• Pet-Themed Hostess Gifts

If your dinner or party host owns a pet, consider giving him or her a gift with a pet theme.

• A gift card to a pet store is always appropriate.
• A dog or cat photograph frame is fun, and even better if it contains a photo of their pet (you could download a photo from Facebook or Twitter). In the Washington, D.C., area Marshall’s, T.J. Maxx, and Ross always have frames on sale.
• One hundred percent of the net profits from Rescue Chocolate are donated to rescue organizations. Order online or purchase in stores.

• From Good Dog Express, how about a whimsical tray that makes bone-shaped ice cubes?
• Everything and Anything Dog has a festive Christmas tree ornament with paw prints.
• At the Animal Rescue Site, each purchase funds at least 14 bowls of food for animals in shelters. Inexpensive gifts include a silicone oven mitt shaped like a dog and neoprene oven mitts shaped like cats.
• Dog Mountain "Life is a Ball” note cards showcase artist Stephen Hunek’s love of Labrador Retrievers.
• At $18.95, tea towels from Fjorn Scandinavian are a bit pricey, but they’re so darned cute. Designs include Tall Cats and (my favorite) Long Dogs.

If your host has lost a pet, making a donation to a local animal shelter or rescue in a pet's name, as a friend did when my hamster Zim died, is deeply meaningful. Dog Mountain makes small dog angel ornaments. The selection of breeds is limited, but I think the ornaments are tasteful. PetPro offers a wide variety of breeds of dog and cat angel ornaments.