Here Come The Holidays -Part 2: Apparel

Many people feel that dogs don't need sweaters or jackets and in some cases, maybe most cases that's probably true. There are some dogs because they are very small and don't have much body fat to keep them warm that need some help keeping warm when the weather turns cold. Some dogs have very short haircuts that may cause them to shiver and some dogs are elderly or sickly and need some extra warmth.


Then there are those of us who just enjoy dressing our dogs up in those cute little outfits. My Lucy needed a sweater in cold weather. She got very cold and because she had some aches and pains from old age, she appreciated the help. She was also a diva at heart and thought she looked gorgeous in her little silver jacket with the fur collar.

The shirts above only fit Morgan now, though they were originally purchased for the pups. Morgan likes to wear a shirt or sweater when she's just had a haircut. I also use a shirt on her if she gets into one of her licking cycles and won't stop licking and chewing on herself. A shirt helps break the cycle and lets the skin heal.


This is Samba's sweater. She loves getting dressed up and likes being admired.


I love these little suede jackets with the fuzzy trim. They look so warm and soft.


This is my favorite dog jacket ever. I bought it for Samba at one of our breed specialties. It closes with velcro along the back. The dog just steps in and you close it up. It's easy to get on and off and it fully covers the chest so it's nice and warm. If anyone knows where to find jackets made like this, please let me know. I'd like to get some more.


There are lots of places online to buy dog apparel and I'll show a few of them.


These two styles
are from Sit Stay.






These are from Dog.com
Notice, Chan, that the first one come in both pink and purple.




The fancy holiday duds are from Pet Edge.




The two everyday styles are also from Pet Edge.









The four styles above are all found at In The Company Of Dogs. I love their jackets, but they tend to be a little pricey.



These three are sold by The Puppy Shop. As the name implies, they cater to smaller dogs, but their prices are great.

A lot of us are crafty and maybe you've been thinking about making a jacket or sweater for your dog.


There are lots of patterns for making cute dog clothes.


I have a number of knitting books for making dog sweaters. I've knit and sold a lot of them, but I've never knit a sweater for one of my own dogs. That's about to change. As soon as the holidays are over, I'm knitting some sweaters for my pups.


You don't have to buy a pattern to make your best friend a jacket. There are several online. This one can be found at Fleece Dog Sweater.


Directions for this little quilted number can be found here, Pretty Little Things.


These are found on Martha Stewart's site.

There are tons of knitting and crochet directions for dog sweaters on Ravelry and lots of other sites. Check the yarn companies such as Lion Brand. They have free patterns of all descriptions.

Try one and see what your dog thinks about it. You might be surprised at the reaction.

Here Come The Holidays- Part 1: Collars

We all like to dress up for the holidays and some of us like to dress our pets up, too. Some of our dogs really get into this dressing up stuff. I have several that enjoy it and seem to think they look pretty sharp when they're wearing something new. Here are some suggestions for holiday collars for our dogs. Many of these are also available for cats.

This is cute, but it's only a matter of time till it drives either you or your dog crazy. Imagine hearing those bells constantly day in and day out thru the stressful holiday season. In my opinion this is one of those collars that is only used for picture taking, but if you have nerves of steel, go for it. It's available at SitStay.com.


This is pretty for pictures and it's much quieter than the jingle bells. I'm not sure how well the dog would like it flopping around on it's neck. Mine would probably try to get it off, but if you have a calm pup, it's a nice festive collar. It's available at Pet Edge.com


Maybe your pet would be more comfortable in a traditional bandana style. This is nice for the boys who don't want anything too frilly. This can also be personalized. It can be found at Dog.com

Maybe you want a real serviceable day to day collar in a holiday print. There are some wonderful choices available online. You can choose the print and the type of fastener and get a matching leash, too. Some of these are also available in harness style. Here is just a sample.


Snowflakes are good for the whole winter season.


Trees are neat and simple.


Holly and toys.


Candy canes.


A simple string of lights can be festive.


Trees on a red background. It probably shows dirt less than the white collars.


We don't want to forget our dog friends that celebrate Hanukkah.


The above collars are all found at 3 Dirty Dawgz.com


There are other holiday prints where you can pick the print and the collar will be made to your specifications.


Each of these prints are among the choices.


These prints can be made into collars and matching leashes. They are from Collar Mania.com


If your dogs or some of the dogs on your shopping list are the Scottish breeds, consider a new tartan collar. These are very handsome and good for year round wear. There are many different plaids available to choose from. They can be found at Tartan Scottie.com

Remember, even if your dog is all set for collars, they make great gifts for friends. And just like shoes, you can never have too many collars.

Somplace Soft To Sleep

My dogs love to arrange and rearrange their blankets till they're just right, then they snuggle down into them. They nest. Sometimes they drag their blankets from room to room with them. One of the kindest things we can do for a homeless, shelter animal is to give it something soft to arrange and curl up in, to stay warm in, and to help fight off the fears.


