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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Dog poo on the streets of Brussels

This week’s issue of the Bulletin, newsweekly of Europe’s capital, caught my attention and especially a one line sentence in an article entitled “The blog goes bio”.
This article relates how Le Soir, one of Belgium’s daily papers has launched an eco-blog on its website. It brings together articles on everything from noise pollution around Brussels airport, fines for rubbish dumping, food issues on over-fishing and on poor treatment of piglets on some Belgian farms. Dudley Curtis, the author says: “Bizarrely I couldn’t find anything on what is for many expats the biggest environmental issue of all: dog mess on the streets of Brussels.” He goes on to suggest: “Perhaps that needs a blog of its own. Any volunteers?”

Well, here I am. I do get irate about this. A few years ago, I was a victim of dog mess on my pavement. Passing my garage three times a day, a young couple walked two Bernese Mountain Dogs. Apparently the dogs liked the pavement outside my garage, every morning I was greeted with a heap of poo, which I cleaned up so that passers-by would not tread in it. This went on for weeks. One day I could stomach (sic) it no longer and went to the local police station and asked to see “l’agent de quartier” (the officer assigned to my area). He was a very attractive man in his middle fifties wearing jeans, a white T-shirt, a leather jacket, Ray Bans, was chewing gum and had whitened teeth. How could he help, he asked with his Hollywood smile. We started talking about the neighbourhood. The traffic, the parking offences, petty crime and …dogs. He travelled everywhere by bus, he told me. I welcomed the information especially since I had not asked for it. “Could I just come back to the subject of dogs?” I suggested. He said he liked dogs but had never been a member of the “brigade canine’ (dog brigade). He was not “into that sort of police work”. I did not go into this. Why did I want to see him, he enquired. So I told him that my patience was running out, that I never saw the dogs and their owners and that I could never catch them in flagrante delicto and could he do something about it. “Leave it with me.” were his parting words as he shook my hand. I thought I had been politely sent packing and the issue brushed under the carpet. I could not have been more mistaken. A few days later, I received a telephone call from the police station to say that the matter had been dealt with and that I should suffer no further inconvenience. I never saw the dogs again nor the couple for that matter. As far as I was concerned the problem had been solved. Three cheers for the efficiency of my local police station and the LAPD look alike policeman.
NB: my blog can be used to discuss dog mess on the streets of Brussels.

Dog owners live longer

A recent study shows that dogs are good for your health. They offer companionship and the benefits of owning a dog produce more positive influence than cat ownership.
Dog owners tend to have lower blood pressure and cholesterol. They also suffer fewer minor ailments and serious medical problems. Plus regular “walkies” are good for you. The study also suggests that dogs could aid recovery from serious illness such as heart attacks and act as “early warning” to detect epileptic seizure.
Dr Wells from Queen’s University in Belfast goes on to say that dogs can promote our well being by buffering us from stress, one of the major risk factors associated with ill-health. Owning a dog can lead to increases in physical activities and facilitate the development of social contacts, which enhance both physical and psychological human health.
As a conclusion she says:
“In some cases, the social support offered by an animal is greater than the support another human could offer.”

Lord Byron's dog

Lord Byron (1788-1824) honoured his beloved Newfoundland with the following inscription on a monument in Newstead Abbey:
'Near this spot
Are deposited the Remains of one
Who possessed Beauty without Vanity,
Strength without Insolence,
Courage without Ferocity,
And all the Virtues of Man without his Vices.
This Praise, which would be unmeaning Flattery
If inscribed over human ashes,
Is but a just tribute to the memory of
Boatswain, a Dog
Who was born at Newfoundland, May 1803
And died at Newstead, Nov.18th 1808."