Do you have a special gift just begging for dog-themed wrapping? For small gifts, you can buy 12″ x 12” sheets of scrapbook paper printed with canine designs. Check your local craft or scrapbooking stores. I found more than a dozen different patterns at one local shop for 69 cents per sheet. These stores also have dog-themed ribbon and embellishments if you really want to do it up big.

My next few ideas may be short and sweet. I’ve had a little accident (dog-related) and have been reduced to working only with my left hand.

I really need to teach Dash to type.

Are you looking for just the right gift card or certificate for your favorite dog person? Here are some ideas:

• Dog massage. This is especially great for performance dogs or senior dogs, with veterinary okay. Ask for references from your veterinarian, performance dog owners, or human massage/physical therapists.
• Pet first aid class at your local Red Cross.
• Puppy, obedience, rally, or agility class.
• Playday at doggy day care.
• Set up a credit for your recipient at his or her veterinarian.
• A sitting with a pet photographer

Gift cards or certificates from the services below are always appreciated: 

• Petsmart or Petco
• Dog supply catalogs, such as Sit Stay.com and Foster and Smith.
• Local dog bakeries and boutiques
• Favorite dog groomer or kennel

Today is the beginning of the Christmas shopping season. For the gifts below, you don’t have to fight the crowds or wear the print off your credit cards. All you need is a little time and imagination and you’ll have great gifts to give.

• Do you have a dog friend who is not computer savvy? Offer to give her a tour of the most useful dog sites and introduce her to the online dog community. Set up bookmarks for her to find the sites later.
  • Show her how to join and participate in a dog discussion group (try Yahoo Groups DogZone)
  • Show her how to browse dog photos of her favorite breed or activity on Flickr, and then upload her own photos.
  • Give her great resource sites to refer to, both local and national.
  • Help her find sites that appeal to her interests (such as breed, dog sport, or canine cause sites).

• Make IOU coupons for your favorite dog person for things such as:
• dog walks
• grooming & nail clippings
• baths
• play dates
• pet sitting
• a digital photo session
• helping your friend set up her equipment at a dog show or event.
• a dog-themed movie night (pick up a couple of dollar DVD rentals and bring the popcorn)

• Make your favorite dog-lover a calendar with dog events for the coming year. Include dog shows, pet fairs, televised dog events, her dog’s birthday or anniversary, etc. To find the events, check with your local shelters, city hall, training facilities, dog clubs, dog shops, and the AKC.

• Knit or sew a cushiony dog mat or rug.

• Braid a strong tug toy out of strips of old blue jeans.

• Mix up some dog biscuits for a special dog. There are lots of recipes online. Package them in inexpensive clear treat bags or decorative tins.

• Buy a small table-top tree and tie bone-shaped biscuits to the branches with ribbon.

• Make some unique refrigerator magnets by hot gluing a magnet to the back of a dog biscuit that has been coated with water-based polyurethane. (Keep these magnets out of the dog’s reach!)

While your family is together for the holidays, why not look through old photos for those that include the family dog? You may be surprised how often the family dog appears in your photos, and how cherished they seem to be.

Look closely at each photo. Is the dog the sole subject of the photo? Is he on the furniture? Is the dog sitting formally alongside family members, or is he in someone’s arms? Is there communication between the dog and people? Is the photo humorous?

I found a wonderful family portrait from the 1930s on the day my grandparents adopted their new dog, Foxie. There is a later photo of Foxie posed alone in the driver’s seat of the car, as if she were headed to town. Mitzi, the family German Shepherd, figured prominently in the photo taken the day my grandmother brought my father home from the hospital (above). A later photo shows Mitzi laying beside my father as he slept on a blanket on the lawn.

Sometimes a poor photograph that was saved shows the degree of attachment for a pet. I found a photograph of a white blur, kept for nearly one hundred years, obviously out of sentiment. It is the only known photograph of my grandmother’s childhood dog, Teddy.

Now that you’ve found photographs of the family dog, what can you do with them? Here are some ideas:

• Put together a photo album with captions.
• Create scrapbook pages or an entire album.
• Frame and display the photos as a group.
• Make copies and give to dog-loving relatives. Frame special photos as gifts.
• Display the photos on your website, or a photo sharing site (like Flickr, Yahoo, or Snapfish).

Make sure you choose acid-free materials to preserve your precious photographs.

Our dogs are so important to us today, but often they were just as important to those in our past. Talk to your older relatives. Show them the photos you’ve found, and take notes as they reminisce. Ask about their pets and write down the stories. You may find you come from a long line of dog-lovers.

For wonderful old dog photos, browse the Old Photos with Dogs group on Flickr. You can also join the group and contribute your family photos. Enjoy!

Gift: Dog magazines are great Christmas presents for you or your dog-loving friends. Subscribe now and the first issue may arrive before the end of the year.

Below is a list of some of the most popular dog magazines, most of which can be found on the newsstand:

• AKC Gazette
• AKC Family Dog
• Animal Wellness
• Bark
• Dog Fancy
• Dog and Kennel
• Dog World
• Dogs for Kids
• Fido Friendly
• Modern Dog

Another popular publication is the Whole Dog Journal. WDJ is a journal, rather than a magazine. There are no ads; each page is pure content. You can receive a paper copy of the Whole Dog Journal via snailmail, or you may choose a digital subscription for a reduced rate. With the digital subscription, you can read the issue online, and download and save each issue on your computer to print or read later.

There are many magazines, not found on the newsstands, that are breed or sport-specific. Search online for those you might be interested in, or start at World Newspapers for a ready-made list of various dog magazines.

Share: Do you subscribe to dog magazines, read them once, and then throw them away? Why not give the magazines to a library, junior dog group (such as 4H), bring them to a club meeting, or give to friends.

Swap: Swap magazines with someone in another country for a different perspective. Are you on a dog forum or discussion list? Ask if anyone would like to swap magazines with you. To save money, send via media mail in the US and surface mail overseas. You package will take longer to arrive, but it’s much cheaper. It’s a good idea to waterproof your package. Put magazines in a plastic bag before wrapping them to mail.

Recycle: If you tear out pages you’re interested in and then discard your magazines, why not recycle them? Abitibi has many locations across North America, and they welcome magazines, catalogs and other slick paper.

I frequently wander through the AKC Museum of the Dog and wish for prints of my favorite pieces. Happily, you can find great dog art online. Why not buy yourself a little present?

• Fine Art Dog Prints: This site has many breed-specific prints by a variety of artists
• All Posters and Art.com: Both of these sites have a wide variety of modern and traditional dog art. I can spend a lot of time browsing these sites!
• Collectors Prints: This site has a large selection of antique prints, most with certificates of authenticity.
• Enid Groves: A friend in Seattle sent me one of Enid’s humorous breed studies. (Thanks, Diana!) See if Enid has your breed.
• eBay : Of course, eBay is always a great source for dog art. You can find old pieces, and discover new artists. It’s not uncommon to find prints signed by the artist.

If you have a favorite breed, try searching for an artist or collection dedicated to that breed on Google or Yahoo. Check with your breed club; often members who are artists specialize in their breed.

Do you have a favorite dog art site or artist that’s online? Please let us know!