Bailey’s Howliday Gift Guide

Hey all you paw-some pets out there, it’s Going Mutts’ very own Bailey! I’ve taken over the blog this week to share a paw-sitively great Christmas wish list. Belly rubs, head scratches and snuggles are at the top of my list of favorite things but I could use an upgrade or two for some of the things I may have worn out a little too much over the years.  So Santa Paws, if you’re reading this - we all have been extra good this year and if you want to make us woof for joy, pay close attention! 

1. Dog Bed

Mom lets me snuggle with her at night but she’s such a bed hog! Even though I love to just cuddle near her, I  enjoy a small place to call my own. If your hooman is thinking about updating your ‘home space’, you might like a new dog couch, teepee bed or a super comfy and fluffy bed! Check out my fur-iends down at Basset & Lab for some paw-fectly cozy beds.

2. Personalized Dog Collar or Bandana

Our hoomans enjoy looking fancy a lot, and guess what? Us doggos enjoy looking fancy too! I’m not talking about full out outfits for us furry friends (although some of us do enjoy a good hoodie on a cold day), I’m talking something small and personalized for us to show off. Shop small and browse Etsy to get us a paw-fect personalized bandana that coordinates with the current season or spruce up our collar with some bling and our name. 

3. Treat Time!

Although we pups love us some rawhide chewing time, we do have difficulty digesting them from time to time: enter, Bully Sticks. I’ve heard that these are a natural alternative to rawhides and they help clean our teeth as we chew, so it’s a win-win for both of us really. Bully Sticks has big ones, little ones, fat ones, thin ones, curly ones, you name it and they’ve (pretty much) got it! They are made from free-range, grass-fed beef that is 100% digestible and safe for our tummies you just so happen to love to scratch. Sure it’s not fluffy and cute like a dog toy, but it’s great for hours of chewing for us, and there are some of us that just love to chew, chew, chew! 

4. Scented Bubble Machine

Just hear me out on this one - bubbles and bacon, what could be better?! Besides a pool full of treats, this one is at the top of the list for me! Chasing those normal paw-some bubbles is fun for us four-legged friends, but add in a bubble machine to lessen the amount of work our hoomans have to do AND combine with bacon flavored bubbles and it's a pawsitively great gift for us! Let your hooman know, Amazon has a bubble machine with bacon scented bubbles, but I am sure they can work some magic and find more options all over.

5. iFetch Automatic Ball Launcher

A good old game of fetch is always a paw-some go to for us furry friends, so why not get your hooman to invest in an automatic ball launcher for us! We know they get tired of throwing the same ball over and over again for us to get, so let's help them help us continue to play fetch for as long as we want with the iFetch Automatic Ball Launcher. You. Are. Welcome. WOOF!

6. Kong

You really can’t go wrong with Kong for Christms! With their rubbery toughness that allows us to chew for hours on end and the ability for our hoomans to fill them with a special treat makes us doggos jump for joy. And for us pups that enjoy some fuzziness with our chew toys, Kong has a variety of stuffed animals to choose from to give us a pet of our own! And don’t forget the peanut butter filling cans for our treat … can you say bow-wow-WOWZA?! 

7. Dog Box Subscription

If you want to get a gift that keeps on giving, get in on the subscription box craze! Every month we can get a box filled with treats just for us. Like, completely and everything in the box is dog approved and for our chewing and eating pleasure! Makes you wanna just hoooowwwllll with delight, am I right?! The most popular one out there is BarkBox, and I’ve heard you can customize depending on the size of us doggos so we get toys and treats made just for us (because you don’t want Gerald the Great Dane getting the same sized toy as Charlie the Chihuahua do you?). Also check out Kongs Holiday Box and Pooch Perks for more toys, treats and good times.

8. Dog Ice Cream Mix

I woof, you woof, we all woof for ice cream! That cold, sweet treat is just as good in the winter as it is in the summer, so let’s not just limit our ice cream experiences to just warm weather. Vanilla isn’t bad, but just because we have four legs and a tail doesn’t mean we don’t like variety once in a while. Puppy Scoops has 4 varieties: Peanut Butter, Maple Bacon, Vanilla and Carob. This specific brand can be found on Amazon and it’s a mix to make the ice cream; so make sure your hooman just adds water and freezes it for a Christmas breakfast treat to get your tail really wagging.

9. Gourmet Treats

We doggos are simple creatures that just want attention and food, so what better way to treat us this Christmas than to get some gourmet treats from a local pet bakery! I’m not that picky, and I’m pretty sure you’re not that picky when it comes to treats, but having some gourmet handmade with love treats can make Christmas morning that much more drool worthy. Tell your hooman to shop local and check out Lancaster Pet Bakery at Central Market for some doggylicious treats.

10. Rope Toys

Some of the best gifts are the simplest, and you can’t get much simpler than a good old rope toy! Just because it’s not some fancy techy gift doesn’t mean it’s any less fun to us four-legged friends. We love our games of tug-of-war with our hoomans, so take a look at your outdated ropes and give a howl if you need some new ones for Christmas. We four-legged friends need to keep our ropes from fraying because no one wants to cough up string while getting their play on. With all different rope toys to choose from, it’s pretty hard to not make us furry friends happy.

So as you look at your over chewed favorite toy or your bed that has been drooled on one too many nights, share this list with your hooman to steer them in the pawsitive direction of a good woof for Christmas! But don’t forget to let them know to shop small during these crazy times to help out your local businesses. Check out Going Mutts Pet Services for some long walks and extra fun playtime when the two-legged friends have to leave for the day - they have some pawsitively paw-some people that love to play and give belly rubs all. the. time. 

Woof. Bark. Love.

Bailey