The origins of Valentine's Day weren't exactly hearts, flowers, and kisses, but that's what it symbolizes now! Valentine's Day is synonymous with cards, candy, gifts, and flowers. And for pet parents, it's also synonymous with special treats, toys, and dates with their best furry friend.
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| My Forever, Furry Valentines, Phoebe and Icy! |
Making your dog your Valentine? Great! 'Cause Dogs Make The Best Valentines Day Dates!!
Here are 5 Extra Special things to do with your dog this Valentine's Day. 💕
RELAXING SPA DAY OR HOMEMADE FACIAL
Several grooming salons and hotels offer spa treatments for dogs. They know many pet parents want to thoroughly spoil and pamper their pets.
The Pooch Hotel, in Massachusetts, will pamper your pet with style. In addition to more traditional dog grooming you can add spa treatments to thoroughly indulge your dog. I read about one place that even offers a warm Hydro Surge massage bath, hydrotherapy for dogs with arthritis and other muscle problems.
If a doggy day spa isn't in the budget, create an at-home spa treatment. Give your dog a facial and a pawdicure, dog friendly nail polish and all! I found a fun recipe for a homemade Blueberry Facial for your Dog on Wag's web site:
HOMEMADE FACIAL RECIPE:
🐾 In a mixing bowl, grind up a half cup of oats to a powder.
🐾 Add crushed fresh blueberries and combine.
🐾 Apply to your dog's facial with your fingers. Gently massage it into your dog's facial fur and skin (avoiding their eyes)
🐾 Rinse the mixture off your dog's face, using a soft cloth. It's ok if she licks some of it off, a small amount is healthy for them!
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Wag says that this will create a facial mix that is high in antioxidants and good for the dog's skin and fur. Check out their web site for full instructions and the proper method to give your dog a facial.
Blueberries tend to stain so make sure you don't use your good white towels!
Get some Valentines Day relaxation for you and your pup by taking a DOGA (Dog Yoga) Class. In New York City, you can book a private DOGA session with your dog, or find a group DOGA session to attend. Search for a DOGA class in your city!
Come visit my Etsy shop for giftable items women will love!
Are you doing anything special with your pet on Valentine's Day? Tell us about it in the Comments!
DOGA (Dog Yoga) CLASS
Get some Valentines Day relaxation for you and your pup by taking a DOGA (Dog Yoga) Class. In New York City, you can book a private DOGA session with your dog, or find a group DOGA session to attend. Search for a DOGA class in your city!
You can also Call a local yoga studio and ask if they know of any instructors that have led DOGA classes. A local animal shelter in my area actually hosted a few DOGA classes one Summer! How cool is that? There's a yoga studio in The Hamptons, NY that gives DOGA sessions in Summer as well. According to DOGA in NYC, "Doga is simply creating a space of presence where you and your dog can share a state of peace" That sounds good to me!
Host a Valentines Day Yappy Hour party for your dog's best furriends at your house, or search for one in your neighborhood. This is MY favorite!
A local brewery where we lived in New York has hosted Valentine's Day Yappy Hours. When I lived in Phoenix, Arizona there was a local bar that regularly hosted Yappy Hours. These days breweries have become so dog friendly! And many host fun events. If your favorite brewery doesn't do a Yappy Hour event, why not suggest it? If you live in a warm weather state and are near water, you may be lucky enough to find a Valentine's Day Yappy Hour Cruise!
A few years back I read about a singles group that hosted a mixer for singles looking for love... and their dogs! Attendees brought their dogs along to the event in the hopes of finding love. Talk about a great ice breaker, having dogs at an event! The event doubled as an animal welfare fundraiser. I love that idea.
Do an online search for Valentine's Day Yappy Hours in [your city]. BringFido.com/event lists Worldwide Dog Events, so it might be worth checking out their event page as well.
If you host a Valentine's Day Yappy Hour yourself, invite your dog's best furriends and have fun with a Valentine's Day theme!
💗 You can find inexpensive party themed items at the dollar store or craft stores.
💗 Get some Valentine's Day themed dog treats to serve your furry guests. Petco and PetSmart often have fun holiday themed dog treats.
💗 Set up some fun games for the dogs to play while the humans sip cocoa or wine. I like the super simple tennis ball muffin tin game. You place treats in a muffin tin and cover each of the muffin holes with a tennis ball. The dogs have to knock the balls out of the way to get to the treat!
