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Best Dog-Themed Baby Gifts For New Parents

Lori Ennis
by Lori Ennis
Published:  October 28th, 2021

Your dog-loving pals are bringing a new pup into the pack, but this one is human! Here is our list of awesome dog-themed baby gifts for new parents.

For many of us, our pets are our first (and forever!) babies. When I was pregnant with my first son, we’d already planned that he and our dogs would be the best of friends. So much so that if there was ever anything baby and dog combined? It was ours! Now, it’s fun to buy those things for our dog-loving friends, and here are some of our favorite dog-themed baby gifts!

1. Editor’s Choice: My Siblings Have Tails Onesie

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Truth is truth, right? Go ahead and get the message out from the start and let everyone know that the new baby is definitely part of a furry sibling band! These adorable onesies are made from 100% cotton which is soft and gentle on the baby’s sensitive skin, and they feature a snap closure for easy and fast dressing and undressing. There are 5 sizes to choose from, from 0 to 24 months of age and 4 colors – black, grey, navy, or pink.

2. Runner Up: Dog Newborn Photo Props

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You know those adorable newborn pictures everyone plasters all over social media where the baby is decked out in some ridiculously cute hat and diaper cover set? Yeah…you’re gonna go ahead and want this right now for just. that. purpose! (Don’t forget to post all over Insta!)

3. Best Blanket: Taggies Buddy The Dog Blanket

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So, you’ll probably want to buy two of these because you don’t want baby to fall in love with this taggie blanket, lose it at the airport and then make the new parents desperate to find another identical one. (Hypothetically speaking, of course!) Seriously, though, babies love taggies and doggies so this’ll be a hit. We’re not joking about buying two–when these things get lost? It’s meltdown city!

Made from soft and plush polyester, this doggie blanket is machine washable and easy to keep clean (and we all know how important that is with babies). In addition to being soft and cute, this design is also quite fun for babies as it features patented looped ribbon tags that babies love to explore and rub. The blanket square measures 13.5” and it’s made to strict quality standards to meet or exceed US toy safety requirements.

4. Best Clothing: Kidscool Dog Overalls

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Just get ready to hear that the new parents dress their baby in this on the regular because it’s so stinking cute. Bound to be a favorite outfit that makes it in the ‘keep for grandbaby’ bin, it’s perfect for little girls or boys!

5. Best Pacifier: Dog Pacifier Holder

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You know how easy it is to misplace a pacifier? You’d be surprised by how many of those little things parents go through in a month, let alone year. Well, with this cute and nifty pacifier holder, you can rest assured that no dummy will ever go missing again! Made from soft, machine-washable material, this plush bulldog will keep the pacifier easy to notice but also help with the development of your baby’s motor skills – it’s the perfect size for the baby’s tiny hands to grab at. To boot, it comes with a pacifier itself, but you can use it on any pacifier your baby likes as it is easy to remove and attach – it can be even attached to a teether once the baby reaches that stage.

6. Best Decor: Sleeping Baby Sign

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This is the gift that no parent knows they need until the first time baby is taking a nap and the dogs go BONKERS and wake baby up because someone knocked at the door or rang the bell. Trust us. The new parents will keep this sign on the front door for years to come!

7. Best Toy: VTech Pull and Sing Puppy

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Oh.yes! This VTech toy will be one of baby’s favorites with the cheery puppy, bright colors and lights and oh–the sounds! Babies pull the cord and the puppy talks and laughs, and best? It grows with baby to toddler!When the baby pushes or pulls the puppy by using the cord, it will activate music and help build gross motor skills at the same time, but that’s not all. As your baby grows, this toy will introduce them to numbers, colors, and parts of the body, promoting language development in a playful way with fun music and puppy sounds.

The light-up flashing nose and all the sound effects are bound to keep your little one engaged and enticed for a long time to come! The toy is intended for ages from 6 to 36 months, and requires 2 AAA batteries to operate. With all that in mind, it really doesn’t come as a surprise that this is a highly popular baby toy rated 4.7 stars with over 30,000 ratings.

