For three years I didn't put up a Christmas tree because the last one I decorated was only up for three hours. It was beautiful, but was never going to last with our cats climbing up inside it. So, after much thought, I asked my long-suffering and very handy husband, Stan, to secure the tree to the ceiling to solve the problem. Of course, he had lots of help putting the tree up and stringing the lights.
Portia, our oldest cat, was also our most dedicated tree watcher. The twin sisters -- otherwise known as the terrorists to Stan -- are thrilled with their very first tree.
The string kept the tree upright and only a few ornaments hit the floor as cat toys. Success, I thought!
But then our Great Dane, Ellen, figured out how to bite the ornaments and pull them off the tree. What fun for her! If they resisted the tops came off, but that didn't bother her. If they were glass, they broke when she dropped them. No problem, she just pulled another one off. Plastic ones were fun, but won't look too good next year with tooth holes and dents. She pulled one wooden one off, but soon found out it didn't roll around at all. Again, no problem for her. She gnawed it into splinters in no time at all.
Ellen is a smart dog. Three nights in a row she enjoyed her own private time with the tree, dancing and playing with as many ornaments as she could pull off before I caught her and stopped the game.
Today I took all the ornaments off. I surrender! One day in the future I'll have a Christmas tree again, but not until I can figure out a way to outwit both cats and dogs.