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.
Posted in Dog, West Highland Terrier, Westie | No Comments »
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.
Posted in Advice, West Highland Terrier, Westie | No Comments »
Sunday, October 19th, 2008
Here in the UK on the 5th November people gather to commemorate the capture of Guy Fawkes with bonfires and fireworks. On this particular night throughout Britain the majority of families and friends have a bonfire party, which involves lots of noise, louds bangs etc.
I remember bonfire night when I was a child, the families on our street would all attend the same firework display in one of the neighbours back gardens, there would be hot food, kids with sparklers in their hands etc, all stood watching the pretty fireworks blasting off into the night sky. One person from each family would run back to their house to make sure their dog was still safe and comfortable inside the house away from all the commotion outside. However, these days it does seem completely different. Don’t get me wrong I do enjoy watching the colorful fireworks etc but the fireworks which they sell in the shops these days are not about lovely pretty colours anymore, they are about how loud they can go off.
If the fireworks what they sell frighten the life out of us and make us literally jump out of our skin, what about the poor animals? How do you think they go on? To them it must be terrible, frightening and scary. We all know the rules about ensuring all your pets are inside the house on bonfire night, but there are ways to help them remain a little calmer whilst all the noise is going off outside. Below you will find an extract from the RSPCA’s website which gives some excellent tips on caring for your dog on this particular night of the year:
(source RSPCA)
Dogs
Exercise your dog during the day.
Never walk your dog while fireworks are being let off.
As with cats, keep your dog indoors, close the curtains and play music or turn on the television to drown out the noise.
Let your dog hide if it wants to take refuge under furniture or in a corner.
Make sure your dog is wearing a collar and tag and is microchipped in case it bolts and becomes lost.
If your dog is particularly prone to becoming very distressed, discuss sedatives with your vet.
This year, as in the previous 7 years, we shall be staying in the house with Mitzi the Westie and keeping her out of harms way. Usually a couple of days after 5th November people are still letting off their leftover fireworks so it is wise to follow the same advice which the RSPCA offer. If you love your dog / animals then stay with them on this particular night – inside the house.
Posted in Advice, Dog, Westie | No Comments »
