Valentine's Day 2023
Valentine’s Day, the day of the year where we cherish our loved ones and take the time to really give them our affection. Let them know that we care. Your animal partners may not be aware of the fact that we’ve decided to give this specific day romantic significance, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t still celebrate it with them! That said, wine and chocolate probably aren’t going to be the way to win their hearts. So let’s go over some of the most important Valentine’s Day customs and figure out how to apply them to our four legged loved ones.
When we think about romance, one of the first things that pops to mind is flowers. However, regardless of species, your partner probably isn’t going to be interested in putting them in a vase and keeping them on the counter. When it comes to humans, flowers act as a nice thought and then a set piece. But for many animals they’re going to value the smell of a flower more than they will the pretty colors or aesthetic quality. So instead of opting for that bouquet, consider something more aromatic. Some smells animals tend to love include blueberries, blackberries, mint, and rose. And it seems like every animal under the sun can really appreciate the smell of lavender. Dogs, cats, horses, whatever your fancy, try new and exciting different scents!
Next up in our Valentine’s traditions is chocolate. Now, chocolate tends to not be a good thing for most animals, so let’s skip that part. The chocolate is supposed to represent a quick sweet treat to give to your valentine, so let’s look at some alternatives. For dogs, a great comparison would be meatball treats! They’re small bite sized little snacks that you can have throughout the course of a great evening together. Here’s a link to an awesome example!
https://www.dalmatiandiy.com/recipe-turkey-and-turmeric-meatball-dog-treats/
For you equine lovers out there, you can really try going for the sweet side of things by making your partner up some delicious horse donuts! (And yes I know, the pun is unintended).
https://blog.cheshirehorse.com/2018/06/01/happy-national-doughnut-day/
Regardless of the species of your partner, they’ll certainly enjoy a nice tasty treat for the occasion. Just make sure that you’re doing your research and looking up what is and isn’t safe for them to have. In fact, for most species out there you can probably just search for special occasion treats and have a decent idea of what to look at and what to avoid.
The last recommendation we have here to give your partner an amazing Valentine’s Day is a pretty straightforward one. Just have an amazing day together! Plan out something fun to do, make sure to spend a little extra time with them, do something romantic! That could be an extra long walk at a park that’s a little farther from where you live, or as my horse correspondent says, “Probably bring in a fruit they haven’t eaten before and share it with them. watermelon or apricot probably, and put on music. I’ve noticed they like calm music from female singers and this isn’t universal but mine like a lot to watch fire.” Because nothing’s more romantic than a nice campfire! And, if the mood strikes you, there’s no better way to finish off Valentine’s Day than with a little bit of physical intimacy. Take the chance to show your partner just how much you really appreciate them!
All of these are just suggestions. Nobody is going to know your partner better than you do. If there are things that you know that they really love doing, Valentine’s Day is a great opportunity to do them! More than anything else though, the most important part is that you take the time to be together, and show that you really love your partner. Because at the end of the day, that’s really what this holiday is all about.
Happy Valentine’s Day to all of the animal partners out there from us here at Zooey Dot Pub.
Article written by Tarro (February 2022)
Find them at https://twitter.com/hereforthezoo
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