Miss Daisy will be getting toys and treats

our cats get a little catnip/treats and extra pettings.

Our golden retriever, Sadie, will be getting chew toys and Nyla bones. She know exactly which ones are hers under the tree. We tell her to go get one of her presents and she'll come back with one (which is wrapped in animal wrapping paper). We initially thought she could smell the toy or bone and that's how she knew, but even when we've gotten her a new collar in a box, she knew! Maybe it's the wrapping paper (or maybe she really is super smart and can read the tag! Lol) Anyway, she loves ripping apart the paper and seeing her new toy.

eightpondfarm, my mother's dog does the same thing! :) :)

My mom's dog always gets a "Christmas Prize" from me when I visit. This time it's 3 all natural peanut butter Gingerbread Men. :)

Aside from new toys, my boy is getting really cool new doggie dishes! My dog just loves to open his gifts along side my son...

Squeaky tennis balls for my Shepherd mix, she can't get enough of them! Our newest rescue will play with anything she can rip apart! Our mini Schnauzer likes the edible gifts! They are well loved and spoiled as they should be!

Before our cat "Smokey" died, every Christmas we would get small furry toys, put them in a paper bag, throw in some catnip, tie the bag with a ribbon, and set it under the tree with all the other presents. He was so smart that he would sniff and walk through the presents, find his present and from then on it was a SHOW for us. We would watch him open his present with his teeth and paws and roll around the whole living room. He was one adorable cat.

Hmmm, our love drop kitty will get whatever she wants…ribbons, tissue paper, turkey, and, most importantly, ice cubes in her water. We are her slaves, 24/7/52.

I am a dog LOVER! Obviously I spoil them....so we have stockings that say "dogs love Santa too!" (Cutest thing ever!) we stuff them with treats, water bottles, and toys. Then we have a mini tree with dog and bone ornaments and have a couple presents! The kids get to open them....they are as happy as the dogs are!:) This year we are getting them girl cards to the doggie spa, 5 toys each, 5 treats, and dog food, also two outfits!:) It is a fun little tradition we have! Jesus made pets too!
The stockings will have some other stuff! Merry early Christmas everyone!!!!

There's a fancy deli near me that sells bones smoked for dogs with lots of meaty bits left on, so they'll get one of those each, plus some other chews. Pirate doesn't do toys, but Foxy will probably get something little to play with. I'm not sure what else to get them, though. They've decided that store-bought dog biscuit type treats are just Not Good Enough - anyone have any super tasty homemade dog treat recipes?

not weird at all! love the stocking! :)
our dog is getting extra treats and a "cookie" from a local pet shop that makes specialty holiday treats for pets from a friend of ours that she filled his stocking with [yes, he has a stocking on the mantle!]
we've already gotten him some new holiday toys that he has enjoyed chewing to bits! :) he'll get a few more on christmas day when we all open our presents. he is part of the family after all!!

@PirateFoxy
I have a dog treat recipe I started making my dogs this year and they love it! It's nice to have it homemade with all of the scary dog treat recalls. It's easy to make (the most time consuming is rolling it into balls, I make them small so they are bite sized) and they freeze easily too.

Peanut Butter Applesauce Dog Treats

2 c whole wheat flour
1 c smooth peanut butter
1 c unsweetened applesauce
2 eggs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large bowl combine all ingredients thoroughly.
Roll into bite sized balls and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake 7-10 min. depending on the size of the balls. Let cool.

Since they have eggs in them they need to be stored in the refrigerator after a couple of days. I make them small as I mentioned and I probably get about 8 dozen out of one recipe. I have the 3 dogs and they last awhile. I usually split them up right away and freeze half of them. I've also added cinnamon to the and they like that as well.
Hopefully someone can enjoy the recipe!

We always take our dogs, and daughter's pug, on a long walk on Christmas Day. They SO look forward to having a few days with us all home to spend time with!

