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In times of a financial crisis and recession fears, pets are the very last thing that German animal lovers save on. When uncertainty and fear of the future dampen the general mood, pets represent friendship, a feeling of security and a perfect world, in the experience of specialty chain Fressnapf. This is especially expressed at Christmas time with gifts for beloved pets. According to a Fressnapf study, approximately 75 per cent of German owners give their pets Christmas gifts every year.

"Dogs don’t want MP3 players and cats don't need kitchen appliances", explains Fressnapf CEO Torsten Toeller, referring to an Ernst & Young study, which found that consumers want to invest around ten per cent less in gifts this year than in the previous year. Pets are undemanding and are more that happy with a budget gift given from the heart. "A chew bone or play mouse is all you need for a happy, wagging tail and blissful purring," say Toeller. "I don’t think that the five or ten euros that most people spend on a gift for their pet will be affected by cost cutting, despite of or even because of the 2008 crisis".

Dogs, cats, rodents and birds can all find something under the Christmas tree. Toys, accessories and of course snacks and treats are simply one thing that can’t be left lacking during the festive season in households with pets. Fressnapf have therefore come up with a variety of special Christmas-themed products for the animal festive season - A set of toy bones, squeaky gingerbread man and Christmas ball for dogs, a "jingle bells" play angel with bells for cats and a completely edible Christmas tree snack for hamsters and guinea pigs. Baubles with dog and cat designs add festive cheer for both two and four-legged friends!

"Christmas fun with animals is essentially not a question of money", says Fressnapf vet Lioba Schaetz. Don’t forget to give your animals plenty of love and attention over what is often a stressful couple of days. Dogs in particular feel quickly neglected in the excitement of Christmas. After all, for dogs, an old sock to chew and play with is a lot more fun than ornaments and decorations.

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Christmas at Fressnapf: Love of animals knows no crisis RGB - JPG Fressnapf/Ulrike Schanz Download (1781KB)

Christmas at Fressnapf: Love of animals knows no crisis RGB - JPG Fressnapf/Ulrike Schanz Download (1010KB)