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Gift Baskets for a pet in your life can be a wonderful idea for Christmas, or if someone that you know has just gotten a new pet, a gift basket can be a terrific idea to give the new pet owner some items that they will need for a happy pet. In this article I am going to specifically deal with dogs, but it would be very simple to substitute items for a cat, or any other pet.
The first thing you will need is a container in which to place your items. My first choice here would be an inexpensive dog bed. These can be purchased at department stores and come in a variety of styles and colors. If you are feeling a little crafty, you can always purchase a basket and make a liner for it yourself, matching the decor of the pet owner. Another suggestion for a container would be a good sized tin; these can be purchased at many discount or department stores. While the size of tin to which I am referring generally holds popcorn, you can purchase these empty. Or if you would like, recycle one of these old popcorn tins. These tins will be wonderful for later use to hold the pet’s food, I use a slightly larger version of one of these tins to hold my dog food. It will keep the dog from getting into a bag of food, ripping it open and spilling it all over the floor.
Once you have chosen a container for your gift basket, it is now time to start filling it with goodies for the pet. Food and water dishes are always a good choice, these can be picked up very inexpensively at discount stores. Also another suggestion would be to buy a small throw rug, that can be machine washed to place the pets bowls on. This works well, particularly if the pet is a little messy in the eating or drinking department. Any food or water will end up on the rug, which can then be thrown in the washer and dryer for quick cleanup.
Toys and rawhide chew sticks are also a good choice to add to your basket. What about an attractive collar and leash? Another suggestion to add to the pet collar would be a name tag with the owners name and phone number engraved on the tag. If a pet would happen to get lost, this tag could mean that the pet would be returned to the owner. These tags can be purchased at many different locations, I have seen them at small jewelry booths in a mall, that will do the engraving while you wait. Also many veterinary offices or local pet shelter will have suggestions on where to have these tags made.
Dog shampoo or a grooming brush would also make an excellent choice for an addition to your basket. Things like toenail clippers, flea collars and a doggy toothbrush are also things a new pet owner may appreciate.
Do you like to bake? While you can purchase dog biscuits, I am going to include several recipes to make home made dog biscuits. The first recipe is made in your bread machine.
DOG COOKIES- this recipe will make 30 cookies
1 cup beef, chicken or vegetable stock or broth
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat or rye flour (or any other dark colored flour)
1 cup Bulgar wheat
1/4 cup non-fat dry milk powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 ½ teaspoon yeast.
Combine all of the ingredients in your bread machine pan, you will only be using the dough cycle with this recipe. When the dough cycle is completed, roll the dough out to 1/4 inch thick. Cut this with cookie cutters (they do make cookie cutters in the shape of dog biscuits) or you can just cut this into squares or rectangles with a sharp knife. Place your cutouts on cookie sheets that have been sprinkled with cornmeal. Cover with a clean towel and let rise in a warm place for 45 minutes. Bake at 325 for 45 minutes. When all the cookies are finished baking return them all to the cooling oven, and let them sit overnight to harden. Store these in an airtight container.
BONE APPETIT DOG BISCUITS
3 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups old fashioned oats
1/4 cup wheat germ
1/4 cup non-fat dry milk powder
1 1/4 cups water
1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
1 large egg
½ teaspoon garlic powder
Adjust the rack of your oven to the last setting and preheat the oven to 275. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Toss the dry ingredients together. Blend the water, peanut butter and the egg together until smooth. Add this to the dry ingredients and stir until well blended. (The dough will be stiff, you may actually have to use your hands to mix this together)
Roll or pat out the dough to ½ inch thick. Cut out with a cookie cutter, or again use a sharp knife. Place the biscuits on the baking sheet and bake for about 1 ½ hours. If you would like crisper biscuits, bake for an additional 1 to 1 ½ hours. Store in an airtight container.
DOGGIE BISCUITS- to be made in your microwave
1 cup whole wheat flour
½ cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup non-fat dry milk powder
½ cup quick cooking oats
1/4 cup cornmeal
1 teaspoon sugar
1/3 cup shortening
1 egg
1 tablespoon instant beef or chicken bouillon granules
1 cup hot water
Combine the flours, milk powder, oats, cornmeal and sugar in a bowl. Cut in the shortening until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in the egg. Stir the instant bouillon granules into the hot water until dissolved. Pour this into the flour mixture, stirring until moistened. Form the dough into a ball, and knead several times on a floured surface.
Divide dough in half and roll out to ½ inch thick, cut with cookie cutters. Or you can make this recipe into nuggets by rolling the dough into a 1 inch diameter log, slice off into ½ inch thick slices. Arrange your cutouts or nuggets on a microwave safe plate. Microwave on Medium for 5 to 10 minutes, or until firm and dry to the touch. You will need to turn these over, halfway through the microwaving. Sit these on a wire rack until cool. They will crisp as they cool. Store in an airtight container.
I hope this article will give you some gift ideas for the dog in your life, or in the life of a friend or relative. They will certainly appreciate the thought and the effort that you went to, to make the life of a pet a little nicer.
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