Meow-y Christmas: 10 great gifts for animal lovers

Looking for the perfect present for the animal or animal lover on your Christmas list? Look no further.

Our 2015 holiday shopping guide features items that aren’t just great – they’re charitable too. When you buy these products, a donation is made to help animals in need. So you don’t just get a great present, you can feel good about it too. Happy shopping!

Handsome Mountain

Jesse Nightingale is the creative mind behind this gorgeous line of handcrafted pet beds, collars and leashes, travel mats and bandanas – all inspired by beautiful B.C. This holiday season she has collaborated with a number of notable Vancouver pet owners, including CTV’s Tamara Taggart, To Die For’s Erin Ireland, Jackie Kai Ellis of Beaucoup Bakery, and yours truly, to create beautiful leather and vegan leather collars inspired by each one of their pups.

Benefit: 25% of custom collars benefit the BC SPCA, and $1 from each bandana.
Where to buy: Handsome Mountain online shop.

Naturally Urban Pet Food Delivery

Have a pet lover in your life that hates lugging home huge bags of dog food home from the store? Naturally Urban sells premium brands of kibble, raw food, wet food, treats – even kitty litter – and offers free delivery to Vancouver and the North Shore. Founders Brian Feldbloom and Kris McRonney offer a lowest-price guarantee as well as gift certificates too.

Benefit: 10% of your initial purchase and 5% of subsequent purchases is donated to the charitable partner of your choice, including Paws for Hope, A Loving Spoonful, VOKRA and Stanley Park Ecological Society, to name a few.

Where to buy: Use code VANBUZZROCKS for $10 off your first purchase on the NU website.

Black Sheep organic grooming products

This locally-produced line of amazing-smelling dog grooming products uses B.C.-sourced organic ingredients like lavender and rosemary that are safe to use on Fido and don’t hurt the environment when they’re washed down the drain. Its shampoos, bug sprays, ear wash and toothpaste are certified organic, biodegradable, vegan and cruelty-free. The makers of Black Sheep also run the Spa Dog Organic Dog Spa on Commercial Drive, if you want to get your pooch looking spiffy for the holidays.

Benefit: A portion of product proceeds benefits environmental groups like the David Suzuki Foundation.
Where to buy: Select pet and health food stores across B.C., and online. Use code GiveBack2015 for 25% off your entire product order until Christmas.

Make Vancouver pooch pillow

What better way to honour an amazing pet than by having their image commemorated on a comfy pillow? Make Vancouver on Granville Island has a range of customizable items at its Granville Island shop, including t-shirts, blankets, Christmas stockings and more.

Benefit: $10 from each customized pillow purchased until Christmas will be donated to the SPCA.
Where to buy: At Make Vancouver or online.

Custom Pet Portrait

Vancouver artist Steve Toplass commissions lifelike custom pet paintings that aren’t just a great keepsake – they also make lovely art in your home. The process is simple: just send a few of your favourite photos and he’ll turn them into beautiful art. He also has a range of stunning wildlife art that features the B.C. wilderness. Portraits start at $150.

Benefit: Part proceeds of pet portraits to SPCA. Part proceeds of wildlife paintings to Orphaned Wildlife Rehabilitation Society.
Where to buy: Connect with the artist on his website.

Teckelklub

This socially-responsible company makes fantastic 100% waterproof dog coats and scarves that are perfect for the rainy Vancouver climate. They also make a great “burrow bed” for dogs that love being covered up to snooze, and cozy crate mats. The coats come in a range of styles and colours and fit dogs from teeny teacup Yorkies to larger breeds like Dobermans and retrievers. Its new line of doggie wellness products are certified organic.

Benefit: Teckelklub donates coats and blankets year-round to the SPCA, Big and Small Rescue and The Orange Dog freedom flights, to name a few. 10% of wellness purchases donated to SPCA.
Where to buy: At boutique pet stores in Vancouver and online.

HugABull calendar

The gift that lasts all year round! Each month features an adorable rescue dog that shares “their” tips to finding a forever, loving home. $20.

Benefit: All proceeds benefit the agency, which rescues and advocates for bully breeds.
Where to buy: Select stores across Vancouver or online through its blog.

DOG for DOG products

You buy, they donate! This California-based holistic dog product company, which is backed by Michael Buble and Chelsea Handler, operates on a “pay it forward” model. For every bag of all-natural food or treats sold, another is donated to an organization that helps animals. It also makes a great product called DOGBUTTER: An organic peanut butter specially made for dogs.

Benefit: For every product sold, one is donated to shelters or animal charities. The company donated more than 58,000 pounds of dog food in 2014.
Where to buy: Dog products sold at Canadian PetSmart stores.

CatLadyBox

A purr-fectly curated box of unique cat-themed items for women who love cats. Each monthly subscription box features cat lady jewellery, books, accessories, home décor, and stationary. Oh, and your cat will love the cardboard box that it all comes in. The regular CatLadyBox starts at $31 per month. If you up that to $36 you get the CRAZY CatLadyBox, which includes two surprises for your kitty.

Benefit: 5% of purchase to cat rescues. You can also nominate your favourite feline charity.
Where to buy: CatLadyBox.com

Meow-y Christmas

The BC SPCA has a variety of animal-themed apparel in its online shop, including this limited-edition Christmas cat sweater – which comes in red and green. The West Vancouver shelter has a retail store where you can buy SPCA merchandise as well as a variety of pet products, including a light saber umbrella.

Benefits: All proceeds to benefit animals in care.
Where to buy: SPCA online shop, or in person at West Vancouver SPCA branch