Holiday Hazards

I know I do a lot of these safety posts, but sometimes I find it’s good to have little reminders during all the fun times in life to just be aware so the fun doesn’t quickly become hazardous. December is definitely a time to be a bit more cautious because of all the exciting parties and holidays. So here’s a quick rundown of some holiday hazards to keep your eyes on.

The Christmas Tree

For those of you that celebrate the coming of Santa Paws by putting up a tree in the house, there are a couple of things to keep in mind. The first in the water for the tree. Because the tree stand looks like a big ole water dish to us dogs (cats too!) be careful what goes in it. Some humans use chemical preservers and, while most are non-toxic, it could very well make a dog or cat vomit. Make sure you keep the tree skirt secured around the tree so your fur baby can’t get to the water. Also, to some of us, this tree looks like a big old toy for us to play with. I know Harry was quite prone to climbing our Christmas tree, and luckily never knocked it down. To try and prevent accidents, tie the tree, with fishing line, to a hook in the wall behind the tree.

I know you humans like your glittering bobbles, especially around this time of year. For the ornaments that go on the tree, keep the most fragile and precious near the top of the tree so curious paws and excited tails can’t knock them off. If an ornament is to break, quickly take any animals away from the glass and clean it up. If a piece is stepped on or swallowed, immediately take the animal to the vet. The same idea goes for tinsel. Cats are extremely attracted to that shiny stuff, so if you must have it, make sure it stays out of the cat’s way.

Candy

Like Halloween, this time of year brings lots of treats, including candy. As before, keep any candy out of reach and away from pooches and kitties (especially chocolate).

Electrical Cords

Lights seem to be a big deal. The tree is wrapped in them, there are electric candles in the window, people even put them outside. The big hazard is that some fur babies like to nibble and gnaw on electrical wires which can lead to a nasty shock. To prevent this, tape them to the floor (the wires, not your pets, silly!) or run them through a protective cover. If all else fails, spraying a little Bitter Apple on them will keep most animals away.

Presents

Ribbon can be very entertaining for animals, but can be a choking hazard so just keep an eye on any pet who is playing with it. Some presents come in packages in the mail and are covered in foamy bits. Keep those out of the reach of curious noses, especially ferrets. They love to eat packing peanuts!

Hope everyone continues to have a safe and festive holiday season!

Happy tail wags.

 

December

It’s December 1st which means it’s the start of that month where most humans start to go a little crazy. I noticed this craziness last year, what with it being my first December and all. Suddenly the humans get this weird glint in their eyes as they talk about things like “snow” and “jingle bells” and some person named “Santa Paws.” And it’s all centered around this one day called “Christmas.” Shiny, glittery things get hung around the house, a huge tree gets brought indoors. Oh, and don’t even think about getting anywhere near that tree, even for a sniff (let alone taking care of some business like you boy dogs do) or else you get shooed away. And then there are boxes of all sizes covered in this shiny stuff and they all smell fun and exciting. Last year there were a few with my name on them from that guy “Santa Paws.” Mom says he lives way at the top of the world where it’s really cold (I hope his mommy dresses him in warm sweaters) and he makes and delivers presents for all the good little dogs. The bad ones get cat poo. This whole thing is all very weird to me, but the humans seem to really enjoy it, so who am I to make a fuss.

“Christmas” isn’t all trees, presents, and Santa Paws, there are also a lot of fun activities to enjoy up until the “big day” as that talking box my mom calls the t.v. would say. Over the weekend, my town held a fun little festival of lights to ring in the season. There was a parade and everything. Of course, being the slight scaredy cat that I am, I decided to stay home where it was nice and toasty. But, my mom said that there were a few pups were out enjoying the festivities, some being an actual part in the parade!

Hobbes and his mom enjoying the parade.

Two Weimaraners decided to brave the cold.

These two Dalmations were marching in the parade.

This holiday season is sure going to be fun!

I hope everyone had a fun and safe Thanksgiving!

Happy tail wags.

Pomp and Circumstance

I hope everyone had a fun and festive Turkey Day yesterday. I know I had fun getting a few nibbles off the turkey and running around with my cousins. I even got to run outside off my leash for a little bit, something I never do.