@kittt29 - Thanks! My family enjoys the production of holiday cookie making but realistically we don't need THAT many cookies, so adding some dog treats to the recipe pile will give us something to make that isn't adding to the pile of excess cookie, plus make the dogs happy. :) (And me happy, because you're right, the business with treats is quite stressful.)

We have a snail and I plan on giving him algae. ;)

@PirateFoxy-you're very welcome! I hope they like them! I agree with you, I like baking the cookies for Christmas but then we either have too many sitting around or I eat way too many!

We do birthday cakes here too -- fud/treats/eggs etc. baked in a pie dish with cream cheese frosting...

@Barnhart Gallery - Gosh, your dog looks so much like the first dog my family had, except he had a little more brown/gold on his ears and one big black spot on his back right by his tail. He was such a good dog - I was quite little when he arrived and he put up with me fantastically and taught me so much about being considerate of other people (and animals.)

Our newest edition Bondi is getting a paddling pool for Christmas as he is spending his days in front of the air con already and it's not that hot yet but he loves water!

Belle (the blacklab/bassett & Lucy wants treats, they have their stockings hung for Santa to fill, they have a basket full of toys, but would not mind a few new squeaky toys. The girls are inseparable both rescue.

Our rescue baby is getting a barks box subscription for 3 months :) new treat and toys! He loved his first one.

Our guys (a Bichon and a Maltese mix) treats and new toys every year---and they KNOW exactly what gifts are for them under the tree.

Love hearing about rescues being spoiled! Miss Daisy was a rescue too. She was all matted when we got her .. needed 2 surgeries. She's the best dog we have ever had .. so loving, gentle and happy!

Perry and Asa both came to us because they needed a good home...have no reason to believe they're not happy :)

koprivica -- I hope you have that first photo blown up onto an enormous canvas -- what a fantastic image; thank you for posting. (Assuming it's non toxic paint and he enjoyed the attention and fun of being painted of course.) He is adorable, as are all of the cuties I'm enjoying on this thread.

PirateFoxy -- Pyrs are wonderful dogs. Even the problem child we have now (a rescue with heavy baggage) while a bit dangerous because of his past, is just a big mush without strangers around.

Thanks for the smiles, all!

@barnhart gallery: thankyou very much for your kind words! It's zinc on his face as hes known to burn. originally we only used green but as I have 3 daughters they are slowly getting more creative and Bondi loves it :)

Sofie, the Yellow Lab, will get tennis balls. BALLS are her entire life, no matter what size or shape--well, balls and her people and a good nap. Abby, the Rottie, believes balls are quite beneath her (thank you very much), and prefers her tug-of-war toys, particularly Mr. Snakie. I believe we need to get at least one more. They never last too long.

I grew up on a dairy farm, and we always gave all the cows & calves extra bedding on Christmas Eve. I've tried to follow that tradition with my own kids and insist that the rabbits and chickens we have here also are made especially comfortable on that day.

If I can figure out where, I'd like to get the rabbits out of their hutch and onto some snow-less ground, too... we just got 12 inches last night so it will be a while before they can do their normal daily routine of spending the day in the double exercise pen! (Chickens have more room in their coop than the rabbits in their hutch, but we do often try to open up some space in their chicken run so that they can get out, too. They don't like to stand on snow.)

She has my love and attention every day. But gifts for a holiday, to a dog????!!!!! Consume, consume....

jstvt is such a loving human being. It brings such joy to know that there are people in the world with this kind of sensitivity and empathy for all living creatures.

@Vera Kolpakova - Our dogs seem to understand that their stockings are for them and that it's a special day, with all of the activity. So I figure why should they be left out? I do try to be more aware of consumption in general with gifts (no one wants to get gifts that just clutter up the space these days) so with the dogs, anything that isn't edible that they get is something that they basically need anyway, like a new bed or a toy to replace one that's getting a bit tattered. So as far as that goes, I'm not sure how it makes a difference if I save up those things and give them on a particular day, or if I just bought the things when I noticed they were needed.

