Easter Basket for Dogs: Treats, a Bow and No Chocolate

An easter basket for dogs does not need much: our own freeze-dried treats, something soft to chew, maybe a bow, and nothing that belongs to the candy dish. We build ours around Rabbit Ears Dog Chews, which arrive for the season, and we leave the chocolate eggs for the people in the house.

Building the basket

Start with a chew, add a treat you already trust, and finish with something the dog can wear for the day. Rabbit Ears Dog Chews arrive for the season and are the chew we are building around this year. A bandana or bow from Pink Papyrus Co. rounds it out without adding anything to eat, and it photographs a lot better than a treat bag ever will.

There is no wrong order to put it together in, and no rule that says every item has to be new. Reusing last year's bandana or a chew that already worked well is just as much a part of an easter basket for a dog as anything bought fresh for the occasion.

We keep the basket itself simple too, nothing more than a small container we already had around the house. The point of an easter basket for a dog is the contents, not the presentation, so there is no need to buy anything special to hold it all together. A bowl, a bandana, a chew and a couple of treats covers what most people are actually looking for.

Ella gets hers set out on the kitchen counter the morning of, next to whatever the rest of the house is doing for the holiday. It is a small thing, but it makes the day feel like it includes her instead of just happening around her, which is really the point of most of what we build a season around.

What goes in the pouch

These are the treats we put in the basket first, all single ingredient and freeze-dried in small batches in our Malvern kitchen.

• Rabbit Ears Dog Chews, arriving for spring
• Freeze-Dried Cheddar Cheese Dog Treats

Both hold up fine sitting in a basket for a day or two before anyone gets around to handing them out, which is not something you can say about most things that end up in an easter basket. Nothing here needs to be kept cold or watched closely, and there is nothing to unwrap beyond the bag itself.

If you are putting more than one basket together, for more than one dog or for a friend's dog too, the same short list works for all of them. We make these treats in batches large enough to cover more than one household, so there is no reason to limit the basket to a single serving. It is one of the easier seasonal gifts to put together for someone else's dog, since it does not require knowing much about that particular dog beyond the basic size of the chew and the treats it already likes.

No chocolate, no exceptions

Chocolate is not for dogs, so it stays out of the basket entirely. That includes the foil eggs, the bunny, and anything else that came from the candy aisle. Swap it for a chew or a treat from our own freeze-dried dog treats line and the basket still does its job without anyone having to sort through it first.

It is an easy rule to forget when a basket gets assembled quickly, so we just keep the two piles separate from the start, the people candy in one spot and the dog treats in another. It sounds obvious written down, but a busy kitchen on a holiday morning is exactly when things get mixed up, so a little separation ahead of time saves a headache later.

If you want to see where other car people and their dogs are spending the season, we keep a running list on our events board, updated as we hear about new ones.

From the shop

• Rabbit Ears Dog Chews, arriving for spring
• Freeze-Dried Cheddar Cheese Dog Treats
• Freeze-Dried Beef Heart Dog Treats
• Dog bandanas and bows, shipped by Pink Papyrus Co.

Questions

What should not go in an easter basket for dogs?

Chocolate is not for dogs, so keep it out of the basket along with any wrapped candy meant for people. Anything from the seasonal candy aisle is better left in a separate bowl entirely, sorted before the basket gets put together rather than after.

What is a good chew to add?

Rabbit Ears Dog Chews arrive for the season and are what we are building our own basket around this year. Until they land, our cheddar bites or beef heart treats work just as well, and either one can go straight into the basket without any extra prep.

Can I add something to wear?

Yes, a bandana or bow from Pink Papyrus Co. is an easy way to dress up the basket without adding anything to eat, and it is shipped by Pink Papyrus Co. directly rather than made in our own kitchen. It also holds up well past the holiday itself, so it is not a one-day item once the basket is put away.

See more seasonal ideas on Explore.