Create a Holiday Gift Basket for the Family Dogs

December 19, 2017

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of The J.M. Smucker Company. The opinions and text are all mine.


 
I have been around dogs all of my life.  I grew up with large dogs like our Old English Sheepdog, Nappy, and then our Newfoundland, K.C.  It wasn’t until those dogs crossed the rainbow bridge that we got smaller dogs. We brought home Dusty, our Cairn Terrier, the reason my husband and I fell in love with the breed.

Then, in my 20’s, I brought home Beau-Beau (Beauregard), a Bichon Frisé rescued from a puppy mill.  When Dusty passed away last year, it left Beau pretty heartbroken along with the rest of us.  So Cooper, our Golden Retriever, joined the family.

Now that my siblings and I have our own little families, we also have dogs of our own.  So every holiday gathering is celebrated with lots of family, including six dogs!  It’s always fun to see how the dogs get excited over presents just like we do!  That’s why I try to make sure they’re all included in the celebration with their own holiday gifts.  


 
Every Christmas, I try to buy gifts for the family dogs.  Whether it’s a new toy or a bag of treats, I like to make them feel included in our holiday celebration.  So during a recent trip to Walmart, I stocked up on treats, toys, and supplies to make a large gift basket for the family dogs to share.   

Because there are six dogs in the family, I made sure that I got a big box of Milk-Bone Flavor Snacks. Seven pounds, to be exact!  Milk-Bone Flavor Snacks are great for dogs of all sizes!  Just like Milk-Bone Original Dog Snacks, Flavor Snacks are great for your dog’s dental health and they’re vitamin enriched.


 
With one large dog and five small dogs, I knew I had to make a gift basket with more than enough treats to go around!  So I made sure that I bought a variety of snacks.  Along with the big box of Milk-Bones, I added Pup-Peroni Original Beef Flavor and Canine Carry Outs.  Hunter loves Pup-Peroni!  Real beef is the #1 ingredient in Pup-Peroni making them an irresistible treat for dogs!

Hunter is always out and about with us, so we like to keep smaller treats with us when we’re on-the-go.  I usually keep a small bag of treats in the car just in case Hunter’s being really active and needs a snack or he needs to be rewarded.  Canine Carry Outs are the perfect size for rewarding on-the-go!  They’re made with real bacon and a chewy texture that dogs love!  

Now that I had a few varieties of treats for my gift basket, I wanted to include a couple toys for the dogs to play with, too.  Every dog loves a good game of fetch!  So I added a bouncy dog toy and an over-sized, squeaker tennis ball to complete the basket.

SUPPLIES

  • Large wicker basket
  • Red and green mixed paper shred basket filler
  • Milk-Bone Flavor Snacks, 7lb
  • Pup-Peroni Original Beef Flavor, 25oz
  • 2 – Canine Carry Outs, Bacon 5oz
  • Holiday dog toys
  • Gift bows, optional

STEPS

  1. Fill the bottom of a large wicker basket with red and green mixed paper shreds.  Reserve a little to stuff the basket with later.
  2. Add a bow to the box of Milk-Bone Flavor Snacks.  Place the box into the basket.
  3. Then, add other treats like Pup-Peroni and Canine Carry Outs to the basket.
  4. Top the basket off with holiday dog toys.
  5. Fill in gaps with reserved paper shreds.
  6. Bring to your family holiday gathering and watch the dogs go wild over their gifts!


 
I brought this gift basket over to my parents’ house recently as an early holiday gift.  Cooper and Beau were beyond happy to see this basket full of treats and toys!  BEYOND!  It was adorable!

Trust me, there’s still a lot of spoiling to do over the holidays, but I’m sure these treats and toys will keep them plenty busy in the meantime!

PIN FOR LATER

How will you treat your family pets this holiday season?

30 Comments

  • Reply Cris of Kiss My Tulle December 19, 2017 at 12:37 PM

    This is sweet. We always do a little something for our pets for the holidays, too.

    • Reply Jessica December 19, 2017 at 4:05 PM

      Thanks! I love including the family pets in celebrations!

