v EMAIL: editor@herald-publishing.co.uk v 6th October 2022 • The HERALD • Page 49 ANIMAL MAGIC Keeping Dogs Happy at Halloween by Rachel Clark, Pear Tree Pets Halloween from your Dog’s Point of View Halloween is one of the most exciting events of the year for children, but what do our dogs think about it? Dark nights, knocks on the door and doorbells ringing, noise, scary costumes, reworks, toxic food can all add up to quite a lot of stress for a dog. Remember that the rst few months of their life, the critical socialisation period, is when puppies learn what’s safe and what should be avoided. A er this, anything novel is more likely to provoke fear. Lockdown puppies and some rescue dogs may be more unsettled about visitors because they didn’t experience this in the rst few months. Scary costumes will be novel to many dogs, regardless of their early beginnings. Dogs have lots of ways to tell us when they want to avoid something. Look for lip licks, tight closed mouths, yawning, turning their head away, panting. It’s important to listen to these whispers so they don’t have to shout (growl, snap). Google ‘dogs in Halloween costumes’ and you will see lots of examples of dogs who are stressed. Tips for Keeping your Dog Safe and Preventing Bites • If your dog already gets worked up about the doorbell, start dropping a high value treat on their bed when they hear the noise, then answer the door without them. Over time, a ring at the door will predict a treat rather than a situation they need to deal with. • Walk your dog early. Go somewhere quiet where they can do lots of sni ng rather than high adrenaline chasing. Sni ng produces calming chemicals in the brain whereas adrenaline takes time to recover from making it harder for them to relax. • Set up an area for your dog to settle in, as far away from the front door as possible and put the radio on. If there’s a chance a door will get le open, use baby gates to prevent escape. • Prepare chews and stu ed Kongs in advance. Chewing and licking are soothing, calming activities for dogs. • Don’t feel guilty about excluding your dog from children’s parties. Much like most adults, if they could speak, most dogs would choose downtime with a chew over loud, excited children! • Most dogs don’t enjoy costumes. If you want to take Halloween pictures which include your dog, how about adding stickers to your photo or teaching your dog a ‘paws up’ on a pumpkin! For more tips and advice visit www.peartreepets. com/trainingtips or contact me at rachel@peartreepets. com if you’d like to book a training consultation. Paws up on a pumpkin In Loving Memory of Animal Lover Patience Lumsden by Jo Brewer, Dogs2FosterUK When we founded our dog charity Dogs2FosterUK back in 2018, Patience, a resident of Holbury, was the rst person to call us to get involved in our work with rescue dogs. Despite her own health problems and having lost her husband and her own dog not long before, she wanted to help and contribute to the care of our rescue dogs. is wonderful lady became a great friend of our organisation from that point on. She was a true animal lover, with a huge heart for dogs, and someone we will never forget. ank you, Patience, for all your support over the years, it was our privilege to know you. We hope that you are now reunited with your beloved Dachshund Sarah. Patience Lumsden A Home from Home for your Dog If you are looking for a home from home for your dog to stay whilst you go away on holiday then look no further than Waterside Dog Boarding. Set up in August this year by dog lovers Lorraine and Hedley Clark, Waterside Dog Boarding is fully licenced for up to 4 dogs and has already received a 4* rating from the local council. Lorraine and Hedley have 25 years experience of owning dogs. No longer owning a dog of their own and missing the company of their 4 legged friends, Lorraine and Hedley made the decision to open their home in Marchwood to o er overnight dog boarding. At Waterside Dog Boarding your dog will be welcomed into their home and treated like one of the family, with open access to the downstairs and garden. As well as receiving plenty of TLC your dog will also be taken on 2 – 3 walks a day with Lorraine and Hedley taking advantage of their location close to the New Forest. For peace of mind all dogs looked a er by Waterside Dog Boarding must be fully up to date with their inoculations, ea and worm treatments and on arrival each dog’s collar will be tted with a printed tag saying the dog is currently on holiday at Waterside Dog Boarding along with their contact details in the unlikely event that your dog runs o . For more information or to book boarding for your dog please email: lorrainenclark@btinternet.com or call: 07747 037756. Dog Walk Will Help Change the Lives of Deaf People Local dog-lovers are being encouraged to get outside with their pets and help raise money to improve deaf people’s lives. e Great British Dog Walk, sponsored by Specsavers and organised by Hearing Dogs for Deaf People, will be coming to Mottisfont on 22nd October. ere will be a choice of 2.5km or 5km routes for people to enjoy with their pets. Anyone can take part, whether they have a dog or not, and each walker will receive a special activity- lled pack. Dr Alison Vaughan, audiologist at Specsavers in Southampton, will be attending the event with members of her team. She said: “The Great British Dog Walk is an excellent way for people to have fun, get some exercise, meet like-minded people and, perhaps most importantly, meet lots of cute dogs while supporting a good cause. If every person who walked the Great British Dog Walk raised just £10 above the cost of their event ticket by getting themselves or their dog sponsored, the charity could fully train another dog to alert deaf people to important and lifesaving sounds. We’re so proud of our involvement in the Great British Dog Walk and we’re looking forward to the walk at Mottisfont. We hope lots of people will come along and show their support.” To fully train and support a hearing dog costs £40,000. e dogs play an essential role in helping people to combat loneliness, and all money raised during the Great British Dog Walk will go towards this vital life-improving initiative. Tickets cost £12 on the day or £10 online. Children under 16 can attend for free. e cost of a ticket includes a free dog bandana, walker certi cate and an activity pack to take on your walk. ere are 12 million people in the UK with hearing loss. More deaf people need help than ever before. For more information or to sign up to the Mottisfont walk visit: www. hearingdogs.org.uk/support/events/ gbdw-2022-mottisfont Sign up for The Great British Dog Walk
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTIyNzI=