Monday, January 12th, 2009
During a recent trip to Portugal I was amazed to see so many dogs out and about on the streets and beaches by themselves without a care in the world.
Whilst sitting on the beach at Praia Da Luz several dogs in a pack would run past you off on another adventure! It was hard to determine which dogs where actual strays and which dogs have owners because some of the dogs did have collars and id discs on.
I stood watching a group of dogs on the beach playing as usual in the afternoon and the next thing I noticed was one of the dogs emptying its bowels on the beach (yuck I thought to myself). I was even more amazed when a woman strolled up alongside me, saw what the dog had done, she shouted its name, put a lead on the dog then casually walked away as if it didn’t matter that her dog had just messed over a beach where people walked. I felt rather angry at what I had just witnessed, however this seemed to be the normal thing that was done at this particular location of the beach.
Despite seeing many stray dogs around Praia Da Luz they looked remarkably fit and healthy. Maybe the dogs that didn’t wear a collar were getting their food from tourists who came and went, but then again maybe they do have owners who let their dog out in the morning and open the door when their dog returns by itself. It all seemed like a rather relaxed approach to keeping dogs I must admit.
So a word of warning, if you do go to the beach and see stray dogs roaming around, just be careful where you sit!
Posted in Advice, stray dogs | No Comments »
Tuesday, September 2nd, 2008
Are you the owner of a dog? Have you had your pet microchipped yet? If not, then read on.
Every year thousands upon thousands of dogs are both lost and found. Thankfully now to microchipping the lucky dogs can be traced back to their owners. However there are still many dogs that have not yet been microchipped and these are the unlucky dogs which will then either stay in animal shelters or dogs homes for months on end or even have to be put to sleep.
Microchipping has been around for many years now and it is essential that you have your dog chipped as soon as you take them into your home if they haven’t got one already. If you are visiting a dog shelter or dogs home the majority of organisations will no doubt of already microchipped the dog before it leaves, but there are some which do not offer this service. Here in the UK the average cost to microchip a dog is around £10-£20.
A tiny microchip is painlessly inserted under the animal’s skin. Once a dog has been microchipped it has its own unique number. The owner’s details and the code are put on to the national PetLog database. If a lost or stolen animal is found the code will be revealed by passing a scanner over the microchip. Then it’s just a case of matching the code with the PetLog database. Which means the dog will be able to be returned back to it’s owner.
If you haven’t already had it done, then please do think about it. Lots of dogs love to venture out, especially when their owners are not looking! Also, there are some characters in this world who wouldn’t hesitate to steal a pedigree dog if they had a chance.
Posted in Advice, West Highland Terrier | No Comments »
