Animals getting Christmas gifts, too

Mariposa wasn’t particularly helpful when it came to picking out her own Christmas gift.

During a Thursday visit to the South Hill Petco, the golden-colored mixed-breed pooch sniffed everything but showed a preference for nothing.

So her owner, Francesca Benedetti, 21, bought Mariposa a blue stuffed octopus that makes three different noises, plus an edible rawhide box filled with holiday treats.

“You just want to spoil them once a year,” Benedetti explained.

Animal lovers are putting the “tail” into retail for local pet stores, with a surge in last-minute shopping in the days leading up to Christmas.

Darrel Williams, operations manager of the Petco on 29th Avenue, said the three days before Christmas tend to be the busiest of the year for the store.

“One of the biggest things is people bring their children in and say, ‘OK, pick out Spot’s Christmas gift,’ ” Williams said, adding that customers not only shop for their own animals, they also buy gifts for the neighborhood cat or a friend’s dog.

The American Pet Products Manufacturers Association, a nonprofit trade group, estimates that shoppers will spend $38.4 billion on animal-related purchases this year, which includes, food, vet care, supplies and grooming.

While people buy food and treats year round, store employees say that customers splurge during the holidays, buying products they wouldn’t purchase the rest of the year.

An assortment of rawhide candy canes and squeaky Santas will find their way into pet stockings across the region.

“The last couple of days we’ve just been packed with people buying stocking stuffers for their pets,” said Liana Tautz, an employee of the locally owned Duncan’s Pet Shop in Coeur d’Alene.

One customer spent $70 on Christmas collars and toys Friday morning, Tautz said, adding that the next couple of days are some of the busiest of the year for the store.

The south Spokane Petco has nearly sold out of its soft attachable reindeer antlers for dogs, and catnip mice are scurrying off the shelves.

Miles Bergsma, pet care manager for the Spokane Valley PetSmart, said people also buy presents for birds, reptiles and even hamsters.

Pets may not comprehend the greater meaning of the holiday, but what hamster wouldn’t love an edible hiding hut made of compressed alfalfa?

Even scaly pets are getting a cut of the gift-giving action.

“I have people come in and they will get a new piece of driftwood for their reptile,” Bergsma said.

Holiday sweaters for Chihuahuas are popular, Bergsma said, adding, “People like to dress their dogs up for Christmas. There’s all sorts of crazy stuff.”

Urban Canine on South Grand Boulevard sells high-end crystal dog and cat collars, along with specialty engraved name tags that are a hit this time of year. Popular toys include a doggie chew toy shaped like a carp and little cloth bags filled with a special kind of catnip that customers jokingly refer to as “kitty crack.”

“People enjoy shopping for their dogs and their friends’ dogs more than they do for actual people,” said storeowner Deborah Olmsted.

Unlike traditional retailers, which can do as much as half their business during the Christmas season, Olmsted said the three weeks leading up to the holiday bring a boost in sales of 15 percent to 20 percent.

The REI store on North Monroe Street has a couple of aisles of toys appealing to outdoorsy canines, including collapsible water dishes, flying discs that are lighted and even a $39 doggie dome tent.

“People spend a lot in here on their pets. They probably shop for their animals just as much as they do for their children,” said Joe Bosman, an employee.

Leila Crawford was looking through the offerings at REI late Thursday afternoon. This year she estimates that she’s spent about $100 on her two small mixed-breed dogs, Dewey and Sophie.

“They’re getting little fleece jackets. They’re getting several kinds of treats,” said Crawford, a retiree who lives in Chattaroy.

The pets have become the “at-home kids” for Crawford and her husband, who are empty-nesters and retired. Crawford said she got an early start on her dog shopping.

“I did them first because they are easy and they don’t really care.”