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A group of your friends and family, some festive decorations, and delicious food sounds like a recipe for a great time, but can turn out to be a recipe for disaster for your pet. Whether you are celebrating the holidays at home or away, many of the same hazards threaten the safety of your pet. By following some basic preventative steps, you and your family can spend your holiday time relaxing together instead of searching for an emergency veterinarian's office in the middle of the night.

New places to climb, shiny objects to bat at, strings to chase and chew… to little Fluffy, your Christmas tree looks less like a tree and more like an amusement park. In order to make your tree safe, first, anchor your tree securely to the ceiling using a strong cord. Be sure the base of the tree is appropriate for the height and weight of your tree and does not topple easily. With kitties in the house, it's best not to use tinsel at all; but if you must, place it high on the tree out of your cat's reach. When eaten, tinsel can cause a potentially deadly intestinal obstruction. Also be wary of ornament hooks, ribbons, and sharp or breakable ornaments. Although it may help extend the life of your tree, shy away from using any preservatives in the water, including sugar and aspirin, as they may cause gastric upset in your pet. Also keep in mind that Pine sap mixed with water can become a poisonous drink for animals. In order to avoid shocks and burns, be sure to tape down all electrical cords and unplug them before leaving home. Keep tabs on all indoor light strings to be sure they are not hanging so low that a pet could easily become entangled.

You might enjoy a visit from Grandma, Aunt Jane and her three children, several of your long lost second cousins, and your in-laws; however, Fido might become very anxious around so many new people. Provide your pet with a safe, quiet place to retreat to during holiday parties. Also, be sure to keep their identification tags on them in case your pooch decides to slip out during all the commotion.

Deck the halls with boughs of holly, but be sure to remove all the berries. Most common holiday plants such as mistletoe and holly berries can be poisonous to pets. Although not actually poisonous, pine needles can puncture holes in a pet's intestines. Poinsettias are lovely to look at, but the milky white sap and leaves can cause severe gastric distress for your pet. Also, with so many new hybrids available each year, the safest bet is to keep poinsettias out of your pets reach.

Of course, candles should never be left unattended, but they should also be placed far away from curious little paws. A happily wagging tail could prove disastrous near the open flame and hot wax of a candle. Always anchor candles securely and place safely out of your pet's reach.

Everyone wants to enjoy the holiday feast, and pet parents usually do not want to leave their four legged friends out of the celebration. Too many high-fat foods such as turkey skin can cause severe gastrointestinal upset and even pancreatitis, a sometimes fatal inflammation of the pancreas. Another holiday favorite, chocolate contains the heart stimulant theobromine, and in small quantities can be toxic to both dogs and cats. Symptoms of chocolate ingestion include vomiting, diarrhea, hyperactivity, seizures, rapid and irregular heartbeats, muscle tremors, comas and, in large quantities, even death. Remember to take all wrapped gifts that contain food out from under the tree and out of your pet's reach. If your doggie needs a bone to chew on, purchase one made specifically for dogs and not one from off the holiday table. Small bones or bone chips can lodge in the throat, stomach, and intestinal tract of your pet. So come on, throw a dog a bone!

Does your dog jump on your lap when you're on the phone? Or maybe he barks incessantly every time you sit down at the computer to work? Maybe you find the kitchen towels chewed up after you finally put down the latest bestseller?

Your dog may be emotionally needy. These behaviors are an attempt by your dog to get your attention any way possible. Even if you get mad and yell, in your dogs eyes, he's still getting attention - even if it is bad attention. And every time you stop your activity to tend to your dog, you've just reinforced the behavior.

All people and animals engage in various types of attention seeking behavior from time to time. That isn't the problem. When the attention seeking behavior becomes destructive and disruptive to daily activities, then it becomes a problem.

Dogs are pretty smart at figuring out what works for them. Your dog will quickly put two and two together: if I howl while my owner's on the phone she'll hang up and play fetch with me or yell at me - whatever! Attention, even negative attention, is better than no attention at all.

Attention seeking behavior can reach serious proportions. Some dogs knock over objects on forbidden areas or pounce on you in your sleep. Others steal things or even swallow them to get your attention. Your hysterical reaction, yelling and chasing the dog to get the object back, can be just what your dog wants. Some dogs even develop pseudo-illnesses and injuries to get attention.

As strange as it sounds, the best thing to do is to ignore the attention seeking behavior. That's right - pretend that you don't even see him digging up your carpet. This will certainly test your resolve since this method does not work right away. In fact, the behavior will most likely intensify before it gets better.

A word of caution: if you give in to your dog's behavior after ignoring it for a time, you will actually reinforce the behavior more firmly. Your dog learns that if he is just more destructive for a longer period of time that you will eventually give in. Obviously, this is not the result we're looking for!

One way to help the process along is to create a signal with your dog that you are about to quit paying attention and leave the room. You can use anything, the snap of your fingers, a foghorn, or even stating firmly, "I'm leaving." Your dog will learn quickly that every time you snap your fingers, you leave and quit giving him attention.

Of course good attention needs to replace the bad, so spend extra time each day playing with your furry friend - preferably at the same time(s) every day. Looking forward to that special play time will help to calm an anxious animal. The added bonus is that wearing your pet out eliminates most bad behavior. Try to make this time a fun exercise session for your dog. Re-emphasize all the training and tricks that he learned as a puppy to show him that you are the leader of the pack - not him.

Even if you can't run a marathon with your dog, do try to spend some quality time with him. And every time he does behave well, be sure to reward him with praise and treats.

New Book Helps Hotels Increase Profits by Becoming Pet Friendly

Due to the demand for accurate, actionable information about becoming a pet friendly hotel, BringYourPet.com recently released the book, "Making Your Property Pet Friendly: A How-To Guide."

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Follow this link:
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"Making Your Property Pet Friendly: A How-To Guide" is available in hardcopy and downloadable version.

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Property Spotlight - The Brown Palace Hotel

The Brown Palace has long stood as the pride of downtown Denver hotels, embraced by the city as its own. As an anchor to the bustling financial and cultural district, the Brown Palace places guests within arm's length of the city's greatest attractions. As the city's only Mobil Four-Star and AAA Four-Diamond hotel, the Brown Palace is a national treasure.

Ideally located in majestic South Central Vermont, The Paw House is a short distance from Killington, Woodstock, Manchester, Okemo, Middlebury, Green Mountain National Forest, The Long Trail, Lake Bomoseen, and hundreds of Vermont's four season treasures.

Community Animal Welfare Society (CAWS) is a volunteer-based nonprofit organization operating in Salt Lake City, Utah since 1990. CAWS spends less than 6% of their funds on operating expenses due to their wonderful volunteers and foster home network. Sliding income scale spay/neuter is also available. Assistance is also provided for altering and caring responsibly for feral cats.

Contact Information:
Email: cawsdotorg@aol.com
Web site: www.caws.org
Phone: 801-328-4731
Address: PO Box 17825, Salt Lake City, UT 84117

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