v THE HERALD - Your Community Magazine v 22nd June 2023 • The HERALD • Page 59 ANIMAL MAGIC Caring for your animals when you can’t be there Vanessa Rouse ex-RSPCA Inspector Experienced & Insured 07742 848265 www.purlieuanimalcare.co.uk She’s Never Done This Before but…. by Rachel Clark, Little Rascals Dog Coaching ere’s a saying that behaviour is in the environment, not in your dog. In other words, however fabulous your dog usually is at responding to you, we can’t control what happens around us. When it comes to behaviour, training is just one piece of large jigsaw puzzle. Our terrier, Hope provided a great example this week. I was sitting outside, catching up on admin, Hope happily sunbathing a er her walk when a cheeky squirrel hopped down from the fence onto the trampoline. I’ve got a small fence to contain my patio to prevent Hope amusing herself by barking in the garden when I’m not supervising which until now has done a good job. Well, when this squirrel landed, she was up like a shot and cleared the fence, for the rst time ever! I have to admit I was quite impressed with her athleticism! Sadly for her, ambition outweighs ability when it comes to hunting so it was 1-0 to the squirrel! Now in this case, she couldn’t get any further than our garden because the external fences are a lot higher, but the story could have had a di erent ending if the smaller fence had been a barrier to a road. When dogs are hot and bothered, when their usual walk is much busier than usual, when they don’t get as much rest as usual because you’ve had a BBQ or the children are at home, tolerance levels reduce. You might notice they’re quicker to react to things in the environment while being slower to respond to things you ask them to do. is is o en when things happen that ‘they’ve never done before’. So many of the dogs who have gone missing, dogs who have been run into a road and been hit by a car, dogs who have bitten are dogs who have never done that before. Dogs aren’t infallible, they o en have little choice when it comes to the situations we put them in and they can’t plan and predict outcomes. But we can. Prevention is always easier than cure. If you’re little rascal needs help to cope with a busier forest, don’t wait for the summer holidays to arrive, get in touch with me via my website: www. littlerascalsdogcoaching.co.uk or give me a call on 07903 859960. Totton Pet Retailer Welcomes Law to Microchip Pet Cats Hundreds of pet owners across the region could be at risk of being hit with a £500 ne if they fall foul of a new microchipping law coming into play in 2024. New legislation has been outlined by the government, as part of its wider action plan for animal welfare, that means it will be a legal requirement for cat caregivers to microchip their pets. Failure to do so could end with a large ne. Managing Director of Healthy Pet Store in Totton, Deborah Burrows has welcomed the new legislation because she said it will play a vital role in keeping cats safe. Under the law, cats must be implanted with amicrochip before they reach the age of 20 weeks. Owners who are caught out will be given 21 days to microchip their cat or risk facing a ne of up to £500. Since 2016, it has been compulsory for dogs to be microchipped, but there have been no requirements for cats until now. e new law has been brought in to help return lost or stolen cats to their homes and families. Currently, there are as many as 2.3 million unchipped cats in the UK. Deborah added: “We know of many cats going missing from home. These are loved family members and it is upsetting to not be aware of when and if they have been found. We are urging cat caregivers to take pre-emptive action. Microchipping gives cats the best chance of returning home quickly and safely. The new law makes Woof Woof, Woof Woof Woof, Ah-Woof! Lepe Country Park are proud to present their ‘Bark on the Beach’ dog show, on Saturday 15th July, 10am to 3pm. Lepe have a full line up of activities for you and your pooches to enjoy including a Doggy Agility Course and ‘Scru s’, their very own Cru s style competition. ere will also be display stands from local pet businesses. To get involved, or for more information, please contact visitor services on: 023 8089 9108, or email: lepe.enquiries@hants.gov.uk Please note – usual parking charges apply. Bark on the Beach perfect sense and should deter owners from leaving their cat vulnerable.” Healthy Pet Store is an independent pet retailer based in Totton and is renowned for being an advocate for pet wellbeing across the South coast. To nd out more about Healthy Pet Store, visit: healthypetstore.co.uk Commendations for Calshot RNLI Crew after Jetski Rescue Four volunteer crew members from Calshot RNLI have been awarded a commendation from the RNLI’s Medical Director. Last June, crew were tasked to a jetskier. Working with crews from independent lifeboat Solent Rescue and the Police Marine Unit, the casualty was recovered from the water. Calshot RNLI Crew Members: Left to right - Andy Headley, Damian Lester, Chris McDonald, Kelley Leonard As the casualty was being transferred to shore, they su ered a cardiac arrest and the Calshot crew members immediately began to administer CPR, being able to stabilise the casualty until arrival of South Central Ambulance Service crews, as well as the Air Ambulance. e commendation, issued by RNLI Medical Director, Aroop Mozumder cites: ‘Your determination and commitment to delivering excellent casualty care is recognised and truly represents the values of the RNLI.’ e crew members honoured with this commendation are: Andy Headley who has been a member of the crew since 2011, helm since 2016 and a Lifeboat Training Assessor since 2017. Andy works for South Central Ambulance Service and earlier this year successfully completed his paramedic training. Chris McDonald who rejoined the crew in 2021 a er returning to the area and is now a trainee helm. Chris is a former commercial skipper and works at the nearby re nery as a process leader. Damian Lester who joined the crew in 2008 and quali ed as helm in 2021 and Lifeboat Training Assessor in 2022. Damian works in the building maintenance sector. Kelley Leonard who joined the crew in 2019 and works as an emergency care assistant for South Central Ambulance Service. Andy Headley, who was helm for the shout said: “This was a real team effort, we brought the casualty to shore close to the station and all of the crew contributed to a positive outcome.” Calshot RNLI Lifeboat Operations Manager, Jane Banting added: “It’s a testament to the commitment of our volunteer crew that when we need to apply the training in a critical situation, we can do so. I am incredibly proud of Andy, Chris, Damian and Kelley, the recognition for their efforts on this shout are richly deserved.” A Day in the Life of an Iranian Housewife Hythe Wives next meeting will be on Friday 7th July for a talk by Sandra Simmonds ‘A day in the life of an Iranian housewife’. e meeting on Friday 21st July will be Cream Tea and Social. ere are no meetings in August. Hythe Wives normally meet on the first and third Fridays of the month at St Andrew’s Church, Dibden Purlieu, from 2pm to 4pm. ey have a subscription twice a year but visitors may attend for £2 deductible from the fee if you decide to join, £15 twice a year. For further information please ring Lesley Arnold on: 07907 881440.
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