Pamper Your Dog at Christmas

Guest Author - Jill Florio

Love your dog, or have a pet-crazy friend? Here's a list of 10 ideas from 50 Simple Ways to Pamper Your Dog. Test-run by me:

1.Keep a toy chest for all your dog's playthings. This is a good one, since my dogs have so many toys that people think I must have children in the house. I leave out three toys at a time, maximum, and rotate the toys as the dogs get bored. Each time a new toy comes out of rotation, they think it's brand-new.

2. Give your dog a nickname. You know he's already got one anyway. It may as well be official. Frodo responds equally well to Frody, Little Dude, Freakface and Goober.

3. Once a week, put your dog's bowls in the dishwasher. Excellent advice. I don't want want bacteria building up in those bowls any more than in mine.

4. Make a doggy scrapbook. Well, I have not gone so far as to make a plaster cast of Frodo's little puppy paws, or include hair from his first grooming, but he does have a framed print placed prominently in the livingroom. And, of course, a picture in my wallet.

5. Brush his teeth. My dogs love their toothbrushing sessions. I use a toothpaste for dogs (tastes like chicken), with their own special dog toothbrushes (made for their softer enamel). Once I am done brushing, I let them gnaw on their brushes a bit. Hey, I've also got tartar-control dog biscuits and flossy-thread rope toys. No one should have to deal with bad dog breath.

6. Don't forget the Christmas stocking. The dog stockings are shaped like bones and full of yummy dog treats and squeaky toys.

7. Buy doggy booties. I have some all-terrain dog Muttluks for seriously rocky hiking trips. My dogs walk funny in them at first, then shrug and get used to it. When I remove the boots, I look at the leather bottoms. All those scratches would have been on my dog's tender pads. Booties are also nice for keeping pads off hot asphalt, and fleecies are great against winter's ice and salt.

8. Take him swimming. A nice activity that I'm going to have the canines do when they start aging. Dogs are very prone to arthritis, and swimming is a no-stress sport. I have little dog life vests, so they can exercise their limbs even in their golden years.

9. Pray with your dog. One of the book's nicest suggestions is saying grace with your dog at mealtimes, offering thanks for his loving presence during a cuddle, or allowing some quiet space to be reflective together each day. I once heard a psychic say dogs are very spiritual. It's probably true.

10. Buckle up. PetsMart and other pet companies design seat-belt attachments that clip right onto your dog's harness. In an accident, you don't want your favorite ball of fur to come flying at your head or against the windscreen. It also keeps dogs from climbing into the driver's lap or all over your passengers. (The book mentions that some new vehicle models from Saab, Audi and Subaru even come with their own dog-restraint systems. How's THAT for cool?)

There are 40 other unique ideas, and the author also published an edition made for cat-lovers. Anyway, it's a cute book, and at under ten dollars, would make a decent gift this Christmas.

Here's a link to the book itself, if you want to order it: