Pet Etiquette for the Holidays

As a lifelong pet lover and owner, I’m very aware of the issues surrounding the holiday season.

Luckily, pet organizations provide checklists for us to make sure we’re aware of potential hazards:

ASPCA  Holiday Safety Tips: http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/pet-care-tips/holiday-safety-tips.aspx

10 Pet Safety Tips for the Holidays: http://foundchicago.org/humane-education/10-pet-safety-tips-for-the-holidays/

However, there are other important tips to take into consideration that I’ve learned throughout the years that can help make your holiday season fun and festive with your furry (and not so furry) friends.

Visitors: Over the holiday season your house may be filled with people who may not be familiar to your pets. Be aware that your pet may become frightened or even aggressive toward strangers. My strategy has always been to put pets away before visitors arrive, then introduce them in a calm and relaxed manner after everyone settles in. 

Children: Explain to parents of small children that they’ll need to help their little ones to be very gentle with all animals. Children can be loud, move quickly, squeeze too hard, tug on ears and tails or unintentionally frighten or harm your pet. Simply make sure to supervise any child around your pet at all times.

Allergies: As a courteous pet owner, ask your guests ahead of time if they have allergies. If so, be honest with your guests about shedding and where your animals are allowed in your home. If it’s a mild allergy, plan to have your pets put away during their visit. But sometimes taking an antihistamine just won’t cut it and you’ll have to go to their home instead.

Fear: Not everyone loves your pets like you do. Some people are truly afraid of certain types of pets (my mother-in-law was terrified of my cats but loved my dogs). Let any visitors know what kinds of pets you have so you can make arrangements to either put them away or meet at an alternative location. Or if they are willing, you can use the occasion to help your guests try to conquer their fear in a controlled setting.

Feeding:  I admit it; I feed my dogs from the table. I have just as many visitors who love it as hate it (right, Mom?). And some visitors prefer not to have pets around at all while they’re eating. I have dogs that gently remove the food from my fingers and ones who think my fingers are part of the food. I know which dogs do which, my guests don’t. So to be on the safe side, either put your pets away during meals or don’t allow anyone to feed them from the table. Along these lines, it’s a good idea to explain to children not to touch an animal’s food dish as animals can be instinctually protective of their food.

Sleeping: For those of us that allow our pets to share our beds (or rather, our pets allow us to share their beds), having overnight guests can pose a challenge. Our pets may be used to sleeping in a certain room or a certain bed and you should consider this when deciding where your guests will sleep. I’ve had guests happily share a bed with my dogs, but others who weren’t so keen on waking up to a cat sleeping on their head or a to a wet dog tongue licking their face. I’ve also learned the hard way that if you try and keep a pet from their routine, nobody in the house will get any sleep. You’ll hear crying, barking and scratching at the door until they get to their usual sleeping area. Trust me; you won’t win this battle so it’s best to just go with the flow.

The key to a happy holiday season with your pets is to plan ahead – then celebrate having them in your life as I always do!