Dogs thrive on routines, so it is normal for your pup to become stressed by a change to the norm. How do you know if your dog is stressed and what can you do about it?

Here comes that season again: Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, plus whatever else you may be celebrating (Festivus, anyone?). And that means food — lots of it. From pumpkin pie to that honey-glazed ham you can never finish, you may find yourself with heaps of leftovers.

Charlie Brown has Snoopy. Calvin has Hobbes. Harry has Hedwig. And you? Many of us feel incomplete without an animal companion. And the benefits of having one can be significant: they can help you live longer, decrease cholesterol, manage depression, and even improve social-emotional skills in children. They’re also just plain fun.

Air travel is sometimes necessary for one reason or another, all the more so around the holidays. Some enjoy it; some would rather stay grounded. Air travel is always more stressful if you have to leave your furry friend behind. You may try to bring them along only to encounter the insistence that pets must ride in cargo. While most pets flown in cargo are fine, there's always a risk of excessively hot or cold temperatures, poor ventilation and/or rough handling...

Whether your puppy was a Christmas surprise or the long-planned culmination of the adoption process, by now you’re probably feeling that your family is one cold nose closer to being complete.