A doggie bow tie and a chew toy: DIY crafts you can make for your pets
We’d do just about anything for our pets, but the truth is, they just want love … OK, except for cats. Cats would probably prefer to drink from crystal, eat wild-caught salmon and wear jeweled collars, but I digress.
According to the American Pet Products Assn., Americans own approximately 78 million dogs and 86 million cats. (But, really, who owns whom? It is estimated that doting pet parents will spend $62.75 billion on their fur-faced friends in 2016 alone.)
Taking note of our desire to demonstrate devotion while still saving money for aforementioned seafood, author and crafter-extraordinaire Rachelle Blondel, saw a niche opportunity and pounced. The result is her book “DIY for Your Dog: 30 Toys, Treats, and Treasures to Make.”
Just don’t look for clown costumes or dog shoes.
“I drew the line at doing anything silly,” Blondel said about the projects in her book, “because I don’t believe in dressing dogs up in tutus … it had to be practical things people could make and use for their [pets] because they love them.” Think: collars, chew toys, pet pillows, Christmas stockings and personalized bowls.
Blondel’s book is divided into four sections: eat, nest, play and wear, and it features step-by-step directions for completing 30 tasks. (The crafts are aimed at dogs, but many can be tailored to cats. Or guinea pigs. Or iguanas.)
The author notes that a big part of the joy is in the process, especially since some items, like chew toys and plush pillows, are doomed from the start.
“One of the great things about making stuff for your dog is that you’re not pressured,” said Blondel, “because they’re going to wreck it … some dogs will wreck it in 10 minutes, others maybe an hour or a few weeks. For me, crafting and making is all about the journey … not just the thing that you have in the end.”
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