Our leashes were hung
by our kennels with care,
in hopes that St. Bernard would soon find us there;

Puppies were curled up, all snug in their beds,
while visions of doggie-treats danced in their heads;
Lulu in her collar,
on somebody’s lap,
had tucked in her tail
for a midwinter’s nap’
When outside the room
there arose such a clatter,
my ears perked right up
to hear what was the matter.

Away to the window I jumped up with glee,
and barked at the shadows
that were cast by a tree.

The glow from the moon changed night into day,
and started me thinking,
“Woof, woof! Time to play!”

When, what with my puppy-dog
eyes did I see,
But a splendid dog-sled,
led by doggies like me,
With a regal furred driver commanding, not stern.
I yelped to the others,
“That must be St. Bern!”

More rapid than greyhounds our saviors they came,
and we barked and we howled,
and called them by name:
“There’s Duchess!
There’s King!
fat Chance,
and small Buffy!
On Fido! On Scooter!
On, Rover and Scruffy!

And then in an instant, I heard at the door
the scratching and clawing
of each little paw.

As I pulled in my nose, and was turning around,
Through the door St. Bernard
came in with a bound.

He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his tail,
his wood cask adorned
with an icing of hail;
A bag of chew-toys he had brought in with him,
and his mouth was turned up in
what looked like a grin.

His eyes how they twinkled!
his ears flopped, how merry!
His coat shone like crystal
his nose like a cherry!

His big sloppy mouth was drawn up like a bow,
and the fur on his chin
was as white as the snow;
The stump of a bone he held tight in his teeth,
and his collar encircled
his neck like a wreath;
He had a large face and a furry, round belly
that shook when he barked,
like a bowl full of jelly.

He was fluffy and plump, a big, cuddly old pooch
and I laughed when I saw him
and gave him a smooch.

A wink of his eye and a wag of his tail;
we knew right away
we’d have homes
without fail.

He howled not a howl, but went straight to his deed,
and took down our leashes
that soon we would need.

He threw open the door,
and families stood there,
with children, all smiling,
and much love to spare.

He lept to his sled, to his team gave a call,
and away they all flew
as if chasing a ball.

But I heard him exclaim
as he chewed on a bone:
“Happy Dog-mas to all and to all a Good Home!”

written by Claudine Gandolfi

____________________________________________________ 

As you gather this holiday season to spend time with friends and family and your own beloved furry family members, take just a moment to think of those dogs and cats who sit alone and unwanted, with just the barest of necessities.

Gather up some old blankets and towels, maybe grab an extra bag of treats or food or a few toys when you’re out shopping and take that few extra minutes to drop them at your local shelter. You can do this anytime of the year, but at this special time of love and caring and sharing, please, take just those few extra minutes and make this holiday a little more special for a few lonely shelter animals.

A Christmas Shelter Dog’s Poem

’Tis the night before Christmas and all through the town,
every shelter is full—we are lost, but not found.

Our numbers are hung on our kennels so bare,
we hope every minute that someone will care.

They’ll come to adopt us and give us the call,
“Come here, Max and Sparkie — come fetch your new ball!”

But now we sit here and think of the days
we were treated so fondly — we had cute, baby ways.

Once we were little, then we grew and we grew.
Now we’re no longer young and we’re no longer new.

So out the back door we were thrown like the trash.
They reacted so quickly — why were they so rash?

We “jump on the children,” “don’t come when they call,”
we “bark when they leave us,” “climb over the wall.”

We should have been neutered, we should have been spayed,
now we suffer the consequence of the errors THEY made.

If only they’d trained us, if only we knew,
we’d have done what they asked us and worshiped them, too.

We were left in the backyard, or worse, let to roam.
Now we’re tired and lonely and out of a home.

They dropped us off here and they kissed us goodbye…
“Maybe someone else will give you a try.”

So now here we are, all confused and alone
in a shelter with others who long for a home.

The kind workers come through with a meal and a pat,
with so many to care for, they can’t stay to chat.

They move to the next kennel, giving each of us cheer…
we know that they wonder how long we’ll be here.

We lay down to sleep and sweet dreams fill our heads
of a home filled with love and our own cozy beds.

Then we wake to see sad eyes, brimming with tears –
our friends filled with emptiness, worry, and fear.

If you can’t adopt us and there’s no room at the inn –
could you help with the bills and fill our food bin?

