Dogs Trust's 12 Gifts of Christmas

The countdown to December 25th has begun and we proudly bring to you the ‘12 gifts of Christmas’.

It’s our pick of some Dogs Trust Christmas catalogue favourites, we hope you enjoy and feel inspired!

DAY 12: Ultimate 2 in 1 Dog Coat

We hope you’ve enjoyed our ‘12 gifts of Christmas’. The twelfth gift is our stylish Ultimate 2 in 1 Dog Coat. What we want to know is who wears it best; Daniel or Dee Dee? Cast your votes now in the comments!

DAY 11: Dogs Trust Car Safety Harness

Driving home for Christmas? If you’re driving with your dog in the car, make sure he’s safe and secure with our eleventh gift of Christmas. Our Dogs Trust Car Safety Harness is a must have and is available for dogs of all sizes.

DAY 10: Hide and Treat Bone

Our tenth gift of Christmas will keep your dog amused for HOURS! Our Hide and Treat Bone Dog Toy has hidden pockets in which to stash treats - watch your dog try to figure out how to find the tasty morsels!

DAY 9: Westie Mug and Spoon

Mmmm what a yummy winter treat. We’re taking a (short!) break from our computers and enjoying a tasty hot choc, with all the trimmings, served in this adorable Westie mug. Well, it is Friday after all!

DAY 8: Paw-print Socks

Operations Director, Giles is bringing a touch of style and flair to his daily office attire with our eighth gift of Christmas. Our cosy and colourful paw-print socks make perfect stocking fillers! He wears them well don’t you think?

DAY 7: Percy the Pelican


Here’s a video of our lovely office dog Daniel playing with our seventh gift of Christmas – Percy the Pelican. Percy could keep Daniel amused for hours and we could watch Daniel for just as long!

DAY 6: Malt Whisky Cake

The sixth gift of Christmas is our mouth-watering Malt Whisky Cake. A firm favourite in our catalogue for years, we thought it about time we tried it for ourselves! It’s rather tasty and when every crumb has been gobbled, the tin will come in handy for storing other cakes, mince pies and biscuits… Now, whose turn is it to bake a replacement?

DAY 5: Westie Slippers

Sing it everyone – ‘On the fifth day of Christmas my true love gave to me, slippers shaped like a Westie…’ Here’s our Facilities Manager, Jeff, looking rather fetching in these cosy Westie Slippers. Yes Jeff, we know modelling slippers was not what you signed up for!

DAY 4: Hungry Hound Doggy Bank

Our fourth gift of Christmas is quite possibly one of the quirkiest gifts we’ve featured in our Christmas collection, and that’s why we love it! Our Hungry Hound Doggy Bank has the novelty factor but is also practical for saving your pennies after you’ve finished your Christmas shopping spree. Watch him gobble up your coins -barking mad!

DAY 3: Trio of Frames

Our third gift of Christmas is one for the home. Our stylish trio of wooden photo frames is perfect for special snaps of your loved ones both human and hound! Here’s our office dog rogues gallery! Cute don’t you agree?

DAY 2: Peperami Dog Toys

The second gift of Christmas is one for your canine friend. If your dog’s fed up of last year’s festive toys (or he’s completely demolished them!), why not treat him to something a little different this Christmas? Peperami has launched its own range of humorous dog toys with a meaty theme!

DAY 1: 2012 Dogs Trust calendar

We’ve turned the final page of our 2011 Dogs Trust calendar and what a year it’s been! If you’ve enjoyed looking at our lovely dogs throughout the year, now’s the time to get your paws on our 2012 Dogs Trust calendar. Next year’s dogs are just as adorable!

Check back daily from now until the 12th for the rest of our '12 gifts' or find us on Facebook or Twitter to follow our updates.

Personalised Dogs Trust mugs can brighten up Christmas for dogs and people!

Christmas present ideas are often a challenge, particularly in these difficult economic times. So why not revisit a classic idea - the mug - but make it more fun by personalising it? Better yet, you'll be helping the dogs in our care while you do it!

Although it's a mug with a Dogs Trust logo on one side, you don't have to have a picture of a dog on the other! Your cat, hamster, ferret, budgie, snake, goldfish etc are more than welcome to grace the dishwasher and microwave safe ceramic. It doesn't even have to be an animal at all....

Here are some of the ideas for photos you could add that we came up with in the office, though we're sure you can think of better ones:

• Family and friends - a pic of the little 'uns for doting grandparents, perhaps?
  
• Special occasions - weddings, christenings, parties etc
• Surprise announcements - you can add a caption text to the mug. (Surely someone will go for a 'Will You Marry Me?' mug... ;))
• A picture of yourself - so the whole office knows who the mug belongs to!
• Your favourite holiday destination - so you can dream...
  

Or, a more serious suggestion that came up could be to add a photo of a pet that has been loved and lost as a lasting tribute.

Whatever you decide on, you have until Wednesday December 16th to get your orders in time for Christmas (although if that's not an issue you can continue placing orders after that). Just use this link to get started.

Each mug is just £7.50 including postage and packaging, and 25% will go straight towards the dogs in our care.

Last year we cared for over 16,000 dogs, and at any one time there are around 1,500 dogs in our centres across the UK. Your support matters, so thank you for following this blog. If you're not going for a mug, perhaps you can pass on this link to someone you think might be interested!

Beat the postal strike: get your Christmas shopping done early with Dogs Trust Gifts

It might not quite be November yet, but it's never too early to bag a bargain and make sure your presents are safely wrapped and ready for the tree in time for December 25th.

This year it's not just fairy lights and egg nog that can give you a warm glow; buying gifts from www.dogstrustgifts.com means you can know you're helping dogs as well as buttering up friends and relatives with gorgeous doggy gifts. So every time you buy a present, you're really giving twice!

As well as a whole host of web exclusives, such as cute Border Collie Doorstops, half price at just £4.99, there's a great selection of snowy Christmas cards featuring pooches galore - my favourite is the Carol Singing Dogs! Other favourites include dog breed mugs and 2010 calendars featuring a range of breeds from Lurchers to Labradors and Collies to Cavalier King Charles Spaniels. The profits from every gift will go towards helping the dogs in our care.

I know our shopping bags are popular because I often get asked about them on our social networking pages; rest assured you can also nab these online, along with a host of other Dogs Trust branded goods.

With the post a little wobbly, it's a great time to start your shopping in plenty of time for the festivities, and know that you're helping dogs as you do.

Dogs Trust and Dragons' Den designer team up to launch Youdoodog

When Sarah Lu first brought the Youdoodoll to Dragons' Den and accepted an offer from Deborah Meaden, she might or might not have anticipated the success her customisable squidgy dolls brought her.

And what could be better than a Youdoodoll? A Youdoodog, of course!

Love it, pet it, take it for a walk, play with it or groom it... the Yoodoodog leaves classic toys like the Rubix Cub, Cabbage Patch dolls and Space Hopper gathering dust.

Exclusive to Dogs Trust, the Youdoodog goes on sale later this month costing just £19.99. It's the world's first ever make-your-own dog kit.

1. Choose a photo of your favourite furry friend.
2. Print it on the kit's transfer sheet.
3. Iron it onto the canvas creature to create your very own (perfectly trained) Youdoodog.

The ideal gift for someone who has everything - except, perhaps, a dog - the Youdoodog can be reserved from Dogs Trust by calling (01736) 336 999 or visiting www.dogstrustgifts.com. All profits from sales will be donated to Dogs Trust, and go on to help the thousands of dogs in our care live happy lives, free from the threat of unnecessary destruction.