COLORADO SPRINGS — It's that time of year where lots of households are getting into the holiday spirit by decorating with colorful ornaments, garlands, candles - and Christmas trees!
They're fun to watch and easily catch our eye with their sparkles and glitter. But in your pet's eyes, those could just seem like shiny new toys, and that could put them in danger.
So, what's the best way to keep your pets away from your decorations? Keep your eye on your pets instead!
The Humane Society of the Pikes Peak region recommends that once your decorate, give your pets an observation period where you can supervise them and see how they react to the new set-up.
A lot of your typical holiday decorations could be hazardous to them. For instance, they could easily get tangled up in string lights and other hanging ornaments.
"Christmas decorations, especially, can look a lot like cat and dog toys, and then they dangle and they're very fun to play with," explained Gretchen Pressley, Community Relations Manager for the Humane Society of the Pikes Peak Region. "So as always, with anything new in your household, we just recommend a period where you're kind of monitoring the pet with your new decorations."
Her other suggestion: "Try to put as much away as you possible or up where they can't get it as possible so you don't have any surprises when you come home."
So, try tucking in ornaments as best as possible so they're not an easy grab. You can also distract your pets with toys they're familiar with, so it's clear to them what they can and cannot play with.
The same concept goes for candles and holiday meals, too. HSPPR says you should not leave those out and unattended because pets can easily be drawn to those and either start a fire, or get sick.
But you can be assured that as long as you're keeping tabs on your household, you can safely enjoy the holidays with your fur babies!
