“There is no psychiatrist in the world like a puppy licking your face.” – Bern Williams

I’m a total animal lover. When we watch movies,  if someone gets hurt or dies in the movie, I get sad. But you should see the big ol’ tears I get in my eyes if it’s an animal that gets hurt!! I’m just such a sucker for anything fuzzy, floppy, cuddly, and cute. And I’m so glad that Abby got that from me… She loves animals. Her second word was Dog. {Right after Mom, and Hat. But Hat means Dad sometimes} Anyway… What I’m saying is, she looooves dogs. We got our new puppy when she was just 4 months old, so they’ve grown up together, and are best-est buddies. As soon as she learned to walk, they would explore through the house like Lewis & Clark – inside of cupboards, underneath shelves and beds, on top of tables and small cabinets – they’re like peanut butter and jelly, those two. So, when I heard about a project to put together a super fun “New Puppy Prep Kit” that I could give as a surprise gift to someone, I knew this was perfect for us!

“If you think dogs can’t count, try putting three dog biscuits in your pocket and then giving Fido only two of them.” – Phil Pastoret

The first items on our list were dog snacks – Because just like my rowdy toddler, a puppy works up an appetite during his playful days. We were looking for Milk-Bone® Dog Treats, Pup-Peroni snacks, and some goodies from Milo’s Kitchen. All three of these are treats that my little dog Deuce likes, so I’m sure that the puppy who gets this great basket will be thrilled too. The prices are so much cheaper here than our local pet store – so I wasn’t surprised to see that some of the shelves were half empty!!

“Happiness is a warm puppy.” – Charles M. Schulz

Since Abby is a total expert on puppies, she of course had to check out all of the snacks before giving her approval, and allowing them into the cart. As you can see, she took her job very seriously – here she is evaluating the Milo’s Kitchen treats. But, after each package was looked at, squeezed, and chewed on just a tiny bit – she deemed them all to be great choices, and into the shopping cart they went!

“A person who has never owned a dog has missed a wonderful part of life.” – Bob Barker

Since it’s the holidays, and this Puppy Prep Kit will be a gift basket – I was SUPER excited to find this display of pet Christmas stockings!! So much fun – and ohmyheck, such a good deal!! The top row is for dogs, the second row with the fun fluffy feathers are for cats – and they’re each only $4.95!! Total steal, am I right?? Since we’re making a stocking this year for Deuce, and grandma always gets her 4 little dogs presents too, {yep, we’re one of those families. The dogs all have Christmas outfits too. Love it} we’ll definitely be back to pick up some more of these!! Tons of fun.

“Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole.” – Roger Caras

We added a few more fun items for the basket – {Toys, dog dish, tissue and bows to brighten it up, etc}, then picked up a few grocery essentials {like banana’s for my little monkey-girl} – and then headed for check out. I don’t want to show you everything yet… I’ll be putting this basket together in the next few days, and will show you everything we bought in the next post, when I show you how to build a basket to give away. {Come on, Christmas-time is all about suspense and surprises, right??} This gives YOU a few days to get out to your own local Walmart and pick up some supplies too! {Hint: Watch your local paper week of December 11 for a money-saving coupon on Milk-Bone® Dog Treats!!}

Who will YOU give your basket to?

The idea behind this super fun project for Collective Bias is to put together a really cool, and really helpful, “New Puppy Prep Kit” – a fun gift that you can give to a new pet owner this holiday season. Since I don’t know anyone who’s getting a new puppy this year, I asked around, and found the perfect person to gift to – She volunteers with an animal rescue group, and has taken in tons of abandoned and abused animals herself. She helps rescue them from bad situations, nurtures them in her own home, and helps find them new “forever” homes. I’m really excited to be able to bring her this big gift package – to help make the holidays a little sweeter for the next puppy she helps!

So – How about it? With the incredible prices at Walmart on puppy supplies, why not join me and put together a fun New Puppy Prep Kit to give to a deserving person, shelter, or group in your own community! If you want to “gift it forward” too – I’d love to see a pictures!! Please come and share photos from your Walmart shopping trip, or of the fun package you create, and especially the lucky recipient!! You can post them on my Facebook wall, or put them on your own wall, and tag me in ’em so I’ll see the fun!! You could also bring this as a donation to a food bank – people who are struggling to afford food for their families are probably having a tough time providing for their furry family members. ‘Tis the season to do unto others….

Check it out:

See the rest of my New Puppy Prep Kit shopping adventure on Google+

{Disclaimer: This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias. #CBias – All thoughts, opinions, and photos are totally my own. Well, my own, with a little helpful advice from Abby, Deuce, and Mike!}