‘My Mutt’ Poster
Donate $250 to the shelter or rescue group your friend wants to support, and a photographer will go to your friend’s home for a photo shoot (any animal may participate as long as it was adopted). Pet Food Express pays for the photography, the poster, and for the in-store mounting. For a donation of $500 or more, your friend can keep the poster after it has been displayed for a year in one of the Pet Food Express stores. Not only does “My Mutt” make stars of pets (Jazzy gets recognized all over the place!) and raise adoption awareness, the program also helps to pay for much-needed food, medicine, space, and other shelter and rescue group needs.
All Bay Area Pet Food Express stores, www.petfoodexpress.com
Limited Edition Alexander Daas Sunglasses
Anyone who walks a dog every day needs a pair of great-fitting, quality sunglasses, preferably ones with polarized lenses to shield eyes from glare and harmful rays. After years of seeing why customers returned other brands and what people were looking for when they bought glasses at his Chestnut Street store, San Francisco Optics, Alex Feldman decided it was time to put all that knowledge into his own line of high-end eyewear. After three years of development, a limited edition has launched just in time for the holidays (with more sunglasses as well as ophthalmic frames to follow). They fit like a glove, and even the polarized lenses are chic rather than the typical sporty style.
San Francisco Optics, 2248 Chestnut Street (near Pierce), 415-922-7500, www.alexanderdaas.com
Hip collars from Greenbelts
Greenbelts One-of-a-Kind Collars and Leashes
Greenbelts are handmade from recycled leather belts and many of the embellishments are also recycled, like buttons, bottle caps, washers, studs, rivets, and scrap leather. Not only are these some of the hippest collars I’ve ever seen (and Jazzy has plenty of cool collars), you’ll be keeping one more thing out of the landfill! Each one is hand crafted by Northwest artist Shannon Ritscher. Greenbelts are creative, funky and unique, and Shannon will also design a custom collar just for you.
At select boutiques (such as Annabee’s, 5410 Coast Highway, Pacifica, www.annabees.biz) or www.etsy.com/shop/greenbelts
Donate to a Rescue Group/ Shelter in Your Friend’s Name
In these tough economic times, donations are down and shelter dogs are up – with the housing crisis, nearly 30 percent of dogs in shelters are papered purebreds, and the mutts like Jazzy are still coming in by the thousands due to America’s horrific pet overpopulation problem (over half of the eight million animals entering the shelter system each year are put to death for lack of homes). If you have a friend who is an animal lover, even if he or she can’t have a pet, by making a donation to a shelter or rescue, you will not only be giving a gift that gives back, but you will be saving a life. Most rescue groups also allow you to sponsor a specific animal, so it’s like having your own virtual pet (especially if your landlord won’t let you bring one home).
Worthy local rescue groups and shelter organizations include Rocket Dog, Grateful Dogs, Wonder Dog, Muttville, Give Me Shelter Cat Rescue, and Friends of San Francisco Animal Care and Control
Treasures found in a gift basket from
Moulin Pooch
Dog Gift Baskets from Moulin Pooch
Just in time for the holidays, Moulin Pooch has a variety of custom-made dog gift baskets, the perfect gift for a hostess or the person who has everything, including a pooch. Baskets range in price from $20 to $50. The one featured here contains a wine bottle filled with dog treats; travel credit-card size dog bowl; The Original Pup-Pie for dogs; Roll Over Red Rover custom “Moulin Pooch” cookie treats; and Grandma Lucy’s Freeze Dried Meatball Treats.
Moulin Pooch, 1750 Union Street (near Gough), 415-440-7007, www.moulinpooch.com