Keep your puppy kosher with Wagatha’s Organic Biscuits

Hanukkah is just around the corner. Need some ideas for your pooch?

How about Wagatha’s Organic Dog Biscuits. They are kosher, organic and taste homemade (ask your dog).

Norman Levitz, a former chef, has made these tasties for his dogs for 25 years, and finally a light bulb went off. He and his business partner, Neil Reilly, started the company in January.

Flavors include cranberry cheddar; Tuscan tomato and herb; breakfast biscuit (maple oatmeal with bananas and apples); and original (whole wheat, honey, garlic). They also have varieties that are wheat- and lactose-free. They run about $8.95 for 9 ounces, but are cheaper if you buy several packages or in bulk. They also have a monthly shipment program.

To order, visit wagathas.com.

Involve the dog in family game night

Christmas is a great time to gift your friends with board games — your dog included. Darf Inc. of Portland, Ore., has a new game called Fuñagle. It can be played with two to four people and one to four dogs. You throw dice, and your dog has to do the trick listed on the space you land on within one minute. Some of them are moonwalk, push-ups, Hollywood kiss and the wave. If he does it, he gets a tag. The one with the most tags wins. And it is not cheating to use dog treats. The game, which costs $35.50, can be ordered at darfinc.com.

Why do gerbils rub noses?

They are actually getting acquainted — they recognize each other by the taste of saliva, according to a new Web site hosted by the World Wide Pet Industry Association. The site, pet source.org, has all kinds of interesting info on dogs, cats, birds and other pets, plus blogs and forums.

Books we like

“The Dangerous Book for Dogs,” by Rex and Sparky (Villard, $15.95). The human writers who helped are experts at humor and include Janet Ginsburg, a former producer for “The Daily Show” with Jon Stewart, and several writers for The Onion.

The book is patterned after those “dangerous” books so popular for kids. But this parody is one of our favorite pet reads in a long time. Written from the dog’s point of view, it has chapters on how to escape humiliating costumes and pick a pill out of peanut butter, as well as sections on the formal rules of fetch, sounds “they” can’t hear, a begging primer and a guide to shoes.

We especially liked the chapter on questions about the world: Why is there only one dinnertime a day, why do people wear clothes, why can’t I drink from the water bowl in the bathroom, where do humans go all day, who’s a good boy?

And of course, there’s a discussion of pooping: “Why do humans pick up our poop if they dislike it so much?”