A couple times a year I take a pile of blankets to our local shelter, C.A.R.E. I knit the blankets from leftover yarn or yarn I find on sale. Color doesn't matter. I usually knit stripes just to make it less boring for me. My favorite stitch for a dog blanket is a double seed stitch because it has some thickness for softer bedding.


There is a web site called The Snuggles Project that helps support animal shelters by encouraging their members to make blankets for the animals. They provide patterns to anyone, you don't have to be a member.


They have sewing patterns, including these Easy Sew Snuggles.


This is the stitch for the Quick Easy Crochet Snuggle.


Another crochet pattern is this Double Crochet V Crochet Snuggle.


All the dogs and cats shown in this post are waiting in shelters for a new safe, forever home. That is the very best gift, but in the meantime, they'll appreciate a new blankie.


This is a knitted pattern for the Little Devil Snuggle.


This pattern, also knitted, is called My Favorite Snuggle.

Remember a blanket can be any size, dogs come in all sizes, any color, dogs love even those colors we think are too ugly to wear, any pattern. Just make it soft with a tight weave. Lacy, open patterns make it too easy for a big dog to catch a nail and much too easy for a puppy to find a place to start chewing.

I Wait
by Karen Tracer

days into nights
nights into days
patiently
I wait
for someone
anyone
to like me.

an array of people
pass by
looking
petting
talking
to me
I wait.

I do my antics
I strut my stuff
I sit
chest puffed out
I bark
I purr
I wait.

I am homeless
no family
no master
no love
I wait.

Patiently
I wait
for someone
anyone
to like me
enough
to love me
and
take me home.

I dream
I wait
I am homeless
like me
love me
please.

Not Only For Knitters

OK, It's come to my attention that in my last post about making toys for pets and shelter animals, all but one of the examples and patterns I listed were knitted. What was I thinking? Well, you see I'm a knitter, so I get carried away sometimes when I come across cute knitting patterns. Ask my husband. We have boxes and notebooks full of knitting patterns. I figure I'll need to live to be at least 200 years old to knit up all the things I want to make and that doesn't include the cross stitch patterns and sewing patterns.

So to remedy my error, I'm doing this second post for you crocheters and sewers and those of you who don't do any of the above.


How about crocheting up a turtle for someone furry to love.


Want to crochet a dog bone?


Make a whole pond full of fish.


Every kitty would like a few catnip mice.


This fishy and the octopus, star and bird can all be found at the same place.






Try them. They can be made up in no time at all.


Aren't these furry mice cute. Any cat or kitten would be crazy about them.


While you have your crochet hooks out, how about a hamster hideout?

For those of you who prefer the sewing machine, here are a couple ideas for you.


A dog stuffie, with or without squeaker. The shelters might actually prefer to not have squeakers. Having ten dogs of my own, I know how noisy it can get with everyone squeaking at the same time.

There are several sewn toys such as a daisy and fish at this site. They didn't have pictures, but they have patterns and instructions. Check them out. Try making them from an old pair of jeans that are worn out or too tight.

Now for those of you who don't knit, crochet or sew, you don't get off the hook. How about a no sew blanket? They're quick and easy and awfully cute. I know several people who tell me they're also addictive.


You may wind up making these fleece blankets for everyone on your gift list.

So now I think I've included everyone. Let's all make something for a shelter animal.

Happy Holidays

How did it get to be November so fast?

Ready or not we're on the countdown to the winter holidays. A lot of us, maybe most of us are crafts people. Some of us knit, some crochet and some sew. Some do a combination. Most of us probably have several projects going on at the same time. Here are some ideas for gifts for the family pet.


Knit dog bones

No matter what craft we do, we all have leftover yarn or fabric. Those little bits left from a large project make great pet gifts. Pets don't care about color or prints.


dog toy


knit mice for kitty

You can make some of these up in an evening and give them to your pet, or your grand-pet or a friend's pet for the holiday.


cat bee


fetching ducks


dumbell

Dianne, the next one is for you. I thought about the little chick that went to work with you last spring. Here's the perfect gift.

chicken shawl

How about a bed for a cat to snuggle into on a cold day?


snuggle tubbie

Now here comes the catch. You knew there had to be one, right? While you're whipping out some of these for family and friends, let's remember the shelter animals that don't have a loving home for the holidays. Think how happy it makes your dog or cat to receive a new toy . Shelter animals have the same feelings. They have so little and give so much. Make an extra for one of them.

If you have a shelter near you, drop off a toy or two or many, for the animals who will be spending their holidays behind bars. If you don't have a shelter nearby you can find a list of them here for shelters all over the world.

If you still can't locate a shelter or you can't get to one, contact me. If you want to send your toy to me, I'll distribute them to shelters that need them. There are many shelters that survive on a shoestring. In good economic times they struggle to feed, shelter and care for the homeless animals. These are not good economic times. There are more animals losing their homes and families every day and the shelters are under tremendous pressure to provide the necessities. Let's help the animals with a gift of a special treat.

Our next post will give patterns for blankets to knit, crochet, sew or just tie. They can provide a warm snuggly nest for a lonely animal.