For thinking my neighbours should not be buying her dog birthday presents ?

[DewdropSnowdrop]

I love animals , I really do. I had a dog and one day I hope to have another, so it's not that I don't understand animals are part of a family. They are.

But yesterday was. my neighbours dogs birthday. She's put it on Facebook. The dog was given wrapped gifts. A toy and some edible treats, as far as I can see.

She has a family, so not child substitutes. She treats her dogs well and isn't short of money so it's not as if she's saving up.

She's always celebrated the dogs' birthdays, there's more than one!

But this must be unusual. What is the point?

I don’t know when my cats birthday is. But she does get a few treats at Christmas.

She doesn’t know any difference obviously, but it’s cute🥰.

Life should be fun and frivolous. I am sorry op that you don’t understand this. Life must be very grey.

You are very judgemental OP. I haven’t done it for my dog’s birthday but more through laziness. She does get a Christmas present.
If your neighbour wants to do this and can afford it then why not? Life is short, we should all be enjoying the small things.
Also, FYI, I don’t have children, I love my dog but people saying she is a ‘child substitute’ is actually quite offensive.

[quote JesusInTheCabbageVan]**@wildcherries* You should try giving less fucks about stuff that is absolutely nothing to do with you.*

Fewer.

I'm so sorry Couldn't resist..[/quote]
Don't be sorry! English is my second language. But I knew this 😬 Now I'll definitely remember in the future 😉

I always used to wrap up a Christmas present for my dog. He had fun tearing the wrapping off and I loved to watch him do it. Why not ?

OP, it struck me as insane when I first came across it.

However, when my children were little they asked me what I was getting the pets for Christmas. Bowing to their wishes, the animals all get an appropriate Christmas dinner.

Mackerel for the cats, raw veg salad for the bearded dragon, marmite porrige for the hens.

It's harmless, but I agree it's a bit daft.

Why in earth is it a problem ?

I used to present my cats with a small wrapped present on the big day (which I knew for sure because I was there event hey were born !).
Hell one of my cats once got a Christmas card from the cat across the street - they used tin state at each other through front windows. I seem to remember she had very good handwriting !!
All just silly fun. Nothing more nothing less. Definitely nothing to be concerned about !!

Ha, I love that you are accusing people of taking it too seriously, when you are the one that doesn't see the fun in doing silly things for pets, like celebrating birthdays.

Tbh I've never celebrated a pet's birthday, but can totally get why others enjoy it.

Is it any different to buying a baby presents? They can't unwrap things and have no concept of birthdays either.

So the natural follow on from this is, no gifts for very young children as a one year old will have no concept of birthdays, christening etc

*I don’t have children. My pet isn’t a child substitute.

Nor is mine. I chose to have him because I love dogs.

My dog gets Christmas and birthday presents too, he’s my boy and I love him so there.

My pets always get wrapped Christmas presents from us and my sister 💕
My friend has birthday parties for her dog and bakes a cake and everything. They all have a great time, the dogs and the adults!

I always wrap a couple of things up for my dog at Christmas as he loves ripping the paper off. He runs around wagging his tail when he sees the wrapping paper come out as he knows he'll get a new toy or treat. It's a bit of fun for us and enrichment for him, similar to using kongs to feed with rather than bowls. My Mum and MIL also give him a wrapped present at Christmas and I do the same for their cat and dog. He's also dead easy to buy for, if he can eat it or it's a squeaky toy he's all over it!

This is LOVELY!

Bore off and leave her alone. She, her family and her treasured pets will be having lots of fun.

Surely this is better than animal being neglected and treated like shit? They obviously adore their dog. And rightly so.

@DewdropSnowdrop

Whoah! Calm down.

Nothing to do with me at all but every year I'm baffled.

I didn't think it was 'a thing' to wrap gifts for a pet who can open them and has no concept of birthdays!

Maybe I should have changed the wording on post

Most of Mumsnet buy their pets gifts?

My dogs can unwrap their gifts. They love it.

What is wrong with you op??

Her dog, her money, her business.

We celebrated our Labrador's rescue day. She might not have known but she had a shit life of abuse before we rehomed her qnd we liked to mark her adoption day. Every year there were gifts and cake. She died last year but we'll do the same with the next dog we rehome. I'm surprised anyone would be bothered by this. She also enjoyed an ice cream at the beach.

After a posh wash at a grooming parlour, my dog has a birthday cake from a doggy bakery and gifts.
She also has a party hat and balloons.
At Christmas she gets another posh wash and presents along with a Santa hat.
I book her a holiday each year.
I don't give a shiny one what anyone thinks of it.

Everything that lives in our house is celebrated. Whatever not? Our old dog used to howl in excitement through Every Happy Birthday song except when it was his birthday. He'd just sit there in his birthday hat waiting for the cake looking very pleased. Hell, we got the fish a new castle for her birthday. Put it on Facebook and everything. We are clearly not your people OP.

KarmaStar You don't get a voting option on the Talk App, otherwise it would be on.

I forgot, as well as presents, my cat has advent calendars too.

My dog definitely understands the concept of presents although obviously not the reason for them. He knows when something is wrapped in paper, there is a toy inside! He loves tearing off the paper in itself but also the toy inside. He knows as soon as we put up the Xmas tree what’s coming and gets soooo excited!. I love to see him open his presents. Each to their own!

Christ, it's a bit of fun. Ours sometimes get something and sometimes don't. There's been a big birthday this year so she had cake and presents.
Sometimes at Christmas too and usually a treat for dinner.

It is what a lot of people do. I used to buy a little present for my dog many years ago, despite me not knowing his birthday ha ha, I decided his birthday was the same day as mine as I got him from a rescue centre on my birthday.