Comments on: Get everyone on board before taking your pet to holiday gatherings

By: all about your dog

all about your dog — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 17:04:57 +0000

I know first hand about taking dogs to places they are not wanted… as dog owners we think that most people like dogs like we do, especially family, but that is not the case!

By: Anne T

Anne T — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 01:06:14 +0000

Ha! My dogs aren’t big, but they are extremely agile, have both an insatiable curiosity and appetite, and since most have some level of agility training, do not subscribe to tables as a sacred space, especially the one in the kitchen.
My breeder delivered my youngest dog to me. She brought his sire with her, as they planned to attend an LC event on their way back home so he could chase the bunny. They spent the night, and that morning during our breakfast, one of mine marched into the guest room, pulled down the zipper of her carry bag, removed a gigantic Hershey’s Milk Chocolate bar, and left the wrapper almost intact! Thank Dog for syringes and hydrogen pyroxide!
Looking in my kitchen just now, the top of my pie safe where I keep my chocolate stash probably wouldn’t be safe from a determined Deerhound, Borzoi, Chart Polski, Ibizan or IW.

By: Christie Keith

Christie Keith — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 00:07:16 +0000

This reminds me of when Ginger came to visit. She kept putting her purse on the table, and I kept moving it to the top of the TV cabinet or refrigerator.

She has Basset Hounds. Couldn’t wrap her brain around how tall my dogs are!

By: Gina Spadafori

Gina Spadafori — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 23:14:25 +0000

You know what else: People who don’t have pets often put prescription Rx on countertops or nightstands.

Dr. Hansen of the ASPCA’s Animal Poison Control Center did an experiment with his own dog to see how long it took her to chew open a pill bottle. (He put candie in it, to be safe.)

15 seconds.

He told us (for our upcoming Parade magazine piece) that meds are a top poisoning problem, both human and pet, prescription and OTC. Dogs, especially, think pills rattling in a bottle is a toy.

So … if you have guests, remind them to secure meds. And if you are visiting, be sure all meds are put in drawers or cupboards.

By: Anne T

Anne T — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 23:04:37 +0000

And if you are visiting with your pet, make sure everyone understands to keep any products that contain xylitol out of the pet’s reach!!! That could be candy canes hung on the tree, Tic-Tacs in your pocket or pocket book, or a host of candy products, since the FDA seems to allow xylitol to be labeled as ‘sugar’. Better safe than sorry!
See the following posters’ blogs about the ubiquitous poison: A Dog’s Life and Terrierman.

By: Janeen

Janeen — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 16:57:56 +0000

I love dogs. All dogs. But I don’t love all *guests* with dogs. One brought a small dog - passed off as ‘service dog’ - that barked incessantly and peed all over my house. I liked the dog. The owner… not so much.

Another came with 4 border collies, including one in standing heat. Great owner — and the dogs weren’t a problem.

If your dog is a problem you need to take a long, hard look in the mirror.