1. Make sure to monitor your dog around Christmas trees, Menorahs and other decorations. Puppies, especially, are curious creatures and they love to investigate new things. Many years my Christmas tree was surrounded by an x-pen to keep it upright and the ornaments safe. Thankfully, my dogs have outgrown tree destruction, but be especially careful with your young dog.

2. Keep toxic plants out of reach. Many common holiday plants including holly, mistletoe, poinsettias and lilies can make your pets sick, some seriously. If you’re decorating with these plants, be sure to keep them out of reach of your pet or choose safer alternatives.

3. Don’t leave your dog alone with visiting children, especially if your dog is not used to them. Excited children can unintentionally hurt or scare dogs. If you have young children visiting during the holidays, make sure they know how to approach and interact with dogs safely and supervise closely. And make sure to give your dog breaks in a safe place, like their crate, where no one can bother them.

4. Be careful with holiday food and treats. Dogs are often tempted by tasty holiday foods but many of these can be dangerous for them. Pan drippings, uncooked bread dough, chocolate, raisins, grapes and onions can land your dog in the emergency vet. Who wants that on the holidays? Stick to their regular food and treats instead.

5. Keep an eye on alcohol consumption (no, not on Aunt Minnie’s, well, maybe hers too 🍷🍺🍹). Dogs can be sensitive to alcohol and it can make them very sick (again who wants a sick dog on the holiday 🤮. So be sure to keep alcoholic drinks well out of reach.

6. Make sure to make special time just for you and your dogs. A nice long walk, a run in the park or even just a snuggle on the couch are a perfect holiday tradition 💗

Happy Holidays to all!

A few ideas to keep our pets safe in this HEAT!

I don’t know about you but this heat has me feeling a bit like my buddy here. I think I’m melting…. And I know Twister feels the same (Believe, well she’s crazy and will gladly lay out in the sun on a day like today unless I make her come in – and I do, no worries). And with temps predicted in the 90’s all week, I thought I would share some of the things I’m doing to help my dogs stay cool (and sane) on these HOT days. Some of the simplest ways of keeping our pets safe in the summer heat, hopefully, don’t even need mentioning (but I’m going to anyway 🙂 – not leaving your dog in the car (even for just a minute), walking early in the morning or late evening when the temperature is a bit cooler and making sure they have access to water at all times.

But what to do with high-energy or just plain bored dogs when this heat stretches on and on and on… Here are a few things that I like to do to keep everyone sane on these hot days.

• We make sure to get a good play/training session in early in the morning before the sun is up and the heat is on or my guys will be crazy all day.
• I have lots of frozen marrow bones and stuffed Kong toys to chew on when they’re stuck inside. Licki mats and snuffle mats are another great option to keep their minds and bodies occupied.
• We play foraging games inside and out. What’s a foraging game you ask, instead of putting their food in a bowl, simply scatter it in the grass outside or on the floor inside and let them hunt it up. Or take some yummy treats and hide them around the house and let your dog use his nose to find them.
• I make doggie frozen treats, by freezing bone broth (from the pet store) with some treats in a small plastic bowl. Pop it out of the bowl to serve and let them stay cool while enjoying a healthy treat.
• Since we’re cooped up in the A.C, now is a great time to work on teaching a new trick or two and working on their fitness exercises. Wait, what there are canine fitness exercises??? Yup! My dogs play agility, so we have some equipment that we work on but here are 4 simple exercises that you can do right at home with your dog from the comfort of your air-conditioned living room.
• SWIMMING! My dogs LOVE to swim. Especially Believe, she will stay go out and just swim around forever, especially if I’m out with her. You do need to be mindful of water quality issues, especially the risk of blue green algae blooms in this super hot weather. But this is the ultimate way to beat the heat. Your dog not the swimming type? A wading pool or just a run through the sprinkler can be great ways to cool down.

So those are my top ideas to keep you dogs cool and occupied during this heat wave. What are some of your ways to help your dogs beat the heat?

Want more info on this topic, here is some great information from the ASPCA