Find the Treat is a super easy, fun game. Have the dogs stay out of the room while you hide small treats all around the room. Then let the dogs in and tell them to "find the treats!". Dogs catch on fast and will have a ton of fun treat hunting. I played this game with Icy and Phoebe on rainy days if they get antsy about having to stay indoors. They loved it!
If you have a few interactive or puzzle dog toys, bring them all out and have the dogs circle around to each one. Outward Hound makes great ones. We have several of them now.
Serve your dog a special home cooked Valentine's Day dinner. Boil up some Chicken, beef, or liver in a pot with healthy dog friendly vegetables like carrots, sweet potato, broccoli or other pet friendly veggies. Leave out the onion & garlic, as those can be toxic to pets! Add some brown rice or barley and serve up a homemade dog friendly feast.
If you don't have the time or desire to cook, look for special holiday dog foods by dog food brands like Merrick, Stella & Chewy, and others. Several brands make special Limited Edition, Seasonal Recipes.
Bake some special Valentine's Day dog treats, or Find a doggie bakery that makes something special for Valentines Day. Many dog bakeries (or BARKeries, as they're often called) will ship goodies right to your home.
Our friends at My GBGV Life have a great recipe for Strawberry Banana LuvCakes ! These are really special. My DIY Recipes, Crafts & Projects Pinterest board has lots of pet friendly recipes too, check it out.
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VALENTINE'S DAY YAPPY HOUR
Host a Valentines Day Yappy Hour party for your dog's best furriends at your house, or search for one in your neighborhood. This is MY favorite!
A local brewery where we lived in New York has hosted Valentine's Day Yappy Hours. When I lived in Phoenix, Arizona there was a local bar that regularly hosted Yappy Hours. These days breweries have become so dog friendly! And many host fun events. If your favorite brewery doesn't do a Yappy Hour event, why not suggest it? If you live in a warm weather state and are near water, you may be lucky enough to find a Valentine's Day Yappy Hour Cruise!
A few years back I read about a singles group that hosted a mixer for singles looking for love... and their dogs! Attendees brought their dogs along to the event in the hopes of finding love. Talk about a great ice breaker, having dogs at an event! The event doubled as an animal welfare fundraiser. I love that idea.
Do an online search for Valentine's Day Yappy Hours in [your city]. BringFido.com/event lists Worldwide Dog Events, so it might be worth checking out their event page as well.
If you host a Valentine's Day Yappy Hour yourself, invite your dog's best furriends and have fun with a Valentine's Day theme!
💗 You can find inexpensive party themed items at the dollar store or craft stores.
💗 Get some Valentine's Day themed dog treats to serve your furry guests. Petco and PetSmart often have fun holiday themed dog treats.
💗 Set up some fun games for the dogs to play while the humans sip cocoa or wine. I like the super simple tennis ball muffin tin game. You place treats in a muffin tin and cover each of the muffin holes with a tennis ball. The dogs have to knock the balls out of the way to get to the treat!
Find the Treat is a super easy, fun game. Have the dogs stay out of the room while you hide small treats all around the room. Then let the dogs in and tell them to "find the treats!". Dogs catch on fast and will have a ton of fun treat hunting. I played this game with Icy and Phoebe on rainy days if they get antsy about having to stay indoors. They loved it!
If you have a few interactive or puzzle dog toys, bring them all out and have the dogs circle around to each one. Outward Hound makes great ones. We have several of them now.
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| Interactive games can be fun for multiple dogs to play with together |
SERVE UP A SPECIAL VALENTINE'S DAY DINNER
Serve your dog a special home cooked Valentine's Day dinner. Boil up some Chicken, beef, or liver in a pot with healthy dog friendly vegetables like carrots, sweet potato, broccoli or other pet friendly veggies. Leave out the onion & garlic, as those can be toxic to pets! Add some brown rice or barley and serve up a homemade dog friendly feast.
If you don't have the time or desire to cook, look for special holiday dog foods by dog food brands like Merrick, Stella & Chewy, and others. Several brands make special Limited Edition, Seasonal Recipes.
SPECIALTY DOG CAKES & TREATS
Bake some special Valentine's Day dog treats, or Find a doggie bakery that makes something special for Valentines Day. Many dog bakeries (or BARKeries, as they're often called) will ship goodies right to your home.
