Chinese crested and schnauzer mix Char's wishes are on the Coffeys' Christmas list.
The seven-year-old dog will be getting treats and a couple of stuffed hedgehog toys.
"She can have all kinds of toys. She only likes hedgehogs," said Loveland resident Susan Coffey, pet parent to Char, along with her husband, Chuck Coffey. "She's a hedgehog snob."
The Coffeys are part of a growing trend to include dogs and cats in the gift-giving tradition of the holidays, as well as photos with Santa.
"I think it all started with folks looking at pets as family members," said Teresa DeGuelle, who co-owns Hank's Pet Food Market with Lisa Sauer, which they opened in March 2011.
Dogs and cats moved up the family ladder about 10 years ago, earning names such as the four-legged or furry child to their pet parents. And by shedding their status as outdoor animals, the family pets started wearing specially designed pet clothes, sleeping in comfy beds, attending doggie day camps and playing with toys galore.
"We really are shocked at how many people buy presents for their grand-dogs or cats," Sauer said Saturday afternoon in the crowed Loveland store.
A large number of customers purchase gifts for the pets of their children, she said.
They step up the ante during the holidays, purchasing more expensive toys, buying more treats and spending more in general.
They spend an average of $60-75 instead of $45, DeGuelle said.
And they start shopping in mid-October.
Haleigh Deubach, 9, left, and Kyle Anderson, dressed as Santa Paws, look on while Rackel Ward feeds a treat to her Mr. Big during the event
DeGuelle and Sauer expect to see sales increase 30 to 40 percent during the holidays, especially in December, Sauer said. "December will definitely be our biggest month of the year," she said.

At Hank's, the most popular gifts for dogs are interactive games, where dogs have to move pieces to retrieve food, and stuffed toys with a squeaky inside. Cats are getting anything stuffed with catnip or with feathers that imitate bird movement.

"They like to see the happy looks on their (pets') faces when they get a toy or treat," Sauer said.
When Char gets a new toy, she gets "so excited," Susan Coffey said. "She spins and she loves to back up and have the toy tossed to her."

Loveland resident Carlee Boettger and her sister, Ellie Sheppard, and nephew, Hudson Sheppard, who she lives with, have a Christmas list for their three dogs, Munchie, Eddy and Daisy. On Daisy's, there's a leash and collar, while Eddy needs a new blanket and Daisy just wants food.
"I love to see how happy they are and to celebrate the season with everybody I love, family and pets," Boettger said.

Randy Samson of Loveland plans to give his Brittany spaniel, Ace, a chew bone, but not anything too special, except photos with Santa at Hank's.

For the second year, Hank's offered Santa Paws holiday photos and a bake sale two Saturdays in a row. The event raises funds for and awareness about Izzy's Place Senior Dog Rescue, a rescue organization for abandoned and homeless senior dogs.

"We don't have any kids anymore, but we have dogs," said Samson, who owns two dogs with his wife, on Saturday.

"Getting pet photos with Santa shows an acceptance of viewing the pet as a family member or even as a kid," said Nicole Deubach, co-organizer and caregiver at Izzy's Place with Shereen Raucci.
"There's more love and respect for dogs," Deubach said.

Shelley Widhalm can be reached at 669-5050, ext. 531, or swidhalm@reporter-herald.com. Follow her on Twitter: @ShelleyWidhalm.