The King Duke's 2024 Pet Gift Guide!

It’s unusual to begin a column about holiday gifts with a story about an ancient tomb, but it captures perfectly the relationship between pets, people, and presents, so here goes. One of the oldest burial sites ever discovered - older than the pyramids, stonehenge, and that cranky guy who always cuts in line at the coffee shop - was found in the Swedish town of Ljungaviken and was the resting place of a dog. But here’s the thing; alongside the bones of mycket bra pojke (Swedish for very good boy), there was a large assortment of gifts for his pleasure and entertainment in the afterlife, as well as a selection of useful & necessary items. So it turns out gifts for pets have been part of our culture for more than 10,000 years! Well far be it for us to abandon a tradition of such long-standing, so without further ado we bring you, our king Dukes 2024 ultimate pet gift giving guide. Say that after a few glasses of sherry! 

Something to wear!

We’re going to assume that most of you are in the northern hemisphere and so our holiday gift clothing suggestions reflect that. However, if you happen to be in the southern hemisphere, you can look here for some important beach-and-hot-weather gear. 

Okay, first up, the Huxley & Kent candy cane bowtie. It simply would not be the holidays without Huxley & Kent’s adorable adornments and whether you’re looking for something that’s traditional or a little bit more contemporary, we have a huge selection of dapper dog decorations. As well as the bowties, we highly recommend you check out this red fairisle antler hat, which looks absolutely fantastic on all dogs and will help keep them cozy and warm when the mercury falls. 

From our friends at the Carolina pet company, the Rainer National Park dog coat range is absolutely gorgeous and comes in a variety of patterns which will again keep your dog happy on the longest of winter walks. Looking for a glamorous topper to wear to a party? How about the gold pool Duluth double fleece which comes in the most fantastic leopard print which we think is pawfect for Christsmas cocktails. Cheers!

We’re also really into the Saltsox winter dog boots, particularly the ice fire red shade, which we use when going on long walks when it’s wet under foot or when there’s snow and salt on the ground, which can really irritate paw pads. A brilliant gift for the outward bound dog!

Something to play with!

Much as we love dog clothing, and accessories, we are willing to admit that those gifts are perhaps a little bit more about what we want than about what our four-legged fairy friends want. This next section, not so much. This is all about toys. Squeaky toys, chewy toys, fluffy toys, the kind of toys that your dog just cannot get enough of. 

First of all, we absolutely love the Mighty Arctic Santa dog toy. It’s what it says it is, a dog toy shaped like Santa and it is something every single dog wants, needs and deserves! We also love the Lulubelles Slumberjack holiday gingerbread man plush toy. This is part of their Power Plush toy range, and each of them is reinforced with an additional layer of sturdy mesh, which is fused on the inside, ensuring these top-notch, plush toys can withstand even the toughest pups! Plus it comes with a loop on its head so you could use it as a Christmas tree ornament, though it would be quite large - bigger tree klaxon! 

Sticking with Lulubelles, and sticking with the festive food theme, how about a beautiful bottle of plush Barkers Mark dogg nog to have with your gingerbread man? The sheer amount of squeak contained within may be enough to drive you to drink, but your dog will absolutely lap it up. Sitting somewhere between a snack and a gift is the bocce‘s bakery advent calendar, a perennial favorite here at King Dukes. Countdown the days until your pup sees Santa Paws with this 12 day advent calendar filled with minty brushy sticks, and two delicious flavors of biscuits from Bocce’s Bakery! Perfect for pups who want to taste the holidays every day!

Something to eat! 

Food is never far from our minds; I mean in the gift section, we just talked about three different food themed gifts, but that does not mean we can’t talk about food in the food section too. Now it wouldn’t be one of our guides without a mention of puppy scoops ice cream, but seeing as it’s the holidays, we’re in the mood to make it even more special: introducing King Duke’s holiday ice cream sandwiches!! Woo hoo! We love Puppy Scoops peanut butter ice cream with Crown to Tail oatmeal cookies on either side. If you really want to go crazy, you could pair Crown to Tail PB&J treats with peanut butter ice cream. And why stop there? Carob ice cream & banana bread dog treats? Hella yes, bananas and carob go perfectly together. What we’re saying is you should get all of the Puppy Scoops ice creams and all of the Crown to Tail cookies and just go nuts. 

As well as ice cream and cookies, we have a huge range of delicious treats that will take you right through the festive season and into January. Interested in some interesting food toppers, no problem. Looking to mix it up a little bit with some new flavors, no problem. Thinking of trying out a raw diet, no problem. Imagine yourself as a gourmet dog chef, no problem. TL;DR: we’ve got you covered!

Something to snuggle in!

The holidays are SUPER but all that fun, food, family, and festivity can be SUPER tiring, especially if your usual routine involves 18 hours of sleep and naps a day. But don’t worry, we’ve got rest and relaxation resources right here, right now. New this year is the cozy-tastic TheraPaws Warming Mat which features innovative bamboo charcoal technology that releases healing Far Infrared Rays when warmed by your furry friend's body, providing relief for achy joints, restlessness, and stress/anxiety levels. Great for cats, aging pets, small dogs or any who love warmth, it requires no electrical heating or charging -  WOW - and is made of eco-friendly 100% cotton and bamboo charcoal powder. Magic? Basically, yes. 

From stocking stuffers to gifts to full on fancy festive frivolities, we’ve got the whole lot and what’s more, you get 20% of purchases of $50 or more plus free shipping when you use code HOLIDAY2024 at the checkout. It’s the season to eat, drink, be merry, repeat, and we can’t wait! We wish you all the happiest of holidays, and will see you for the 3rd Annual King Duke’s Quiz which drops on our site (and in your inbox if you sign up here) on December 30th. Woohoooo!!!!

And that’s a festive wrap 🎁🙌🐾🎄🕎