Dog walking, how many dogs is too many?

I have been a dog walker for 3 years now and a dog owner for 6 years. As a professional dog walker I personally think that a dog walker should only take a maximum of 3 dogs (per dog walker) out at any one time. I feel that walking 4-6 dogs per walker is too many. 

I have seen first hand that quite a lot (not all) but a lot to bring it to my attention, will pile dogs in their car and then open the door and let the dogs just run on to the field (sometimes around a car park) while they sort themselves out. 

Walking 4-6 dogs can be a handful, on the lead they could be pulling a lot, and passing another dog can cause problems, if one dog starts they all start barking and lunging, dangerous for all evolved. Walking that many dogs off lead can also provide problems, what happens if one gets in a fight, can they sort that dog out as well as keeping track of all other dogs, same thing goes for if a dog runs off. I also question whether they can keep track of when and where a dog toilets and if it all gets picked up. 

I know a lot of people won’t agree with me, but I personally think it would be more beneficial to dogs if they were taken out in smaller groups. 

There is a petition about changing the amount of dogs a professional dog walker can walk, I have signed it, if you feel the same way, please sign it 🙂

https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/173411

Bonfire Night & your Pets

So it’s coming to that time of year again where people start setting off fireworks and making bonfires. I’ve been very lucky with my dog, Buddie, as he’s not bothered about fireworks, but there are a lot of pets who are, here are some tips on how to keep your pet calm and feeling safe.

If your cat is scared of fireworks the first thing you should do is to keep it inside at night, lock the cat flaps and keep windows and doors shut.

Ensure your pet has a place it can go where it feels safe and do not disturb it.

Stay relaxed yourself and give your pet space.

Distract your pet by playing with it, or give it something like a bone or kong treat, something that will take your pet a long time to finish.

Play music or watch TV to cover the sounds of the fireworks.

Stay at home with pet.

Ignore fearful behaviour.

If your pets live outside (eg Rabbits, Guinea Pigs, Aviaries), bring them inside, if you are unable to then cover part of their enclosure so they have a sound proof area and can go out of sight of any fireworks, give your pet extra bedding so they have something they can burrow in, hide treats in their bedding and around their enclosure to keep them occupied.

Don’t forget if you’re having your own firework party let your neighbours know and keep your pets safe.

Also don’t forget to check your bonfire before lighting them as wildlife could be hiding amongst it! Keep an eye out for hedgehogs especially!

Blog the Change for Animals

Be the Change for Animals who are abused and in care.

Every time I hear of a case about animal abuse or neglect it makes me cringe, how can someone do something so cruel to an innocent animal, and how can anyone just ‘dump’ their pet and leave them. There are a lot of these cases but not everyone hears of them, whether you hear of these situations or not, it happens, and people should not just sit back and do nothing.

How can you help?

There are many ways you can help abused animals:

Look out for signs of abuse and neglect, these could be:

Poor body condition and noticeable trauma – If an animal has matting and a dirty looking coat, if it appears to have fleas, ticks and other mites, if it looks underweight and/or its bones are visible, it could be limping or unable to walk or have congested eyes and ears or it could be in obvious distress and in need of veterinarian treatment.

Lack of food or water and shelter – Every time you see this animal and it is without food or water, it may be aggressive due to hunger or maybe be lethargic, it is exposed to all types of weather with no where to take shelter.

Lack of sanitation – Faeces and debris covers the animals living area.

Abandoned – The animal is left in a building or yard that appears to be empty, the animal is left on the side of a road or tied up somewhere with no owner in sight. Always contact a local rescue centre or vet practice, the animal could be lost or have a micro-chip.

The animal is tied or caged – The animal is unable to move freely, it can’t stand up or turn around.

The animal shows evidence of being used or trained for fighting – There will be obvious signs of trauma, scars, open wounds, infections and in some cases missing body parts, such as ears and tail.

Abnormal behaviour – The animal could be very aggressive or really shy, cowering, showing its teeth, snarling, especially when the owner is around.

Too many animals living in one place – This is known as animal hoarding.

Physical abuse – Seeing the owner or anyone striking, kicking or physically abusing the animal with a ‘tool’.

If you see any of these signs be sure to call your local animal rescue centre and the police, even if you’re not 100% sure it’s always better to get these situations seen to so the animals can get the attention and treatment they may need.

How can you help?

