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Pick Up A Present For Your Pets

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By KRISTEN LEVINE

Tribune correspondent

Published: December 9, 2008

Looking for the perfect gift for the four-legged guy or gal in your life? We asked some animal lovers you may know what they'll be giving their pets for Christmas or Hanukkah. (Good ideas are always worth borrowing!)

Last week, we shared a couple of their responses. Here are some more.

Martin Deeley, Orlando

Dog trainer, author and executive director of the International Association of Canine Professionals

Pets: Two cocker spaniels, Chopper, 8 months, and Sweet, 14 months; five Labrador retrievers Roper, 8 years; Becky, 13 years; Two Dot , 4 years; Ruth, 10 months; and Freckles, 5 years.

Gifts: "Freckles, Chopper and Sweet love to mother those cute plush toys, so that's what they'll enjoy this year," Deeley says. "Roper, Two Dot and Ruth will get new tennis ball-style Kongs because they love to fetch."

Becky will find some special Glucosamine treats in her stocking, because fetching is getting more difficult.

Looking for a great training gift for you and your dog? Deeley suggests the new Cesar Millan DVD, "Sit and Stay the Cesar Way," featuring Deeley and Millan, available at www.cesarmillaninc.com.

Gayle Sierens, Tampa

News Channel 8 co-anchor

Pets: Woody, 6 years, and Gracie , 3 years, both Welsh terriers

Gifts: "We don't do much in terms of gifts, but we like to torture them by making them wear Christmas bows around their necks around the holidays."

Victoria Stilwell, Georgia

Dog trainer and host of Animal Planet's, "It's Me or the Dog," author of "It's Me or the Dog: How to have the Perfect Pet" (Hyperion) and "How to Have a Healthy, Happy Pet" (Harper Collins)

Pets: Sadie, 6-year-old chocolate Labrador rescued from a home where she was never walked.

Gifts: "Sadie loves soft animal toys and Kong bones, so Santa might leave a few of those in her stocking."

Michelle Bearden, Tampa

Reporter for The Tampa Tribune and WFLA-TV News Channel 8

Pet: Sadie, 2-year old Australian shepherd mix. Sadie was adopted from Lost Angels Animal Rescue in Tampa.

Gifts: "This year, on our second Christmas together, Sadie will find enrollment in her second round of obedience training with Tampa trainer Vic Carlson. Training your dog gives them the 'gift of life,' so they respond to you at all times. No breaking loose from a leash and dashing across the street to chase a squirrel ... She knows that on leash, and off leash, she has to follow the commands."

When Sadie completes her second round, she'll be going through certification for Project P.U.P. (Pets Uplifting People), so she can serve as a therapy dog with Bearden at nursing homes and hospitals.

"Her 'gifts' under the tree allows her to give, and dogs love to do that," Bearden says. "I'll also get her a few cartons of Frosty Paws, her twice-a-week treat for being such a good girl."

Write to pet-lifestyle expert Kristen Levine at Fetching Communications, P.O. Box 222, Tarpon Springs FL 34688; e-mail kristen@fetchingcommunications.com.

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