Valentine Dog Treats
(or Gifts for Other Special Occasions)

Valentine's Day is a celebration of love... so why not make it extra special for the canine love of your life? Valentine dog treats are sure to be welcome, and tasty homemade goodies are both easy to make and dogs love them. You can even give them away as gifts to your dog-crazy friends! Here are a few ideas for packaging up some Valentine dog treats: First, of course, you'll need your treats (use dog-themed cookie cutters to cut biscuits into dog shapes, or fire hydrants, or bones...). Try these gourmet dog treat recipes:

• Homemade Doggie-licious Carob Treats
• Cornbread Mix and Liver Recipe
  *** These treats are very perishable, so only use them in gift packages if the dog is going to consume them right away (or else let the recipient know that the treats have to be refrigerated).
• Homemade, Gourmet Dog Treats and Cookies
• Peanut Butter Doggie Biscuits
• Homemade Potato Balls for Dogs
• Veggie Dog Biscuits

Once you have the goodies ready, try using one of these gift ideas:

• Package the treats in a pretty bag, jar or bottle. Customize it by printing out a photo of the dog and placing it on the package, or decorating the package with a "doggy" theme, ie. bones, little dogs, etc.

• Package the goodies in a dog dish. There are many great dishes available that are relatively inexpensive (check flea markets too). Pile the treats into the bowl, and wrap.

• 
  Purchase a specially made dog cookie jar. These come in many different sizes and shapes. Our dogs have their fire hydrant cookie jar, and they know that when we open it up, a treat is on the way.

• Stuff a kong. A kong is a multi-tiered rubber toy with a hole in the middle. Stuff the homemade goodies in the middle to provide your dog with hours of fun (and food!).

Valentine's Day is just one occasion to package up a pretty bowl of dog treats ... use them for any special occasion! Be sure to supervise pets appropriately to ensure they do not consume the decorative items in addition to the treats.