The Dog Blog

Every year, unknowing dog owners find out the hard way that tinsel and glass ornaments can be dangerous. They learn that dogs shouldn’t eat things like chocolate or poinsettias. For this reason, it’s important that you ask your vet for a list of foods, plants and holiday trimmings that can be hazardous to dogs.

As a trainer, my end of the information spectrum is to talk to owners about preparing their dog (behaviorally) for the strangeness of the holidays and preparing themselves for the extra responsibility of managing a dog during the festivities.

Most of us never think about what to do in an emergency until it happens. Some people put “grab it and run” kits together that contain passports and other important paperwork, as well as items of sentimental value. But what about emergency preparedness for our pets?

“No, you don’t understand. I have done *everything*, my dog knows what she is supposed to do but she’s mad at me so she’s going to the bathroom in the house. I take her outside for half an hour and she just stands there and as soon as we come back in the house, she goes on the carpet!

There must be something about this field that makes people super judgmental. I think it has to be the passion animal welfare engenders in us – the animals cannot take care of themselves, so they’re like children. And we’re like animal moms – fiercely protective of our young. Or maybe animal lovers have burned out on people, and thus are overwhelmingly attached to animals of one sort or another. Whatever the reason, it does seem that we have a tendency to leap to the worst conclusions about our fellows humans.

This is constantly happening in a shelter environment, where both staff members and volunteers become quite cynical about those bringing animals in. Everyone who works in a shelter has heard people say they’re leaving their animals behind because they’re “moving,” or they have developed “allergies.” After awhile, you distrust everyone who gives one of those reasons – or many others – for surrenders.