We count on your kindness each day of the year –
can you give more than hope to everyone here?

Please make a donation to pay for the heat…
and help get us something special to eat.

The shelter that cares for us wants us to live,
and more of us will, if more people will give.

– Author Unknown

And take a minute or two to share this with friends and family, spread the word, spread the message. Every little bit of help counts! Share the love every day but most especially now!

2. Get tape back from puppy.

3. Remove scissors from older dog’s mouth.

4. Open box.

5. Take puppy out of box.

6. Remove tape from older dog’s mouth.

7. Take scissors away from puppy.

8. Put present in box.

9. Remove present from puppy’s mouth.

10. Put back in box after removing puppy from box.

11. Take scissors from older dog and sit on them.

12. Remove puppy from box and put on lid.

13. Take tape away from older dog.

14. Unroll paper.

15. Take puppy OFF box.

16. Cut paper being careful not to cut puppy’s foot or nose that is getting in the way as he “helps.”

17. Let puppy tear remaining paper.

18. Take puppy off box.

19. Wrap paper around box.

20. Remove puppy from box & take wrapping paper from its mouth.

21. Tell older dog to fetch the tape so he will stop stealing it.

22. Take scissors away from puppy.

23. Take tape older dog is holding.

24. Quickly tape one spot before taking scissors from older dog & sitting on them again.

25. Fend off puppy trying to steal tape & tape another spot.

26. Take bow from older dog.

27. Go get roll of wrapping paper puppy ran off with.

28. Take scissors from older dog who took them when you got up.

29. Give pen to older dog to hold so he stops licking your face.

30. Remove puppy from present & hurriedly slap tape on to hold the paper on.

31. Take now soggy bow from puppy & tape on since the sticky stuff no longer sticks.

32. Take pen from older dog, address tag & affix while puppy tries to eat pen.

33. Grab present before puppy opens it & put it away.

34. Clean up mess puppy & older dog made playing tug-of-war with remnants of wrapping paper.

35. Put away rest of wrapping supplies & tell dogs what good helpers they are.

On the second day of Christmas my puppy gave to me
Two leaking bubble lights
And the Santa topper from the Christmas tree.

On the third day of Christmas my puppy gave to me
Three punctured ornaments
Two leaking bubble lights
And the Santa topper from the Christmas tree.

On the fourth day of Christmas my puppy gave to me
Four broken window candles
Three punctured ornaments
Two leaking bubble lights
And the Santa topper from the Christmas tree.

On the fifth day of Christmas my puppy gave to me
Five chewed-up stockings
Four broken window candles
Three punctured ornaments
Two leaking bubble lights
And the Santa topper from the Christmas tree.

On the sixth day of Christmas my puppy gave to me
Six yards of soggy ribbon
Five chewed-up stockings
Four broken window candles
Three punctured ornaments
Two leaking bubble lights
And the Santa topper from the Christmas tree.

On the seventh day of Christmas my puppy gave to me
Seven scraps of wrapping paper
Six yards of soggy ribbon
Five chewed-up stockings
Four broken window candles
Three punctured ornaments
Two leaking bubble lights
And the Santa topper from the Christmas tree.

On the eighth day of Christmas my puppy gave to me
Eight tiny reindeer fragments
Seven scraps of wrapping paper
Six yards of soggy ribbon
Five chewed-up stockings
Four broken window candles
Three punctured ornaments
Two leaking bubble lights
And the Santa topper from the Christmas tree.

On the ninth day of Christmas my puppy gave to me
My wreath in nine pieces
Eight tiny reindeer fragments
Seven scraps of wrapping paper
Six yards of soggy ribbon
Five chewed-up stockings
Four broken window candles
Three punctured ornaments
Two leaking bubble lights
And the Santa topper from the Christmas tree.

On the tenth day of Christmas my puppy gave to me
Ten Christmas cards I shoulda mailed
My wreath in nine pieces
Eight tiny reindeer fragments
Seven scraps of wrapping paper
Six yards of soggy ribbon
Five chewed-up stockings
Four broken window candles
Three punctured ornaments
Two leaking bubble lights
And the Santa topper from the Christmas tree.

