Pet Parents (1 Viewer)

[superchuck500]

This is my sister. She has never had kids - has a 10 year old golden doodle that she's been through a lot with. They're very close - he means the world to her. But at least once a year she says some bullshirt about how her dog is basically the same as my two kids . . . like she "gets it."

She gets offended if I tell her she's full of sheet - but then she takes the dog to her friend's house in the country to board him for weeks at a time when she goes to California or Mexico or whatever.

 

[Optimus Prime]

….Why do we actually buy presents for pets? Seventy-seven per cent of people surveyed said they did it because they didn’t want their pet to feel left out.

Whatever your position on the need to make a cat feel included at Christmas, you have to admit that unlike everyone else on your list, a pet is very easy to shop for. A dog will not complain about the colour of a new collar, or ask if you kept the receipt.

Buying a Christmas present for my wife is an annual exercise in handwringing anxiety. I can get a gift any cat will love from a petrol station.

We certainly don’t seem to be expending an excess of imagination on animal presents; just money. The number one Christmas pet-gift category is food, and the top 10 includes chew toys, balls, bones, cat nip, beds and blankets.

It’s true there are now £300 designer dog hatsfor sale, along with a Versace dog bed that will set you back almost a grand, but most people still seem to be buying the sort of thing you would have found in my dog’s stocking 50 years ago. The exception, of course, is the dog costume. We didn’t have those then.

It is said that we increasingly treat our pets as children, but really we treat our pets as reflections of ourselves.

When you pick up a pet-sized Santa costume and exclaim, “My dog will love this!”, what you really mean is, “I love this, and my dog can’t talk!”…….

‘What are you getting your cat for Christmas?’ ought to be a silly question. What happened? | Tim Dowling

Last year UK shoppers spent £873m on presents for dogs and cats. Well, at least they are unlikely to ask if you kept the receipt, asks Guardian contributor Tim Dowling

www.theguardian.com

 

[Optimus Prime]

For pet owners the festive period used to mean hiding chocolate out of harm’s way and trying to stop the dog or cat fighting or climbing the Christmas tree.

Now it seems many people are also busy helping their furry friends open Advent calendars and counting down the days until they can pull a cracker together.

Since the Covid pandemic, pups appear to be more pampered, and cats better catered for, particularly around the festive season. According to retail analysts at Kantar, in the eight weeks to Christmas 2022, spending on pet supplies was up by 12% on 2021’s figure.

Kathryn Imrie, chief consumer officer at Pets at Home, says: “Pets are much-loved members of the family and owners want to treat them with gifts on big seasonal occasions, such as Christmas, Halloween, Valentine’s Day and Easter, and it is showing no signs of slowing down.”

Halloween sales at the retailer were up 18% year on year.

Although sadly the cost of living crisis has forced some people to give up their pets, the market is still booming, and retailers and manufacturers are launching more and more products for generous owners to spend their money on, offering everything from hampers to Christmas cards.

Dogs are on track to receive more gifts than cats. Pets at Home has sold 500,000 dog toys so far, compared with 20,000 cat treats. The retailer’s £30 Advent calendar for canines featuring toys and treats, including three packs of “three-bird-roast freeze-dried stars”, sold out online in three days.

On the John Lewis website, the virtual shelves have been emptied of dog Advent calendars, though you can still buy one for your feline friend.

It’s not so much that pets are being treated as part of the family – in some cases they are being treated better. A survey of Pets at Home customers found a quarter were planning to spend the same or more on their pet than on their children or partner, while a third were expecting to spend the same as on their parents.

This isn’t new, says Matt Piner, a retail expert at GlobalData. “Maybe 10-15 years ago we did a survey and found that people were more likely to cut back their spending on their grandparents than on their pets. People take their pets very seriously,” he says.

He adds that during the pandemic there was an increase in pet ownership “and people spending more time with their pets, and that probably fosters a closer relationship”.

Piner says dogs may be getting a better deal because they are less independent than cats and because there are more options for presents…….

Creature comforts (and joy): why Santa is packing more presents for pets this Christmas

Be it Advent calendars, crackers or cards, owners are more likely to scrimp on gran’s gift than the dog or cat’s

www.theguardian.com

 

[Optimus Prime]

One definition of insanity is to do something over and again, expecting a different result. Another might be to find yourself in a busy department store on a Saturday morning, with two slightly out of control black labradors, sitting outside a Christmas grotto surrounded by “elves”, waiting to see Father Christmas.

Or, as John Lewis call him, Santa Paws. Yet, lo, unto Oxford Street we did travel with our dogs Dexter and Rocky, none of us knowing what awaited us in a corner of the third floor near the sofas and home furnishings section.

Eccentric doesn’t really cover it. The grotto is a festive feature of a number of John Lewis’s stores, and this one opened for business when a platoon of elves marched towards us chirping something Christmassy.

This chorus of cheerfulness would have charmed any children waiting to see the Big Man. And most of the time, the singsong is aimed at the little people with big hopes for what might appear in their stockings on 25 December.

But it turns out that parents and children aren’t the only ones who want to have a face to face with Santa. Why should pets be deprived of this special experience, asked (some) dog owners?

Why indeed. John Lewis started the Santa Paws Experience last year, and it is back by popular demand in nine of its shops. More than 500 tickets have been sold so far – up by a fifth from 2022.…..

‘Eccentric doesn’t cover it’: dogs visit Santa Paws at John Lewis’s pet grotto

The department store boasts its own grotto for pets to have some festive face time with Santa … and business is brisk

www.theguardian.com

 

[TheRealJRad]

Piner says dogs may be getting a better deal because they are less independent than cats and because there are more options for presents

Well I mean we did make them that way. Cats don’t want gifts anyway, they just want our lives

I did almost buy one of the advent calendars as a bit of a novelty gift, but didn’t end up pulling the trigger.

