Christmas Trees. Pet-proofing the symbol of the Holiday Season.

Christmas Wrapping Paper - a shuffling nightmare for pet owners

Ornaments and decorations - their place is on the Christmas tree. How do they end up in your pet`s mouth?

Pets and Christmas Table. Prevent kitchen accidents and save your Holiday dinner

Live but Poisonous decorations. Pets and Christmas plants.

Keeping your pet safe outdoors during the Holiday season

Pets in crowded houses. How not to turn hospitality into hostility for pets

If it is cold for you, it is cold for them

Fire safety for pets

Holiday blues. How to prevent separation anxiety in Christmas

The magic of walks. Prepare your dog for the celebration

Get your pet a Christmas Gift!

Secure the area. Keep Christmas fun within its limits

Christmas lights and pets. May your Christmas be bright and merry

Gifts. Are they meant for humans or pets?

Responsible drinking. Keep alcohol away from your pets

Fireworks. It is not the 4th of July - it is much worse!

Decorating a Christmas tree - one of the loveliest holiday traditions. It is the moment when all the family comes together, sometimes fiercely arguing about the position and color of every ornament and tinsel, setting the tone for the whole Holiday Season. 

And what about your pets? No doubt those glittery and tinkling ornaments and garlands literary invite to play! You may get some pretty likable Instagram videos while your kitten is trying to catch a glitter hanging from a branch or pup walking on back paws, fascinated by all that shine and glitter. But here are two reasons why you should not leave your pet alone with this Holy Grail of playfulness:

• Instead of a neat, carefully decorated tree, you have a solid chance to end up with bare branches and pet pawprints all over the floor
• Edible ornaments (especially the chocolate ones) may be ultimately poisonous for your pet. Ironically, they are the most appealing ones
• If something eventually gets knocked off a branch, you may end up with lots of shards on the floor, which may be dangerous both for pets and humans

But of course, an undecorated Christmas Tree is not an option! In case you are a proud owner of a curious and adventurous pet, there are several ways to make your decorations stylish, smart, and pet-friendly this year.

• Hang ornaments made out of treats on the lowest branches. In this case, whatever is going on on the upper level won't be that appealing anymore.
• Choose safe unbreakable decorations (plastic, paper, DIY ornaments - the choice is unlimited!)
• Leave edibles in the kitchen!
• Try not to leave the Tree unsupervised or create some barrier. In case the physical restriction is not an option, an invisible indoor dog fence may do the job.

Christmas is the time for fun and joy - not emergency rooms and vet offices. Pet-proofing your Holiday season might require some level of inventiveness, but in fact, it is pretty easy and not that costly as bills from a vet and destroyed decorations might be.

Those seductive smells of roasted turkey and other delicious food coming from the kitchen do not only attract family members asking if the food is ready every 10 minutes! Imagine how burning that desire would be if you had a dog's nose. So can you blame your pets for trying to steal food as soon as you leave it attendant? And let's be fair - most of the time, they succeed. When we talk about Pets Christmas, it is not that much ruining the dinner, but your dog or cat's safety at stake. Most foods from our holiday table may be quite unsuitable for our fur-babies` digestive system. Eventually, you may end up with a destroyed carpet and funky smell in the house in the best-case scenario. But hollow turkey bones and chocolate may be ultimately fatal for pets. Not to mention burning and tripping accidents that may happen when you are in a rash of cooking and your curious pet underfoot. Make sure to feed your pets with just food for dogs and cats, and for God's sake, secure the cooking area, especially the stove and oven.

A fir tree is not the only traditional living Christmas decoration. Poinsettias, mistletoe, and holly also bring that splash of color and special Christmas mood to the house. But whether you are placing them in your own home or bring as a present, remember that they are quite toxic for most pets and especially - for cats. Hardly there may be any lethal outcome, but depending on the weight of an animal and how much he managed to eat, those plants may cause pretty severe reactions. Make sure to display them out of reach of your pets.

Although snowy season might be the most fun, especially for our pets' furriest, it may also carry some dangers. Antifreeze and other reagents aimed to provide our safety on the street may be the ultimate curse for animals. First of all, it may damage the paws, which is extremely painful and may lead to severe skin conditions. So during dog walking, make sure to avoid areas that are treated with de-icing products. Also, be careful in your yard; try not to spill antifreeze or leave it unattended in the reach of pets` paws. Also, its smell is quite appealing for most animals, while the product itself is extremely poisonous. Make sure to keep your garage or utility room out of your pet's reach at all times.

Whether you are hosting Christmas dinner in your house this year or visit relatives with pets, this situation may be quite stressful for most animals. The more-the merrier - this principle works only for humans. Cats and dogs may get pretty anxious from all that noise, new smells and faces, and excessive attention. If you are willing to arrange an ultimately merry Christmas for your furry friend, make sure there is some room with a familiar atmosphere and smells where he may escape.

• If you are visiting, take the favorite toy and bedding with you - those smells and textures will help soothe and relax your pet.
• Stick to the routine. No matter how fun the celebration is, make sure to stick to the dog walking schedule and feeding routine.
• If your Christmas gathering includes children, try not to leave your pet unsupervised. From unwanted treats and tummy aches to cases of aggression due to anxiety - all these may be avoided with supervision and attention to your pet's feelings.

