Gift Ideas for Pet Lovers

[Note: This article was written for an online magazine. They didn't have the good sense to buy it but you still get to read it.]

If you are shopping for a pet lover, ideas for unique and interesting gifts are limitless. From hamsters to hounds, Persians to pigs, there is a gift to suit everyone and every budget.

A terrific gift for any animal lover is high quality treats. Heidi’s Homemade Bakery offers organic treats for dogs, cats and horses. Treats start at 6.50 and they even have a do it yourself birthday cake kit with organic mix and bone shaped pans.

If the pet lover in your life has a “furiend” that is a specific breed, Drs Foster and Smith has some excellent choices. Travel mugs with a favorite cat or dog breed are available for 13.99. They also have customizable place mats to keep the pet’s dining area tidy for 7.99 and up.

But that’s not all. This site has all kinds of items for every pet lover, whether you are shopping for a fish collector or reptile lover. You can find pony pops for 12.99 or a ferret play mat with tunnels for exploration for $40.For people with unusual pets, you can find or even make customized gifts at Zazzle. A quick search on the site reveals all kinds of products featuring pets such as mugs, key chains and even pet clothing. If you are handy with a camera or graphics, you can upload your own artwork to the site and print customized items such as postage stamps, mouse pads or posters.

And let’s not forget those folks who dress up their dogs. Spoiled Bratzwear sells unique collars and coats for pups and will even custom make clothing for canines with a colder constitution. A custom knit coat for a Chihuahua runs $18.00 and prices go up depending on size and fabric.


If you have a pet lover that loves to dress themselves up, lampwork artist Lauren May Mazursky ofMaybeads will turn a photo of a pet into a gorgeous glass bead! Certain “hair styles” don’t always work in glass but she can capture vaious breeds of dogs, cats, turtles, pigs and sheep in a keepsake bead for around $16.00 - $25.00.

One of the nicest gifts for a pet lover is a customized portrait of their pet. Arizona graphic artist Cindy Vandiver will create a pop art style portrait from any pet photograph for between $45 and $100 depending on size of the finished art.

No matter what breed or even species, you can find a fantastic gift your animal loving friend is sure to adore.

(photo by Maybeads, used by permission)

New Friends on the Trail

One of the backyards that backs up to the flood zone surrounding the creek has a new pup. His name is Bruno and he's a Newfie. Mabel and I are both in deep love! He's such a sweetheart!


I always feel a bit sorry for pups that live in the homes along the trail...watching every dog in the world roam free inches from their own backyard, while they are never seen on the trail. But Bruno is a bit luckier than most. His folks leash walk him in the neighborhood twice a day and he is an indoor / outdoor dog. They are hoping to take him on the trails once obedience lessons are over. [Fingers and paws crossed!]

He is very vocal... here he is having a conversation with Mabel Lou who walked out of frame just as took the picture!

Driveway Majesty

My Baby Doesn't Need Me...

Since my staph infection, I've practically had my days and nights mixed up. I wake up at 2 a.m. and get up and deal with taxes. Back to bed at 5 and up at 10. Nap around 4 - 7 in the evening. I'm sure Mabel Lou is confused.

Last night, I had two bead orders and I've felt zero creativity since my return from Baton Rouge. But I had to torch and since one order was a remake, I hoped doing the familiar would snap me out of my creative daze. It did and I ended up torching until 10:45.

I came in the house to check email and to see if there were any stamp orders and got caught up helping a friend on Facebook find some information. Around 11, Mabel wandered into the office and seemed rather excited. I petted her and told her I would be done in a bit. She persisted a while but eventually left me.

When I went down the hall at 11:30, I realized Mabel had put herself to bed! Now this is a first! We normally start heading to bed around 11. I coax her to potty with the promise of three pieces of chicken jerky: one in the hall and two on HER side of my bed. The first would get the girl in the house during her "prime time" - critter chasing on the back deck. The last two get her situated away from my corner of the bed.

When I saw her all curled up, I realized that 11 p.m. agitation was her way of asking for her jerky. When she didn't get it, she kept to the schedule and went to bed without me. If she were tall enough to reach the jerky on her own, I would probably be without a bed to sleep in!

Maybe she does still need me...

Turnabout

Saturday at the creek, we ran into Maxi, Mabel Lou's beloved. During some rough-housing, she managed to come away with her right side thoroughly breaded with sand.

We hiked further upstream and as Mabel gleefully passed back and forth in front of me, biting at the fast moving water, I would scoop water and toss it on her right side to try and wash some of the sand off. Each time I did this, she would give me "the look."

After five passes, me dousing her each time, she circled behind me out of the water. She drew close... I thought she wanted a pet. No. She shook and shook, spraying me with cool creek water and soaking my shorts!

And so, there are lessons to be learned. Turnabout is clearly fair play to Mabel and...I need to watch my back!