Santa loves dogs, too. In fact, we have it on good authority that he has stationed some of his elves at Treats Unleashed to ensure the pooches of St. Louis have something delicious in their bowls on Christmas morning. From smoky beef bones to apple cinnamon hearts, Treats Unleashed has plenty of optoins to satisfy your pup’s palate this holiday season. Stop by for one of their yogurt-dipped specialty treats to let Fido know he’s more than a pet – he’s family. Also, there are seven dog years to one human year, right? Apply that logic to the holidays and give your dog seven dog-months of gifts in one human month. When you register your pup for a Bark Box, she’ll get a new gift box every month full of surprises from doggie treats to new chew toys. And bonus: 10 percent of every purchase gets donated to the local rescue shelter of your choice, giving even the saddest stray a happy holiday.
And speaking of strays, Stray Rescue of St. Louis has just released a new cookbook. Recipes to the Rescue features recipes from St. Louis restaurants, local celebrities and members of the Stray Rescue family. Numerous ideas fill the pages, as do pictures of adorable pups and information about Stray Rescue’s mission, and all the proceeds feed directly back into the shelter. Even if you can’t pick up a pup, you can pick up this book.
And do you have a few minutes and a leftover baked sweet potato? Homemade dog treats are a fun, inexpensive gift that is particularly thoughtful for pups with gluten or meat allergies.
Sweet Potato & Apple Canine Confections
Recipe by Kellie Hynes Makes 24 treats
1 medium sweet potato, baked (or 1 cup canned sweet potato)
2 cups whole wheat or gluten-free flour
½ cup apple, skin on, finely diced
1 egg
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl until a soft dough forms. Roll dough into golf ball-sized balls and place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Press balls into ¼-inch thick rounds. Bake 10 to 12 minutes, until lightly brown. Store at room temperature in an airtight container for 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
Yogurt-dipped treats: $1 to $1.50 each. Treats Unleashed, multiple locations, treats-unleashed.com; Bark Box: $29 for one month. barkbox.com; Recipes to the Rescue: $22. Stray Rescue of St. Louis, 2320 Pine St., St. Louis, strayrescue.org
This article appears in December 2013.