Jack and Izzy the spaniels love Christmas as much as we humans! We have a constant stream of visitors for our pets to jump over and deposit hair on (they sure do regret wearing black!) Unfortunately we lost Supercat Roddy this year, so there’ll only be two pet Christmas stockings hanging on the mantelpiece this year. The dogs even have a small Christmas dinner on the big day … of course they love Christmas! As a nation of animal lovers our appreciation and desire to help local wildlife is also covered in this guide – there really is something for everyone. Here’s our 2024 Christmas Gift Guide for Pets & Wildlife … enjoy!
#AD Disclaimer: Some of these products were gifted to us for consideration.
SCOFF PAPER EDIBLE GREETING CARD FOR DOGS
“The world’s first edible cards for dogs”
I just had to open this gift guide with these Personalised Edible Christmas Cards from Scoff Paper (RRP £6.00). This is something you don’t see everyday! We receive Christmas cards on the run up to the festivities – well, why shouldn’t pets get one too? Not just a card – let’s be honest, they can’t read – but one they can eat! We all pamper our pooches, so why not get them a beautifully illustrated bacon-flavoured edible Christmas card? There’s even edible ink pens so you can write them a message. Or perhaps your pooch wants to send Fido next door a festive greeting? These are perfect for that, though the human will need to write on it for them.
Scoff Paper edible greetings cards (as seen on Dragon’s Den) are fully edible and are made of potato starch printed with edible vegetable inks. No rawhide, which is important to mention. I won’t give my dogs rawhide. The cards are not confined to Christmas, but birthdays, gotcha days, get well soon – even wedding-related ones. Jack received the ‘naughty list’ card, and then promptly ate it. The ‘nice list’ card was sent to Izzy, but Jack ate that one too, emphasising the point. Clearly, they are very tasty, and very moreish!
GREEN FEATHERS WILDLIFE CAMERAS
“Helping you bring nature indoors”
Green Feathers has spent over 13 years designing and building the very best bird and wildlife cameras. For the last 11 years, a family of blue tits has nested in the same bird box in our small suburban garden. Every year, having watched Springwatch on TV, I’ve wanted to put a camera in the box so I could watch them. But I never have, as I’m worried about disturbing this obviously ideal home for the birds.
However, our (other) home in Wales is very rural, with lots of amazing wildlife, and here I have a new owl box ready to hang high up in a eucalyptus tree in the garden. I plan to add the Green Feathers’ Wifi Bird Box and Wildlife Habitat HD Camera (RRP £149 [currently £131.12]) to this box before placing it in position. It would be beyond amazing to capture barn owl footage on it! The camera can be connected to your mobile via an app, so you can watch any activity from the comfort of your armchair.
At the bottom of the garden, which is more wild than the rest of the space, I’ve used house PIR security cameras to record night time wildlife visitors, including badgers, foxes, deer … and domestic cats! This camera needs charging regularly, which is a bit of a pain. So it is going to be replaced by the Green Feathers’ Solar Powered WiFi Bird Box & Wildlife HD Camera (RRP £199 [currently £175.12]). This will solve my charging issues, and again I’ll be able to use the phone app to monitor activity. I will need to add some WiFi boosters though. Each camera has built-in audio, wide angle lenses to pick up as much activity as it can, motion sensors and night vision. The memory can be expanded with the addition of a MicroSD card up to 128GB.
Once set up and establised, I will blog about these products, so do keep an eye out. In the meantime, I’m sure you know of a nature loving friend who would LOVE a wildlife camera this Christmas.
GREEN & WILD’S CHRISTMAS 2024
“Naturally for pets”
The PackThePJs family half dreads Christmas, as this is when Izzy the English Springer Spaniel restocks her toy collection! She is obsessed with toys! Jack, on the other hand, is not so fussed – although he will play with toys just to annoy Izzy and to assert his male dominance. This year, Carol the Christmas Tree (RRP £12.95) is heading into Izzy’s Santa stocking. This rather substantial in size eco toy has a soft suede outer with natural jute fibre stuffing. It’s very well made, and will last. Jute is a natural, sustainable plant fibre, which is 100% biodegradable.
Jack has permanent munchies due to taking life-long steroid medication – he’s most definitely looking forward to Green & Wild’s Crimbo Crunchers Salmon & Pumpkin Seed dog snacks (RRP £6.95). Baked in Cornwall, they are 100% natural. These Christmas Tree shaped snacks are high in omega-3 for healthy skin and coat, and contain the amino acid cucurbitacin that is an effective agent against worms and other intestinal parasites.
LONELY PLANET’S THE JOY OF BIRDWATCHING
“60 joyous and memorable birding experiences“
You’ll know by now that we are rather obsessed with our garden birds. During lockdown we spent so much time in the garden, feeding the birds and building a species list. For a small suburban garden the list was rather impressive. Now that we can travel again, we’ve factored in bird-spotting opportunities everywhere we’ve been. This book, The Joy of Birdwatching (RRP £22.99) contains 60 memorable birding experiences organised by region, plus 120 extra recommendations of birding encounters across the world. It’s a lovely book and would make a wonderful gift this Christmas.
