Icy Steps and Christmas Trees

[SoSa]

So, this is our first winter and Christmas with Ace, and I need some advice:

1) It's colder than usual this fall here in the Seattle area. We've had freezing temps and icy conditions. Ace has to go out onto the deck and down the deck steps to get to the back yard. It's been slick. How do you de-ice? I cannot use the usual bag of stuff for de-icing because it's toxic.

2) Christmas tree/decorations. Should I even bother? How have you managed to have a decorated tree not destroyed by your doodle?

Thanks.

[SoSa]

Thanks much. :-)

[Stella]

My doods are 7 and 8 years old and I still put an X-pen around the Christmas tree when I leave the house!!

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Ned's first Christmas we decided to get a table top tree.  Well...... He did jump on the table to sniff the tree!  Seriously, we let our dogs sniff the tree before we decorate.  When we have visiting puppies that are experiencing their first Christmas or untrained human toddlers, we do two things.  1) We don't put our most precious ornaments on the tree - just in case, and put the more unbreakable ones on the bottom;  2)  We put an ex-pen around the tree and gifts.

[SoSa]

Great tips, thanks. :-)

[Cynthia Shoe]

Living in Colorado, I have been looking into pet safe de-icer and I have read that any of the products can really dry out their paw pads, so to make sure you wipe them down after s/he walks on the salt and keep them moisturized. 

As for the tree, we were going to put ours up and practice leave it, and maybe just buy a few dollar store ornaments to practice leave it with. We are unlikely to do our whole set up.