It’s the most wonderful time of the year—the season of giving! During the holidays, many people decide to give dogs or cats as gifts, which can be a boon to shelter pets Of course, welcoming a new pet into your home is a big commitment—one people aren’t always ready to make. Sadly, animal shelters see an influx of pets after the holidays when people receive them as gifts but are unable or unwilling to care for them. Rather than surprising someone with a pet they might not keep, its recommended to visit a shelter or look at adoption websites as a family to make the decision together about which pet to bring home.

Just like 80 can be the new 60 for humans, for dogs, 12 is the new 8, and many cats now routinely live well into their teens. What matters most is quality of life. How many sprightly 80 year olds do you know who act like they’re 60, or even younger? Those people are in good physical and mental health partly because of good genetics, but also because they’ve likely been proactive about taking care of themselves.

You’re probably already aware of the risks posed by warm weather and leaving pets in hot cars, but did you know that cold weather also poses serious threats to your pets’ health? Here are some tips to keep your pets safe during cold weather:

As you get ready to decorate your home for the festive season, remember that from a cat’s perspective, a holiday tree in the living room is deemed there for climbing and feline fun. And, whether it’s a real tree or an artificial one, your dog may consider it a conveniently placed indoor bathroom.

It’s a common experience for animal lovers: We’re about to take our first bite of a meal and notice a dog sitting ever-so-politely next to us, possibly drooling, with eyes focused like tractor beams, willing us to share our food. “Aww, how cute!” we think, and give the pooch a little morsel. It’s hard to withstand those puppy dog eyes any time of year, and can seem next to impossible at holiday meals during the season of giving. But for the good of our dogs, we need to resist the temptation to feed them table scraps—and so do our guests.