The Festive Season is a generous time, and we all love receiving a great gift.

This is particularly true if you love pets or have people in your life who love them. If you’re looking for amazing presents for pets and their people, you’ve come to the right place.

Here are some pet-related gift ideas from the people who help you manage your dotsure.co.za pet cover. These are tried and tested and will help you treat the crazy creatures in your life this season. And the pets, too! 😉

 

Hey doture.co.za, what’s the best pet gift you've ever given?

 

T for two

 

“I do believe that some people can look like their pets at times – so I made it happen. My friend’s bulldog loved wearing sunglasses, and the dog and its owner would wear the same sunnies (that I had given them one year as a gift). The next year I took a picture of each of them and then made matching shirts with one another’s pictures on. They rocked it! Who wouldn’t want to match with their best friend?”

- Chevanne Shear

 

 

Ed said: Order matching Ts online  (you might have to supply the dog shirt).

 

Standing and eating

 

“Although its simple and a no-brainer, I would say the best gift I ever received was a dog food stand. When your dog is larger and needs to bend low just to eat or drink water, a bit of strain occurs in their spines. It also keeps ants from getting in. (One of my other pets has brain damage from seizures, all because of poison-infected ants getting into his food). I keep the food high to protect my dogs’ spines and smear the stand legs with an oil to protect the bowls from ants.”

- Sasha Wilson

Ed said: Here's one for medium-sized mutts

 

Food for furries

 

“I drive with pet food in the boot of my car and stop to feed any dog or cat in the street. Maybe this isn’t seen as a gift, but I would say it’s a gift to those pets with no homes who are hungry.”

-Beryldene Anders

Ed said: Order dog food online here.

 

DIY legacy dog toy

 

“I made a stuffed toy from a blanket that belonged to the mom of the pup.”

-Annemi Du Plessis

Ed said: Make a dog toy from old fabric with this video.

 

Okay, great! Tell us the best pet gift you’ve ever received?

 

Photos fur-ever

 

“The best pet-related gift that I have personally received was a photoshoot with my kitty, Lily. We have always had many furkids in our family, but Lily was my first baby that my hubby and I adopted together, and she was the start of our family that we were building together. To have those photos with her means more to me than any other material item. Photos last forever, and I know that one day when she is no longer with us, we will still have all of our memories to look back. She is also absolutely gorgeous and the whole world needs to know that!”

-Taylor Perrins

Ed said: try these pet photographers in

  • Cape Town 
  • Johannesburg  (this one as well, also in Jozi)
  • Port Elizabeth
  • Pretoria (Ed’s note: This is Emma, she’s dotsure.co.za’s official pet photographer and we love her. She works locally and abroad capturing gorgeous dogs, cats and other pets in high-quality photos. We highly recommend her services!)
  • Durban

 

“Seatbelt” leash FTW

 

“You can get a seatbelt leash, that hooks into the dog’s body brace and allows you to adjust how far the dog can go.”

-Sasha Wilson

Ed said: Get a “seatbelt” leash online.

 

Aww, awesome. Anything on your pet wish list?

 

Colour-coded collar

 

“There is a pet collar on the market that comes in different colours. This lets everyone around your pet know what they can expect. Definitely a “want” for our timid animals and our biters.”

-Sasha Wilson

Ed said: Get a temperament leash here.

 

Car hammock for wet pups

 

“Another must-have is a waterproof car seat cover. It basically covers the entire back seat with a hammock-type of blanket, protecting your car from dog hair, saliva and dirty paws… and from them jumping into the front of the car!”

-Sasha Wilson

Ed said: Try this water-resistant car hammock.

 

Something to (really) chew on

 

“Most of our dogs are small so squeaky toys and balls are perfect for them to play with. But for bigger dogs like bull terriers the only toy that actually lasts is a tyre.”

-Sasha Wilson

 

Ed said: Wow. Upcycling old goods and dog entertaining in one. We can’t improve on that one. Can you? Drop us your suggestion on Facebook.

 

Wait, tell us a weird story of your pets at a get-together

 

“I had a Maltese poodle, his name was Griffeltjie, and Griffeltjie was very ‘gruwelik’ (unfriendly) and loved food. He would bite anyone or anything for food. We had a little tortoise and Griffeltjie got upset because we all gave the tortoise attention. When the tortoise approached his food, Griffeltjie ran off with it and choked. We had to rush him to the vet. Don’t worry, he was fine and only passed on later, at the age of 17 years.”

- Beryldene Anders

 

Ed said: Having pet cover can help in emergencies like this. Name Your Price™ and we’ll help you treat your pet more affordably.

 

“So, we have an African grey parrot, and they say they tend to be very intelligent birds. One evening, the whole family was in the lounge watching a bit of a scary movie, and we were all on edge. We noticed the bull terrier stand up, quietly and slowly moving across the room, looking at the one couch like she was seeing a ghost. The next moment, Piet, our African grey walks between my mother-in-law’s feet from underneath the couch, screeching at the top of his lungs, and then started to make the laughing sounds that my father-in-law makes. Let’s just say the entire family nearly broke their backs, tripped over one another in fright and ended up with nosebleeds. The parrot had unclicked the hook over the opening of his cage, climbed out, and walked through the braai room and the kitchen to the lounge, because he was alone on the other side of the house. We won’t make this mistake again.”

-Sasha Wilson

 

Your turn, pet lovers!

 

Do you have a gift suggestion for pets and their people? We have a large community of pet lovers looking for gift inspiration, and your ideas could help them out. Leave us a post on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.      

 

Happy holidays!

 

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