Pets clean up at Christmas

Made-to-order Christmas stockings with desserts stuffed in the toe and toys at the top. Plush, grinning gingerbread men. Cardboard playhouses. Bouncy balls that look like they’ve just been formed from fresh, hand-packed snow.

All guaranteed to elicit cries of delight. But not from a cherished child.

Think pampered pet.

“Lately, it’s been the pets first and then people later,” said Wendy Tremblay, manager of Pet Quarters in Auburn. “‘People and friends, see ya. If we have any money left over for you then we’ll buy for you.'”

So what’s popular for Fluffy and Fido this holiday season? Anything fun, funky and not made in China.

“People want made in the USA or grown in the USA. New thing,” Tremblay said.

The reason: A number of dogs and cats died earlier this year after eating food with tainted wheat gluten from China, causing some pet owners to fear all food and treats from the country. And recent recalls of Chinese-made children’s toys due to lead paint have made pet parents skittish about buying “Made in China” toys for their four-footed kids.

At The Kennel Shop in Lewiston, high-end dog treats (wheat-free, corn-free and soy-free) have been popular. So have Merrick canned foods, a line of made-in-America gourmet pet entrees stocked with venison, beef, chicken and vegetables.

“It looks like stew in a can,” said manager Trish Dube. “I’d almost eat it.”

For cats, Santa hats and collars with bells have been hot. For small animals, it’s a cardboard playhouse that’s both hiding spot and chew toy.

“It’s a house that’s also an activity,” Dube said.

Like The Kennel Shop, a line of all-natural dog treats are popular at Pet Quarters. Made with apples, sweet potatoes, carrots and other ingredients, “they smell pretty good,” Tremblay said.

For people who want their dog treats to last a little longer than five seconds, the Everlasting Treat Ball has proven popular. A hard rubber ball, it has a chewy treat insert that keeps dogs busy for, well, at least six seconds. Possibly minutes or hours, depending on the dog.

Also popular: Kong toys, Greenies treats and catnip.

“The old standbys,” Tremblay said.

At Family Pet Center in Auburn, made-to-order stockings and goodie bags are customer favorites. They’re small and inexpensive, but stuffed with pet-specific toys and treats, including rawhide for dogs, toy ribbons for cats, yogurt drops for small animals and millet spray for birds.

“That way all the animals get something,” said manager Ryan Fairbrother.

New and cool, but not so popular yet: a line of gift jars with the ingredients needed to make homemade dog biscuits.

“People aren’t familiar with it yet,” Fairbrother said.

At Portland-based Planet Dog, new and cool is exactly what’s getting people’s attention. The company’s new made-in-Maine Orbee-Tuff snowball (a mint-scented ball that looks like it was formed from fresh snow) has proven so popular that it’s bounced in and out of stock all season.

“They’re nontoxic, they’re recyclable, they’re made in the U.S. There’s no concern about anything that’s coming from overseas,” said Catherine Frost, director of marketing and product development for Planet Dog in Portland. “And on the other side, for the dog, they’re very durable.”

Orbee-Tuff bulbs, brightly colored Christmas bulb-shaped toys with a hollow center for treats, are also popular online and with the pet stores Planet Dog distributes to. At the Planet Dog’s own Portland store, holiday-themed treats are all the rage with friends, neighbors, dog park buddies.

And Grandma.

“Granddogs are treated very well during the holiday,” said Catherine Frost, director of marketing and product development for Planet Dog.

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