On the eleventh day of Christmas my puppy gave to me
Eleven unwrapped presents
Ten Christmas cards I shoulda mailed
My wreath in nine pieces
Eight tiny reindeer fragments
Seven scraps of wrapping paper
Six yards of soggy ribbon
Five chewed-up stockings
Four broken window candles
Three punctured ornaments
Two leaking bubble lights
And the Santa topper from the Christmas tree.

On the twelfth day of Christmas my puppy gave to me
A dozen puppy kisses And I forgot about the other eleven days.

by Elise Lewis 1997

These are about the two most pathetic looking pooches ever and all I asked was that they stay still for just a minute so I could take ‘cute’ Christmas pictures of them.  They were not the least bit happy!

My Jezzie in her cute little Elf Hat! Doesn’t she look happy?

Bruti in his Santa Hat.  He actually shredded the hat to little fuzzy bits to show his displeasure after the photo session!

Ok, so maybe it’s not really Christmasy but it is funny!

Many all-natural dog treats manufactured today are chemical-free; however, it is always best not to get fooled with the big “natural” label marked on a product. “Natural” has been so overused, that sometimes it’s just actually more of a label than what the product actually is. Nevertheless, there are still several all-natural dog treats on the market today that really provide a healthy snack for your dogs.

On the other hand, if you love making your own treats for your dog, as I do, then baking some natural dog biscuit can be the most excellent treat he’d ever had. Making your own all natural dog biscuit is an excellent way of ensuring that your dog gets only the healthiest and chemical-free treat for his snacks.

Natural Dog Treat Recipe

This all natural dog biscuit recipe is simple to make, and can even be put together by kids and adults.

Preheat oven to 350ºF.

¼ cup of carrots
3 cups of finely chopped parsley,
¼ cup of finely grated cheese. Make sure that the dog likes the kind of cheese you use to ensure that he gets the tastes he wants. Typically, Parmesan or mozzarella cheese is best to use.
2-¾ cups flour
2 tablespoons olive oil to the ingredients
2 teaspoons baking powder to give the biscuit a little “rise” when they’re baked
2 teaspoons bran to make it extra healthy
½ cup water, and don’t add it until all of the ingredients have been blended together.

Slowly add the water until there’s a moist texture. Knead the dough to uniform rill using rolling pin. Cut in fun shapes. On a slightly greased baking sheet, place the cut dough and bake for twenty to thirty minutes.

Now you can give your pampered pooch a special treat made with not only natural and healthy ingredients, but TLC! And now as the holidays approach, make up some extra and share them with your dog loving friends so their pooches can enjoy too. Everyone is sure to enjoy this wonderful treat, dog owners because they love their furbabies and dog because they love treats!

This is Missy, an adorable little 4 year old Lhasa Apso mix. She gets to be a Christmas Angel Bear.

This is Rudy, a one year old Jack Russel Terrier mix with attitude. He gets to be a Santa Bear for Christmas

This is Lucy Lu, a cute little3 year old Miniature Poodle/Japanese Chin mix. She gets to be a Snowgirl for Christmas

This is River, an adorable little Havanese, not even a year old yet. She lives in Canada and it is cold, cold, cold so she got her own igloo and Christmas tree along with some little red mittens and a cap with a pom pom.

Hope you enjoyed those and maybe this gave you some ideas if your pooch won’t don the Santa Hat or Antlers you searched all over to buy just for them.

Christmas light bulbs, Christmas ornaments, Christmas
stockings, and tinsel from the Christmas tree are not food.

I am the alpha dog, therefore I do not need to protect
my new Christmas rawhide from the omega dog by
taking it outside to eat when the wind chill is -10 F.

I will not demolish the Christmas tree and drag the
string of lights out into the backyard through the doggy door.

I will not dive into the Christmas tree to get the
candy canes (which I will eat — paper and all).

I will not eat my Christmas doggie treats until after
they’re out of the stocking!

I will not even THINK about going underneath the
Christmas tree and piddling on the dining room rug.

I will not get into a fight with the bigger dog next
door, making my human have to call the vet’s at Christmas.

I will not get tangled up in the Christmas tree lights
and pull the tree down while trying to get at a cat
through the conservatory window.

I will not pee on Grandma’s Christmas presents that
are under her tree as soon as we enter her house.

I will not pee on the Christmas tree.

I will not steal the neighbor’s Christmas light bulbs.

The bowl underneath the Christmas tree is not a dog
dish. I will not drink from it. It will make me sick.