The main change is that if I wait for the holiday and wrap the things up a bit (I try to reuse paper since the dogs don't care if it's perfectly wrapped) then the dogs have the fun of ripping open the paper to get their new thing. Bonus fun for the dogs. :)

This is a message to all my fellow dog-lovers. My oldest lab-mix best buddy just turned 107 years old in human years. He is almost deaf and has really slowed down, but still doing OK, not suffering. Due to a brief moment of impatience on my part, my best friend who has always been totally gentle, never even once growled at me, instinctively lashed out and bit me three weeks ago. It was less than a 1/4 inch gash, hardly bled, but what a nightmare the small dog bite became. We love our dogs, but please take note. Should this happen to you, dog bites are very serious due to the multiple bacteria in their saliva. I learned a lot and want to pass it on to you. If bitten, wash the wound thoroughly IMMEDIATELY with warm soapy water, then apply hydrogen peroxide or something similar. See a doctor that day or the day after. Be sure to have your booster tetanus shots periodically (I did). I waited to see the doctor for 36 hours after the bite and had such a hard time getting the infection under control. I visited the doctor 4 times in two weeks plus one visit to the emergency room. I am a very healthy person, but it took a while for the antibiotics to kick in and was a very frightening experience! For those of you who are diabetic, it would be even more difficult. My doctor explained to me that a delay in treatment for a dog bite, even if seemingly minor and you are healthy, can potentially mean a couple of months in the hospital hooked up to intravenously applied antibiotics, loss of an arm, or if the infection spreads through the bloodstream... well, you know where I'm going with that one. I am extra affectionate and patient with my dear old friend now as none of this was his fault. And all this happened in my own living room while I sat on the sofa!!! Hope I have not dulled anyone's enthusiasm for Christmas....

Food, water, shelter, love. Lets not get sucked into consumerism for our pets too. What matters is showing love...and maybe an extra fresh food treat for christmas. :-)

I gave my Christmas goodie to my little Abby today. It was a warm, home made dog coat. She hates clothes but needs to be warm when we go out in the cold. See how embarrassed she is. lol

Doggy treats!

The squeaky tennis balls are great for dogs-my weimeraner, Hudson, received one from my sister last year and he loved it. I am giving Hudson a white stuffed goat toy. He will destroy it but I got it in the sale bin in the fall. His other gift will be to enjoy some play time with my sister's dog, Boomer!

I'm not one for spending a ton on my pet, better to give with love or something homemade or re-used. In previous years, I have sewed Hudson a pet-sized quilt, and made home-made dog treats.

Our two eight -month old brother kittens (Stuart and Stirling) have been getting presents right and left over the past week. There have been boxes arriving daily from Amazon and other vendors (and that means the doorbell rings and the door is opened!). Then when these boxes are opened, there are packing materials to play with. There are storage containers brought down from the attic and shiny objects are unwrapped (yay! More bubble wrap!). There are cords unwound. There are ribbons for wrapping presents. There are garlands and wreaths.

And there is a lot of "No!" and "Don't!" and "Stop!" and even the occasional exile to a bedroom. And there is no tree.

Christmas Eve we will sit with them until midnight to see if they will talk. And Christmas morning will find them a few new treats and two "big" toys: the mouse under the mat and a roller-coaster ball game. Happy Holidays to you and your furry families!

My little Teddy Bear has already gone through the bags in the back bedroom and snatched two sock monkeys and a bone out of the bags (My hubby was in there peeking in the bags to see what I got him and he just let the dog join him.) Now I really have to carefully inspect all the toys and treats I bought for the neighbors pets to make sure he didn't get more than just his own! ....same goes for hubby....I found one open box, within it was an open bottle of Tennessee Honey Jack Daniels (which was NOT for him!)

