Search Results for: blog pets and holiday photos

Why Pets Aren’t Good Presents

This goes without saying, but you can never say it too often because it happens every year: don’t give pets as presents.  If you’re thinking about gifting a pet to someone you love this year, consider very carefully.  Pets are lifelong commitments and responsibilities, not fun presents. Now, I can think of one context in which it could be OK to give a pet for a present: if the person receiving asked for it, knew that’s what they were getting, and understood the responsibilities involved.  That means in most cases, it’s not appropriate to get pets as gifts for children: … Continue reading →

Keep Pets Safe from Outdoor Seasonal Dangers

Oh, the weather outside is frightful! People who have one or more pets that primarily live outdoors need to take extra precautions to keep them safe as the weather gets cold and miserable. VPI has created a helpful list of 10 seasonal dangers to outdoor pets. When you go out into the snowy, Winter, weather, you probably bundle up. Most of us wear warm coats, gloves, hats, and scarves if we are expecting to be outside for more than a minute or two. Your pets can’t do that. This could lead to a very serious, and tragic, situation. You might … Continue reading →

Don’t Feed Your Pets Leftovers from Thanksgiving

Yesterday was Thanksgiving. Today, many of us have lots of delicious leftovers to eat. Don’t feed the leftovers to your pets! People food can make pets really sick. VPI has a list of holiday-related medical conditions that you definitely don’t want your pet to suffer with! It can be very tempting to feed your dog or cat some leftovers from Thanksgiving dinner. Many pets will beg for food every time your family eat dinner, (even when it isn’t Thanksgiving). Some pet owners do give in and will toss their dog or cat some people food to eat. Got more leftovers … Continue reading →

Keep Your Pets Safe on Halloween

Halloween is fun for humans, especially children. Keep in mind, though, that Halloween can be stressful, or dangerous, for your pet. Banfield Pet Hospital has a guide to Halloween safety that pet owner should read over. It can help you avoid tragedy and a pet insurance claim. It is understandable that pet owners will want to share the fun of the holiday with their pets. After all, pets are part of the family! Pet owners need to keep in mind that there are many things associated with Halloween that can lead to a dangerous situation for your dog or cat. … Continue reading →

Prepping for Fluffy’s Holiday Photo

It took working at Families.com for nearly a year before I got my first taste of the term “Fur Baby.” The very first time I saw the words featured in a blog I thought the writer was referring to this. Then, I took a closer look and realized that it was “Fur Baby,” not “Furby.” It didn’t take long to deduce that the blogger loved her four-legged “kids” as much as her two-legged ones. In fact, I became friends with said writer, and the following Christmas I received a hilarious photo card with her furry kids sitting on the laps … Continue reading →

Do Your Pets Factor into Your Holiday Plans?

Do you make your holiday plans around your pets? That’s an assertion that the Associated Press recently made in an article: pet owners revolve their late-December events around their pets. Examples given by the AP include taking holiday-themed photos of pets, using these or other pictures with the animal for seasonal cards, buying pets gifts (the article maintains that just over half of pet owners do this), and even creating special menus for the pet so it can have a holiday meal alongside its human family. There are two sides to this: one, in which a little holiday cheer is … Continue reading →

Christmas Can Be Dangerous For Pets

Pet owners need to be especially aware of the potential dangers that the holiday season brings to your dogs, cats, and other animals. Your pet could decide that your Christmas decorations look tasty. Now is a good time to check to see what your pet insurance policy covers. If your family celebrates Christmas, then you have probably spent quite a bit of time decorating your home in anticipation of that holiday. The human members of your family are very aware of exactly how many days are left before Christmas. Your pets, on the other hand, might be confused about just … Continue reading →

A Merry Christmas for Pets

For Chihiro and Cole, seeing a rabbit this close is like Christmas My extended family used to have a unique Christmas tradition. As we circled around the living room to exchange gifts, pet-owning relatives handed out special presents to other family members with pets: presents to dog and cat cousins from each other. That’s right: my aunt’s dog Chessie might receive a wrapped bone from my other aunt’s cat Patches. I have no idea how the tradition started; it’s one I remember always being there as I grew up. When my family finally got a cat we were then included … Continue reading →

Old Photographs and Holiday Memories

Each year during the holiday season, I learn a little bit more about my family. That is actually one of my favorite things about the holidays – seeing all of my family and getting to know them a little better each time I see them. While the information that I usually learn is not something that would appear on a pedigree chart, it is important information, nonetheless. I learn things about the relatives that I talk to, as well as those that are no longer alive. My aunts and uncles tell stories from their childhood, and they often take out … Continue reading →

Pets and Holiday Photos

Red and green are the colors of Christmas, but no pet owner wants to photograph his dog and see the seasonal shades show up in his pooch’s eyes. To avoid turning your pup into a green or red-eyed monster, the first thing you need to do is turn off your camera’s flash. A camera’s built-in flash emits a harsh light, which typically reflects off the animal’s retina and results in a demonic appearance. Instead of shooting your pet’s holiday photo indoors, consider taking aim outdoors where you can use natural light to your advantage. If the winter weather makes shooting … Continue reading →