I think that decorating for the winter holidays is my favorite part of the season, and I’ve always had at least one dog living in my home, and usually at least one cat, so I had to keep them in mind while making my home festive. I love putting my Christmas tree in the front window, and for fifteen years, I’ve had to small screws sank into the top corners of the window frame so that I can wire the tree to them. I also have had to pop the tree on a raised base. This means I’ve had a five-foot tree instead of a seven-foot tree, but hey, it saves a little money, and it gets the job done. When you have pets, especially young ones, you have to train and take precautions. If this is your first year with your dog, and you can’t wait to spend some of your holiday with him, you might want to read on.
A tree in the house in a big bowl of water! Oh yeah, it’s attractive to pets.
Cats are a little harder to keep from Christmas trees than are dogs. I had a cat named Gooey who would climb up the center of the tree, exploring. Though she made an adorable ornament when she poked her head from the top of the tree, it was obviously a bad idea to continue this behavior. First, pine trees contain pinene, which makes the house smell great but can irritate dogs and cats’ skin, and should they chew on the tree, it can be toxic (especially to cats). That was the year I began wiring the tree to the window frame, and I also had to go back over the tree and wire all my breakable ornaments to the branches, and I had to be vigilant with the water spray bottle. By the time we adopted a puppy, I had this down.
Some of the decorations used at Christmas can also be a problem. Your dog could step on a broken glass ornament, or worse chew on a piece. Tinsel can be problem too. An article in Wag explains that “tinsel gets stuck in your dog’s tongue, teeth or stomach which means it does not pass through the intestines the way it should…causing incisions in the tissue during every contraction…it may bunch up in the stomach or intestines, causing a blockage, which may result in a rupture”. We have to be careful with natural decorations too, some are toxic to dogs.
With pets around, you need to add a safety strategy to your decorating plans. Here are some ideas that can help (some of these ideas work well with small children too).
Keeping pets away from the tree. As for Gooey, I finally trained her from playing in the tree with a spray bottle. Of course, I would have to get into the tree, knocking off a few ornaments myself in order to spray her with water, but it finally worked. Not my prettiest tree that year. I think weather you have a cat or dog, or both, it’s a good idea to put the tree where you want it, maybe put the lights on if you just can’t wait but allow another day before putting on ornament. This gives you time to see how your pet is going to react and address training them to leave it alone before you decorate.
If you find your dog just can’t keep away, you can either raise the tree onto a table or try putting a baby gate around the tree, or maybe even rolled garden fencing that you can pick up at garden centers would do. If you have a big dog that would plow through a baby gate or you’d have to put the tree on a five-foot base, and she just can’t stay away, well, lit garland over the mantel or doorway are festive too. However, if you’re determined to train your dog to stay away, only let your dog around the tree when you’re with her or try putting bells on the bottom branches to alarm you that she is near the tree.
To wire ornaments, use large wire ornaments hooks and instead of simply hanging them, you’ll want to twist the wire around the branch to secure them in place, but be sure to keep extra hooks from your dogs reach. Always unplug the tree when you’re not home, and if you can, make sure your dog can’t get into the room with the tree.
Some decorations that must be used with care around your dog. Besides the glass ornaments and tinsel that I mentioned before, here are some other decorations to use wisely:
Candles-never leave unattended candles around children or pets. Both like to run around and play, and sometime topple them. Make sure your holiday candles are out of your dogs reach or on a sturdy foundation that he can’t bump them over.
Imitation snow or flocking- Dogs get curious, and sniffing doesn’t tell them all they want to know, licking comes next. Whether they lick it from the window or a branch of the tree that’s been sprayed, according to top dog tips, flocking and imitation snows are toxic to dogs.
Angel Hair- Angel hair isn’t as popular as it once was, but it can still be found on vintage ornaments. Angel hair is made from spun fiber glass, and not so good for your dog, “Fiberglass is toxic and can cause internal damage to your pet” (theflashdog.com).
Snow globes- some snow globes are filled with antifreezes, which is attractive and toxic to dogs. Set them somewhere secure.
Popcorn strands- dogs like popcorn, but strands of it contain string, which if ingested could cause intestinal problems for your dog.
Holiday Greenery and flowers- I love using fresh greenery in arrangements, but that arrangement will stay out of my dog’s reach. For some reason, dogs will sometimes chew on something brought inside that they regularly ignore outside. Though many dogs will not, especially if their favorite toy is handy. Still, here is a list of our favorite holiday plants that are toxic to dogs(Jennings):
Holly
Mistletoe
Poinsettias
Christmas Trees
Ivy
Amaryllis
Lilies
Laurel
Snowdrops
Yew
I hope this doesn’t keep you from merriment. We can still have our festive displays; we just need to put some safe guards in place. Then we can snuggle up with our dogs and enjoy.
References:
Joyner, Lisa. “10 Christmas plants that are Toxic to Dogs”. Better Homes and Gardens. 12/08/2021. https://www.countryliving.com/uk/wildlife/pets/g38457860/toxic-christmas-plants-dogs/. Web.12/15/2022.
Wag. Tinsel Poisoning in Dogs. https://wagwalking.com/condition/tinsel-poisoning . Web 12/15/2022.
Raeman. “Is Fiberglass Toxic to Dogs” theflashdog.com. 9/3/2022. https://theflashdogs.com/is-fiberglass-toxic-to-dogs/ . Web 12/15/2022.
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