Foothills residents aren’t forgetting Rover or Mittens this holiday season.
For many families beside stockings for mom, dad and the children hung with care will also be a stocking for their beloved family pets.
“People truly feel their pets are part of their families so why not leave something under the tree for them — I am one of those people,” said Kristal Read, owner of CHOW Bella Pet Health Food Store at Drake Landing in Okotoks.
Read has already decided what she is getting her dog, Leo, for Christmas
“No you don’t have to whisper,” she said, when asked if it was okay to talk with Leo standing just four feet away. “I got him some gingerbread-flavoured biscuits and a new coat. He hasn’t had the cookies yet, but we tried out the coat not too long ago because it was cold outside.”
The cookies are Buddy Biscuits, with a Christmas decorated box, ideal for the season.
If you’ve had too much eggnog and accidently grabbed a Buddy Biscuit for your midnight snack, you will be okay.
“These ones you could eat but I don’t think you would want to,” Read said. “Our taste buds require more than dogs do. The sugar is omitted from these cookies, so they are a little bland.”
A dog also wants to look festival during the season.
“There are Christmas bows of Santa Claus, angels, that you can put on either their hair or their collars,” she said.
There is also an assortment of coats for dogs.
“Dogs do need coats, especially when its 40 below,” she said. “I dress up Leo when it’s -20 with a coat and boots… You can get matching suits.”
She said the boots not only protect the dogs from the cold, but also from chemicals, which may be on the roads or sidewalks.
“Small dogs typically don’t need as much exercise as bigger dogs so they may not need the boots as much.”
Although clothes and biscuits are fine, dogs can also be a bit like little boys — they want toys.
Squeaky candy canes, snowmen and Rudolphs, have been flying off the shelf quicker than Santa making his Christmas Eve run.
If your pet is a feline, you might not have to be so extravagant in your gift buying.
“People seem to spend more money on their dogs, I would say,” Read said. “Cats seem to be pretty easy to please sometimes — a ball of yarn, a feather. Dogs need some choices.”
However, there are some unique gifts for the cats as well.
“These are catnip bubbles, the kind that you blow with a wand and they have catnip in them,” she said. “There’s no soaps or anything in them so it won’t hurt your cat.”
In fact, cats are kind of like the rock bands of the 1960s — they are attracted to a particular weed-like substance. Virtually anything dealing with catnip is popular with felines.
Of course, after all that play, it’s time to eat. Take a look at the sales counter at Pet Planet in Okotoks and you feel like you have walked into a bakery.
There is an assortment of cookies for dogs available in shapes such as cookies, candy canes and a frosted bone.
However, what to choose is dependent on the dog.
“It completely depends on what kind of dog you have,” said Pet Planet manager Francesca Bonetti. She recommended talking to someone at the store before making a purchase.
The dog cookies come in traditional holiday flavours including turkey and cranberry.
Another big seller at Pet Planet is the cat condos, sort of a fort on a pole covered in carpet. They provide a place for your feline to climb, sleep, explore, and most importantly, sharpen their claws.
The cat condos are a sound investment.
“If your cat doesn’t have one, you can end up wrecking your furniture and carpet when she sharpens her claws.” Pet Planet is located at Westmount Mall in Okotoks.
