Archive for the ‘Westie’ Category
Wednesday, November 5th, 2008
Today is the 5th November and here in the UK we all know what that means… fireworks, bonfires etc.
Lots of loud bangs, noises, flashes and screeches throughout the night into the early hours. It might be enjoyable for some of us humans, but for the dogs and animals it is sheer terror. I have a friend who’s dog is that frightened of the bangs it has to have a sedative from the vet, poor thing.
It might be my imagination but I’m sure the supermarkets started selling goodies for tonight many months ago. The reason why I think this is because when I’ve been walking my little Westie in the evening all of a sudden a loud bang or flash appears from behind a house or building. Unfortunately these bangs went off yesterday evening and our Westie dog Mitzi stopped dead in her tracks and froze. I tried to coax her along but she wasn’t having any of it. I ended up carrying her home! That’s right, carrying her! The bang made me jump, so I don’t know how it must of affected our Westies ears.
So tonight of all nights in the UK, please oh please ensure that your dogs, cats and pets are kept indoors at all times. If you are going out to a party, try leaving the radio or TV on as to blank out the noise outside so it won’t affect your pet.
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Wednesday, October 29th, 2008
Our West Highland Terrier dog (Mitzi) loves nothing better than a good long walk as you can see by the photo of our dog above.
Despite her being such a small little dog, she has certainly got a lot of stamina. Should you be climbing the largest hill, she will be at your side. Should you be running as fast as you can go, she will be at your side. Should you be near any water such as a lake or by the sea, then she isn’t at your side!
Recently whilst we were taking a long walk in a nearby country park, Mitzi was enjoying herself, playing chase, barking at the ducks then running away (honestly), when all of a sudden we heard a splash. Within seconds of our backs being turned she went straight into one of the shallow lakes. Luckily we were able to grab her collar and haul her out, however if she would of swum the opposite way we would of had to go in the green slimly, stinking lake after her… not a nice thought.
From what we can gather our Westie (who is afraid of any water outdoors, such as ponds, lakes etc) must of thought that the green slime which was resting on top of the water, was grass. She must of run straight into the lake thinking it was grass – poor thing. Thankfully Mitzi jumped into the shallow lake and not the deep one nearby.
Here is a picture below of how she looked after the ‘incident in the lake’! Needless to say, she stunk to high heaven so she had to endure a doggy pampering session which involved nice smelling dog shampoo when we returned home.
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Tuesday, October 21st, 2008
As you can see in the photo above of Mitzi the Westie, she is out on one of her many walks during the day.
Westies are inquisitive little dogs and should you venture out anywhere without them, you will sure know about it. In Mitzi’s case if we go to put our shoes or coats on she either yelps like a baby (just so that we know she is there) or she will nibble at your shoes until you look at her!
Many people often wonder how much exercise they should give a dog and it is a difficult question to answer. Depending on the breed of dog they may need more or less exercise. In Mitzi’s case she usually has one good walk in the morning (anywhere between 30-1hr), in the afternoon (40mins or so) and just after tea (around 1hr). Basically it all depends on every individuals life style for example some dog owners may work shifts or start later in the day etc. The main thing to remember is that your dog does get regular walks throughout the day, even if they are short walks, the main thing is that they are going out of the house and experiencing different smells, socialising with people and their dogs.
As mentioned in a previous post we recently took Mitzi to Wales with us in a rented cottage and she absolutely loved it. Due to the amount of hills and beach walks we did, as soon as we returned to the accommodation she always had her well deserved snack and drink waiting then she would just curl up in a ball and sleep and sleep and sleep some more!
If you are worried that you might not be giving your dog enough walks, why don’t you ask a neighbour to walk your pet if you are away long hours at a time? I’m sure they would jump at the chance. You dog will love you for it.
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