Christmas

It's a slogan that is repeated each year, but sadly it needs repeating:

CANINE CHRISTMAS AT DOGS TRUST RODEN
A reminder that “A dog is for Life, Not just for Christmas®”
Thirty one years on from the birth of its famous slogan “A dog is for life, not just for Christmas®” Dogs Trust, which has 18 Rehoming Centres in the UK and Ireland, is bracing itself for another busy Christmas. 

This is a photo of Star at Carols in the Square tonight. We learned a lesson when we attended the switching on of the Christmas lights in the square earlier this month. The lesson was that in a crowd with a small dog, you spend most of your time making sure the little dog doesn’t get trodden on. Or you give in and pick up the little dog, and then you can’t hold both your coffee and your brandy snap. Or your mulled wine and your roast hog, if you’re that way inclined.

I’ve just spotted in the news that John Schneider – remember him as the blond brother in the original Dukes of Hazzard show? – has had his two dogs stolen.

He had bought two puppies as Christmas presents for his children, and he had left them in his car, which was then stolen. Though the car has been recovered the puppies are still missing. The puppies are ten week old Yorkshire Terriers.

It’s nearly December and to get you in the Christmas mood early, watch the video attached to this post. That dog is so cute! Neither of ours dogs is set off by singing, although Buddy will howl along if a violin, harmonica or recorder is played for too long in his hearing. I’m never sure if that means he enjoys it and wants to participate, or he’s really saying, “Shut up, this is what you sound like!”

If you enjoy the video you can see many more videos that genuinely feature dogs, and are family friendly at www.alldogvideos.com

On the subject of Christmas, do you give your dog a Christmas present? Ours usually get a new toy, and I think they have as much fun ripping the wrapping paper off as they do playing with the toy. They also usually have a treat advent calendar, from which they are given a treat once a day leading up to the twenty-fifth. It doesn’t take many days for them to realise that the calendar contains treats, and they go and sit below it, eyes flicking up to it, clearly asking for more. Well – it’s only once a year, so why not?

Take care,

Julie x

It may seem as familiar as the nativity at Christmas, but it’s time for a reminder about puppies and Christmas. Don’t buy a puppy as a Christmas present. Apart from anything else, Christmas is far too busy a time for most of us to devote the necessary attention to a new dog. The comings and goings will make it impossible for them to bond with their new pack and settle into a new home.