Pentland Pet Services Monthly Newsletter - August
To begin with this month I would like to introduce you to one of the new kids on the block.
Please meet Mac, a 6 month old mainly Westie with a bit of Jack Russell cross who has joined Helen and Donald and become the love of their lives.
Mac is a very happy chappie with a liking for (his version of) gardening.
To begin with this month I would like to introduce you to one of the new kids on the block.
Please meet Mac, a 6 month old mainly Westie with a bit of Jack Russell cross who has joined Helen and Donald and become the love of their lives.
Mac is a very happy chappie with a liking for (his version of) gardening.
Despite the disappointing weather the dogs have had a great time and unlike their owners were undeterred by wet weather and midge attacks.
While we all moaned on about having to continually wear our wellies and engaged in the in the “midgie dance,” (i.e. waving your arms in the air while shaking your head from side to side and contorting your face like some tribal mask) the dogs delighted in meeting each other, devising chasing games with no discernible rules, trotting back to us for a treat now and again when called and then back to the chase and having fun.
My companions over August were Bailey the Retriever, Rowan the Black Lab and Leia the Great Dane.
Last year when Bailey started lodging he was little more than a puppy but is now a fully grown handsome dog, although on occasion displays the odd puppyish moment. He loves the company of other dogs and is a popular member of the little group of dogs who regularly meet up in the fields for a final walk of the day and a good dose of canine fun and frolics ensues.
Bailey has always been a bit of an excavator in the garden with a particular penchant for gnawing at tree stumps. It is difficult to keep a straight face when finding Bailey in the garden, incriminating stalks of wood and leaves draped from his mouth and a look on his face saying “it wisnae me.”
Rowan has to be the most laid back dog I know taking everything in her stride and letting nothing phase her. However on one of our walks Rowan encountered a cat striding along a fence in the fields so she decided she would show this feline that the fields were dog territory and took off barking and full of bravado. Embarrassingly for Rowan the cat turned to see what all the fuss was about and, instead of running off as Rowan had suspected, stood its ground. Rowan, realising that her plan had backfired, screeched to a halt then turned to me for guidance. Seeing her predicament I called her over and after a quick bark at the cat ran over to me looking grateful.
While we all moaned on about having to continually wear our wellies and engaged in the in the “midgie dance,” (i.e. waving your arms in the air while shaking your head from side to side and contorting your face like some tribal mask) the dogs delighted in meeting each other, devising chasing games with no discernible rules, trotting back to us for a treat now and again when called and then back to the chase and having fun.
My companions over August were Bailey the Retriever, Rowan the Black Lab and Leia the Great Dane.
Last year when Bailey started lodging he was little more than a puppy but is now a fully grown handsome dog, although on occasion displays the odd puppyish moment. He loves the company of other dogs and is a popular member of the little group of dogs who regularly meet up in the fields for a final walk of the day and a good dose of canine fun and frolics ensues.
Bailey has always been a bit of an excavator in the garden with a particular penchant for gnawing at tree stumps. It is difficult to keep a straight face when finding Bailey in the garden, incriminating stalks of wood and leaves draped from his mouth and a look on his face saying “it wisnae me.”
Rowan has to be the most laid back dog I know taking everything in her stride and letting nothing phase her. However on one of our walks Rowan encountered a cat striding along a fence in the fields so she decided she would show this feline that the fields were dog territory and took off barking and full of bravado. Embarrassingly for Rowan the cat turned to see what all the fuss was about and, instead of running off as Rowan had suspected, stood its ground. Rowan, realising that her plan had backfired, screeched to a halt then turned to me for guidance. Seeing her predicament I called her over and after a quick bark at the cat ran over to me looking grateful.
On her first introduction to the evening group of dogs, Leia made a big impression - particularly with the male contingent who were very smitten.
Although I realised that Leia was a fine looking girl I was suspicious that there was more to this attraction than met the eye when Mac the little Westie/Jack Russell tried to climb Leia’s back leg and Storm the Lurcher gave every appearance of justifying a refund following his recent veterinary procedure.
It would seem that Leia was on the brink of coming into season and the boys were thrilled with anticipation. Thankfully, being a Great Dane, Leia was high off the ground and out of harm’s way - otherwise there may well have been some interesting puppies appearing in the fields in a few months’ time.
Although I realised that Leia was a fine looking girl I was suspicious that there was more to this attraction than met the eye when Mac the little Westie/Jack Russell tried to climb Leia’s back leg and Storm the Lurcher gave every appearance of justifying a refund following his recent veterinary procedure.