Rescue centres are always looking for volunteers, foster families and people who are wanting to adopt. Everybody wants a puppy or kitten, but think about the animals that have been neglected, abused and left for dead, these animals need a family too, whether they are young or old, give a rescued animal a forever home to live out their days with a loving happy family, it’s the least they deserve. If you can’t adopt or foster and you don’t have time to volunteer, you can always help fund raise or donate and last but not least educate people.

Having a pet is a privileged. A pet is forever, not just for Christmas. 

Facebook: Buddie’s Pet Care

Sheltered Animals and Christmas

Christmas time is a happy time for all families and their pets, but some animals this year will spend their Christmas in a shelter.

Buddie’s Pet Care would like to make a sheltered animals Christmas that little bit better by giving them toys and treats etc.

Over the next two months we will be collecting up gifts for these animals, whether it’s for dogs, cats, small mammals etc.

If you would like to help, whether it’s donating toys or treats, or donating any spare change, or just spreading the word, please contact buddiespetcare@hotmail.com

Thank you.

National Black Dog Day

National Black Dog Day falls on October 1st and is a day devoted to black dogs in shelters and rescue centres all around the country.

Black animals, whether it’s a dog, cat, rabbit, guinea pig etc, are the least adopted animals because of their colour. They get overlooked because of superstitions like “the colour black is evil”. They also don’t show up well in photographs and look “scary” because you can’t see their facial expressions as easy as on a lighter coloured animals. This makes black dogs easily overlooked and are the first to be euthanized when shelters become over crowded.

Black dogs give just as much unconditional love as any other dog and are just as loyal and they deserve the same back.

So please, if you are thinking about adopting a dog or any animal, don’t overlook the black ones!

What do you want to read?

What sort of things do you look for in an Animal/pet blog?

Is there a certain topic you would like to read about or know more on?

Let me know and I will try to bring you what you want from this blog 🙂

Growling, is it always aggressive?

Simple answer, no.

I’ve decided to write this post because a fair few people have taken their dogs away from mine or picked them up and had a go at me because my dog was being “aggressive” and growling, and no matter how much I explain that he is just playing, they don’t believe me.

Growling is a form of communication between dogs, and it is one that an owner should respect rather than punish. Dogs will growl when they are uncomfortable with something, this is important in a canine-human relationship.

Dogs also growl when they are playing, this is how they communicate with one another and express their emotions verbally. Be sure to take in to consideration their body language, facial expressions and growling related behaviours before assuming that it is hostile.

Growling is a part of play for most dogs, and there is normally no need to worry. That’s not to say that play can’t turn nasty. When dogs that are not familiar with each other start playing they begin by “testing the water” to see what play will work best. Dogs will start with some gentle biting and chasing before going into full wrestling mode. But if the dogs aren’t enjoying each others company, or feel threatened then the play may turn into aggression or a fight.

Spotting flights and play in dogs.

Lower growl

Growling while playing is normal, but listen for a change of tone in the growls. If the tone becomes lower then the play may turn towards aggression.

Hair on back end stands up

Another thing to look out for is if the dogs hair along its backbone stands up on end, in some dogs it’s an everyday thing but if your dog does not usually show this behaviour it’s time to stop play.

Dogs play should be a 50/50 exchange of chasing, biting, wresting, each dog has equal opportunity to be the chaser or to be chased. When you see the power shift to one dog being the dominant aggressor then play needs to stop.

A lot of dog plays don’t get this fair, but it is always something to look out for.

Halloween is upon us…

Halloween, a fun time for children and adults to get dressed up, go trick or treating and have parties! It’s all fun and games for us, but not for our animals.

There are a number of things you can do to help keep your pet safe and calm during Halloween:

First of all, keep your pets, especially dogs, confined and away from the door, not only will your door be constantly opening and closing, there will be Trick or Treaters dressed in unusual costumes shouting for their candy, this is scary for our pets. Some dogs can be territorial and may become anxious and aggressive towards innocent trick or treaters. Keeping your pet confined in a secured room will stop them from darting out the door.

If you have an outdoor cat, keep them in.

Keep pumpkins out of reach, although they are non-toxic, in large quantities they can cause gastrointestinal upsets.

And don’t keep lit pumpkins around pets.

Keep wires and electric cords out of reach.

If you do decide to dress up your pet, make sure they like it and are comfortable with it first. It should not constrict movement, hearing or the ability to breath or bark/meow.

Having ID collars and having your pet micro-chipped will increase the chances of them being returned, if they do happen to escape and get lost.

Keep all candy away from pets! It is toxic to them!

And no tricks either!