit of many a holiday gift. They are inexpensive to give and are a year-round pleaser. The possibilities are endless for creative, personalized pet gifts.
Bling, Bling, Bling – Online or via brick and mortar – there are so many cute pet related jewelry out there, that it is almost impossible not to buy it all. We have given charms, necklaces, watches and cameos to our besties. The silver and gold reflect not only their favorite pet but an opportunity to collect some precious metals and memories.
Grooming Gift Certificate – We sell a lot of grooming gift certificates this time of year at D Pet Hotels. Who doesn’t love to pamper their pooch? But if you can’t afford a professional groomer – we love the handmade certificates too. The ones that our friends offer to bathe Sammy and Sasha once a month until next Christmas.
Walk It Off – We love the little card we get from our niece that offers to walk Sammy and Sasha once a week. This is a special gift because it not only offers us a free walk but we get to see our niece more often. Two gifts in one!
Weekend Getaway- Another popular gift with our friends is to buy a weekend boarding package, so the recipients can get away for the weekend and not have to worry if their dog is safe or enjoying themselves. If your friends can’t afford a boarding package, they can always offer to pooch sit on a special weekend – anniversary, birthday etc.
Training Is Key – For our friends who have new or rescue dogs, we like to introduce them to a few free training lessons. We have a few trainers we like and can match them to the temperament of the dog and owners. A home visit by a trainer to evaluate and assist with making owners and dogs comfortable with each other is a lifetime gift.
Dial It In – We have best friends that are constantly travelling during the week for work. When they told us how they really missed interacting with their dogs we just had to hook them up. So for Christmas last year, we gave them a promise certificate that when they are away; we turn on iChat so they can visit with their pup. A new device is coming out next year that actually allows pet owners to call in and actually give their dogs a treat. But we won’t tell you about it until we’ve tested it. Until then, we are happy to reward their pup at their command.
ER– The majority of our friends don’t think of putting an emergency kit together for Fido so we give them as gifts. The kits include such items as folding water and food bowls that collapse for easy storage, a first aide book, water, a week’s supply of dry & canned food, bandages and wound dressing.
12 Months of Fido – For our very good friends who own 3 Labradors – Tony made up a calendar so they could enjoy their brood all year long. He used the iPhoto program and pictures that we had of the crew growing up throughout the years. For December – we again “borrowed” the pups and held a photo session. George was Santa and Kalli and Bella his elves. It was a hoot and we plan to do it again this year.
A Woof Basket – Yep! The grandmother of all gifts for pet owners is a huge, personalized basket of dog goodies. Be creative and have fun picking out the gifts – include leashes, dog bowls, pictures, gift certificates and treats. Don’t forget the movies including all those Chihuahua and Dalmatian flicks.
Whatever you decide to give your friends, we know they will enjoy it as much as they do their pets.
Its busy season at D Pet Hotels Scottsdale but we are never too busy to wish everyone a Happy Holidays and a safe, healthy and Happy New Year!
