With Thanksgiving approaching, people began to buy holiday gifts seriously, including gifts for pets and relatives.

It is estimated that Americans spent $66 billion on pet food, snacks, and supplies last year; this is incredible! Our spending has increased by approximately 12% compared to 2019, which may indicate that a large number of new pets were acquired during the worst period of the pandemic closure.

Therefore, if we are to spend all these billions of dollars, we should at least be cautious in buying products that are safe and best for individual pets. Let's start with some tips to help you make healthy choices when choosing edible foods.

At this time of the year, when you walk into the pet area of ​​many shops, one of the first things you see is bags of red, green, and white rawhide chews on display... Keep walking. These products are cheap and full of dyes and chemicals. 

More: What is a quality of life chart and how does it help us make decisions about pets?

More: What are the common misunderstandings and misunderstandings about cats?

This will cost more, but for the precious puppies you buy, move along the aisle to an area with all natural, non-raw, digestible chews. Bully Sticks, yak chews and antlers are also natural chews that most dogs like to grab.

Similar precautions apply to buying snacks for your cat. Most pet product retailers have a variety of brands of cat food in small bags, but pay attention to the ingredients. When reading the label of a bag of low-quality hard cat snacks, I found 42 ingredients, while high-end natural brands have 12 ingredients. Most other ingredients in cheap brands are fillers, preservatives and dyes.

As far as toys are concerned, consider things that help entertain pets and give them mental stimulation and rewards. There are now a variety of interactive toys available for our cats, some of which can even be activated with your mobile phone when you are not at home. Most cats like magic wand toys, they are perfect for some high-quality interactions, so you might as well include one of them in your shopping list.

The choice of dog toys on the market today seems endless. Gone are the days when plastic hot dogs and hamburgers were standard food in the pet aisle! There are various stuffing items that may be described. The question is, are they suitable for your dog? Do they tear off the filling and eat it, or just enjoy the challenge of tearing it to pieces?

Some toys that are made of thick materials and have heavier stitches may be better choices. It is also a good choice to replace stuffed toys with rope toys.

For a safer bet, please choose a harder toy to allow your dog to meet his chewing needs. There are good alternatives, such as Nylabones, Kongs, and chews made of bamboo, which are safe and easy to obtain. If your dog tends to eat any type of toys, be it soft or rubber, avoid them altogether. It may cause obstruction of the digestive system, which may require surgery, which can be fatal if left untreated. 

Finally, if you are buying a pet gift for your family or friends, please consider obtaining a gift card from a pet supplier. This money may be more suitable for providing healthy food, rather than things that their pets may not be interested in.

Shelter needs: canned food, meat sauce-style dog food and cat food, soft dog snacks, large holes, peanut butter, cheese sticks, hand sanitizer, paper towels, and gift cards for pet supplies and grocery stores.

Activities/Photos with Santa’s Shelter: It’s time to make an appointment for your pet’s photo with Santa. Santa will appear at the shelter on November 21 and 28, and December 5 and 12 from 10 am to 4 pm.

Four different holiday backgrounds will be provided. There is an additional charge for choosing one or adding additional backgrounds.

The fee for one person or animal in the photo is 15 USD, or the fee for more than one person or pet is 20 USD.

The fee includes a photo sent via email. If you want to receive all the photos taken during the meeting, you can buy a SJRAS photo passport and a 4-gig USB card for $20. The photo passport can be reused for any future SJRAS events that provide photo opportunities. 

Human family members should wear masks, but they can take off the masks and take pictures.

An appointment is required. Walking will only be accepted if there is space available.

To schedule an appointment, please visit https://southjerseyregionalanimalshelter.org/event/photos-with-santa-2.

Refuge address: 1244 N. Delsea Drive in Vineland.

For information about foster care, please visit https://southjerseyregionalanimalshelter.org/volunteer_main/foster.

To submit an adoption form for one of the pets or other animals this week at the shelter, please visit https://southjerseyregionalanimalshelter.org/forms/adoption-questionnaire.

If you need a volunteer, please send an email to volunteer@sjras.org to send an email to the volunteer coordinator.

For SJRAS information, please call (856) 691-1500 or visit southjerseyregionalanimalshelter.org or SJRASVineland on Facebook. 

Tupac is a cute 10-week-old mix of Catahoula Leopard Dog and Boston Terrier. He is fostered, so if you are interested in seeing him, please fill out the adoption questionnaire and the foster family will contact you.

Biggie is a cute little 10-week old Catahoula Leopard Dog and Boston Terrier hybrid. He is fostered, so if you are interested in seeing him, please fill out the adoption questionnaire and the foster family will contact you.

Millie is a great puppy! She is a lovely 3-year-old medium-sized mixed breed. Millie is polite, smart and fun. She has everything, beautiful appearance, personality and kind heart. This is a great dog, waiting for a home full of love forever.

Glenn is one of those puppies that particularly appeal to you. He is afraid of landing at the animal shelter, but once he walks out of the building and enters the playground, he is great! Glenn is funny, sweet and affectionate. Although he sometimes flinches, as if he had been hit by humans in the past, every day Glenn was with us, he became more and more aware of what a good person is and how he learned to trust. When he feels safe, he will show his ridiculous stupidity and melt your heart. If you want to adopt a good dog who only needs a home full of love forever, then Glen is your child. You will get the love and dedication of a very special puppy over the years.

Hansen is a handsome 2-year-old bulldog. He is an active dog and requires good daily exercise and basic dog etiquette. Hansen is young, smart and willing to learn.

Maestro is a handsome 1-year-old bulldog. He weighs 55 pounds and is burly. He is young, active and confident.

Turner is a very handsome 1-year-old bulldog. He is a good puppy with an independent character. Turner needs a little time to warm up with new friends, but once he warms up, he becomes sweet and affectionate.

Miss Gigi hates to cut her nails. This fashionable calico girl is looking for her forever home. Gigi likes to eat snacks and is a little independent girl who likes to hang out on the armrest of the sofa or nap on the seat under the dining table.

Inky, a former wild cat, really came out of her shell! It grunts like a machine and takes snacks from you.

Arthur is about 8 weeks old and likes to play with his foster siblings. He is super cute and naughty.

Peter, Piper, Pepper, Pepper, and Paul are super friendly teenagers who are waiting for the opportunity to have their own home.

Carly wants to be your best friend. She will always be by your side. She likes to be a single cat in a quiet family. She will not jump on the counter or try to eat your food. She just wants pets and love.  

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