“TIS THE SEASON TO BE JOLLY, FA-LA-LA-LA-LA-LA”
It’s also a time of year where you have friends and family visiting, everything is always very chaotic. Whilst I love it, your pet might not. My little doggy loves to be fussed but too many people really confuse her and she becomes “whappy dog” an affectionate term for when she has a mad half hour, running backwards and forwards, getting in the way and being a loud and (at some times) obnoxious dog. It’s not her fault, far from it, but I always have to be mindful that not everyone loves dogs or animals quite as much as I do. The RSPCA has put together some handy hints & tips to keep your pets safe over the festive season. Some I found very useful for the festive period.
If your pet is anything like mine, she loves a good fuss, but with that she will always get extremely affectionate by licking your face and climbing on to you (don’t worry she has been trained to be a lot better.) Most people tend to be okay with this but some don’t always know how to respond to her excitable behaviour. It’s always nice to provide a little cosy sanctuary that your pet can wander off back to, for example, set up a dog crate upstairs (or the next room depending on living arrangements) with some blankets so they can go and settle down for the day or evening whilst you have lots of guests around. Eventually they do get a little bit bored once they’ve said hello to everyone.
Our Skye is also hypo-allergenic (as well as an anxiety-ridden dog) this means things like wheat in food are off limits. During family visits people tend to feed her tit bits which can be quite frustrating as she will itch and scratch for the next week if whatever it is does not agree with her. Also, things like chocolate, mince pies and bones from meat are extremely toxic or dangerous to dogs. It’s maybe worth popping a little bowl of treats to one side for people to use when they do want to reward her. But obviously, don’t put too many in, some people have the tendencies to over feed dogs.
We forget that pets will be curious little animals during the festive period. Tree’s go up, decorations all around. We have to remember that they aren’t a susceptible to it as we are. Things like mistletoe, ivy and even poinsettas are very dangerous and can poison animals. It’s also maybe worth putting those chocolate treats a little higher up on the tree, out of harms way.
If there’s one thing Skye loves on Christmas morning is to get involved with opening presents, in fact she abso-bloody-lutely loves it. Why not wrap up a little toy or pack of treats for them to get in on the action on Christmas day. There’s something so lovely about your pets enjoying it just as much as you are (if not more, sometimes!)
Sadly, some animals won’t be able to spend Christmas with an affectionate family this year (sorry to tug on those ol’ heart strings!) and the RSPCA desperately try to make it a cosy, warm and loving for them as best as they can. If you can spare a small donation it will go a long way. Equally, if you are looking to get a pet try put the RSPCA to the front of your mind, however, getting a pet requires a lot of time, care and attention so please do take in to consideration all of this before rushing in to getting a family pet for the home.
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