Holiday hints for pet safety

The holidays can be strange and trying times for the pets in your lives. A lot can be going on, and needless to say, there can be quite a few more temptations for your dog or cat not to pass up.

The people at MyPetCareTV.com have some tips to help you and your pet to pass the holidays in safety and in good health:

House guests should be reminded not to feed the pets human food, especially fatty foods and candy.

Leave pets in safe areas or outdoors during dinner parties when you are too occupied to watch them.

Be sure pets wear identification tags at all times. Visitors can inadvertently let your dog or cat out.

Keep candles out of the reach of pets.

Dangly ornaments or table decorations can be hard for a pet to ignore. Ingested decorations can require a visit to the veterinary emergency room.

If you are traveling by car with your pet, plan ahead to ensure that you can find hotels that accept pets.

If traveling by air, try to get a direct flight. Check the expected temperature of your destination airport. Luggage carts stranded on the tarmac or sat in a plane for hours while it is delayed.

If you are staying at a pet-friendly hotel and you need to leave your pet unattended, put a "do not disturb" sign on the door. You don't want housekeeping to accidentally let your pet out.

For the complete list, see the article on PioneerLocal.com.

Kate's grand adventure

I spent the Thanksgiving weekend in Cleveland at the Christmas Story House Convention, where I attended the premiere of a documentary I've been working on for the past year.

The feature-length film is called "The Untold Christmas Story," a behind-the-scenes movie, which stars actors from the holiday favorite "A Christmas Story." It was directed and edited by my friend Bill Szarka. If you are curious, here are the trailer and a couple of clips from the film.

As always, the problem with going away is what to do with Kate. Couldn't take her to Cleveland.

Fortunately, my editor Maria Burnham volunteered to take care of Kate for the weekend.

Maria documented the weekend for me, leaving out pictures of the little stomach upset Kate had. She wasn't eating much, probably because of the change in circumstances, and when she doesn't eat, she throws up. Again, Maria, my apologies.

Apparently, Kate made herself right at home, commandeering Roland's bed, even though Maria brought Kate's bed from our home. Roland was a gentleman about it. Maria's cat Wookiee, on the other hand, was non-plussed.

Here are Maria's pix:

Kate and Roland meet.


Kate inspects the digs.


Kate inspects Roland.


Wookiee is not impressed.


Kate wonders where all the food is.


Kate makes herself at home ... in Roland's bed.


Roland wonders, what is up with that?


Kate and Roland on a walk.

Mark your calendar

This blog has started a new holiday. It's Live Like a Cat Day.

Some ways to celebrate it, as they suggest, are by sleeping in, playing with toys on the floor, taking a nap in the bathtub and having food delivered.

It's like I have a twin.

Happy, but safe, holidays for pets

This time of year, with all the festivities and decorations, it is important to keep in mind how pets figure into all of this.

Safety is utmost, especially with tinsel, ornaments and lights — not to mention food and treats that are fine for humans but bad for pets.

Martha Stewart's Marc Marrone has some suggestions, as does the Humane Society of the United States.

A couple of hints from the Humane Society:

* Decorations such as tinsel, glass ornaments and garlands can easily attract pets, but are dangerous choking hazards. Electric decorations such as stringed lights can give your pets a shock should they chew on the wires. Keep decorations out of their reach.

* The unusual commotion of the holiday season can be stressful on animals as well as humans. Put your pets in a quiet room or quiet area of the house when guests are visiting.

* Certain plants such as Mistletoe berries, and the leaves, stem and flowers of the Poinsettia can be dangerous to pets. Be sure to keep these plants well out of the reach of animals in your home, or consider using artificial versions.

Photo by Karl Rabe/Poughkeepsie Journal file

Holiday pix for pets

Today at the Petco in Poughkeepsie you can get your pet's picture taken with Santa. All proceeds go to benefit the Dutchess County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

Pictures will be taken from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The store is located at 1933 South Road. Here's directions.

Holiday weekend starts

The dash out of New York City apparently has begun.

For those of you not from the Poughkeepsie area, we are about a two-hour train ride from Manhattan.

And people are taking their dogs with them, according to this news item from Gannett News Service, with additional reporting by Capo's Sarah.

I e-mailed my friend Gretchen who has traveled up here with cat in tow — well, not so much a tow as a carrier — about the wisdom of allowing cats on trains without the safety of a carrier of some sort.

She said at the very least the cat should be on a leash, in case it decides to jump out of your arms and make for a hiding spot on the train.

But then again, we all remember Torpedo, so I think that a carrier is definitely in order, if not for the safety of the kitty, but for the safety of the owner. Nobody likes to commute on blood stains.