I have a house full of kitties. Last year, they got new beds. All of them were pastel pink with fluffy tan interiors, to blend nicely with my bedroom decor. I was being practical. This year I have a Christmas tree up and will wrap lots of toys for them. They especially love catnip so we'll have some of that. But it will be difficult to top the fun they've had playing inside and chewing on the gigantic cardboard box my Vickerman's tree arrived in. And gypsyrose17 just reminded me that I need to get the poor dog, Zeus, who lives in the cold, cold garage next door some "gifts from Santa, too." Lord knows that little boxer deserves some joy.

Priscillawernick, cat bites are even more dangerous.

My dog is Jewish so he doesn't receive Christmas gifts, two of our cats are atheist but one still accepts gifts because she believes in Santa (shes getting some catnip which I think has somewhat become a habit and maybe why she believes in Santa) but the other thinks its all hogwash, the other cat is Jehovah Witness so she is offended by the whole holiday and attempts to dismantle the tree, our fish however are very traditional Christians and even though they know that the whole tree and gift thing is pagan (because the dog has explained this repeatedly) they still insist that gifts are about the love of Jesus birth and the kings, so I'm buying them a lovely vacation feeder and putting it in their tank next to their underwater tree. Afterall I don't want to offend any of my pets religious beliefs!

If my dog was Jewish he would probably eat the Hanukkah candles.

She gets anything she wants

Santa has already brought Miss SuzyQ, my Jack Russell mix rescue, a new bed for the SUV so that she can look out and still be safe with the seat belt. However, she isn't appreciating the bed much because she no longer can roam the SUV. I am hoping by Christmas that she will quit whining under her breath when we go out (probably telling Santa off). Her Christmas stocking will have salmon and fish treats, which she really loves. Her best gift will be a visit to the no leash dog park so that she can run, run, run.

I give Pirate a can of canned salmon (the little ones) and some sardines for Christmas too sometimes. Not that expensive if you find a sale, and he LOVES it. I top off his food with it one or two nights a week until the Christmas Supply runs out. (Handling smelly fish really grosses me out for some reason, so this is a big gift from me. ;) )

I got Peaches, my 10 yr old puppy mill rescue Pekingese a new sweater for Christmas and since she got her hair cut today (she has terrible chronic skin problems and so being shaved is helpful to her) she will need the sweater. I'll probably cook us salmon on Christmas too as she loves it and it helps her skin. She also has a Christmas stocking that says "Dogs love Christmas too" and even though I didn't put up any other decorations this year I did hang her stocking on the mantle.

Great question!
Our boy Troy is an 8yr old black lab.
Troy has food allergies to fish, rice, lamb and beef so lots of treats are out if the question. And I have not found a stuffed squeaky that lady's longer than a day.
This year he is getting the best present, his very very most favourite person in the whole world is coming to visit. ( our daughter, she lives 2300 KM away)
.
We can't wait to see his reaction when she walks into the house!

Merry Christmas everyone.

Sandra Shepard you are hilarious!

My husbands dog will get a oinking pig toy and a new squeaker ball. I am making my cat a suitcase bed like the ones I have seen online. Her best present is that she and I move to the new house and the dog and husband have to stay behind and finish the old house.

She just can't stop slinking when in the dog's presence and so he has to chase her. I have told her, all she needs to do is slash him once and he will have respect. But no, she slinks, he chases. LIfe without the dog for a while will be heaven for her.

Patches has a new hat, so far.

To update my December 13, 2013 post, I am including a photo of the new beds my cats got for Christmas that year. And this year, they received the toy called Whack-a-Mouse, ordered from houzz.com. They really love it. Of course, I have to play with them (I am the mouse and darts in and out of all of the holes), but I enjoy it. I also set it on its side so that all the holes are viewable and accessible; this way

they get to anticipate which side the mouse will pop out of.

Many are gifting high-end pet furniture. Dog Beds, so pets have a stylish & comfortable place to sleep.