Hill Gift Guide: Pets!

The Holiday Selection at Metro Mutts

The first Christmas Ramona and I spent together, I bought her one of those huge bags of various styles of rawhide which she promptly ripped open, piled up and then passed out on top of. She was so happy and content to spend Christmas day asleep on her mountain of rawhide.

These days, the pooch has packed on a few pounds, so I set out to find alternatives to keep her happy (and healthy) and included in our holiday festivities. (Admittedly, this is a dog-centric gift guide – please add your .02 on places to get holiday presents for fish, ferrets, and any other pets. There are some cat things further down the list.)

First up is a dog treat cookbook and appropriate cookie cutters, both from Hill’s Kitchen. You’re baking anyway, so why not whip up some treats for your pooch? Speaking of treats, Chateau Animaux always has a nice selection of pre-made seasonal treats in their case, which make excellent stocking stuffers!

When Ramona’s been a really good girl (read: rare), I head to Union Meat in Eastern Market for a marrow bone. She’s tolerated a pretty serious change in my schedule this year, so I think she may find one of these under the tree this year.

The coolest collars in the neighborhood are the creations by Capitol Hill’s own Jon Wye. Jon’s Fred Fred collars (named for his beloved pooch Fred, RIP) are as hip as his belts, and can be found for the rest of this week off the Hill at the Downtown Holiday Market and online at JonWye.com.

Okay, so maybe the pups don’t like it, but it doesn’t change the fact that they need to get clean. Michael Anthony Salon carries several items from the John Paul Pet line from Paul Mitchell. If you don’t want to do the grooming yourself, Bonnie’s Dog & Cat Grooming is there for all of your grooming needs, including full service dog (and cat!) bathing and self service bathing.

So maybe your dog is more naughty than nice. In that case, Spot On Dog Training is here to the rescue. You may even be able to get away with a simple phone consultation if you just need a little support (or know someone who does).

Metro Mutts has a huge selection of toys, collars, leashes, treats, coats and beds (not to mention an entire holiday section) for both dogs and cats. My favorites for the canines are the Dog Bed Duvets, the Nite Dawg LED Collars and Leashes (I bought one of these for Ramona for our last camping trip and they are the best thing ever; she wears hers for all of our nighttime walks), and the Dogrich Siberian Winter Coat (for pooches like Ramona who have hair instead of fur – she gets cold when the temps dip as low as they have!). Metro Mutts also caters to the felines in your life with toys like a remote control mouse, “Whack Attack” which allows indoor cats to honor their instincts and stalk and pounce on “prey” and a variety of catnip toys.

So, no need to leave your furry friends out when you’re buying local on the Hill in these last few days before Christmas… Now, you just have to hope they don’t knock the tree over or steal the turkey!