24

It came as a shock to me today to realise that Belle, my Border Collie, and I are the only living creatures in Brussels not to have seen a single episode of 24.
Should we do something about this?

Rusty, the fat lab

Going back to my earlier post on nutrition and proper diet, I just need to mention the story of Rusty which really saddened me. Poor thing!
Two brothers in Cambridgeshire have become the first people in England to be convicted for having a dog which is too fat. They were found guilty of animal cruelty for allowing Rusty, a 10 year old chocolate Labrador, to balloon to 74kgs, double the weight he should be. He should weigh no more than 35kgs. He was so fat he looked like a seal and he could hardly stand. He could walk no more than six paces without having to sit down. He was obviously suffering a large amount of pain and discomfort due to his weight.
Since the beginning of March, Rusty is being looking after by the RSPCA and he has already lost 20 kilos. He is on a low calorie diet and on painkillers to treat arthritis.
The RSPCA was right to bring this case to court even though it had rung up a £12 000 legal bill.
How can this happen? How can people be so stupid?
I agree Labradors eat whatever they are given and they will gorge themselves on any food they find. I agree also that when dogs get older they put on weight because they take less exercise and they are less active. But to this degree?
Dogs should eat a well balanced diet. A dog should not eat scraps from the kitchen or leftovers from the table. A dog does not need to snack between meals. He does not need a bit of tea in a saucer with milk and sugar and a chocolate digestive biscuit to go with it. He does not need a sip of champagne. One person I helped with training gave her dog leftovers and scraps on a regular basis and these would include fish heads and fish bones. “It is a good source of calcium”, she would argue. The dog was emaciated and obviously undernourished. I am not surprised to read about dogs being malnourished when attitudes such as these are common?

Sheepdog commands

Training sheepdogs relies on them having a strong natural instinct to round up sheep and bring them back to where the farmer wants them.
Working sheepdogs learn four main commands and those are fairly standard amongst sheepdog handlers: “Stand”, “Walk On”, “Come Bye” and “Go Away”. The first two are self explanatory. “Come Bye” means to go left-handed around the sheep and “Go Away” means to go right-handed. Once the dog is trained to these commands most handlers replace these words with different whistles because the sound of a whistle travels better and the dog can hear them from further away, particularly when the wind is howling. The best handlers have different whistle commands for different dogs. This means that when they are using several dogs on a big flock of sheep they can command each dog independently, keeping two dogs still and just moving the third one for example. There are of course more than 4 commands. Each handler has his set of words or gestures and the most important thing in all aspects of dog handling is the relationship between the dog and his master. (ref: Cornwall Advertisers. Clare and Mike Parnell of Carruan Farm near Polzeath)

You are what you eat

What about our pets? The subject of animal nutrition is as fascinating as human nutrition. A lot has been written about it recently and pictures of obese dogs appear in the media on a regular basis. You hear of dogs going into rehab, to fat farms even.We know that if we eat well, we feel well. ( We should anyway ). We have a choice but our pets do not as they depend on us totally so we owe it to them to do the best we can to feed them correctly. We also have to accept responsibility for their health. What is a normal diet for a dog? Pet food manufacturers will tell you, your vet will tell you, the breeders will tell you but let us ask ourselves what we consider normal? A normal diet for pets gives them the correct weight, a good coat, good health and bounding energy to take us on long walks. They should be able to go about their normal doggy business in a way that suits their age, their environment and their temperament. Hence we must work towards maintaining a balanced diet which is the key to good health.What’s a balanced diet? Generally speaking, a diet is balanced if the food contains proteins, minerals, fats, carbohydrates and water. All of these are necessary to ensure exercise, growth, maintenance of good health and also reproduction. They have to be suitable for the dog’s breed, age, lifestyle and activities and have to be adapted as the seasons change. Being knowledgeable about nutrition is not the privilege of the few. You do not need a science degree but you need to gather information and seek advice and a good dose of old fashioned common sense. Obesity in humans causes heart disease, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, cancer,… What does it do to our pets?

North Cornwall

I am on the North coast of Cornwall at the moment with my family and that includes my Border Collie, Belle. I wonder if she likes it here as much as we humans do. She hates the 850 kms journey from Brussels. Yes, we have regular stops so that she can strech her paws. We have a walled garden and the neighbour's cats use the wall as a shortcut to the other neighbour's pond.
Belle is on permanent cat patrol and stares at the wall for hours. The beaches are stunning and huge and ideal for letting her run freely off the lead. She is happy as long as we stay together. She runs around us in circles so that we have to stay in a group. She runs furiously from one end of the beach to the other trying to round up the seagulls and does not understand why they are not at her height. I really do wonder if she is happy. The sea is not a Border Collie's natural habitat but I think a dog is always happy to be with his masters. I see collies in the local farms. They are filthy, their fur matted and thick from living outdoors. They are not pets; they are working dogs and get their stimulation from herding. I do think collies are not ideal pets but I love Belle. I rescued her from certain death. As a puppy she had been tied up in a farm. Her mother also tied up was electricuted and it took three days before the farmer found her. When the time came for Belle to herd the cows, the farmer discovered that she was going to be useless as a working dog. She had not been trained not by him and not by her mother. Yes, the instinct is there and is very strong but you need to work at it and exploit it. Off to the beach...

One millionth pedigree

The Société Royale Saint Hubert ( SRSH ) has issued the one millionth pedigree to a smooth fox terrier named Belfox Fragolino. His pedigree certificate’s number is: LOSH 1 000 000.
LOSH ( Livres des Origines Saint Hubert ) is the active register in which all pedigrees are registered.
SRSH’s primary objective is to promote in every way, the general improvement of dogs. The organisation was founded in 1822 and is able to offer dog owners an unparalleled source of information, experience and advice on dog welfare, health, training and breeding.

Picture: a smooth fox terrier but not Belfox Fragolino.

No more sex with animals, no more doggies in the window

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