{"id":292,"date":"2017-11-30T20:05:46","date_gmt":"2017-11-30T20:05:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.secondhomepetresort.com\/blog\/?p=292"},"modified":"2017-11-30T20:05:46","modified_gmt":"2017-11-30T20:05:46","slug":"december-2017-newsletter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.secondhomepetresort.com\/blog\/december-2017-newsletter\/","title":{"rendered":"December 2017 Newsletter"},"content":{"rendered":"

Bring Home the Holiday Gifts Your Pets Will Love<\/a>
\nWhat You Should Know if You\u2019re Getting a New Puppy for the Holidays<\/a>
\nBe the Best Pet Parent You Can Be: Tips to Help<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/a>
\nBring Home the Holiday Gifts Your Pets Will Love<\/strong>
\nWho doesn\u2019t love buying the cutest cat toy or fashionable dog sweater? It elevates shopping to another level.<\/p>\n

If you have dogs, you have a variety of great gifts from which to choose. The article, \u201cTop Ten Holiday Gifts for Dogs,\u201d at petMD, offers up some great ideas:<\/p>\n

\u2022 Puzzle bowl. Mealtime can be fun for your dog and stimulating, too! Dog food is hidden in compartments and he has to figure out how to get the food.
\n\u2022 Reflective gear. Your dog probably won\u2019t care, but you will because keeping him safe is a priority. Reflective gear is great for evening walks.
\n\u2022 Dog bed. Give the give of comfort with a new bed. \u201cSure most dogs can fall asleep anywhere, but that doesn\u2019t mean they don\u2019t appreciate a good bed,\u201d the article said.
\n\u2022 Plush antlers. Your dog will likely hate you for them, but it\u2019s good to be like Rudolph, even if just for a cute holiday photo<\/p>\n

Be your cat\u2019s favorite person when you load up on holiday gifts she will love. According to the article, \u201cTop Ten Holiday Gifts for Cats,\u201d at petMD, you have a lot of great choices:<\/p>\n

\u2022 Scratching post. \u201cYour cat gets a fun new toy, and you get to keep your furniture intact,\u201d the article said.
\n\u2022 Mouse in the house. Toy mice are fun for cats. Fill them with catnip and your cat will love it even more.
\n\u2022 Litter box. According to the article, a new litter box is like \u201ca renovated bathroom\u201d for your cat.
\n\u2022 Roomba. Your cat will love it, and you\u2019ll love your cat as he helps to clean your floor. It\u2019s a win-win.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s so many great gifts for your pets. Your dog or cat will love them or put up with them while providing you with a great photo op.<\/p>\n

<\/a>
\nWhat You Should Know if You\u2019re Getting a New Puppy for the Holidays<\/strong><\/p>\n

Puppies are adorable, and many people want to bring one home for the holidays. However, there are many things to consider. Is the puppy a gift? Is the puppy for a young child? Who will care for and train the puppy?<\/p>\n

According to the article, \u201cPosition Statement on Pets as Gifts,\u201d at the ASPCA.org, pets should be given as gifts, \u201conly to people who have expressed a sustained interested in owning one, and the ability to care for it responsibly.\u201d Additionally, the ASPCA recommends that animals are not obtained from unknown sources but instead from places such as shelters and rescue organizations.<\/p>\n

In \u201cPets as Presents: A Good Idea?\u201d at Petfinder.com, the article refers to Stephen Zawistowski, senior vice president at the ASPCA, who says that pets can be a good idea as a family gift.<\/p>\n

However, according to the article, it is important to consider the following:<\/p>\n

\u2022 Age. \u201cDifferent pets are appropriate for different ages,\u201d the article said. A young child is not able to care for a kitten or puppy.
\n\u2022 Although your child may love dogs, she may not want one at home.
\n\u2022 Cost. Many people don\u2019t realize the expense of having a family pet. After an initial adoption fee, there are vet bills and more.
\n\u2022 Commitment. When you bring home a puppy, it\u2019s for life. \u201cIf your child is a teen, remember that the animal will be with you when your son or daughter heads off to college,\u201d the article said.<\/p>\n

When you do make the decision after thinking it through, going to a shelter is a great idea. \u201cThey\u2019re in the business to help animals have good homes, not to make money,\u201d Zawistowski said in the article. \u201cYou can turn this whole experience into an extraordinary experience for the kids.\u201d The kids will have a forever friend.<\/p>\n

<\/a>
\nBe the Best Pet Parent You Can Be: Tips to Help<\/strong><\/p>\n

The unconditional love your pet has for you is priceless. You love him back just the same. While you try to do right by your beloved furry family member, there\u2019s never too much information to learn how to be the best pet parent you can be.<\/p>\n

According to the article \u201cHow to Be the Best Pet Parent in Town,\u201d in the Sept. 4, 2017 issue of People magazine, contributor Dr. Evan Antin, a veterinarian at Conejo Valley Veterinary Hospital in Thousand Oaks, Calif., offers some important advice:<\/p>\n

1. If you want to dine with your dog on a restaurant patio, ensure your dog is OK with the crowds.
\n2. Keep your pet\u2019s vaccinations up to date and on schedule.
\n3. If your dog gets into marijuana and\/or chocolate, Dr. Antin advises to get to your vet ASAP, according to the article.
\n4. According to the article, Dr. Antin said, \u201cthere are parasites and bacterial species that can live in stool,\u201d putting people and pets in danger if they come in contact.<\/p>\n

There are even more things you can do for your pet to make you \u201ctop dog\u201d in his eyes. The article \u201c10 Simple Things You Can Do to Be a Great Pet Parent,\u201d at PetHub.com offers these important tips:<\/p>\n

\u2022 Ensure your pets are comfortable in their home environment as they will spend most of their time there. Keep plenty of water available, access to potty areas, a fresh litter box and a warm bed.
\n\u2022 Safety first! Make sure there is nothing hazardous that your pet can get into, including household cleaners, chocolate, electrical wires and yarn.
\n\u2022 Your pet should wear ID tags and be microchipped.<\/p>\n

It is not difficult to be a great parent, but there is always more you can do to be better.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Bring Home the Holiday Gifts Your Pets Will Love What You Should Know if You\u2019re Getting a New Puppy for the Holidays Be the Best Pet Parent You Can Be: Tips to Help Bring Home the Holiday Gifts Your Pets Will Love Who doesn\u2019t love buying the cutest cat toy or fashionable dog sweater? It… Read more »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.secondhomepetresort.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/292"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.secondhomepetresort.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.secondhomepetresort.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.secondhomepetresort.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.secondhomepetresort.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=292"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.secondhomepetresort.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/292\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":293,"href":"https:\/\/www.secondhomepetresort.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/292\/revisions\/293"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.secondhomepetresort.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=292"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.secondhomepetresort.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=292"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.secondhomepetresort.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=292"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}