dog presents | Wags & Whiskers | Dog Walking and Pet Sitting

Happy Holidays!!

Have you gotten presents for everyone on your list? Don’t forget your pooch! News articles around the web report anywhere from 67% to 75% up to 95% of dog parents buy their furbaby something to celebrate the season. While those non-pet people (who are those weirdos anyway?) will roll their eyes at these statistics, I think it’s a wonderful thing. Pets are an important part of the family, and they should be recognized as such. Plus, it’s just as much fun (and just as rewarding) to see pup running around with a new toy on Christmas morning as it is a child…plus your dog won’t complain that it’s the wrong color or whine that they already have one.

Even better than that – a dog doesn’t even care if you have money! If you don’t have a penny to spend, your dog will take an extra half hour added to the end of a walk, a trip to a dog park, or even just a car ride. That’s why dogs are awesome…all they really want for Christmas is more time with you!

So HAPPY HANUKKAH! MERRY CHRISTMAS! HAPPY WINTER! Look at these cute pups enjoying the holidays!

One of my client's sent me this pic of her sister Claire's dog, Pico. He doesn't look too happy, but he sure does look CUTE!

George's boxer, Lexi, LOVES her new Christmas toy. She's not putting it down for anyone!

My mom's dachshund, Scarlett. Seriously, cutest dog hat EVER!

My own pup, Buffy, opening her stocking last year. I DEFINITELY think it's time for a new sweater this Christmas!

Last Friday night (yes, we are that exciting!), my husband and I headed up to Petsmart to do a little birthday shopping. Buffy, our lab mix pup, turned one on Saturday, and like any good parents we decided presents were in order. Birthdays are birthdays – human or canine.

Let me also explain – we define Buffy’s birthday as the day she came into our lives – not the day she came into the world. June 25th (the day before my birthday and two days before my husband’s) is the magical day we will forever celebrate. The day we drove to the Walmart parking lot to meet the woman we connected with through Pup Squad. Only a week before, we had chatted with her at an adoption event while immediately singling Buffy out from her brothers and sisters. I can still remember the nervous anxiety I felt before we went to claim our new family member. Would she like us? Would she approve of our apartment? I was slso incredibly worried that Buffy’s foster mom would not show up. That she would decide she wanted to keep our pup for herself after all. Who would ever want to let such a sweet little girl go?

Walking up and down the isles of Petsmart, our cart grew more full with every turn. How could we ever buy enough to show her how much she means to us? We settled on a Nylabone, two toys, a chew bone, and some tennis balls. Though more than I spend on most of my friends’ birthday presents, it seemed such a small price to pay in comparison to the joy she brings to our lives.

I’m curious to know exactly how many puppy parents celebrate their furbaby’s birthdays? I have seen at least a few cakes from Jackson’s Place Bakery on my clients’ kitchen counters. I’ve heard of dog birthday parties, but have never had the privilege of attending one. I would love to hear from someone who has.

On June 25, as we showered our Buffy with gifts, praise, treats, and a special dinner, I could not believe she had been in our lives only one year. I can hardly remember the time before Buffy. Before the walks and the chewed socks. Before the kisses and the cuddles. Before the car rides and sleepovers at my clients’ homes. And I love to think to the future. It makes me smile to think she will live in (and surely have a say in the purchasing of) my first house. She will know my children. She will be the constant in my life for years and years to come.

Happy Birthday, Buffy!