At any rate, I offer my own list as an alternative:
- Bring your outside dog in from the cold or provide a warm outdoor shelter for him.
- Prepare some homemade meals or treats (more recipes here and here). Most dogs love home prepared food. With cats, your mileage may vary but cat owners usually know at least a couple things their kitteh likes.
- Spend some extra quality time with your pets. They don't care about presents really, it's your presence that matters to them.
- Drop by your local no kill shelter and donate some canned food or your time. Shelter pets appreciate visitors.
- Ask your local no kill shelter if they have a foster program for the holidays. Many shelters do and if you have the ability to care for another pet for a few weeks, you'd be giving a shelter animal the opportunity to get out of his cage or kennel and into a home. Even if it's temporary, it's a gift you can't put a price tag on.
You nailed it. Sadly every Christmas there are huge numbers of dogs who get presents their owners buy instead of the presence they really want and need.
ReplyDeleteI think that in many cases this applies to friends and family too...
"presence not presents" would be a great slogan for something...
ReplyDelete