For many Americans, the quality of Christmas is determined by gifts It is an undeniable fact that for our society as a whole, gifts are the central feature of the holiday season, with retailers pressuring us to spend more than we can afford by promoting the ‘buy now, pay later’ philosophy, piling on credit card debt. In a recent survey, many said they would prefer to skip Christmas altogether because the holiday season brings so much financial pressure. How sad….we need to learn that things will never make us happy, and Christmas is not about accumulating more “stuff, ” for either our two-legged friends or our four-legged companions.
According to the American Pet Products Association, pet caregivers are spending more than $60 BILLION dollars on their pets this year. Chris Riches of Dailymail says that pets are more popular than relatives at Christmas with more than half planning to spend more on their animal companions than each of their own family members. Naturally every pet supply outlet is taking advantage of the impulse buyer, tantalizing dog lovers with toys, but remember that there is NO agency overseeing the dog toy market , and many of them are not good for your canine. With the market flooded with cheap imports, it’s BUYER BEWARE. Double check…and then check again to make sure a toy is non-toxic and safe. Squeaky toys are a favorite for almost all dogs, but it is easy for dogs to choke on them, often causing a blockage that requires surgery. Dogs love rawhides, but I recommend that you NEVER give rawhides to your dog! Consider toys made of very hard rubber which are safer and last longer, and remember your dog is not impressed with expensive stuff…. They possess the spirit of Christmas every day of the year, realizing that it is not the Christmas wrapping or the gifts…it is about joy and love, and they are eager to share those attributes with you every day of every year. . However, a gift or two would be appreciated, so please choose products made in North America or Europe over those mass-produced and imported from other countries where safety standards are almost non- existent. Avoid the cheap, stinky latex toys, and Inspect all toys for loose parts or pieces that might easily break off. Don’t give children’s toys to dogs, because they could chew off and choke on the eyes and noses of stuffed animals.
One of my favorite toys is the Kong. Kong toys are uniquely shaped, extraordinarily strong, rubber toys with hollow centers, and they have an unpredictable bounce that appeals to almost all dogs. This toy can be used for therapy, boredom, separation anxiety, other behavior problems, and just plain fun. A Kong can be stuffed with almost any kind of food your dog likes…mix some of his meal with a little canned dog food, yogurt, peanut butter…combinations are endless, and if you freeze them , they will occupy your dog for extended periods of time.
Kyjen Pet Products has a great assortment of quality dog dogs….the Squeaker Mat Toy has multiple squeakers that have the squeakers sewn inside, and doesn’t have any stuffing to be swallowed when your dog eventually rips it open.
The Nylabone Durable Dental Dinosaur and the Nylabone Dura chew Wishbone are great gifts for serious chewers. They have interesting shapes and raised bristles to help clean her teeth.
The Cuz is an ingeniously designed, natural rubber ball with feet…but that’s not its only special feature. It squeaks…and the squeaker is built into the Cuz so that it won’t fall out. It is a well-made toy by JW Pets, a U.S. based company that claims their ideas are l00% homegrown in the USA. They also have a large assortment of other creative, well-made toys, including Cuz Tails, which has a soft, squeaky tail that can be bounced, tugged and fetched. JW dog toys are higher quality than most of the toys you find in the big box toy departments.
Remember that no toy is indestructible, and as long as the toy industry is an unsupervised playground, it is the responsibility of the caregivers to keep their eyes on the ball, the stuffing, and the squeaker.
Dogs help us to better understand what Christmas is truly about, and even though they cannot speak in our language-or perhaps it is that we cannot speak in theirs-we know that dogs realize the true meaning of Christmas. Have a loving , joyous, debt-free holiday season!