  • Reply amber.m December 19, 2017 at 1:00 PM

    Hunter is so stinkin’ cute! And what a cute idea! We always do little santa gifts for the pups too 🙂

    • Reply Jessica December 19, 2017 at 4:07 PM

      Thanks so much! It’s always fun to include them in the holiday festivities!

  • Reply Whitney December 19, 2017 at 1:51 PM

    I love this idea! Can’t forget the fur babies!

    • Reply Jessica December 19, 2017 at 4:08 PM

      Thanks so much! Nope! Gotta include them in the fun, too!

  • Reply Brooke December 19, 2017 at 1:51 PM

    OMG your pup is the CUTEST! My dog LOVES to open stuff on Christmas. She’s truly just like my children. I know she’d be so offended if she didn’t have stuff under the tree too lmao

    • Reply Jessica December 19, 2017 at 4:16 PM

      Thank you! Isn’t it adorable how excited they get for presents, too? I haven’t put Hunter’s gifts under the tree yet because he’s already trying to snoop! Haha!

  • Reply Camille Gabel December 19, 2017 at 5:11 PM

    So cute! our pup would love one!

    • Reply Jessica December 19, 2017 at 7:15 PM

      I’m sure they would! Thanks!

  • Reply Deb December 19, 2017 at 6:20 PM

    OMG, your pup and mine could have the most awesome playdates!

    • Reply Jessica December 19, 2017 at 7:16 PM

      YES! I’m sure! Hunter loves playing with other dogs!

  • Reply Kate | Life of a Ginger December 19, 2017 at 6:20 PM

    I love this idea. My 4 legged kids always get a gift or two. This year I’m making a cute basket for my neighbor’s dog. She is going to be so excited.

    • Reply Jessica December 19, 2017 at 7:11 PM

      Oh my gosh! That’s adorable! Maybe I’ll have to make a basket for my neighbors’ dogs (AKA Hunter’s girlfriends)! Thanks!

  • Reply Chelsea December 19, 2017 at 9:15 PM

    Look how handsome he is sitting!! Something tells me you may have let him have an early Christmas present after being such a good little model… 😉

    • Reply Jessica December 19, 2017 at 9:25 PM

      Haha! Oh, you know it! 😉

  • Reply Miranda | Slashed Beauty December 20, 2017 at 12:49 AM

    I was literally thinking about getting some treats for my mom’s pup in the stocking just today!

    • Reply Jessica December 20, 2017 at 8:42 AM

      Oh how fun! I hope I’ve given you some ideas for filling their stocking with toys and treats!

  • Reply Sarah December 20, 2017 at 8:50 AM

    Awe. So cute. My dog loves the puperonis.

    • Reply Jessica December 20, 2017 at 8:35 PM

      They’re great treats! Even the pickiest dogs in the family seem to enjoy them!

  • Reply Lisa Marie Heath December 20, 2017 at 12:59 PM

    We do this for my kitties and my mom’s dogs!

    • Reply Jessica December 20, 2017 at 8:35 PM

      It’s so much fun to include them in gifts! I’m sure they love and appreciate it!

  • Reply Joan December 27, 2017 at 9:07 AM

    Your photos make me miss our Cairn, Ben, he was a dog with a lot of character.

    • Reply Jessica December 28, 2017 at 9:42 AM

      Cairns definitely do have a lot of personality! Such a funny little breed!

  • Reply Natalie A December 29, 2017 at 1:29 PM

    I absolutely love this post! I always loved it when family would give my pets a gift, too! It always felt so good that others considered our dog as our family! It’s touching for someone who doesn’t have children, and only have pets! Thanks for sharing and giving others the idea to give gifts to pets, too!

    • Reply Jessica December 29, 2017 at 7:15 PM

      Thanks so much for your comment! Dogs ARE family, too! It’s always nice to include them. We don’t have kids, but Hunter is like our kid so he’s not left out during the holidays. It’s nice, but it’s always so much fun to see our family dogs get excited over their new toys and treats! 🙂

  • Reply Two Chicks and a Mom/Donna December 29, 2017 at 5:21 PM

    Cute idea! I always buy my pets presents to “unwrap”. Happy New Year!

    • Reply Jessica December 29, 2017 at 7:13 PM

      Thank you! It’s always so cute to see them get excited over their gifts! Happy New Year to you, too!

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