Valentine's Day Gifts for the Dog and the Owner

Update: the pink hearts are now ours too. Strawberry Heart Pup-Ornaut, Greek yogurt and real strawberry freeze-dried into heart-shaped bites; sold out today and coming for the season.

Valentine's Day dog treats start with a literal heart: our Freeze-Dried Beef Heart is one ingredient, sliced and freeze-dried in our Malvern, Pennsylvania kitchen, and it ships within one business day. For the dog lover in your life, add a heart-shaped toy from American Dog, a bandana or hoodie with the circle logo, or a Modified Monthly box that keeps arriving after the flowers are gone. Everything on the dog side lives in the Valentine's dog treats collection.

The Short Answer

Dog first, human second. The dog gets the Freeze-Dried Beef Heart, because giving a heart on Valentine's Day is the whole joke and Ella has never once objected. The human gets something they will actually use on the next drive: the circle-logo bandana for the co-pilot, the Ella in the Camaro sticker for the toolbox, or the circle-logo hoodie for 6 a.m. walks. If you want one gift that covers both of them, Modified Monthly lands a new box of treats every month.

For the Dog: A Literal Heart

The Freeze-Dried Beef Heart leads every Valentine order we pack. It is 100 percent beef heart and nothing else. The bag comes in 1.5, 3 and 6 ounce sizes, the pieces can be served whole or broken into training-sized bits, and it is shelf-stable, so it rides in the glovebox without a cooler. It is the lean, dark, meaty treat in our lineup, and it is the one we reach for when we need Ella to hold a sit while a car pulls up next to us.

If your dog already knows beef heart, go for a pairing. The Cheddar and Beef Liver Duo puts a bag of freeze-dried cheddar next to a bag of freeze-dried beef liver, in 3 or 6 ounce sizes. Cheddar is the routine reward for the easy repetitions. Liver is the jackpot for the one that has to land. Two tiers keep the jackpot meaningful, which is how a training session stays useful past the first ten minutes.

For the dog who would rather have dessert, the Pup-Ornaut Trio is one bag of each of our freeze-dried dog ice cream flavors: banana and peanut butter, pumpkin and apple, and blueberry. No freezer, no drip, no melted mess on a vinyl seat. Banana and peanut butter is the richest of the three and the one most dogs pick in a side-by-side.

All three ship from our kitchen within one business day, and orders over $50 ship free. The rest of our single-ingredient lineup is in the freeze-dried dog treats collection, and the pairings live under bundles.

Heart-Shaped Toys From American Dog

American Dog sews heart-shaped toys for every kind of player, and we carry six of them through Shopify Collective. Each one ships separately from American Dog, so if you are ordering treats and a toy together, expect two packages. Pick by how your dog plays, not by the color.

• Rainbow Furever Hearts: a rainbow-striped fetch heart in 1000D nylon, stuffed for plumpness, in three sizes. It floats. Ships separately from American Dog.
• Heart of Stone: a red ballistic-fabric heart for the dog who goes through soft toys. No squeaker, it crunches when bitten, it floats, and it comes in small, medium and large. Ships separately from American Dog.
• Nuggle Hearts: a red minky fleece heart that squeaks and floats, made for gentle players who fetch it and then curl up with it. Three sizes. Ships separately from American Dog.
• Lucky Dog Conversation Hearts: a six inch minky fleece heart printed with a saying like Be Mine or Cutie Pie, or customized with your own line. It squeaks. Ships separately from American Dog.
• Lucky Dog Pink Heart Plushie: a soft pink heart with a squeaker for small and medium dogs who play gently. Ships separately from American Dog.
• Lucky Dog Hearts of Stone: a 6.5 inch heart in 1680 nylon ballistic with no squeaker and no stuffing, so there is nothing to pull out and scatter. Ships separately from American Dog.

American Dog says it about every toy they make, and so do we: play together and supervise, because no dog toy is indestructible.

For the Owner

Valentine gifts for dog lovers do not have to be a mug. Start with the Sniff and Shift Circle-Logo Dog Bandana, a tie-on cotton-blend bandana with the 3 inch circle logo centered on the front panel, in white or black. It is technically for the dog, but the person holding the leash is the one who gets the compliments at the gas station.

The Ella in the Camaro Die-Cut Sticker is the quiet one: a 3 inch contour-cut vinyl of Ella riding shotgun in the red car, no text, weatherproof, sized for a laptop corner or a tool chest lid. If you know, you know.

For something to wear, the Sniff and Shift Circle-Logo Hoodie is a midweight brushed fleece with the full circle logo across the back and a clean front, in black or red, sizes S through 2XL. It is the one they will grab on the way out the door all winter.

And the gift that keeps arriving: Modified Monthly is our subscription treat box, curated each month around your dog's preferences with freeze-dried proteins and limited-run flavors you will not find in the regular lineup. One purchase, and a box shows up every month with someone else's name on it. It is the Valentine gift that still counts in July.

A Date-Night Drive

Skip the reservation. Pick a road you both like, put the dog in the back seat with a bag of beef heart, and drive it at golden hour. Pull off somewhere with a view, split a coffee, hand the co-pilot a treat for every good sit, and take the long way home with the windows cracked. That is the whole plan, and it costs less than parking downtown. The bandana goes on before you leave. The sticker goes on the dash when you get back.

What to Skip

Common veterinary advice is clear on the Valentine's Day hazards. Chocolate is toxic to dogs, and the darker it is, the worse it is. Xylitol, the sweetener in many sugar-free candies and gums, is dangerous even in small amounts. Treat anything labeled sugar-free as off limits, and keep the candy dish, the foil wrappers and the box of chocolates where the dog cannot reach them. If you are unsure about something your dog ate, call your vet.

The safe version of a sweet is the Pup-Ornaut Trio. The safe version of a heart is the beef heart. Both are in the Valentine's dog treats collection.

Keep Reading

For a wider list of things to give the person who loves cars and dogs in equal measure, read our gift guide for dog lovers who love cars. For small gifts that also work in February, the dog stocking stuffers guide covers treats and toys under one roof.