Purr-fect Picks for Pets
With Christmas just around the corner, merchants have noticed families are shopping for gifts for their pets as they become cherished members of the family.
One pet store owner suggests that pet lovers resolve for Christmas to buy better pet food and improve the nutrition for their pets.
Burton Patrick, owner of Burton's Total Pets in Viola Plaza off Route 19 in Cranberry Township, said pet owners should be giving their pets better food and better treats to improve their pets' overall health.
He said when people are in his store during the holidays, he often talks to them about long-term pet care.
“Making them happy with a plush toy is OK, too, but I want them to take stock with what is best for their pet,” said Patrick.
If a customer decides to buy a toy for their pet, Patrick suggests an interactive toy to keep the animal busy.
Theresa Price, owner of Pets in the Park in Butler, said the holiday season always brings an increase in business from pet owners looking for gifts.
Her store's inventory ranges from practical gifts like clothes and doggy boots to more unique gifts like yogurt-dipped cookies or rawhide bones shaped as candy canes.
Regardless of what kind of gift a pet owner is searching for, Price said there's a good chance her store has something for everyone. “Probably just in this one store there are a thousand different toys for cats and dogs,” she said.“I've been putting new ones out on the shelves every day. I've been doing this for 38 years now, and it seems like it just keeps getting bigger and bigger.”Price said there also are gift certificates that can be given to friends or family members who are looking for something special for their pets.Betty Paugh, manager of Oesterling Lawn and Garden on South Monroe Street, said yuletide pet purchases have been sporadic over the past several years.Paugh, whose name rhymes with the furry-feet of canine and feline gift recipients, said the pet-present market declined when the economy bottomed out in 2008. But she said some customers have returned in the past few years, picking up toys for their fuzzy charges.
Paugh said prestuffed stockings for dogs and cats are available at Oesterling's. Most contain a variety of toys, but one includes cinnamon peanut butter treats for dogs in keeping with the holiday theme.But Paugh's own two dogs may not be able to tell when it is Christmas morning.“They get toys all year long,” she said.<B><I>Eagle staff writers Jared Stonesifer, Paula Grubbs and Bob Schultz contributed to this report.</B></I>