It would seem that Leia was on the brink of coming into season and the boys were thrilled with anticipation. Thankfully, being a Great Dane, Leia was high off the ground and out of harm’s way - otherwise there may well have been some interesting puppies appearing in the fields in a few months’ time.
As the busy lodging season draws to an end I can turn my attention to continuing with some training and will be working with Poppy the Border Collie and Mac the Westie/Jack Russell within the next couple of weeks.
Both Mac and Poppy are still very young and full of energy, eager to explore the big wide world (aka - the field) and befriend the inhabitants (aka - other dogs). I am always grateful to have the opportunity to work with such lovely dogs and know that they will have a few new tricks up their hairy sleeves to challenge me.
As most of you will know I recently attended a meeting by Prestwick Community Council having found out there was a proposal on their Agenda to impose restrictions to dog walking areas.
The reason they are looking into this is to address the dog fouling issue but the concern from the thirty plus dog owners who turned up to voice their opinions was that the only people who would be affected by such a ban would be the many responsible dog owners. The offenders would simply move the issue to other areas.
There was agreement that policing areas in order to catch owners not cleaning up would be welcomed with a hefty fine imposed, however this was deemed unworkable by the PCC who stated that they had in the past had people undercover in areas affected with no culprits being identified.
There was general outrage from the floor on hearing this and on further questioning it was explained that this had happened at 8am one morning.
And only on one occasion.
After an hour of very heated discussion with no discernible agreement it would appear that the area being considered initially is between two points along the seafront.
The result of South Ayrshire Council’s Dog Consultation will undoubtedly mirror the views raised at this meeting but this is not due until later in September so I shall try to keep up to date with proceedings and let you know.
One view expressed at the meeting was that while all the focus is on the dog issue it is masking much more obvious and immediate concerns such as the amount of litter and sewage left unattended which is causing an increasing problem with seagulls.
I wholeheartedly agree with this and in fact this was one of my comments when submitting my views on the SAC Dog Consultation.
Another interesting point to pass on was advice from one of the councillors present who responded to the question “what, if anything, can we do if we are aware that someone is not cleaning up after their dog.” If the person is known then passing name and address on to Environmental Health or Community Police would result in that person receiving a visit which would hopefully be enough to deter a habitual culprit.
The bottom line is we all want the same thing and if we could find a middle ground in order to find a workable solution then everyone will benefit. I would love to believe this is a possibility.
And so as we head into Autumn I hope you and your dogs enjoy what remains of our lighter days and dwindling evenings.
Have a tail waggingly great month.
Anne
Both Mac and Poppy are still very young and full of energy, eager to explore the big wide world (aka - the field) and befriend the inhabitants (aka - other dogs). I am always grateful to have the opportunity to work with such lovely dogs and know that they will have a few new tricks up their hairy sleeves to challenge me.
As most of you will know I recently attended a meeting by Prestwick Community Council having found out there was a proposal on their Agenda to impose restrictions to dog walking areas.
The reason they are looking into this is to address the dog fouling issue but the concern from the thirty plus dog owners who turned up to voice their opinions was that the only people who would be affected by such a ban would be the many responsible dog owners. The offenders would simply move the issue to other areas.
There was agreement that policing areas in order to catch owners not cleaning up would be welcomed with a hefty fine imposed, however this was deemed unworkable by the PCC who stated that they had in the past had people undercover in areas affected with no culprits being identified.
There was general outrage from the floor on hearing this and on further questioning it was explained that this had happened at 8am one morning.
And only on one occasion.
After an hour of very heated discussion with no discernible agreement it would appear that the area being considered initially is between two points along the seafront.
The result of South Ayrshire Council’s Dog Consultation will undoubtedly mirror the views raised at this meeting but this is not due until later in September so I shall try to keep up to date with proceedings and let you know.
One view expressed at the meeting was that while all the focus is on the dog issue it is masking much more obvious and immediate concerns such as the amount of litter and sewage left unattended which is causing an increasing problem with seagulls.
I wholeheartedly agree with this and in fact this was one of my comments when submitting my views on the SAC Dog Consultation.
Another interesting point to pass on was advice from one of the councillors present who responded to the question “what, if anything, can we do if we are aware that someone is not cleaning up after their dog.” If the person is known then passing name and address on to Environmental Health or Community Police would result in that person receiving a visit which would hopefully be enough to deter a habitual culprit.
The bottom line is we all want the same thing and if we could find a middle ground in order to find a workable solution then everyone will benefit. I would love to believe this is a possibility.
And so as we head into Autumn I hope you and your dogs enjoy what remains of our lighter days and dwindling evenings.
Have a tail waggingly great month.
Anne
