Doggin' Around the Christmas Tree

The Holidays are meant to fun, and having a dog around the house is likely to up the fun quotient. If you can train your dog to decorate the tree, you're more skilled than I. I found a few funny stories about Christmas with your pets I have a 10-year-old border collie mix who guards our tree. She has been doing this since she was 10 weeks old. I think she likes the lights and does not want to share with our 5-year-old black lab mix. She lays and sleeps under the tree. No presents can go under it because she thinks they are hers…maybe she wants all the presents??????? After christmas she goes back to her old spoilt self….back to her own bed……. Brenda When I was single I had an Airedale mix that went everywhere with me. He was very polite and never lifted his leg so I never gave any thought to taking him to a friend’s house for a Christmas party – oh, yeah – he found the Christmas tree and “baptized” it in their living room! It was really good my friends had a sense of humor because we spent most of the night laughing about it and Fred (my dog) just looked at us like we were all nuts! Linda Scooter, the Becker family’s Wire Haired Fox Terrier, once devoured an entire holiday sampler tray of fruit covered in white chocolate. Thankfully, Becker says, there were no medical repercussions, other than an upset tummy. Unlike dark and milk chocolate, white chocolate contains less significant amounts of theobromine and caffeine, the substances that can give dogs (and less commonly, cats) the runs or cause vomiting, a rapid heart rate and seizures — just a few of the signs of chocolate overdose. So it's less likely — but not impossible — to result in toxicity. That said, overindulging in white chocolate can still lead to gastrointestinal upset and the food's high fat content can contribute to pancreatitis. If your pet eats any type of chocolate, it's still best to contact your veterinarian. Much better for you and your pupper to be safe than sorry.