Celebrate the Holidays with Pets

This will be our first Christmas with our new dog Zoey. I want to include her in all the joy and festivities that the holiday brings. So, I’ve been wondering, what can I do to make Christmas special with our new fur baby?

This conversation was inspired by Purina. All opinions are my own.

My first thought was how much my own kids like waking up to their stockings on Christmas morning. Therefore, I decided that I should make my dog a stocking of her own.

First things first, I need to grab another stocking. I’ve never had a dog around, so I didn’t have an extra stocking either. I found this cute one with a dog on it. 

I started by gathering some of her favorite treats to put into the stocking. You could even make your own homemade treats if you wanted to. My dog really likes her treats, just like I’m sure yours does too. I made sure to grab a variety to include in her stocking.

I then set out to find a few toys that she might like. A stocking isn’t complete without some fun toys hidden down in it. A new chew toy is always good. These are also easy to make at home with some old socks, some ropes or even an old stuffed animal.

Then there are classic toys like tennis balls. They are also fairly inexpensive to grab. A tennis ball or a squeaky ball. Fun toys that my dog will love to play with.

Now her stocking is all ready for Christmas. I hope she likes it. My kids will enjoy getting our new dog involved in all our fun Christmas activities.

There are some other Christmas activities that would be fun to include your fur babies in that I’ve been thinking might be fun.

• Including them in our family Christmas card
• Volunteering at animal shelters
• Getting your pet trained to be a service dog
• If your pet is a service dog, volunteer some time at a local hospital providing comfort to the sick
• Go on a walk and look at Christmas lights
• Make or buy them a sweater or cute outfit

Nestlé Purina has been finding great ways to make our lives better with pets for many years. They understand the love we have for our pets and want our pets to stay happy and healthy. They have teamed up with many programs to bring joy and comfort to pets and owners in many different situations.

One of the many companies they teamed up with is the Urban Resource Institute and their PALS program. Their mission is to help bring comfort to the victims of domestic violence. They are helping make domestic violence shelters pet-friendly and donating items for the pets brought with victims to the shelters.

At this years Purina Better with Pets Summit, we packed up several boxes full of collars, blankets, treats, dishes and more. Things anyone running from violence with their pets will need to help make them at home and take care of them. These boxes were donated to a local domestic violence shelter.

Purina has also teamed up with local hospitals to create a pet-friendly room. Sick patients who can’t leave the hospital to see their beloved pets, can have them visit. No special training classes needed. There is a special bond between pets and their owners. Purina and research has shown that the comfort of our pets can do wonders in the healing process.

There are many ways to celebrate Christmas with your pets. Find something that works for your family and above all else, have a good time together. This holiday season, show us how your pets allow you to live bigger better lives together by using #LetsLiveBig. Merry Christmas!

How do you celebrate the holidays with pets?