When winter is coming, we start to cuddle in warm blankets and chunky sweaters, turn on the heating and spend the evening at the fireplace. But what about your pets? Winterproofing animals might be quite a controversial topic. On the one hand, it is important to remember that animal's bodies are designed to adjust according to temperatures; therefore, dog jackets and cat fur coats are ridiculously useless pieces of apparel. But if your animals live outside, make sure to winterproof their doghouses and hutches. Put some warm blankets there and protect it from winds and water. During the harsh periods with snow, blizzards consider taking your pet inside the house. Christmas may not have its significance for animals, but this is the time to show some mercy and care to those who depend on us.

Merry flames dancing to the sound of crackling wood in the fireplace. Isn't it the idyllic Christmas picture? But open fireplaces are pretty dangerous for pets. In case it is your cat's or dog's first time to see open fire, make sure to secure it from its adventurous and investigative nature. Another potentially fire-dangerous tradition is Christmas candles. If replacing them with artificial lights is not an option for you, make sure to observe all the precautions. 

• Keep them out of your pet's reach 
• Place them steadily, so there is no chance burning candles may be affected by an accidental move or air breeze
• Never leave open fire attendant

Most animals are intuitively scared of fire and won't come close to it willingly, but it is still important not to take chances and eliminate all probable accidents.

The holiday season is also a vacation season. And sometimes we decide to leave on vacation without or pets or don't have an opportunity to take them with us. Still, it is essential to remember that you are the whole world and family for your dog, cat, or bunny. Therefore separation anxiety may be a real challenge for your fuzzy friend. To avoid it, you may do the following:

• Make sure to place your pet into a comfortable (perfectly - familiar) environment when you leave
• Take a sweater or a shirt out of the laundry and put it into your dog's or cat's bedding. Your smell will be great comforting factors.
• Avoid long goodbyes. Your emotions may create unwanted excitement that will lead to anxiety when leaving a pet behind at its emotional peak.

Leaving your pet with a family member or a familiar friend is the perfect scenario, of course. But in case you decided to use the services of professionals, make sure to do comprehensive research, ask for feedback and reviews about a place, or contact local pet-lovers for advice.

World-leading dog training experts claim that dog walking is not just a sanitary measure but a miraculous therapeutical procedure for your pet. Nothing helps a dog clear its head and release stress other than a long and intensive migration all over the neighborhood. This tip will come especially handy when you expect a big company for the Holidays. Being extra smooched and squeezed, feeling all those strange scents, a dog may easily get overwhelmed and become destructive and even aggressive. To avoid it and keep your dog in line, make sure to take your dog for at least an hour's walk before guests arrive and add several getaways during the day in addition to your normal walking schedule.

More and more pet owners get Christmas gifts for their furry friends. No wonder the market explodes with various toys and treats before the holidays. But beware, chasing the holiday rush, many retail locations get in bulk some cheap goods from unreliable suppliers. Not only those toys will not last long, but they may also be made out of toxic and hazardous materials. Don't go crazy. In case you have decided to get your Christmas Cat or Dog a gift, don't fall victim to holiday shopaholism. Pay attention to the quality, credibility of the brand, and certificates of any pet goods. 

Even the most responsible pet owner cannot observe it 24/7/ Especially when guests have already arrived, there is a turkey in the oven, and kids are anxious to open the presents. If your pet has an opportunity to get out of the house and be unsupervised, make sure to secure the area and make it safe. Almost 10 million pets get lost each year. And most of those cases happen during the holiday season. To make the garden paws adventure safe and fun for your pet this Christmas, consider an invisible dog fence to prevent dog run. You might also want to secure your doors, windows, and gate to prevent your adventurous cat from escaping.

In the joy of gift unwrapping, we may sometimes lose focus and forget that our pets remain adventurous hunters 24/7. Out of curiosity, they will monitor every new bag and package that will arrive in the house during the holiday season. And some of that contents may be quite attractive but dangerous for them. Make sure to store the presents safely and out of your pet's reach. When you receive presents and don't have time to arrange and place them properly, take them to a separate room or a closable wardrobe. Even the laziest cat will want to check out that new box filled with shuffling wrapping paper.    

Yes, they are all fun, joy, and attraction, but any pet owner knows that fireworks may be an ultimate curse. The sound and sight of an explosion may be quite traumatizing and terrifying for animals. Dog runs or pets injuring or trapping themselves in an attempt to escape the battle scene are quite common during Christmas. Even if you are not planning any fireworks attractions yourself, your neighbors might. Therefore it is especially important to secure your pets and provide them a safe area to hide during the night. Also, make sure your gates and fence are secured, and there is a dark, sound-proof area in the house where your cute cat or anxious pup may wait for out the disaster.  

Pets bring joy to our life. Unconditional love and devotion, true friendship, and a comforting environment - those are the priceless gifts that we receive from them year-round. Christmas time might be one more reason to demonstrate our responsibility and care for them. Following those simple pet holiday tips, you may be sure that your pet holidays will be joyful and safe and bring only the merriest lifetime memories.