Owners include pets in Christmas gift-giving

When Santa Claus makes his Christmas Eve deliveries to Laura Flynn's Martinez home, he doesn't forget to leave treats for the family pets under the tree.

"They have their own stockings and they get presents like we do," said Flynn, who makes sure to have treats for her 9-year-old son, Davis, and her four dogs. "They get toys. They get their treats. They get bones. You name it, they get it."

Flynn admits she spoils her dogs - 1-year-old Great Dane sisters Paris and Heidi, 8-month-old Tully, a miniature piebald dachshund, and the 17-year-old yellow Labrador retriever, Suede.

"They get stuff just like we do," she said.

Flynn isn't the only one who makes sure to include family pets in Christmas celebrations. Many celebrate Christmas for their pets, said Sandra Griffin, who often watches over Petibles Pet Bakery for the owner, her sister Patricia Gray.

The Martinez store specializes in pet treats, toys and wearable accessories. Griffin said customers have been flocking into the store on Furys Ferry Road buying personalized pet stockings - bone-shaped ones for dogs and fish-shaped stockings for cats - and holiday-shaped treats to go in them and holiday collars and leashes.

"They all say that they have the stocking already and they are looking for things to put in their stockings," Griffin said. "I would say they are probably looking more for treats."

Flynn said she is a regular Petibles customer, admitting that she spoils her dogs year-round. Heidi regularly sports a Burberry collar, while Tully's favorite piece of clothing is a baby blue Lacoste shirt.

Christmas won't be any different.

"I've bought tons of stuff, new shirts, sweaters, toys, lots of toys," Flynn said, adding that one of Tully's Christmas gifts will be a new collar.

Griffin said the most popular Christmas items are the holiday-shaped treats for pet stockings. But many customers have said they plan to return to the store again before Christmas for more pet gifts.

"Right now it is mostly treats," Griffin said. "But the customers have been saying that they'll come back looking for the Christmas clothes because we told them we would have some shipments coming in."