While you decorate your home with trees, ornaments, lights and stock up on holiday treats, remember that some of these activities might bring about holiday hazards for your pets.
Puppies are notorious for consuming tinsel and ribbon. Objects such as string or ribbon can cause the intestine in puppies to bunch up like an accordian. Should this occur, friction can then cause the string to cut into the intestine like a saw, making many small perforations that can only be repaired by a surgeon. Other types of foreign objects, such as tinsel or small toys can also cause intestinal blockages.
Puppies are known to chew on electrical cords, causing electrocution. Strings of Christmas lights present an additional electrical hazard. Shiny glass ornaments on Christmas trees can be irresistible to many of our cats. Unfortunately, these can be knocked off and shattered, causing danger for both pets and their owners.

Pets have become an important part of our families and it only seems natural to include them in our family holiday photos. To help you with this process, use these for tips to help guide you to have the perfect pet and family photo for this holiday season.
1. First – start planning early. It’s never too early to start planning for the photo. Decide when, where, who will be in the photo and who will take the photos. Schedule a date, time, location, and organize the photographer with all involved.
2. What will everyone wear? As part of your planning, consider what everyone will be wearing including your family pet! When considering attire, consider your background and what will look best. For example, if you have a golden retriever, you may not want everyone to wear yellow or gold. If you have an Irish setter, red may not be the best color for everyone or your pet may fade into the background. Black pets are often flattered by light colors and light-colored pets by dark colors.
3. Get everything together. Gather everyone’s outfits, including any special pet outfits, bandanas, collars, Santa suits and the like. Try them on your pet to make sure they fit. Reward your pet for good behavior if he tolerates the outfit. Try it on a few times before the photo shoot to avoid any problems and to make sure your pet is “used” to the outfit.
4. Consider your photo location. Most dogs can be happy having photos taken anywhere. However, some dogs can be nervous and prefer the comfort of your own home. If that is the case, consider an attractive backdrop such as near trees outdoors or inside around the fireplace or a favorite chair. Consider decorating the background for the holiday to give the photo that extra holiday spirit. Most cats are much more comfortable indoors and if you have an indoor only cat, it may be your only option.
5. Who will be next to or hold the pet? Consider where your pet would look good in the photo and which person he is most comfortable with. Make sure they practice sitting together and are comfortable well before the photo. One easy solution is to have the pet on the lap of someone that they are most comfortable with.
6. Get your pet’s attention - During some photos, you want the pet’s attention to be focused on the photographer. Be prepared. Dogs may respond to their names, squeak toys, treats or other interesting objects to capture their attention. Take some of these items with you on the photo shoot.
7. If you are the photographer, make sure you capture the moment. Try to capture not only posed photos but some impromptu photos of the time between shots. Don’t draw attention to yourself. Quietly take the photos.
8. Take lots of photos. If possible, go digital. This will allow you to take lots of photos and review them without the expense of developing each picture.
9. Keep the experience low-key. Pets respond to stress, often negatively. They will be less inclined to sit still and may hide. Don’t loose your calm, don’t yell, and speak quietly. Make it a peaceful and joyful experience.
10. Consider the best angle for shooting your pet and family. The best angle is often at eye level.
11. Camera tips – you may want to set your shutter speed on a fairly fast frame in case the pet moves. If you are using a traditional film camera, consider 400 speed films.

I hope these tips make the holiday picture taking a little easier. After all, you don't have much time.

Do you dress your pet up for the holidays? Why not!
The easiest way to give your pet a little "Christmas Style" is to buy a holiday themed dog collar. There are tons of varieties out there.
I want to give you some tips on what to look for in Holiday Dog Collar.

So how do you choose a Christmas dog collar that looks good, fits well and is fun and easy to use? Here are some tips.

Features to Consider in a Christmas Dog Collar
The first, and most important consideration is fit. A Christmas dog collar should be sized to fit comfortably around your adult dog's neck, and it should be adjustable to expand with your growing puppy. Be sure to measure your dog's neck before buying a Christmas dog collar. The ideal fit for a Christmas dog collar, or any collar, should allow for one to three fingers to fit between your dog's neck and the collar, depending on the size of your dog.

• If your dog is very small, (under 20 pounds), leave only one finger's width between the dog Christmas dog collar and your dog's neck.