When Santa and other gift-givers make their lists and check them twice, family pets are often included in the gift-buying frenzy.

	Hamptons Hound The "Jake" collar by Hamptons Hound is made of studded leather and sells for $50-$56. Click photo for larger image.

Dogs, in particular, are easy to please, with many of them deliriously delighted with a $5 plush toy or a $3 piece of rawhide. However, the sky is the limit for some doting owners, and pet product manufacturers are happy to come up with high-end products such as $286 dog collars made from real alligator hide.

Most pet owners probably have much lower spending limits for pets. The average pet owner will spend $23.30 on holiday gifts for pets, according to a national poll conducted by Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Conn. That same survey said the average family will spend a total of $970.28 on all of their holiday shopping.

Pet owners spent $36.3 billion last year on pet products and services, including $8.7 billion for "supplies" and over-the-counter medications, according to the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association. That group gleefully predicts 2006 totals of $38.4 billion, including $9.3 billion for supplies and medications.

The alligator collars are marketed as "Snappers for Yappers," from Hamptons Hounds. They're made exclusively for that company by a Swiss jeweler who goes by the single name of Denzinger.

"The Moondog collar boasts signature hand-polished pewter hardware and a plush newbuck lining," says the advertising copy. The $286 collars come in classic brown alligator or in blue or red. The matching lead is a veritable bargain at $136.

Go to www.hamptonshound.com for these and other items, including a turquoise-studded collar and leash for $180. More traditional "plain" leather collars are in the low-$30 range. You may even be able to order in time for Christmas, using Express Mail delivery.

	William Wegman's Hound in the Round pillows, inspired by Mr. Wegman's photos of his pet Weimaraners, go for $95 each. Click photos for larger image.

The big national chain pet stores have aisles and aisles of toys, but many unique, high-quality products are available only on the Internet or on the Internet and in a handful of retail outlets.

That would include products from Planet Dog. Many of their toys are made from a rubbery material that the company calls Orbee-Tuff. The durable products hold up under the teeth of even tough chewers, and the material makes the toys buoyant in water and bouncy on the ground.

Bone-shaped toys in multiple sizes and prices generally sell for less than $20. There are all kinds of balls and dog toys in whimsical shapes such as nuts and bolts. Specially designed for the holidays is The Bulb -- shaped like a vintage holiday light bulb complete with silver-threaded base. It's hollow so that you can stuff food treats inside, and that can "entertain dogs for hours," says the Planet Dog news release. The Bulb comes in red, green and glow-in-the-dark for $9.95.

Planet Dog products are year-round popular sellers, says Ginny Smiley of Smiley's Pet Pad, 215 S. Highland Ave., Shadyside. The products are also sold at Kards Unlimited, 5522 Walnut St., Shadyside; Leone's Animal Supply, 10596 Perry Highway, McCandless; E. House Company, 1511 E. Carson St., South Side; Healthy Pet, 8122 Perry Highway, McCandless; and Maggie & Stella's Cards & Gifts, 209 Oakland Ave., Oakland.

Ms. Smiley says items from West Paw Design are also popular with customers.

One of the featured items on the company Web site -- www.westpawdesign.com -- is the Zisc! flying disc. It's like a Frisbee but engineered from a material the company calls Zogoflex. It will float in the water or fly through the air, and it's designed to be easy for dogs to pick up off the ground. West Paw says the material "will not hurt or damage" a dog's soft mouth. It's made in Montana and comes in Fiesta Red, Key Lime, Baltic Blue. The 9-inch disc retails for $13.

At $95 a pop, the new William Wegman Hound in the Round Pillows are too nice to give to pets, but they would make unique gifts for people who love dogs. Mr. Wegman is the artist who became famous by photographing his pet Weimaraners. The ghostly silver-gray dogs enhance pillows that come in pistachio, mandarin, cork or phantom.

There are also matching Hound in the Round tote bags for $125 and $125 dog beds. They're are all on the Web site www.cryptonfabric.com.