8. Best Book: Baby Touch And Feel Book

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Babies love books and new parents love reading them to their babies. Especially ones that have sensory input for the baby! This touch and feel book is sure to be a well-loved and read favorite. The book is filled with real-life photos of all kinds of puppies and features various textures that a baby can stroke, tickle, or touch. This makes it a perfect book to encourage your baby to develop fine motor skills by exploring, not to mention that it will set up a great early learning foundation that will benefit the child immensely later on. Who thought something so cute could be so sneakily clever and practical?

9. Best for Swaddling: Dog Print Baby Swaddle Blanket

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If you want your gift to be both practical and cute, you can’t go wrong with this dog-themed swaddle blanket. Soft, durable, and low maintenance, this blanket is made from cotton muslin, featuring print inspired by the man’s best friend – you can choose between Labrador Retriever, Golden Retriever, Bulldog, Dachshund, Frenchie, Goldendoodle, Poodle, or Terrier print. Generously sized, the blanket measures 47” by 47” and will be just perfect for those first months of baby’s life. Machine washable, the blanket gets softer with each wash – and to boot, it comes in a gift-worthy packaging, already folded and bound with a printed twill ribbon.

10. Honorable Mention: Baby Milestone Chart

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Speaking of growth, the newest trend is to have baby milestone blankets that let you keep track of how each month for that first year goes. Dog-loving parents will love this fun and different dog-themed milestone blanket for their newest bundle!

Additional resources:

Best Mother’s Day Gifts For Dog Moms

Ultimate Gift Buying Guide: Best Gifts for Dog Lovers

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Lori Ennis
Lori Ennis

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A 14-year-old cat from Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, UK has broken the Guinness World Record for the loudest purr by a domestic cat (living). Bella produced a purr measuring 54.59 decibels. To give you a better picture, Bella’s purr was as loud as the sound of a boiling kettle and almost as loud as the sound of a washing machine.Bella’s owner, Nicole Spink, explained to Guinness World Records that her cat’s special talent comes naturally: “She purrs all day long. If there’s food around or cuddles, she always purrs.”“Also when watching TV - she likes to be loud with television. My late husband used to always moan about the sound of her purr blocking the sound of the TV in the evenings.”The Spink family has always known that there’s something special about Bella’s purr. “Friends and family always notice Bella’s loud purr, everyone comments ‘what’s that loud noise? Oh, it’s the cat’. It’s just Bella being happy!”One day, while leafing through the Guinness World Record book, Ms Spink and her daughter decided to perform a test. They downloaded a phone app that recorded and measured Bella’s purr, confirming their suspicions.An app can be a good indicator of a purr’s sound level, but a sound engineer is the only person who can measure it correctly. When the day of the official attempt came, Ms Spink was nervous that Bella wouldn’t want to purr. “She’s a stubborn little old lady and she does how she pleases. It’s very much Queen Bella’s world.”Bella’s record-breaking attempt was overseen by Dave Willson, the Official Guinness World Records adjudicator. “It’s always an exciting day when there is the potential for a new record, so we waited in anticipation to see whether Bella would be able to do it.”Mr Wilson and an independent sound engineer prepared the room in Spink’s family home to block out external noises and set up recording devices. The sound level meter used was kept at a one-meter distance from Bella, as well as a one-meter distance from the ground, following certified instructions. To beat the previous world record, Bella had to purr louder than 50 decibels. According to Mr Wilson, “the results were immediately obvious.”It seems that food might be the reason Bella purrs so loudly. When talking about the record-breaking attempt Ms. Spink said: “I fed her a bowl of Whiskas and then brought her into the room, laid her in her bed and she started purring, just like that!”As you can see, Bella is extremely motivated by food. According to her owner, Bella purrs loudly every time there’s a bowl of food in front of her. Despite her advanced age, Bella sprints to her bowl as soon as she sees a package of her food. A typical day in Bella’s life revolves around three things - food, sleep, and cuddles. Bella will wake up in my bed, she always wakes me up early and asks for her food. Then she’ll ask my kids or anyone else who comes into the house for more food. Then she will sleep, and then she’ll want more food and cuddles. Food and sleep is pretty much her life!”And that’s what you call a purrfect life!While Bella’s 54.59-decibel purr was loud enough to break the world record for a living cat, the record for the loudest purr ever belongs to two other cats - Merlin and Smokey. In 2011, a Northampton cat, Smokey, owned by Lucinda Ruth Adams, was recorded purring at a shocking noise level of 67 decibels. That’s more than 13 decibels louder than Bella’s record-breaking purr. Five years later, Smokey’s record was equated by Merlin, owned by Tracy Westwood in Devon. Smokey and Merlin are still co-holders of the record for the loudest purr by a domestic cat. 

