This post is sponsored by Blue Buffalo™ and the BlogPaws Professional Pet Blogger Network. I am being compensated for helping spread the word about BLUE Santa Snacks, but DogVills only shares information we feel is relevant to our readers. Blue Buffalo is not responsible for the content of this article.
The holidays are all about family, and since my furry kids are a huge part of that family, I like to make sure they’re included in all the fun too! In our family, our dogs are just naturally incorporated into the festivities. When we have our big family party, my aunts bring along their fur children as well as their actual children (most of whom are grown now). My aunt Diana even brings her Irish Wolfhound!
This gentle giant is tall enough to reach the table with zero effort. Last year, he was busted making a grab for a few holiday cookies when he thought no one was looking. This year, I’ll make sure I keep a tray of BLUE™ Santa Snacks out just for him! Then he can “steal” til his giant heart’s content. Remember I told you all about them a couple of weeks ago, and how they make great stocking stuffers for dogs?
I think the fact that they look like a real cookie will make him think he’s getting a taste of what the people have! Plus they’re oatmeal, and cinnamon flavored, which to me is a very holiday-like treat. Since they’re from Blue Buffalo™, I know they’re made with natural ingredients I can trust.
Looking for more fun ideas to include your dogs in the holidays? Check out a few ways that my trio makes their way into our festivities!
Tips for Including Your Dogs in the Holidays
Make them their own stocking!
My dogs get their own gifts on Christmas Eve. I usually include new stuffed toys for all three of them. Cooper will slaughter his by Christmas morning, of course, but he’ll be happy as a clam doing it! Maia will gently tear the stuffing out until she has a flat lovey AND a squeaker that she can carry around in her mouth. Tasha is content just to keep hers nearby, not letting anyone else have it but not really playing with it.
I also include plenty of yummy stuff for them, although they don’t get to eat it all at once! This year, they’ll each have their own bag of BLUE Santa Snacks and a can of the BLUE Santa Stew Holiday Feast. The snacks are for treats; the Feast is for their holiday dinner. Since it has all the traditional trimmings- like cranberries, sweet potatoes and, of course, turkey- they’ll have a similar feast to our own.
Let them Photobomb Your Holiday Pictures
As we discovered in my last post, staging a photo shoot with my dogs isn’t exactly in the cards. HOWEVER, my pooches are natural photo-bombers! They’ll work at least some part of their bodies into just about every holiday picture. I was looking back over the last 15 years worth of Christmas photos and found Maia’s nose sticking out under wrapping paper, Cooper’s butt in just about every picture with Jacob and Tasha’s bushy tail wagging near anything that resembled a ball or frisbee. Then I found this great shot of Jake and Cooper!
Obviously, I slapped a festive border on it so you couldn’t see the mess outside the cute parts! Or the fact that my son was wearing skull pajamas on Christmas morning. Yep, we were festive that year! Cooper is “the guardian of the gift opening.” He watches intently over Jacob the whole time. I like to think he’s guarding him against paper cuts, but I think he’s just waiting to see if anything tasty comes out of those packages!
Include them in your snowball fights!
If you’re lucky enough to have snow during the holidays, let your pooch be part of the outdoor fun! Tasha LOVED snowball fights. We couldn’t build snowmen with her around because she ate his head. Anything that resembled a ball was for fetch, not building. She also loved sledding. She’d chase us down the hill. Once, she even jumped on it with us! Her snow fun days are over. At 14, she is retired. These memories, though, will be with all of us long after she’s gone.
Most of all, just enjoy them!
As I said earlier, my dogs are just naturally part of the holidays because they’re a part of my life every day. Whether I’m giving them a delicious new snack like BLUE Santa Snacks, running around with them in the snow or trying to capture a holiday picture, every moment I spend with them is a moment that I’m enjoying them. That’s really what the holidays are all about!
Both the BLUE Santa Snacks and the BLUE Santa Stew Holiday Feast are part of Blue Buffalo’s Seasonal Sensations line and are available only for a limited time.
