With Christmas just days away, many of us have been hustling to get our last minute shopping out of the way (it’s me, that’s how I spent my weekend). But for those of us who count four-legged friends among the members of our families, our gift lists aren’t limited to just humans — our pets also make the cut. And in my house, that means that my dog and two cats each have their own stocking on the mantle, right next to mine, my husband’s, and my daughter’s.
If you approach the holidays the same way, there’s a good chance that, over time, your dog has learned to associate certain things as a signal that a treat or present is coming soon… though none more than the Cockapoo in the video below.
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On Saturday, December 14, dog mom Kelsey Saldivar shared this video of her Cockapoo, Georgie, showing that he really can’t wait one more minute for it to be Christmas. Why? Because he knows exactly what stockings hanging by the mantle mean, so he’s parked in front of the fireplace for the foreseeable future.
He even hopped up on the fireplace and started sniffing the stocking to try and suss out what Santa might have brought him. I give his mom major props for not breaking down and letting him have it right then and there!
Don’t worry, Georgie. It will be worth the wait!
Buying gifts for pets comes with positive benefits
I know this is going to sound like your pet wrote this, but I promise it’s true: Buying your pet Christmas presents will probably affect you more positively than it will affect them!
A 2021 study done by the Columbia Business School wanted to find out if people were happier giving gifts to dogs or people, and dogs won out. People were asked to recall a time they bought something for their pet, along with how happy they were when they gave their dog what they bought. Compared to the memories they shared of giving gifts to people, participants remembered being happier gifting their dogs.
“When you give yourself a gift, part of you feels you’re being a little selfish. When you give a gift to another person, there’s always the worry that you’ve given the wrong thing and they’re not going to appreciate it,” psychology professor Dr. Ellen Langer told Harry & David. “But when you give a gift to your dog, it’s sort of pure. You just assume the dog is going to like it, you feel relaxed, the dog senses that you’re relaxed, and the interaction is loving.”
So there you have it. Fill those stockings for your dog this year — your mental health will thank you (and once again, I promise, your dog did not write this story).