WILDWASH FRAGRANCE NO3 GIFT SET
“Natural pet care”
WildWash has been our go-to number 1 brand for dog shampoo and conditioner for many years now. Izzy has quite sensitive skin and is prone to dry, scabby patches. But we keep this under control with a regular bath. The gorgeous smell that fills the bathroom turns a regular dog wash into a spa experience! This WildWash Fragrance No. 3 Gift Set (RRP £59.95) has everything you need to totally pamper your dog, knowing you are using products containing the best quality ingredients; in this product range those ingredients are Sweet Orange, Coriander, and Cedarwood.
The set includes WildWash Coat Enhancing Shampoo Fragrance No. 3 (300ml), WildWash Nourishing Conditioner (300ml), WildWash Coat Enhancing Perfume Fragrance No. 3 (200ml) and WildWash Magic Paw Balm (50ml). These are all contained within a natural cotton gift bag. A fabulous gift for any pet pooch.
POOCH & MUTT PET TOYS
“Be part of the best pooch pack around”
Pooch & Mutt are known for their healthy pet food for the body and mind, but as we know exercise is important too. So we’re showcasing three of their pets toys in this gift guide. Izzy has been eyeing up Patch Toy (RRP £12.99) since it arrived! It is made from recycled plastic bottles and is suitable for all breeds from the age of 12 weeks upwards. Patch is Pooch & Mutt’s mascot. This toy is for cuddles and sensory comfort only, not tugging. It measures 22.8cm x 17.8cm x 15.2cm.
The Snuffle Ball (RRP £8.99) is designed to reduce pets anxiety and boredom. You can pop your pet’s favourite treats within the folds of the ball and they will then sniff and chase it around the room, eating the treats as they find them. It is made from over 75% recycled materials and has a diameter of 12.7cm. Â
The Treat Ball (RRP £8.99) is such a brilliant toy for dogs to stimulate, challenge and reward. Jack loves it and could chase it around for hours. This is a pet toy for all ages and breeds that gives the dog exercise while they are snacking. The Treat Ball is 9cm in diameter, the perfect size for our Springer Spaniels. The ball distributes treats as they play; it has special grooves that provide sensory stimulation and also helps to clean their teeth and relieve boredom. So three different gift options. If you are struggling to pick one, get all three – your dog will love you for it!
THE AWESOME WILDLIFE COMPANY DEWDROP WINDOW BIRD FEEDER
“Passionate about encouraging UK wildlife back into gardens”
The Awesome Wildlife Company sells products that are good for your garden, good for local wildlife and good for the wider environment. Encouraging birds and wildlife into our garden has always been key for us, by means of bird boxes, feeders, water baths, and hedgehog habitats. During the winter garden birds struggle to find food. By providing a good bird feeder filled with good quality seed, or hanging fat balls, your feathered friends with be most grateful. This Dewdrop Window Bird Feeder (RRP £14.99) is designed to stick to your window pane using the attached rubber suckers. Offering a variety of seed and mealworms it should attract a range of different bird species. And you can enjoy watching them from the warmth of your home!Â
WOODLAND WILDLIFE PUZZLE FROM GIBSONS
“Bringing people together”
Christmas in the PackThePJs household always, without fail, includes a family puzzle. So much so, when we look for new coffee tables we check to make sure they are puzzle friendly in both size and surface! Our festive puzzling is a sociable activity, but it is also a great excuse to remove yourself from the chaos and noise that is Christmas to take time out to relax and recentre. Nature is very important and alongside travelling is a main interest for all family members, so our puzzle choice for Christmas is often nature or pet-themed.
This year we have chosen this beautiful 1000-piece Woodland Wildlife puzzle by The Art File (RRP £15.99). It is a winter scene, as the snow is starting to fall – but it is full of British Wildlife; owls, robins, finches, fox, badger, rabbit, deer and squirrel all hiding within the fungi, chestnuts and berries. It is going to be a challenge, so pour me a Snowball and leave me to it for an afternoon!
SOOPA PET CHRISTMAS SELECTION BOX
“100% natural products, full of human grade superfood ingredients”
My pets love Christmas treats. Unfortunately when you pop into pet shops most of the festive-themed treats tend to be rawhide. I won’t allow Jack or Izzy to have any rawhide products, so this limits what we can buy them – sorry I mean what Santa can leave in their stockings. This Christmas Selection Box from SOOPA (RRP £6.99) contains dental sticks and healthy bites. Each festive box contains 4 cranberry and sweet potato dental sticks, as well as 50 healthy bites. The treats are all grain-free and hypoallergenic, and because it’s made with natural ingredients, you can be sure your dog is getting only the best this Christmas.
NYLABONE EXTREME POWER CHEW
“World’s best chew toys since 1955”
This Nylabone pets chew toy is an old favourite of our dogs. Jack and Izzy will chew one of these for hours. The chew never wears out. They are great for cleaning your dog’s teeth so as well as providing a valuable activity for your pet there is a health element too. This particular Extreme Power Chew (RRP £14.99) is bacon flavoured. The chew rolls, so keeps your dog running around in circles like a total nutter!
I am so happy to see a Christmas gift guide for pets. The edible greeting cards surely surprised me!
Aren’t those cards fabulous! My dogs love the smell of them – having to keep them out of their reach!
I haven’t bought anything for my dog yet, thanks for all the great suggestions!
Is there anything in this guide that you are tempted to get them?
I love that little pet advent calendar! What a lovely gift guide.
It really is good – the dogs go mad each day as they don’t understand why they can’t have all the treats right now!