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Weekday: 8:30am to 6:00pm (open until 8pm Tuesday & Thursday) | Saturday: 9am to 2pm | Sunday: 9am to 12pm
What makes you happy? An easy question to answer for most of us, but for others, perhaps a little trickier. We humans are pretty complex creatures on many levels, but strip away the veneer of modern advances in technology, and what’s left is not so different to the rest of the animal kingdom. Of course, being deprived of the most basic needs (food, water, shelter, etc) as many people sadly are, causes huge unhappiness. But for us in the First World with such resources in abundance, being happy is more about relationships, work and leisure. The comparison I’m trying to draw is with our pet companions and domestic animals. It’s not enough just to satisfy their basic needs to exist; they need enrichment, just as we do.
Take our little terrier Jessica, for example. At 13 years old, Jessica is slowing up physically but is still sharp as a tack. She is happy to snooze on her bed most of the time. However, the moment I pick up a car key or put on shoes, Jess becomes ridiculously animated and happy! She knows that a road trip or wander around the village is on the cards. Our 400-yard potter around the Griffon’s Head pub takes about half an hour, sometimes longer if we meet others. During this slow march, Jessica will sniff every blade of grass (reading the newspaper, I call it). She enjoys leaving her scent in as many places as the capacity of her bladder allows. On hot days, the village stream provides welcome relief, and Jessica makes full use of it. I have, on a few occasions, had to get in myself to help her out.
Younger, more active dogs need far more exercise to keep them happy. As all breeds were developed for a purpose by genetic selection, changing their environment will not alter their characteristics. Genetics, 90%; environment, 10%. Keep this in mind when choosing a dog breed, even crossbreds, as there are many a Cockerpoo with a keen nose and a lust to hunt! Enriching a canine athlete’s life is hard work. You must have enough time and energy to do it; otherwise, at best, you’ll have an unhappy dog and at worst, behavioural issues. The rise in popularity and availability of canine agility means happier and healthier dogs and owners! Of course, provided the course is matched to the breed, a Dachshund is not a Collie. They all require enrichment suitable for their breed.
With the summer holidays upon us and the opportunity to get out and enrich all our lives increasing, so do the chances of injury. I know I’ve said it before, but throwing sticks for your dog is a really bad idea. Every year, we see throat injuries in dogs that have run onto a stick that has landed in the ground, pointing upwards. Obviously, balls (tennis ball size, no smaller) and rubber sticks are good alternatives. Be mindful that the ground is smooth and you don’t overdo it. Remember, most working-breed dogs have “Terminator syndrome”… they will never, ever stop!
Athletic injuries aside, another consideration for over-active dogs is hypoglycaemia, running out of sugar on a long day out. If you are planning an all-day walk, I expect you take food and water for yourself? Make space in the rucksack for the same for your dog. They will cover 2-3 times the distance you do, and that energy-devouring hormone adrenaline will be driving their metabolism hard all day.
Do I have to mention heatstroke? Again? I’m not really reluctant to do so, as the memory of the tragic loss of three dogs from the same family this time last year is still fresh. A car is a greenhouse! We all know that (I hope..). High-output dogs on hot and especially humid days, are also at risk. Tailor your walk to the weather conditions and be prepared to change course to seek shade or a water source. If your dog is not a swimmer, take something to scoop up some water and pour it on, working it well down into the coat. A little bit of shampoo helps the water to penetrate. Just be mindful of algae in water after a long, hot spell, as we had in May. Reports of highly toxic Blue-Green algal blooms in the south-east of the country were reported recently.
Now, how do we enrich the lives of our cats? I think rather they enrich our lives! They are happy enough to spend an hour or so outside doing the stuff that cats do and then curl up for the rest of the day. An exception is the house cat, who will need to express some predatory behaviour on a daily basis. If this isn’t directed towards fluffy bits on strings or light-pointers, ankles and toes make sporting alternatives.
