Gifts for Dog and Cat People Who Already Own Eleven Squeaky Toys
Practical gifts pet parents resent buying, plus the sentimental one they'd never buy themselves — and how to get a photo worth framing.
Pet people look easy to buy for and mostly aren’t. The obvious lane — toys, treats, a bandana — is a lane they drive down every week themselves. Whatever you pick, they own three.
So buy sideways.
The practical thing they resent buying
The gift every pet owner needs and resents having to buy. Reusable beats sticky rollers.
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Slows down a fast eater and tires out a bored dog. More useful than another squeaky toy.
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Also the easiest way to get a dog looking sharp for the portrait photo.
Browse on Amazon →The hair remover is the highest-hit-rate gift on this page. Every pet owner needs one, everyone finds it annoying to spend money on, and a reusable roller beats sticky sheets forever.
A puzzle toy is the one toy worth giving, because it does something a squeaker doesn’t — slows a fast eater down and tires a bored dog out mentally.
The one they’d never buy themselves
This is the gift that gets photographed and posted. A royal portrait of their own animal, made from a photo they already have on their phone — it’s absurd and sincere at the same time, which is exactly how people feel about their pets.
There’s a digital version too if you’re buying last-minute and need it tonight.
Getting a photo worth using
A plain backdrop makes a phone photo good enough to turn into a portrait.
Browse on Amazon →How you get a dog to actually sit still for the reference photo.
Browse on Amazon →Four things make a phone photo good enough: natural light, the camera down at the animal’s eye level, a plain background, and a treat held just above the lens so they look at it. Take thirty, keep one.
Then read our framing guide — portraits reward going one size larger than you think.
Frequently asked questions
What do you get someone who already spoils their pet?
How do I get a good photo for a pet portrait?
Is a puzzle toy better than a normal dog toy?
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