You know the holiday season has officially launched when public decorations appear and your social calendar evokes groans along with grins. It’s time to make merry with those marvelous mutts and other members of the pack. Perhaps not too merry, however. This issue of Bay Woof contains lots of advice for keeping things sane and safe for the dogs in our lives when it’s party season and temptation runs high.
Example: Never place a platter bearing brie and mushroom pate and slices of baguette and lovely little clusters of champagne grapes on the coffee table and then leave the room unless your dog is contentedly snoozing in his crate. Not ever. Trust me on this one. Further seasonal safety suggestions come from crackerjack dog trainer Kelly Gorman-Dunbar and Dr. Jenny Taylor of Creature Comfort Veterinary Clinic.
December is about jingle bells more than alarm bells, however, so there’s plenty of lighter fare in these pages. Alysia Angel’s seasonal short story is sure to sweeten your mood and Herb Canine’s fractured Christmas carol lyrics will tickle your funny bone.
Heart-warming topics also abound. As always in this wonderland for dogs called the San Francisco Bay Area, great people are doing great things to improve canine lives. Two local endeavors that deserve our attention and support are the Square One Program at SF SPCA – a special fostering arrangement for special needs dogs; and the Operation Paws Rescue Program at Contra Costa Animal Services, which transports down-on-their-luck dogs from our local shelters to locales where they are in greater demand by eager adopters.
Scott Wiener, member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, discusses the current status of the fight to keep off-leash space in the GGNRA. Kudos to Supervisor Wiener for making the issue a priority.
Rounding out the issue are the usual suspects: Nose for News, our monthly round-up of dog headlines near and far; canine trivia by Mr. Smarty Pants; and our calendar of dog-centric events.
In case you missed our previous announcements, Beast of the Bay Awards 2014 voting is underway. Be sure to fill out your ballot at surveymonkey.com/s/BoBA2014 to help give some well-deserved PR to your favorite canine places, people, and things. Voting ends on January 31 and winners will be announced in our March 2014 issue.
In these temperate climes, the winter months are relatively kind. Despite the shorter and colder days, there is much to enjoy and celebrate. Time to cozy up by the hearth with our favorite furry packmates to enjoy some sugar plum dreams – in-between the ample festive gatherings, of course.
Next month we focus on training goals for 2014. Meanwhile, we hope this issue helps you and your dogs survive and thrive through the rest of this year. From all of us at Bay Woof, we wish you, loyal readers, a happy and healthy holiday season!
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