 

[Sailorsaint]

Got the cat a play toy for Christmas. She loves playing with the bag it came in.....

 

[Consigliere]

I am the parent of one human and two dogs. The human is in my top two about half the time.

 

[Nisey55]

There's absolutely no reason to buy your cat a Christmas gift.
Between the tree, ornaments, ribbons, paper and boxes they suddenly go from living in a coma into a coked up frenzy of fur bent on total destruction of all the Christmas trappings.

 

[Dago]

….Why do we actually buy presents for pets? Seventy-seven per cent of people surveyed said they did it because they didn’t want their pet to feel left out.

Whatever your position on the need to make a cat feel included at Christmas, you have to admit that unlike everyone else on your list, a pet is very easy to shop for. A dog will not complain about the colour of a new collar, or ask if you kept the receipt.

Buying a Christmas present for my wife is an annual exercise in handwringing anxiety. I can get a gift any cat will love from a petrol station.

We certainly don’t seem to be expending an excess of imagination on animal presents; just money. The number one Christmas pet-gift category is food, and the top 10 includes chew toys, balls, bones, cat nip, beds and blankets.

It’s true there are now £300 designer dog hatsfor sale, along with a Versace dog bed that will set you back almost a grand, but most people still seem to be buying the sort of thing you would have found in my dog’s stocking 50 years ago. The exception, of course, is the dog costume. We didn’t have those then.

It is said that we increasingly treat our pets as children, but really we treat our pets as reflections of ourselves.

When you pick up a pet-sized Santa costume and exclaim, “My dog will love this!”, what you really mean is, “I love this, and my dog can’t talk!”…….

‘What are you getting your cat for Christmas?’ ought to be a silly question. What happened? | Tim Dowling

Last year UK shoppers spent £873m on presents for dogs and cats. Well, at least they are unlikely to ask if you kept the receipt, asks Guardian contributor Tim Dowling

www.theguardian.com

I don't have kids but will say in a joking manner that they are my kids (would never compare them to actual children tho)
With all I went thru, it's likely I wouldn't be here if I didn't have them. They were there for me and the responsibility I felt towards them was a big reason I didn't give up. I don't call myself a dog daddy or refer to them as fur babies, but I do treat them as family.
As far as the Christmas present subject goes, I do buy them presents...as do my parents for their. Sure they don't get the significance of it, buy they do understand that it is a joyous occasion where the whole family is together and they definitely react differently to the new toys on Christmas due to the atmosphere and attitude of everyone present.

 

[Mr. Blue Sky]

It is said that we increasingly treat our pets as children, but really we treat our pets as reflections of ourselves.

My recently-passed dog’s name was Dreux Brees, the New Orleans Saints were his favorite football team and he loved nothing more than humping random things… Why would you say that pets are a reflection of oursel- Hold on, wait………………..

 

[Mr. Blue Sky]

It’s not so much that pets are being treated as part of the family – in some cases they are being treated better.

i understand this 100%…. There are many many cases of dogs being neglected, abused, starved- and they STILL love their people, despite all that… whereas many of us have human people in our lives that have the capacity to make our lives a literal living Hell at times.. im not saying dogs are people, im saying that they are far better than people .


“If you want unconditional love- Get a dog .”

 

[zeetes]

no matter the why, i understand. i have dogs because my wife and i didn't think we could have kids. then, life happens! oh yeah, also, life says "yeah, you can't have kids." then we also had dogs. fork it. pets > people.

 

[Optimus Prime]

 

[Dago]

I love my dog,but never considered him a child. If you own one I will ask one favor. Feed them only dog food. There
are things we can eat like onions, avacados,and chesses that we tolerate easily, but can be deadly to a dog.

When my oldest was diagnosed with kidney failure (had to put her down this past February), I started making dog food (with my vet's recommendation) and continue to do it with my remaining dog. Partly because she was ALWAYS picky and would take forever to eat due to it (she loves the food I make tho), but also that there is nothing that will convince me that it isn't healthier with everything we are learning about overly processed foods and their effect on the body

I boil about 5+ pounds of chicken breasts and use a blender to chop it fine. Add butternut squash, broccoli stems, carrots, low sodium chicken broth, and blueberries.....she absolutely goes nuts for it. I do also have some vitamin supplement treats for her as well. Each time it makes about 3 weeks worth of food and it's cheaper than buying canned food overall

 

[faceman]

When my oldest was diagnosed with kidney failure (had to put her down this past February), I started making dog food (with my vet's recommendation) and continue to do it with my remaining dog. Partly because she was ALWAYS picky and would take forever to eat due to it (she loves the food I make tho), but also that there is nothing that will convince me that it isn't healthier with everything we are learning about overly processed foods and their effect on the body

I boil about 5+ pounds of chicken breasts and use a blender to chop it fine. Add butternut squash, broccoli stems, carrots, low sodium chicken broth, and blueberries.....she absolutely goes nuts for it. I do also have some vitamin supplement treats for her as well. Each time it makes about 3 weeks worth of food and it's cheaper than buying canned food overall

Way to go my friend. My dog just celebrated his 13th birthday and is doing fine. When I was young and lived with
my parents we had several dogs. My parents were fond of throwing them table scraps. I think the oldest one
made it to 8 years.

You are so right about processed food. My dog has never had one bite. Most people don't know many processed
foods like hot dogs contain onion and garlic powder for flavoring. Both are very toxic to dogs and it doesn't take much
to cause liver and kidney failure in your beloved pet.