This Revolutionary Drug Could Help Extend the Lifespan of Dogs

In a groundbreaking trial that is set to launch in the United States, around 1,000 elderly dogs will be given a pill – in the form of a sweet treat – in the hope that their lives will be extended because of it. Behind this innovative work stands Loyal, a startup company based in Silicon Valley. They are currently gathering a number of senior dogs through a well-developed network of veterinary practices in all US states. The tests are set to launch before the end of 2023, after four years of complex studies.In this case, all dogs must be over 10 years old in order to be included in the study. The study itself is set to be a “randomized double-blind placebo trial”. The director of veterinary medicine at Loyal, the company behind this trial, Dr. Brennen McKenzie, said for  Telegraph that this will “probably be the largest clinical trial in veterinary medical history”.“We’re hoping to show that we can both increase the length of life and, more importantly, the length of time these dogs live healthy and happy and functional lives,” McKenzie states. “We’re looking at the length of time that dogs live on the drug and the placebo, hoping to show that we can extend their lifespan and also hoping to show that they develop less disease.”What the study will potentially show is that dogs who receive the drug will live one year longer - on average compared to those who are taking the “placebo” drug. Still, the length of life gained is only one aspect, Dr McKenzie said at the North American Veterinary Community’s Veterinary Innovation Summit in Kansas City. McKenzie also added that increasing health was their number one priority.“We think of lifespan as the amount of time that you live but healthspan is the amount of time that you have good health, good function, good quality of life,” Dr McKenzie said. “That’s clearly the most important thing”.All of this sounds quite “larger than life”, no pun intended. And, of course, with such advanced propositions, the trial drug and its contents are a closely guarded secret, especially due to commercial reasons. This will be the situation until the trial of the drug is finished. And if the drug happens to be as efficient as hoped, Loyal plans to place it on the market immediately, offering an affordable daily supplement that can extend the lives of dogs. “If we get through this four-year trial and we achieve our endpoints, the FDA will license us to sell this as a prescription medication and it will be the first medication ever to extend lifespan in any species,” Dr McKenzie said. “We are absolutely interested in a product that is accessible to the majority of pet owners.”It is worth noting that the drug in question was already proven to be safe for consumption, and there is a low risk of this potential supplement causing any unwanted side effects. Loyal is a company that has two other products in the works, and they are also scheduled to undergo extensive tests. However, work is not yet finished, and one of the two is expected to go on trial around 2026. 

Yes, Cats Really Do Love a Game of Fetch... on Their Terms

No training needed when instincts kick in and your feline friend steps up to the plate.

What Should I Include in a Pet First Aid Kit?

As loving pet parents, we do everything possible to keep our furry companions safe and healthy. However, life is unpredictable, and accidents happen, so we must be prepared for unexpected emergencies. This includes ensuring we have a fully stocked, pet-friendly first aid kit available. In this article, we’ll discuss the essential items you should have on hand to care for your pet in those unforeseen moments. From basic cuts and scrapes to more severe injuries, you’ll be prepared to act as your pet’s first line of defense when it matters most. Can You Use a Human First Aid Kit on Dogs and Cats? Yes, sort of. Most of the items included in a human first aid kit can be used to treat your pet in the case of an emergency. You may be wondering – if they can use the same supplies, why do I need a first aid kit specifically for pets? Some items you won’t find in a human first aid kit may be necessary depending on your pet’s injury or ailment. These could address a problem that only a dog or cat could experience, or they may involve finding alternatives for human products that are unsafe for our pets, like human medications. What Human First Aid Products Can Be Used on Dogs and Cats? Most standard items in your first aid kit can be used on dogs and cats. For example, bandages, gauze pads, ice packs, and medical tape are all suitable for pets. They are the exact same items often included in both human and pet first aid kits. Tools like scissors, latex gloves, and tweezers will also be helpful when performing first aid on a pet. This means that if you currently have a standard human first aid kit at home, you are already well on your way to being prepared to take care of your pet in an emergency. To update your human first aid kit and make it suitable for pets, you will just need to add a few important items:

Does Your Dog Have What it Takes to Be a B.A.R.K. Ranger?