I also had a chance to sit with my mom, uncle, gramp, and cousins to watch some of the National Dog Show. This year there were three new breeds allowed to compete. The first was the Irish White and Red Setter, not to be confused with the Irish Setter. They are a member of the Sporting Group. 

The second new breed was the Norwegian Buhund. They were in the Working Group.

The last of the new breeds to be featured was the Pyrenean Shepard and was featured in the Herding Group. The winners out of 150 breeds represented by 1400 dogs were:

Sporting: R.J (or Champion Casbar’s Hart to Hart J.H.) the Labrador Retriever.

Working: O.J. (or Champion Allure Blazing Star Alisaton) the Doberman Pinscher.

Toy: Major (or Champion Kimro’s Soldier Boy) the Miniature Pinscher.

Terrier: Sadie (or Champion Roundtown Mercedes of Maryscot) the Scottish Terrier.

Hound: Cupid (or Champion Celestial C.J.’s Hearts on Fire) the Petit Basset Griffon Vendeen.

Herding: Roy (or Champion Tolkien Raintree Mr. Baggins) the Bearded Collie.

Non-Sporting: Uli (or Champion Kepley’s Showbiz Razzle Dazzle) the Bulldog.

Sadie the Scottish Terrier was crowned Best in Show.

Congratulations!

To watch the whole broadcast click here.

Happy tail wags!

Thankful

My favorite holiday, Turkey Day, is tomorrow. My mom has told me that the day isn’t just a giant celebration of all things turkey.

Even though it really should be.

She said that it’s about giving thanks for everything you appreciate. So, I decided that I will give my thanks today so tomorrow can really be all about that yummy bird.

I am thankful for….

The two legged members of my family because without them I wouldn’t be able to open the treat bag.

The four-legged members of my family (sometimes).

Having friends to chase me around and slobber all over me.

Zuke’s  Z-Ridge Cranberry dental chews (I get to have one tomorrow!).

Having lots of toys to squeak. And having a mom who knows how to sew them back together when I rip them apart.

Cows, because their ears are so tasty.

Places that let us pooches in because I like to shop with my mom.

Stores like the Loyal Biscuit because they sell all the things I like. But then again I like most things.

Chicken.

Having a warm home and warm hearts to love me.

I hope you all have a wonderful Turkey Day!

Happy tail wags.

Goodness

Over the past couple of days I have gotten a couple of surprises from my mom. The first was a hoodie she whipped up on her handy dandy sewing machine. She took an old sweatshirt that no one had used in awhile, cut it up, pinned it, and sewed it and this is the result:

My new hoodie!

It’s very cute and I think I look extremely precious in it. My favorite part is the blue polka dots. My nanny says I look like a boy, but I don’t really mind it.

Then, last Thursday, I was left all alone for most of the day with only Gracie Lynn, Harry, and the occasional visit from my gramp to keep me company. I was very sad, but as my mom has explained, there are just some places that aren’t all that great for pups to visit. Anyway, when my mom did return, she had a present for me! It’s from Old Navy, which is a little surprising. The last time I got something from Old Navy it was a horrible fit and looked nothing like the photo online. But I’m really happy mom got me this because it’s extremely cute and fits very well. Plus I love what it says. It’s what the world needs: peace, love, and puppies!

Happy tail wags!

Taste Test

Mom and I went to the Loyal Biscuit today to get me another bag of my yummy food. Unfortunately, they were all out of the Acana Grasslands which is what I normally eat. It was a good thing though, because I am now able to try one of the other types of food, Acana Pacfica.

Acana Pacifica

The difference between the two is while Grasslands is lamb based, Pacifica is fish based. The main ingredients are salmon, herring, and flounder. And because it contains a lot of fish, it has this stuff called omega-3 that helps boost a pup’s immune system and keep our coats nice and shiny. Sounds like all good things to me.

But how does it taste? Well, my mom let me have a little nibble in the car on the way to Rockport Harbor. At first I spit it out because it wasn’t quite what I had expected; but after awhile I decided to give it another go. I actually quite like it.

