Written by von Edel

 

 

 

The weather outside may be frightful, but a warm and fuzzy dog is oh so delightful. Christmas is a special time of year devoted to family, togetherness and those tingly tender feelings of joy and love.

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While we humans usually reserve those feelings for special occasions such as the Yuletide season, our four legged friends always carry this spirit of unconditional love. They deserve to have a memorable holiday every year for the wonderful gifts they provide to us. From guiding the blind, to providing security to our homes, rescue work, but most of all... for being our friend, always being there for us when we want to play, snuggle, or when we are down.

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How can we possibly top all these precious gifts that are so simple, yet so special? Remembering to show love and affection and praise is a good start, yet the least remembered gift that any dog could ever want. To a dog, being held and told what a good boy or girl they are means so much more than any material present under a tree or in a stocking. It gives them that wonderful feeling that they had from when you and he or she first met, and became best friends, letting them feel the happiness and tenderness of being held and loved constantly as a puppy. Remembering the best times of their life with you; running in the wide open fields or playing in the yard, napping in a warm sunny spot by the window. All of these feelings, memories, and more are what matters the most to our dogs.

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It is simply amazing at how humans are conditioned to shop and argue at this time of year, to get in on the best sales or having the newest merchandise on the market, while the dog stays at their roots. You can say that they understand the holiday season in a way people have long forgotten, in the midst of all the commercialism. I personally think that maybe our dogs are trying to give us a reminder of what we should be remembering and feeling in our hearts, not just for the holidays, but every day.

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Okay, now I will get off my soapbox and tell you other things that you can do to include your dog for Christmas! It is no secret that dogs love ham, beef, you name it! When you make that juicy holiday ham, you get stuck with that pesky bone. One way you can get that bone taken care, given you had properly prepared the ham and there were no harmful ingredients used to season it, you can give a moderately sized or large ham bone to your pooch, and he will be gnawing and occupied for hours. This will also provide the best opportunity to get him or her in the family photo(hint, hint).

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Other gift ideas can range from a new collar or tag, a new doggie bed, new balls or other toys. Holiday seasons are a terrific time to replace worn out toys or equipment, and to get a checkup at the vet to be sure all of the vaccinations and treatments are up to date before years end, and taxes start to creep around the corner too.

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And if you have snow, then the real fun begins. Going out for a romp in the snow with your dog is a great way to exercise him or her, and to have fun doing it! Building tunnels in deep snow or igloos for yourself and your dog is a fun way spend time during days off school and work, without being stuck in front of a television or a computer, and it keeps the dog out of trouble too. And when you both are worn out and getting chilly, coming back into a warm house (with a fire if you are lucky), snuggling up with a warm blanket and having a hot meal for yourself and a bowl of dog food, that has gravy with warm water added, is a fantastic way to end a cold winter's day. This leaves both your dog and yourself happy, content, and worn out for a long night's sleep for the next day, when you can do it all over again and more.