Pets and New Year’s Celebrations

The Hawaiian Humane Society recently put about an excellent advisory reminding us that New Year’s Eve can be frightening or traumatic for pets. It is because the celebrations can be noisy, include fireworks and also expose the pet to a lot of strangers or strange food if you are having party.

To keep your pet safe so he or she does not get sick or run away the Hawaiian Humane society recommended that you cage your pet if you are having a party. At the very least keep the pet safe somewhere where he or she feels safe and familiar like your bedroom and make sure he or she is off limits to party guests. Make sure that hewn you sequester the pet that he or she also has plenty of water and food.

Ensure that your pets have identification. In Hawaii more than 400 animals were reported lost during last year’s holiday season. Animals found running at-large should be taken to your local Humane Society’s 24-hour animal intake center,

Having current photos of your pet is also helpful. For dogs, a license is proof of ownership and should be attached to his collar.

Resist taking your pet to fireworks displays. Most animals don’t enjoy the holiday’s noisy spectacles and will run off.

Some animals can become destructive when frightened, so be sure that you’ve removed any items that your pet could destroy or that would be harmful to your pet if chewed on. Leave a radio or television on at normal volume to provide him or her with some companionship while you’re attending the picnics and parades. If you can’t keep your pet indoors, consider keeping him in an enclosed garage.

If possible, do not leave pets outside and unattended, even in a fenced yard or on a chain. Animals may panic, escape and get lost, or become injured by becoming entangled in their chain at the sound of party noises or explosions.

Don’t leave your pet in the car. In addition to the danger posed by pet thieves, cars can heat up to a deadly temperature in minutes, even with windows partially opened if you live in a hot climate.

You should also avoid exposing your pet to abusive or drunk individuals. Some people are not that nice when inebriated and can easily hurt a pet by picking it up wrongly or by simply jabbing it or kicking it. A pet can be seriously hurt if it is tripped over by a drunken person who is not even aware that it is there.

You should also not let your dog wander near any tables of food and particularly tables that might have chocolate on them as eating chocolate is fatal for dogs. It can also give a cat a heart attack.

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Do You Have a Therapy Pet?

A therapy pet, or therapy dog is usually classified as “AAA”. Sometimes they are just called Visiting Pets.

In order to benefit from pet therapy, the patient has to connect to the dog. Sometimes the handler or the hospital staff has no control at all over whether this happens at all. Sometimes the pet is used to lift the spirits and motivate an ailing or depressed person to move on with other activities. Grooming a dog is a very common suggested activity because it raises the self-esteem of the sick person as well as bonds him or her with the pet.

Sometimes a visit from a pet is it is merely something that breaks the routine. For others it is so deeply meaningful, they may talk about the visit for days afterward. Emotionally ill or mentally ill individuals may have withdrawn from human interaction, but will talk to the pet. This can give others insight into what a person who is deeply depressed is really thinking. It can also help a person who has had a stroke, as petting an animal is a very tactile activity.

Children have been known to use pets to express their feelings by projecting their own emotions and desires onto the dog. Even without the overview of a therapeutic program visiting pets can offer both physical and mental benefits. Residents are motivated to leave their rooms, become more physically active, and interact with others (usually because they are excited to tell others about their visit with the dog.)

There are numerous studies that show positive benefits in the animal-human interaction. Those studies are available through a variety of academic institutions, universities, colleges, and research organizations, Many studies are available on-line to individuals who have access to academic databases The best way to locate these studies is through university data bases.

Would your dog make a good therapy pet? It really does depend on your animal’s overall character. For some pets, as for some people, it is a welcome break in routine. Some love meeting lots of different people. Some enjoy the attention.

Other pets find visiting stressful because of the need to “behave” Or they find it stressful because the people they visit are unpredictable. Or they find the constant shifting from one person to another to be frustrating. Good things can be stressful and tiring, and that is often true with visiting dogs. They get home, they are tired and they sleep after they have performed a long day of service helping humans feel better. However some dogs are absolutely unreal in their ability to be friendly, loyal, gentle and faithful every minute a day and without tiring at all. These types of dogs, which are often in the herding breed category are incredible natural healers.

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