I also was given a sample treat from the company Stella & Chewy’s. Stella and Chewy’s makes a line of raw food and treats for pups. They use all natural (meaning no hormones or antibiotics) meats and organic produce like broccoli, cranberries, spinach and beets to make their freeze dried and frozen food. I got to try a small sample of the Dandy Lamb Freeze-Dried Dinner. It was very, very tasty and I gobbled it right up. I was very upset though because Lauren also gave mom a sample for Gracie Lynn that I wasn’t allowed to have. I was kind of hoping that Gracie wouldn’t like it so I could have it, but she gobbled it right up too.

Happy yummy tail wags!

A Thank You

I am a very bad pup. On Wednesday it was Veteran’s Day, a holiday where humans celebrate and remember all of the brave men and women who have fought in wars. Now, I don’t know much about human politics or human wars, sometimes when my mom watches the news I try to listen but find it all a little too sad; but I had wanted to make a post to also tell all the veterans that I am thankful to them because they are protecting us four-legged creatures as well. So I am very sorry that this is late and I hope you forgive my forgetful puppy mind.

Here are some videos of pooches welcoming home their brave soldiers:

This is Gracie, welcoming home her daddy from Afghanistan.

Here are a couple of extremely excited beagles.

And here are a few very wiggly puppies giving their dad a very happy welcome home.

For more tear jerking videos click here for a whole list.

Thanks again for all the brave women and men who have served and dedicated their lives for our, furried or not, safety. If I could, I would give you all tons and tons of sloppy kisses!

Happy tail wags.

This Little Piggy

There has recently been a lot of buzz with you humans about something called a “teacup” or micro pig. Now, I have yet to have had the opportunity to meet a pig, teacup or not, so I decided to do a little research.

Micro Piggies!

These little oinkers are specifically bred to be small versions of the larger, potbellied variety. They can grow up to the size of a small spaniel, which is around 45-60 pounds. Since I only weigh 17 pounds, the piggy would be bigger than me. They can be litter box trained, are extremely intelligent and are great for allergy sufferers because they have hair and not fur (just like me!). But, if you are looking to adopt one, they are currently only available over that big thing of water my mom calls the ocean in a place called Great Britain.

One of the little micros has become somewhat of an internet celebrity. His name is Kingsford and he has a very cute video of him playing around with his humans and enjoying a day at the beach. To see the video, click here.

I think micro pigs are kind of cute. I wouldn’t mind having a play date with one someday, but I am also a little bit leery. Hopefully humans don’t get so lost in the cuteness that they forget once the craze dies down, there is still an animal that needs their time and devotion for the rest of its life.

Happy tail wags!

Slumber Party

Over the weekend I got the chance to have a slumber party with my gram, who I am now calling GG (it stands for great-grandmother), gramp, and my mom. I had a chance to really explore, especially in the rooms that I’m usually not allowed into like the bedrooms and GG’s craft room. I found tons of stuff to play with, like scraps of paper and hair scrunchies. Gramp even let me have a piece of cheese!

GG and I, cuddling in her favorite chair.

Snoozing in the morning sun.

I love hanging out with GG and Gramp!

Happy tail wags!

Pawcurious

One of my mom’s favorite blogs to read is called Pawcurious. It’s written by a pet doctor named Dr. V and she often writes about some of the patients she sees, things that come up in the dog world, and her fur babies Brody and Apollo. My mom was very much moved by the pieces Dr. V wrote during the passing of her dog Emmett. This blog definitely gets four paws in the air from me.

Tonight starting at 9 o’clock*, the beginning of my bed time, Dr. V will be having a 24 hour blogathon to help raise money for the San Diego Humane Society and SPCA for National Animal Shelter Appreciation Week. Every hour, Dr.V will be writing an entry, and she is taking suggestions for possible topics. There are going to be prizes that donaters can win and lots of fun! I probably won’t be able to keep my puppy eyes open long enough for all the madness, but I’m sure my mom will. If you would like to donate like mom and I, click here. Clicking on the picture of Brody will take you to the donati0n site. There is also some more information about the blogathon at the link.

Happy tail wags!

*Note from my mom: The blogathon starts at 6pm Pacific Standard time, and since Pru and I live on the East coast, it will be at 9pm.