A Canine and Yet Another Christmas Tree

This past weekend, we visited my grandma at her house. Astrid is not always the most social dog, but my grandma is one of the very few people whom Astrid actually trusts and likes, a lot. Astrid was very excited to get to see my grandma, and vice versa. Astrid also got to meet a new Christmas tree.

Our Christmas trees at homes don't have ornaments on them. As we've mentioned before, this is mostly because too many cats climb the trees for ornaments to safely hang from them. Apparently, though, ornaments also would not survive Astrid's tail, as her excited wags knocked more than a few ornaments from my grandma's tree. My grandma didn't mind one bit, though, and luckily none of the ornaments broke.

As another fun little tidbit, something I always find entertaining about Astrid is how little she likes other dogs but how much she loves cats. My grandma has two Boston terrier dogs and one cat. Astrid is not a huge fan of my grandma's dogs, though they all have learned to coexist under the same roof as needed. When it comes to my grandma's cat, though, Astrid wants to be the little fella's best friend. The cat, though, is used to dogs who weigh 20 lbs, and Astrid weighs 80 lbs. So, Astrid's love for the cat is mostly unrequited. Astrid spent nearly her entire time at my grandma's house trying to convince the cat that they could be best friends, with very little success.

Happy eve of Christmas Eve!

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Festive Flashback of the Day

As I mentioned yesterday, my plan to share brand new Christmas doodles every day this week was sabotaged by work and last-minute Christmas preparations. We'll of course have a new doodle tomorrow for Christmas Eve, and we'll be sharing this year's Christmas card on Christmas Day itself, but how about today we share a doodle that I quite enjoyed scribbling up last Christmas season? Who can guess what inspired this one?

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Tip of the Day

Today's tip relates to the spirit of gift-giving during the holiday season. In particular, we're talking about the practice of giving cats, dogs, and other little critters as gifts on Christmas morning. The important thing here is that anyone giving a furry friend as a gift realize the significance of such a gift. Obviously, a living creature requires proper care and commitment. For this reason, if you or someone you know is intending on giving a cat, dog, or other critter as a gift, be sure that all considerations have been made. Does the recipient want a furry friend? Do finances, time, age, location, and other such factors allow the recipient to properly care for a furry friend? These are just the basics that need to be considered, as cats, dogs, and other animals come with far more factors than this. After all, pets are a commitment that can be with you for many years.

The long and short if it is that while it is wonderful to think of an animal finding a home on Christmas morning, it is still important to ensure that said animal will not end up without proper care, or back at a shelter or abandoned. There are of course times when giving or receiving a cat, dog, or other critter as a gift works out perfectly fine. Such cases might include when a husband or wife gifts a furbaby to their spouse who wants and can care for it, or when a parent knows their child wants and is capable of assisting in the care of a cat, dog, or other pet. If you or someone close to you is planning to surprise someone with a furry friend on Christmas morning, just as with any gift, do take into consideration whether a pet is appropriate for the recipient in question.