This holiday season, it's raining cats and dogs -- at least in stores around town where presents for pet lovers abound.
If you've got an animal lover on your gift list, why give him or her the same old scarf or bottle of fragrance when there are ceramic vases and cotton nightshirts, papier-mache clocks and woodcarvings, books and ties that pay homage to all things canine and feline?
With pets in more than half of all American homes, gifts that show off a person's fancy for four-legged critters are thoughtful ways to say happy holidays.
And Baltimoreans, it seems, have a fondness for such things. This past summer, Tomlinson Craft Collection in Towson organized a dog-themed show -- complete with art, jewelry and stuffed animals -- that brought in brisk business (and benefited the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) during the dog days of August. Similarly, the Museum Shop at the Baltimore Museum of Art created a dog boutique last year to tie in with its exhibit by Weimaraner-loving artist William Wegman. The collection for pets and pet lovers was so beguiling that some people dropped by to browse through the shop without ever visiting the show.
"When it comes to their pets, people are obsessed," says Nadine Gussio, owner of the Frame House in Fells Point, a major purveyor of feline-themed items. "They love being surrounded by things that remind them of them."
We begin our pursuit of the perfect pet-inspired present by checking out holiday trimmings.
Know someone who's always wanted to festoon the Christmas tree with critters? Well, Nouveau Contemporary Goods on North Charles Street has strings of lights in motifs we're particularly partial to: Dalmatians with fire hydrants, and tricolored (black, orange and white) cats. Nouveau owner Lee Whitehead says many buyers use these lights, which cost $22.95, to adorn
mantels, banisters and doorways. The Dalmatian lights have even been spotted in particularly festive bathrooms.
For anyone who's ever thought of a pet as an angel, Out on a Whim at Harborplace has tree toppers shaped like canine cupids in white gowns and silver halos. The decorations sell for $35 and come in various breeds, including terriers, Labradors and spaniels.
If you prefer to honor someone's pet predilection with attire, Out on a Whim has the dog's pajamas -- or at least cotton nightshirts covered with prancing pooches. The red version with black terriers is particularly, ahem, fetching. Prices range from $39 to $42.
At the Frame House, cat-patterned ties are expected to sell well this season. One of the more novel ties plays Christmas carols and features a black and white cat dressed up in a Santa suit. Other ties depict cats playing ball, cats caught in a crowd and the neon faces of cats. From $17.
It's also possible to accessorize with animals. Local artist Laurie Flannery has built a reputation creating whimsical, mixed-metal jewelry in funky pet shapes. Her cats and dogs have spiked hair, attitudes and lots of energy. Some are seen playing with a ball of yarn or yanking at their leashes. Her line is carried at many stores around town, including Zyzyx! in the Festival at Woodholme and Nouveau. Prices range from $40 to $130.
T-shirts always have been a popular way for people to show their allegiance to animals. Among the niftiest we've seen this season are those by Washington artist John Koaja. Using his Dalmatian Zed as his muse, he has created a Warholesque silk screen of 101 Dalmatians. On the front of this white shirt are 100 small portraits of the dog; turn it over and there's No. 101. They're $21 at Nouveau.
To help animal lovers hang up those T-shirts and other clothes in pet style, the Animal Authority in Catonsville and Columbia offers oversized wooden hangers featuring the faces of cats and dogs for $8.95. Button up a shirt or dress around these playful presents and it looks like one's pet -- or a wooden facsimile -- is wearing the clothes.
These hangers are so adorable the recipient may want to display them in a room rather than tuck them away in a closet.
Does your dog or cat lover need something for the kitchen? We find pet-inspired clocks are ticking all over town, from the cartoony versions at Zyzyx! where cats are caught with their paws in the fishbowl ($100) to the sweet renditions of papier-mache-faced cats and dogs at Out on a Whim ($175).
Among our favorite kitchen accouterments are the $42 ceramic salt and pepper shakers at Nouveau. A brown dog exhales salt, while the gray cat does the same with pepper. Just looking at them makes you want to chuckle -- or sneeze.
A feline-loving cook is likely to appreciate a spoon rest shaped like a fat, happy cat ($25.95 at Nouveau) or salad serving pieces with hand-carved wooden cats' heads ($19 at the Frame House).
For the person who has everything, Nouveau has hand-thrown vases imprinted with a graphic, grinning cat ($145) and folk-art birdhouses shaped like a cat's face ($34). And at Over the Garden Gate, a garden shop in the Gallery at Harborplace, cats are pictured on everything from address tiles and thermometers to doormats and windsocks. (Prices range from $15 to $65.)
Should a friend or family member's holiday be blessed by the arrival of, say, a kitten, Out on a Whim has the perfect gift for the new pet owner: "The Haute Feline Kitty Keepbook" ($20).
A pet parent can spend many happy days filling in the pages of this Victorian-style book -- with the new arrival's paw print, lock of hair, lineage, remarkable achievements and, of course, favorite holiday.
SHOPPING GUIDE
ANIMAL ATTRACTIONS
Pages 19-22: Black and white cat sculpture, $300, at Zyzyx! Cat wall clock, $38; Dalmatian and fire hydrant salt and pepper shakers, $16; journal with cat on cover, $42; Dalmatian mailbox, $84.95; and Laurie Flannery sterling-silver dog walker and cat pins, $120 and $45; all at Nouveau. Scottie dog flannel nightshirt, $42; Scottie dog hanger, $14.95; cloth cat and dog pins, $22; and Scottie dog bracelet, $38; all at Out on a Whim. Golden Retriever crossing sign, $18.99, at Animal Authority.