Celebrate Dads of All Species by Giving These 12 Father’s Day Gifts

Posted by Calvin on May 23, 2025

Giving Father’s Day gifts is a great way to show the father figures in your life some appreciation, but let’s face it—many old-fashioned gifts we see aren’t exactly kind to animals. Thankfully, you can surprise your father figure with a top-tier animal-friendly gift by making a few tweaks. 🎁 Here are 12 gifts to avoid and what to get instead:

❌ Not That: Animal Skin Wallet
✅ This: 8000kicks Skinny Vegan Hemp Wallet

Why would anybody want to keep their cards and cash in a slaughtered animal’s skin? Push back against the animal skin industry by getting this durable hemp wallet for Dad in beige, green, or black.

❌ Not That: BBQ Meat Gift Box
✅ This: Beyond Meat

Eating meat increases the risk of developing heart disease, which tends to hit men earlier in life. Show Dad that you care about animals and his health with some 🔥 vegan burgers, ground beef, or steak from Beyond Meat.   

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A post shared by Beyond Meat (@beyondmeat)

❌ Not That: Silk Tie
✅ This: Jaan J. Tie

How to lose all your Father’s Day aura: You buy a silk tie. Silk is made by boiling or gassing silkworms alive in their cocoons, so make the insect-friendly choice to ditch silk and go with a synthetic tie from Jaan J. (check out the PETA collection for animal design ties).

❌ Not That: Fishing Gear
✅ This: Birdwatching Gear

If your father figure loves the outdoors, fishing gear is the worst gift you could give. I mean, yanking fish out of their homes to suffocate and die is damaging af to the natural world. On the other hand, a birdwatching guide or binoculars can help him enjoy the outdoors without harming animals.

❌ Not That: Shaving Kit With Animal Hair Brushes
✅ This: Animal-Friendly Grooming Kit

Did you know some shaving brushes harm badgers? The animals are often caught using snares or bred and kept in tiny cages on farms before being violently killed for their hair. 😨 Show Dad that his grooming doesn’t have to come at anyone’s expense by getting these badger-friendly brushes.  

❌ Not That: Wool Socks
✅ This: Vegan Socks

Sheep shouldn’t suffer and die in the wool industry for socks. Thankfully, brands like 32 Degrees offer soft and affordable socks made from vegan materials like polyester and spandex.

❌ Not That: Cashmere Sweater
✅ This: Vegan Sweater

Cashmere comes from goats who had their hair ripped out with sharp metal combs before being killed. Avoid cashmere and opt for affordable sweaters made from cotton or polyester, like this one from Old Navy.

❌ Not That: Steakhouse Gift Card
✅ This: Vegan Restaurant Trip

Planning a night out is a great idea, but rolling up to a restaurant specializing in dead cow flesh completely kills the vibe. Try one of these vegan-friendly chain restaurants instead, or use the HappyCow database to find vegan food near you.

❌ Not That: Animal-Derived Supplements
✅ This: Vegan Supplements

When buying supplements, watch out for ingredients like gelatin, which is boiled animal bones and ligaments, and fish oil, which is…well, the oil of a fish who was kidnapped and killed. Choose vegan DHA capsules, which contain omega-3s derived from algae (where fish get them from!) 🐟

❌ Not That: Down Slippers
✅ This: Vegan Slippers

So, what’s up with down? The down feather industry shackles birds upside down, stabs them in the neck, and rips their feathers out to make items that could easily be vegan. Dearfoams’ synthetic slippers prove that Dad’s comfort doesn’t have to cause anyone harm.

❌ Not That: Rodeo Tickets
✅ This: Animal-Free Sporting Event Tickets

If you don’t want to see animals being zapped with electric hotshots or slammed onto the ground, a rodeo isn’t the move. 🙅‍♂️ For an action-packed outing, get some tix to a baseball, soccer, or other sports game that doesn’t involve exploiting an animal as a mascot.   

❌ Not That: Cologne Tested on Animals
✅ This: Cruelty-Free Cologne

Testing cologne on animals doesn’t mean spritzing it on them—it means rubbing harsh chemicals into their eyes and onto their bare skin and killing them when they’re no longer needed. Use PETA’s database to find fragrance companies that don’t test on animals, like Abbott and Ink + Ocean Botanicals.

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A post shared by Abbott | Clean Fragrance (@abbottnyc)

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Human father figures aren’t the only dads who deserve a shout-out this time of year. From penguins to seahorses, these animal dads are parenting pros.