1. Put out a special treat bowl filled with a selection of tiny morsels of chopped
hot dog, cheese, treats, carrot slices and other goodies your dog loves.
uests can then enjoy giving your dog controlled treats without feeling
guilty or being furtive, while you know that he wont be getting anything
unsuitable. Make sure then that the bowl is placed well out of reach of
your dog though, together with human food toxic to dogs such as
macademia nuts, currants/raisins/sultanas, grapes and chocolate so that
he cant help himself!

2. Wrap up a few gifts for your dog so that he can join in the fun and unwrap
some presents too! He wont be fussy about the gift wrap so newspaper will
do. Make sure you dont leave him alone with all the wrapped presents
under the tree on Christmas Eve though, as he is unlikely to wait until the
morning and might not stop at opening his own! (Goes without saying,
dispose carefully of all discarded wrappings, string, ribbon and the like
that can be hazardous to our pets.

3. Set up a crate or move your dog’s bed to a quiet area if you’re expecting
visitors so that your dog can have some peace and quiet if he chooses.
Keep a special eye on children to make sure he doesnt get unduly
pestered and to prevent play from getting out of hand.

4. Take your dog out for a brisk walk before Christmas lunch. It will help you
both to work up an appetite and allow your dog to work off excess
energy so as he’s more likely to be settled and well behaved for the rest of
the day. Take him out again afterwards too, burn off those excess calories
by having fun with him instead of slumping in front of the telly all day and
ignoring him. To avoid bloat though, particularly with our big, deep chested
dogs, leave a good couple of hours after eating before exercise!

5. Unless your dog is on a special diet, theres no reason why he cant enjoy
a special christmas dinner too – although dont go too overboard. Quality
is more important than quantity; be sensible too about what you give him
as well as how much, so that he doesnt get an upset tummy. A little bit of
turkey breast (lower in fat than the thigh) plus a few veggies will go down
a treat, either as an extra mini meal or added to his supper bowl. Dont give
gravy (high in fat and salt) or roasted veg (too fatty) and remember to throw
the turkey carcass away where he cant get at it – move the dustbin or
secure the lid with a strong bungee strap if he’s a determined scavenger!

In addition to above, be very careful not to leave kids treats (especially
chocolates, selection boxes etc) laying about – as we all know they are
particularly toxic to our furry pals. Also, be extra vigilant with stuff like
glass baubles (our friends boxer almost died last christmas after
swallowing sharp shards of glass from a huge bauble that she removed
from the christmas tree), batteries and other such items. Dogs, like
ourselves, will be very much out of routine at christmas and excitement
etc can cause them to act differently at these busy times. Another one I
feel is worth mentioning is balloons as well – lethal – they can get wound
round dogs’ intestines if ingested and often will show no sign until the dog
becomes quite ill quite quickly – so try to keep them out of their way or
better still dont have them at all if you can help it. Older dogs can become
quite distressed when balloons are popped and younger ones find it hard
to differentiate between balloons and their regular football.
Remember that if you have either older dogs or very nervous
dogs, try to keep their routine as normal as possible for them – for in
routine they find security.

6. Most importantly, remember those dogs less fortunate than our own – make
a special effort, where you can, to visit the poundies before or during the
festive period – they would be delighted to see us for walkies. Especially
too, dont forget them when your dog is unwrapping his own presents – with
two dogs in our family last year (and the hat trick this year!), I know our
dogs got more presents than we did – treats, toys, collars, leads, the lot. I
made a special trip up to the Pound the minute they opened last year and
distributed almost all of their goodies. Like us, they get way too many and
treats especially will do them no favours, when devoured in abundance……..

7. You could ask family/friends, instead of getting you that unwanted gift at
Christmas to make a donation to D.I.D. or any of the number of various
animal charities out there (and there are lots) on your behalf. Everyone’s a
winner!

8. Christmas isnt just for humans – involve your dogs in everything the
festivities have to offer, provided its safe of course, and ensure that you all
have a fun and relaxed time!

Finally, a very merry christmas to Marie and too many of the wonderful and dedicated DID team – from all the volunteers at the pound, to the transporters, fosterers, adoptive families and all to do all they can to make life better for the dogs! A truly wonderful christmas is wished also, for those pups not in our care – hopefully next year will be the year they no longer suffer and find comfort in their forever homes. May you all have a wonderful time and may we be all stronger next year to cope with the year ahead and the trials it brings!