A birthday gift is supposed to say "I know what matters to you." For a dog owner, that is not a difficult sentence to finish. The hard part is turning it into something that is not a mug.
Here is what dog owners actually keep, what a keepsake made from the dog itself costs, and whether it can be ready in time.
The birthday gift that says you noticed
- A photo of the two of them. Owners have a thousand pictures of the dog and almost none with themselves in it. A good one, printed, is the gift they did not know they wanted.
- A day that includes the dog. A walk somewhere new, a dog-friendly lunch, a weekend away where the dog comes too.
- Something made from the dog. A few strands of fur cast into a handmade bead and set in gold-plated or 925 sterling silver. It is about their dog and nobody else's, which is the entire point of a birthday gift.
What does jewelry made with dog fur cost?
Pieces made with fur from a dog or cat cost 100 kr more than the horsehair versions, because the fur is shorter and finer and takes more of the handwork. A loose Thea bead for a chain they already own is 1,049 kr. Emma-Rosa, the necklace with the small hidden heart, is from 1,249 kr. Earrings and the Lærke bracelet start around 1,200 kr. Gift cards come in any amount from 100 kr and never expire.
Can it be ready for a birthday next week?
Not the finished piece. Count on two to three weeks from the day the hair reaches us, up to a month when we are busy, plus postage. What you can do in a week is give the order: a card on the day that says what is being made, and the hair goes in the post afterwards. Or a gift card, which never expires. Most people end up preferring that version, because they choose the hair and the piece themselves.
Getting the fur without them knowing
Wash the fur, let it dry completely and put it in a small zip bag. Light fur is harder to see inside the bead, so send more of it. If you cannot get to the dog, give the order and let them send the fur themselves. Everything about the process is on the page about jewelry made with fur from pets.
And if it is the dog's birthday?
Plenty of people celebrate those. The dog wants the same thing it wanted yesterday. The owner wants a photo from the day and, if you want to give something that lasts, this is the moment to keep a tuft of fur, whether or not anything is made from it yet. Fur keeps for decades in an envelope.
If the dog is no longer here
Then the birthday gift is a memorial gift, and it wants a lighter touch. If fur was kept, it can still be made, however long ago. We have written about ways to remember a pet.
Other occasions
See also gift for a dog owner and the Christmas gift for a dog owner, or write to us and tell us about the dog.
