Doggie Shopping

PetCo and PetSmart are my favorite stores for shopping. Shop and Sniff I call it.

You might think that all I do is lie around and sleep. Nope. I also shop. Yep. Shop. There are a few stores that allow me inside and I love to shop and sniff. All I have to do is point and if Dad or Mom thinks its something I can use, well, they might get it for me. (That's not very often.)

You humans celebrate this time of year that Dad calls Christmas as a time to shop and give gifts to each other (you have to have an excuse for shopping don't you?). Well, there are humans and dogs that I'd like to give gifts to also. So, this weekend Dad and Mom took me to PetCo to do some shopping. Now I must admit that the human gifts are limited in that place. But, hey, what human wouldn't like a nice pull-toy?

The closest to gift-giving that us dogs have is usually bringing a dead squirrel or chipmunk to you or maybe we will take you to a nice piece of road kill. We are kind of limited in our gift making and gift giving. But that doesn't mean that we don't have feelings for sharing with others. We appreciate what you humans provide for us and if we had an opposable thumb, we'd make gifts to give you too.

Going to PetSmart or PetCo is a real treat for me. Most stores are too dog-phobic to allow me in, but not them. They get their business from us, so why not let us in. The worst that can happen is a little p-mail scattered here and there, or an occasional poop in the corner. Humans are good at cleaning up, so what harm is that. Of course, ever so often a couple dogs get into a scrap, but that's rare.

I love the smells of the dog food section. But I don't open the bags. Honest!

My favorite place in PetCo is the food section. I just love the smells that come from all the bags and boxes. Of course, I can't open them or even sample them, but us dogs get a lot of pleasure from the smells, so it's a fun place to visit. I point at a lot of them, but Dad says no. (He gets the same boring food that I eat all the time from CostCo without my consultation.)

I like the toys in the pet store. Buy me one please!!!

My second favorite spot at PetCo is the toy section. Gosh there are a lot of toys for us dogs. There are toys to pull, to squeak, to chew, to chase, to cuddle, to smell, and those to bat around with our paws. I got Dad to buy a pull toy for my girl friend Casey. Hope she likes it. We can pull it together when I see her in February. I also got him to get me a squeaky toy.

Clothes are for humans, not dogs.

Clothes are not good. There is a big clothes section for dogs there. HELLO. Have you humans noticed that we have fur? We don't need anything else, thank you. However, I guess humans just have to have us look like them, so some people dress their dogs up in stupid looking outfits that make them look like a deformed human clown. Besides, most of the clothes for dogs won't fit a big guy like me. I guess the little dogs can't fight back very good, so they have the brunt of this human fetish and they have to wear what is put on them!

Some dogs have to dress up for humans. I won't be one of them. We have fur.

They also have lots and lots of leashes and collars. Big, small, sparkly, patterned, leather, plastic, cloth, pointed, etc. Leashes and collars are not all bad. Don't get me wrong. I'd prefer not to have a leash or a collar, but if you are going to buy one, get a nice looking one that is comfortable, (please no sharp, pointed thingees in my collar), color coordinated (for the human eye), and a leash that is really really long. As the one human made item I am forced to wear, I want it to look and feel good. Don't get those stupid retractable leashes as they hurt a lot when the human lets go of it at about 25 feet and it springs back and hits me on the back of the head. One of those hit mom once in the eye and gave her a black eye. For Christmas, I got Mom a nice long 10 foot leash. I hope she'll like it (and quit using that 5 foot leash.)

Mom, look at this rad PINK leash.

I got Dad a box of IAMS treats because he likes to give them to me so much. I hope he likes it.

For Dad, that's harder, because they don't have cameras in PetCo. So, I got him a nice box of IAMs treats. He loves them because he can give them to me when I'm good (which is most of the time, I must say).

Dad, we really need this sign. Can you buy it for me? Please..Please Please..

I also like to visit PetCo and PetSmart because I get to see a lot of other dogs. Some are having their coats trimmed, and some are riding in carts, and some are just sniffing around like me. The fish are fun to watch too. The birds are off-limits, because Dad says I'd scare them, but I always hear them in the distance. Pet stores like this are lots of fun for dogs. I hope your human takes you there too. Maybe we will meet. I'll have to leave my p-mail outside, but you'll smell it.

Did I say I like Pig Ears? They aren't safe for me, but hey, lifes a risk anyway.

So, I'm ready for Christmas. Mom got a tiny tree that she put bright and shiny strings on and she's playing music that makes her jumpy and happy, so I guess life is good here.

No..No.. No.. I already have ears. Please take this off!

Arf, (and Merry Christmas Shopping)

Reggie