Our friends at My GBGV Life have a great recipe for Strawberry Banana LuvCakes ! These are really special. My DIY Recipes, Crafts & Projects Pinterest board has lots of pet friendly recipes too, check it out.
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Now that you've planned something extra special for your dog this Valentines Day, why not treat yourself to something special? I have some wonderful Spa and Beauty gift boxes for Valentine's Day (or Galentine's Day) Gifts available in my Etsy store, Nature and Critters! Go on, indulge yourself, or that special lady in your life - you both deserve it!
Come visit my Etsy shop for giftable items women will love!
Are you doing anything special with your pet on Valentine's Day? Tell us about it in the Comments!
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You may also be interested in these blog posts:.
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Choosing the Right Boarding Facility for your Dog
Dog Vacation in Vermont and New Hampshire
25 comments:
Those are wonderful ideas! We are going to take the boys for a walk and maybe a puppicino from Starbucks.
Given we have the flu in our home this year I think it will just be Netflix and that's that. LOL but normally I take him to his favourite hike. It's not the closest so it's a real treat for him. Rain check this round!
These are some fun ideas. I think my daughter will end up throwing a little dog party tonight for our pups. Usually lots of treats involved with some tricks and games. Happy Valentine's Day!
My cat says TREATS, PLEASE! LOTSA TREATS...and bird-TV. LOL! These are great suggestions.
You have some totally awesome ideas, especially for the late to Valentine's Day folk (like us!!!).
We will, I think, go with the meal option, because we can get the cats a bit of salmon or tuna and cook it as a special treat!
These are cute ideas. I love the idea of a doggie Yappy Hour! So clever!
That sounds wonderful, our dogs Love puppaccinos from Starbucks!
Oh no, I'm sorry to hear you have been hit by the dreaded Flu! I'm sure Montecristo won't mind taking a rain check on that hike.
Thanks Debi! A dog party is the Best, have fun!!
Oh yeah, treats and bird TV sound great! Have fun!
Thanks Kamira. I love Yappy Hours, they're so much fun for humans and dogs!
I want to take a doga class sometime but all of the places that offer them here are tiny/super crowded and I think Mr. N would need more space to feel comfortable. He's getting chews for Valentine's Day.
Those are great ideas to celebrate Valentine's Day. And I think every dog lover deserves to treat herself too!
Love the ideas especially the spa treatment, mmmmm will have to make that happen for myself this year when I send Layla to the groomers LOL. Happy Valentines with a woof from layla and Me xxx
We do spa days regularly so that won't work for my pups. They are spoiled BOL - I think I will give them a special dinner tonight.
These are some great ideas! I love the Valentine's Day Yappy Hour idea. When we lived in Austin, they had yappy hours all the time and the dogs just loved them. We celebrated with extra long fetch sessions and now we're moving on to movie night snuggles. Happy Valentine's Day!
These are all adorable! My dogs spent the day at daycare and came home exhausted. Happy Valentines Day to me!! LOL
Unfortunately, Buffy did not get a special day today since I had to work at two jobs today. I did play a long session of ball with her, which I don't always do, but should since she could lose her sight from glaucoma at any time. I like the strawberry banana luv cakes!
I love these ideas, so fun and creative, especially the blueberry facial. I might just try that for myself, but for my kitties, um no. Maybe I’ll leave a glass on the table for Baggy to knock off! Lol
Hope you all had a very Happy Hearts Day! I love the idea of Yappy Hour! Treats and beverages are always welcome by all here - two-legged and four! For Valentine's Day here, we just chilled together and the FiveSibes did sing me a Husky song! <3 Oh, yes, and there were treats for all! ;-)
When her hair is really short (as it is in this article) she
sticks her right ear up to listen carefully to different sounds and tell which
direction they are coming from.
Ah, Valentine's day, one of the things we always forget :-) And for our new girl, every day is a celebration. Well, except this weekend when it's too cold to do anything but very short walks.
So much fun, Cathy! I love the idea of doggy yoga. I haven't tried it officially with Henry, but I would love to do it. I think Henry would love a yummy homemade doggy Valentine's cookie. Super fun ideas! I'm sharing with my dog parents. Henry says Jessie needs a cookie in preparation for Valentine's Day.
Great ideas for a special day with a special pup. I love the Yappy Hour idea, sounds like fun and not something you'd do every day.
I didn't know it used to be a pagan fertility ritual. And yes, I give my cat a special Valentine's dinner and make sure to spend the day with him.
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