Now that the holiday season is coming to a close and we’ve said goodbye to visiting family members, there’s time for a little pause and reflection. Time to think back on the thoughtful gifts, delicious meals, and of course all the ways your mischievous dogs and cats made a horrible mess of the season.
Itchpet recently performed some valuable research on this topic. A survey of 2,000 dog and cat people discovered a myriad of holiday “crimes” our furry friends commit each year. Whether it’s knocking over decorations or stealing figurines from nativity scenes, 53% of respondents indicated that their dogs or cats wreaked havoc over Christmas. 12% said their fur kids have embarrassed them in front of visiting guests.
To put it as Charlotte Harper, Co-founder of Itchpet did:
“Your cat or dog might be your best friend, but that doesn’t mean they can’t cause chaos from time to time.”
Most Common Dog/Cat “Crimes”
According to the survey, here are some of the most commonly reported ways furry family members drove people crazy over the holidays.
- Damaged festive decorations
- Climbed the Christmas tree
- Knocked over the Christmas tree
- Stole meat from a plate or counter
- Damaged presents
- Passed gas during dinner
- Revealed his ‘lipstick’ in front of friends/family
- Inappropriately sniffed a guest
- Chewed up someone’s slippers
- Brought a dead animal inside
- Relieved themselves on the Christmas tree
- Left their own little ‘present’ under the tree
- Relieved themselves on a snowman/snowwoman/snowthing
- Made a grandparent trip over them
- Ate cookies left out for Santa
- Chewed up gift cards with money in them
- Stole a figure from the nativity scene
- Destroyed the Fairy/Star from the Christmas tree
- Stole underwear from visitors
- Gave a relative or relatives’ animal fleas
The 12 Naughtiest Breeds
The research also pinpointed a few breeds that are more likely to be on the naughty list than others. If one of these happens to be your little guy or gal, don’t say we didn’t warn you!
- Jack Russell Terrier
- Yorkshire Terrier
- Chihuahua
- Labrador
- Springer Spaniel
- Boxer
- Mixed breed
- German Shepherd
- Cocker Spaniel
- French Bulldog
- Cockapoo
- Dalmatian
No, our dogs don’t exactly follow our sociocultural norms when it comes to holidays, but we forgive them. Maybe that has something to do with how adorable they look in Santa hats. Many people surveyed said their dogs don’t bother them any more than any other relative over the holidays.
Here’s a little holiday tip from Charlotte from Itchpet: keep your animals’ routines the same as usual to keep them calm. Avoid overfeeding them with festive treats and snacks and tell your guests to do the same.
H/T: Country Living
Toledo, United States.
