The fall and winter holidays are here again, times of the year when we often change up our routines with extra visits from friends and family, and along for the ride come foods, treats, and appealing decorations, packages and gifts.  Sometimes, these can be a hazard to our family pets. Hopefully, you and your pets have made it through Halloween and Thanksgiving unscathed.

         There are many resources out there which talk about holiday hazards.  Many foods are hazardous to dogs, either because they are toxic (such as chocolate or grapes), or can harm their digestive tract (bones, or food packaging, or bread dough), or for other reasons. Check out this ASPCA link for more:  http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/animal-poison-control/people-foods-avoid-feeding-your-pets.  Other hazards can be unexpected. The puppy chews an extension cord for the holiday lights. A house cat sneaks outside and gets lost when the front door is left open by a…

We’re familiar with Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday, days that promote retailers and shopping. Tomorrow is Giving Tuesday, a day to promote and support nonprofits that make a difference in your local communities and the world around us.

Celebrated the Tuesday after Thanksgiving (in the U.S.), Giving Tuesday kicks off the charitable giving season as many people make donations this time of year to charities. Giving Tuesday is a way to donate time, money, items and more to charities in your community and beyond. According to the #GivingTuesday website, last year more than 700,000 people raised $116,000,000 online in 70 countries for charities. That’s amazing! What a positive impact.

I’m a firm believer that we can all give back in some way, whether donating a few hours of your time or giving money or sharing information with others or whatever else you decide…