Toys for Spots

Christine talked me out of buying gingerbread men-shaped dog treats for Belle, my sister-in-law's puppy. Chris just doesn't get into the whole gift-giving thing for pets. But now that one of our favorite cat-sitters dropped off a new kitty toy, carefully wrapped in shiny red paper with a card signed by "Auntie Clarissa," I'm feeling guilty about having not picked up something for the poor poochie. Not anything like the items in the photo here, heaven knows. But something.

Apparently I'm not the only one who has such feelings. A story in Saturday's Washington Post took an in-depth look at the business of holiday gifts for pets. "Responding to what they see as the growing humanization of pets, retailers are finding that there's great appeal in the kinds of gifts for pets that were once the sole domain of their owners, such as Christmas stockings, cashmere sweaters and educational toys," wrote staff writer Ylan Q. Mui.

The Post story cited a consumer survey by the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association, which found that about half of all dog and cat owners buy Christmas gifts for their beloved critters. Bob Vetere, the association's president, told the newspaper that empty nesters and dual-income couples with no children have driven most of the growth in spending on pet products, including holiday presents.

More from APPMA's summary of its 2007-2008 National Pet Owners Survey:

"The Survey shows more than one-half of all pet owners report having purchased a gift for their pets in the past 12 months, with Christmas remaining as the most popular gift giving holiday. Pet owners also shell out the big bucks on Easter, Halloween, Valentine’s Day and Hanukkah. According to The Survey, dog owners are likely to buy up to seven gifts per year, as owners of other pets purchase about four gifts per year. Regardless of species, on average more than $10 is spent on each gift."

For the record, Santa will not neglect our little puppy-in-law on Tuesday morning. Christine's sister bought Belle a new rope toy for Christmas. Meanwhile, I've found a recipe for homemade gingerbread dog treats. And I'm sure Belle would think a homemade present was more meaningful than a store-bought gift anyway.