The sad tale of the puppy and the Christmas tree

[ChickensThinkYouCanGetStuffed]

We put our little artificial tree up last Saturday. I lovingly bad temperdly put on the lights and a few strands of tinsel, and the DC hung baubles With History on the tree all in one fecking place. The puppy watched, sniffed a bit and then ignored it. I was smug. More fool me. In the last two days, he has taken to running under it, grabbing a gobful of tinsel and then tearing off down the living room. Yesterday we got in to a tug of war situation, where I yanked the tinsel and it gradually got denuded in to his mouth. I ended up holding some limp string and he has been shitting glitter ever since. He has taken a liking to my tasteful, tin santa bauble and keeps nicking it. This morning, the little fecker darling leapt from the middle of the living room in to the tree, wrapped himself in lights and started pulling. I'm afraid I shouted, growled and banished the poor little git angel to his crate. I am now feeling guilty at the shouting/crossness and he is snoring, flaked out on his back with one paw comfortingly placed on his balls. The tree looks decidedly pissed. Someone pass me the gin.

This is why I hung our christmas tree upside down from the ceiling for my Husky Puppies first christmas,

I think you deserve a very large

I do. I do deserve a large glass of something alcoholic. Pup is awake again now and endlessly bringing me the Squeaky Ball Of Wonderness. Because I am feeling guilty I will be forced to play fetch until school pick up

We didn't put our tree up last year.

Be careful with tinsel etc because if they eat lengths of it or that "angel hair" stuff it can knot up their insides.

I'm still debating whether to put our tree up this year.......

This was short stranded tinsel. I did retrieve most of it from his snappy chops, but his first poo this morning was a tad...twinkly. He is scared of the fairy that DS2 made in nursery years ago, so I have placed its scowling visage at dog level at the front.

I feel rather cheated that our dogs have never managed a glittery shit. Or tinselbum (or is it only cats that get that after eating a piece -I know someone's did that).

I do hope no dog owner has been foolish enough to put chocolate decorations on the tree! I've always been rather pleased that the dog is a cast-iron excuse to never buy any.

We have candy canes. But only at the very top. He sits at the bottom, sniffing and occasionally circling like a shark.

oh dear, I am putting off putting up the tree I know I shall spend the entire time it is up stressed.

Oh dear. We're putting our up tomorrow. 2 year old child and 6 month old dog. Your tale of woe is not helping me look forward to this!

We have ours in a corner that's quite difficult to get to. Will try to block it off even more this year. No tinsel, but some rather tempting fluffy 'snowballs' on string. Like the idea of suspending it upsid down from the ceiling, but it'd still be a nice jumping target for both of them!

We're in a barn conversion so the "ceiling" is a very high peaked roof. DH hung a hook and pulley system for me, although putting it up by leaning over the balcony has to be done before the christmas cheer comes out ()

I've got a tip for this after tentatively putting up our tree last weekend - and so far it's worked! We bought a really cheap Lack coffee table from IKEA and put the tree on that. Dog hasn't shown much interest at all in the tree as a result :)

At least if he snaffles candy canes he won't be ill (well, piggishly sick maybe but not poisoned sick)

I'm more worried he'll chomp on a fairy light. I have issued strict instructions that the pup is not to be left in the living room unsupervised. He has no concern for his own personal safety

Loving the thread! Chickens, that's what we had to do last year - make sure pup was never left unsupervised in room with tree - it was all too sparkly and tempting, and that was without the addition of foodstuffs. We learnt our lesson on that one years ago when elder dog slipped into the living room unseen and ate all the chocolate decorations. He survived to see the next Christmas, but only just....

This year pup is a year and a half and I am sure will be older and -ahem - more mature and refined.

But the tree still isn't going up yet!

I have also remembered that pup ate my straw reindeer last year

I was quite upset - found it minus legs with straw all over the floor and one very pleased dog.

DH spent hours reassembling it but had to gather some replacement straw from over the fields as dog had digested a good quantity of it. That was sparkly too although I was too unamused to check for sparkly shit! DH did a good job (of mending the reindeer, not sparkly shit related), though it's not quite as it was.

It can stay on the wardrobe this year and I will view it from afar. I'm not convinced dog wouldn't make another attempt on its life, despite the extra year of calmness she has gained < yeah, right >

don't, it would contrive to suffocate itself.

Wish mine would eat the xmas tree rather than his newfound habit of chewing zips and buttons of anything incautiously left lying within reach. Not even sparkly.

Lalalalalalalalalalala.

We have had the shitting glitter and sequins thing this week, after he got hold of the artificial wreath I'd left out ready to take to the cemetery. Tree up today and I'm not hopeful we're going to get through the day without carnage.

Oh god. Tree = pup stress. No tree = miserable kids = kid stress.

Hmmm....though we do have one room pup only goes in under supervision....think I may have to learn from your mistake experience, Chickens