Pete the vet With Pete Wedderburn

Pamper your pooch this Christmas TRADITIONALLY, toy shops are the busiest retail outlets in the run-up to Christmas, but this may be changing. In the US, where all worldwide trends seem to originate, children's toys have been overtaken by another, rapidly growing market: Pet products. People are now spending more on their pets than they are on their children. This statistic is somewhat biased, in that the pet market includes pet food, whereas the toy market does not include the groceries you buy every week to feed your family. But the fact remains that pets seem to have an increasingly important place in people's hearts. Pet owners are prepared to spend significant amounts of money on pampering their pets. Whether you agree with this or not, even in Ireland there is a growing trend towards including pets on the Christmas shopping list. My view is that with care, presents can be chosen that will have a positive impact on a pet's quality of life, and there's nothing wrong with that. Toys are probably the best presents. Animals enjoy games and humans often find that they enjoy playing with their pets more than they might have expected. A new toy can be a good way of encouraging owner and pet to play together and this is good for everyone, especially around Christmas when pets can easily be ignored amid all the other activity. Cats enjoy chasing and there are many toys that encourage them to run, jump and pounce. My favourite is a wand with a feather toy attached to a length of fishing line. You can also buy wind-up and electric mice and birds that scuttle around the room. You can even buy radio-controlled rodents so that you can remain in charge from a distance. Small laser beams are also available and cats love chasing the bright spot on the floor that you can move rapidly around, keeping them entertained and exercised. Dogs are intelligent, active creatures and the best toys are designed to challenge their thinking powers. There are puzzle-cubes that contain tasty food treats. The dog has to push the cube around with his nose and paws, twisting it until the treat falls out. This type of toy is perfect for intelligent dogs which get bored easily. You can buy frisbees for your dog to chase and these are safer than throwing sticks. They are an excellent way of encouraging your dog to burn up physical and mental energy. Many people use Christmas as an excuse to buy a new accessory for their pet, such as a collar, lead, food bowl or basket. These are products that must be bought at some stage in any case, but it is more enjoyable to make a ceremony of the purchase by making it part of the Christmas ritual. You may wish to include animals in other ways at Christmas time. Many overseas charities, such as Oxfam, Trocaire and Bóthar allow you to buy animals for communities in developing countries. You can buy a swarm of bees, a flock of chickens or even a large beast like a camel or a yak for a struggling family in Africa, South America or Asia. And don't forget the animal charities here at home in Ireland because they especially need your help at this time of year. Next week, when the rest of the world is taking time off to relax with their families, volunteers will be busy feeding, cleaning and walking unwanted animals in rescue centres. Spare euros may be hard to come by this year but if you have any, don't forget the animals.