Is your dog your favorite adventure buddy? Do you dream of exploring America’s National Parks system with your furry best friend by your side? While many parks have limitations on where dogs are allowed, the popularity of pet-friendly travel is on the rise. In response, the U.S. National Park Service introduced a program to teach dog parents how to travel with their pups responsibly – the B.A.R.K. Ranger Program. But does your dog have what it takes to be a B.A.R.K. Ranger? What is involved in earning that title anyway? In this article, we will break down the B.A.R.K. principles and why they are so important for responsible outdoor travel. We will also share tips for helping your dog become a certified B.A.R.K. ranger. What Does the Acronym “B.A.R.K.” Stand For? Let’s start at the beginning—what exactly is the B.A.R.K. Ranger program, and what does the acronym “B.A.R.K.” stand for? Recognizing that a growing number of dog parents wanted to bring their pups with them when visiting the parks, the U.S. National Park Service recognized a need for education on how to travel with dogs responsibly. This means focusing on the importance of respecting the environment, local wildlife, and other visitors to the park. This program is a partnership between the National Park Service (NPS) and the Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT). It is part of the Healthy Parks Healthy People Initiative, which is focused on the idea that “parks can be gateways to good health – for people and the planet.” The B.A.R.K. acronym stands for: B – Bag your pet’s wasteA – Always leash your petR – Respect wildlife K – Know where you can goThe concept is similar to the traditional Leave No Trace principles but focuses on how a dog may impact the environment and the overall park experience. What Are the Qualifications to Become a B.A.R.K. Ranger? The good news is that the requirements to become a B.A.R.K. Ranger are very broad. The program is open to dogs of all ages, breeds, sizes, and activity levels. From the senior chihuahua who prefers to be carried along the trail while still enjoying the fresh air to the high-energy Border Collie who could hike for days without stopping, all are welcome! So, does your dog meet the qualifications? As long as they are dog – YES!What is the Process of Getting Your Dog’s B.A.R.K. Ranger Certification? This is where the conversation becomes a little more complicated. While the B.A.R.K. Ranger program is a National Park Service program, the exact requirements to be named a B.A.R.K. Ranger vary from park to park. This allows each park to customize the program to best suit its area and the needs of those who visit each park specifically. At some parks, you will be asked to take a booklet and fill it out. Once you have completed the booklet, you will receive your commemorative leash tag. At other parks, a program is offered that you will attend to learn more about the B.A.R.K. principles and how they can be applied in your travels. Finally, some parks make it incredibly easy. They ask those interested to learn about the B.A.R.K. principles at home before coming to the park. Upon arrival, the dog's parents are asked if they understand and agree with them. They then take a pledge to follow these principles before their dog is given the coveted title.

Animal Shelter Receives Donations in Memory of Jon Stewart’s Dog

Comedian Jon Stewart returned to “The Daily Show” on Comedy Central in February, and viewers have been tuning in to watch him talk about current events. Stewart hosts every Monday night, serving up news in a hilarious way. But on February 26, he closed the show on a somber note, spending a few minutes talking about his dog, Dipper.Jon Stewart Remembers His Extraordinary DogStewart shared a touching story of how he met and came to adopt Dipper. He explained that, 12 or 13 years ago, his young children wanted to raise money for Animal Haven, a no-kill shelter for dogs and cats in New York City. To fundraise, his family baked cupcakes and set up an area outside of the shelter to sell them.  He went on to say that the shelter brought out a pit bull who was about 1 year old. At this point, Stewart started to break down, clearly getting emotional as he explained that the dog had been hit by a car in Brooklyn and had lost one of his legs as a result.Through tears, Stewart said his family left the shelter after raising some much-needed funds for a wonderful organization that does great work. But they also left with the very special pit bull who had stolen their hearts and who was, as Stewart described him, the best boy. Dipper even used to go to the studio with Stewart, so he met the famous people who were guests on the show.Then, Stewart shared the devastating news that Dipper had passed away just the day before. He ended with a wish for everyone to find an amazing dog they could love. And then, for the show’s “Moment of Zen,” they played an adorable video of Dipper playing in the snow.You can watch the segment here:

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