Dog Valentines: including animals into celebrations! - Animals & Hope (2024)

As Valentine’s Day approaches, let’s not forget our loyal canine companions – our dog Valentines! This comprehensive blog post will show you creative ways to celebrate this special day with your pup. From crafting adorable dog valentines cards to some dog valentines box ideas, we’ve got you covered!

Dogs are renowned for their boundless love and loyalty, making this celebration an opportunity to reciprocate that affection in a special way.

We know dogs can’t read your cards or sweet messages; they can’t appreciate hearts or decorations. But including them in human celebrations such as Valentine’s Day, Christmas, etc, is for the humans not so much for the pets. Of course, dogs sense when they are being celebrated. But something that matters most is that humans include animals in the world they have created. That is part of healing the human-animal relationship, the key to building a sustainable future through wildlife conservation.

Content

• Dog valentines cards [FREE PRINTABLES]
• Dog Valentines Photoshoot Ideas
• Dog Valentines Treats
• Dog Valentine Box Ideas
• Valentines dog toys

Dog valentines cards [FREE PRINTABLES]

We made some free printable Valentine’s Day cards for your dog. You can use them in photoshoots, and/or attach a big treat on the back of them. This is just another way to include them in Valentine’s Day celebrations.

We made one that you can print on a normal 8.5×11 inches paper sheet on both sides and fold:

And then, we made other ones that you can cut the paper sheet in half and have two cards:

There are a lot of options on this dog valentine cards free printable!

Dog Valentines Photoshoot Ideas

Another way to include your dog in Valentine’s Day celebrations is by doing a photoshoot. Dogs live for a very short period, so every opportunity we get to capture through the years, we don’t want to miss it!

Here we have some dog valentines photoshoot ideas:

At home vibe

You could take some Valentine’s Day themed photos of your dog around the house. Making the theme look seamless and a little bit more cool. something like this:

A joint photoshoot

Get a cute background that goes with the Valentine’s Day theme, and grab your pup. Smother them with kisses and love and let the camera take a bunch of candid pictures. They can end up looking like this:

A solid background and some props

If you just want to let your dog shine this Valentine’s Day, you could use the magic of a solid background and some cute props! it could look something like this:

Here are some amazing props you could use.

Dog Valentines Treats

If you want to gift your dog a little Valentine’s Day themed treat you can go to places like Chewy and Etsy! or even Amazon! They have some really good options. These are a few that we found:

Newman’s Own Turkey & Sweet Potato Flavor Breakable Dog Treats

Milk-Bone Sweetheart Snacks Mini’s Dog Treats

Berts Biscuit Bakery – Valentines Day Organic Dog Treat Peanut Butter Bacon Flavor

Berts Biscuit Bakery – Valentines Day Organic Dog Paw Heart CookiePumpkin Flavor

The safest and most fresh option will always be homemade dog treats. You can find an amazing recipe here! Some things you could use to make your homemade dog treats look Valentine’s Day themed are stamps and molds. Like these:

Messy Mutts Silicone Bake & Freeze Treat Making Mold | Heart-Shaped

Pet Sweetheart Conversation Stamp and Outline Cutter

Dog Valentine Box Ideas

Something you could do for your pup is craft an amazing Valentine’s Box! There are different kinds of boxes you could do, below we give you some ideas:

Heart-Shaped Toy Box

Craft a heart-shaped box filled with some new toys. You can even keep them in the red and pink theme!

Here’s a tutorial for a heart shape box DIY:

Here are some valentines dog toys you can put inside.

Valentine’s Day Bandana Box:

Create a box filled with different Valentine’s Day-themed bandanas for your dog to wear. Dress them up for the occasion and capture adorable photos.

Here are some cute valentines dog bandanas:

Miss Muffy Dog Bandana

Real Love Dog Bandana

Valentine Dog Bandana with Snaps Pink Hearts + XOXO Embroidery

Frisco Love Letters Dog & Cat Bandana

Cuddly Toy Box

Fill a box with soft and cuddly stuffed toys (make sure they are safe for dogs). Choose toys in Valentine’s Day colors and shapes for an extra festive touch.

Sensory Box

Create a sensory box by filling it with different textures like soft fabrics, rubber toys, and crinkly materials. Dogs love exploring different textures with their paws and noses. Make sure they are in the Valentine’s Day color scheme and even have some hearts thrown around.

Store-bought box

If you are not feeling crafty, you can always buy a dog Valentine box! Here’s one option:

Goody Box Valentine’s Dog Toys & Treats

Choose a theme that resonates with your pup’s personality, and fill it with an assortment of treats, toys, and personalized surprises. This delightful gift will not only make tails wag but will also serve as a tangible expression of your love for your canine companion.

Valentines dog toys

If you want to gift your dog something special to celebrate Valentine’s Day, we have some amazing dog toys for you. You can even use them as props for your dog valentines photoshoot!

Disclaimer: The following toys arenot recommended for heavy chewers. No toy is indestructible. Supervise your pet when using since small parts can present a choking hazard or internal blockage. Discontinue use if the toy is damaged. 

 If you have a heavy chewer you can skip and go to these options.

Frisco Valentine My First Valentine’s Bone Reversible Plush Squeaky Dog Toy

Frisco Valentine Bee Mine Plush with Rope Squeaky Dog Toy

Frisco Valentine Rose Bouquet Plush Squeaky Dog Toy

Frisco Valentine Coffee for Two Ballistic Nylon Plush Squeaky Dog Toy

Frisco Valentine Ice Cream Plush Squeaky Dog Toy

If you have a heavy chewer, you can get them some kong toys in the Valentine’s Day colors.

You can even mix and match with pink and red as a combination to keep the Valentine’s day theme! Something like this:

KONG Classic Goodie Bone Dog Toy

KONG Classic Dog Toy

You can even stuff them with the valentines dog treats!

Conclusion

You probably didn’t think that “Dog Valentine” was related to the mission of this blog, that it’s just something silly. Truth is, it is silly, but it is in the silly little changes of everyday life that the huge changes are constructed upon.

Humans overtook the earth, the one that belongs to animals as well, and created a divide between the human world and the animal world. In essence, humans left animals behind. So slowly including them in the things we do every day, is gradually healing that divide and the human-animal relationship as a whole.

If we want a sustainable future, we need to change the way that humans see animals. They need to stop being “the other”, and start being part of the “us”. Once we see them as truly part of us, we will understand that the earth belongs to creatures beyond ourselves. Creatures that are needed to sustain it. It is that understanding that will carry us to safeguarding their role in the ecosystem, one they cannot fulfill if they are gone.