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10 - The Oakville Beaver Weekend, Saturday December 22, 2007 www.oakvillebeaver.com Pet safety tips for the holidays ou better watch out, you better not cry, you better keep your pets safe, I'm telling you why ­ this is the season of mishaps and nothing can ruin the holidays more than an avoidable accident with a pet. Here are a few tips to help keep the holidays safe for all members of your household. Deck the halls, with caution. Make sure your Christmas tree is secured and keep pets away from decorations and gifts. "Pets love to investigate all of the wonderful packages and gift tags on display under the tree, especially ones with food in them," stated Heather White, Outreach and Education Manager at the Oakville and District Humane Society. "Decorations are as appealing as a new Y toy. Make sure that you look at both presents and décor from a pet's viewpoint." When buying toys for your pet make sure that they are safe. Avoid toys that have parts that can easily fall off or be ingested. Supervise any play with toys that you are unsure of. Christmas food should not be accessible nor left unattended, unless you are prepared to forfeit chocolates and part of your holiday meal and are prepared to spend time at the vet clinic. Candles and fireplaces similarly pose a hazard when investigated too closely and when an owner's attention is elsewhere. Many a holiday get-together has been ruined by an unattended candle, accidentally toppled by a pet. Safety comes first at Christmas, especially when having guests into your home. Use caution when greeting guests to ensure that pets don't door dash and become lost. The best place for pets when visitors are over is a safe haven established in your home in advance of the event. Not all pets feel comfortable with large numbers of people in the household. If your animal has not been socialized with people, greeting a crowd of well-wishers may not be to your pet's liking. It may be best to keep animals away from guests. Choosing a location that's quiet and removed from the main flow of activity will alleviate these concerns. Keeping a pet away from the hub of party activity can also prevent accidental consumption of foods and alcohol that can be potentially life threatening to your animal's health. Cats in particular should be kept indoors and away from main household entrances, to ensure their safety away from busy roadways heavily traveled during this time of the year. Christmas, Boxing Day and New Year's Eve and Day are well known for their dangers on the roads. Old and young pets alike benefit from a heightened state of owner awareness during the holiday season. Be mindful of weather conditions, salty roads and draughty homes that can have an impact on your animal's health. Even those people considering becoming a new pet owner during the holidays need to think twice. With busy schedules, thinking of the needs of our pets can become low on our priority list. Bringing a new pet into a household at this time of the year can become problematic, with disappointing outcomes. "All too often we see people wanting to surrender their new `gift' to the Humane Society, because it simply did not `work out'," stated White. "If people waited until after the holiday to introduce a new animal into their home they would have significantly improved odds of having a successful relationship." The Oakville and District Humane Society does not allow adoptions in the days leading up to Christmas for just this reason, but welcomes interested families following the holiday gift rush. During the holidays the shelter staff will be available to answer questions about pet care and to ensure that both owners and their animals have a safe and happy holiday season. -- Submitted by the Oakville and District Humane Society. W W W. F R E E D M A N S H O E S . C O M NOW OPEN O A K V I L L E P L A C E · 240 Leighland Ave. Telephone: 905-842-3418 boxing week The BINGO Connection s to re wi de -60 20 buy any 2 sale items & receive off every item in the store an additional sale % LIMITED TIME OFFER 25 DEC. 22ND % off the 2nd item (equal or lesser value) To place your business logo or name here, call your Classified Sales Representative today! 905.632.4440 sale starts SATURDAY ends TUESDAY JAN.1ST