A first date?
A blind date?
A first blind date?
Enjoy this heartwarming and honest video about how a guide dog can benefit us. Please support and please share!
Festive dog adverts deliver welfare blow
Today two huge online advertising media gaffes caused a lot of upset for many, and a lot more work for others in the dog world.
It can be hard to get the message right on social media, which tends to blurt out advertising in snippets, but in the excitement of retailers selling us Christmas goodies, the dogs in our care take another damaging hit.
Firstly, House of Fraser published a picture on their Facebook and twitter account of a Pug puppy with a Christmas bow around his neck. The caption read “What’s on YOUR Christmas list this year?”. If the implication to buy a dog for Christmas had perhaps been mistaken, that would have been reasonable. However, House of Fraser then sent a tweet (twitter message) to someone suggesting that two Pugs might be even better.
House of Fraser’s tweet (screenshot from tweet by @SpottedHoundUK)
Beverley Cuddy, editor of Dogs Today and Dogs Monthly, magazines I both write for, ran these stories. When you work with dogs, you find many of them were bought on impulse, just like many instantly attractive gifts on offer. The difference is that dog must never be on a Returns policy. A dog is not like a pair of ugly socks or a comedy Christmas tie. They are not like the latest Disney Frozen merchandise. They could be a 15 year investment.
I have worked in this job for the last 20 years and it becomes tiring to hear the same tales (tails) from humans who didn’t think it through. Eventually the compassion starts to burn away. I think working in a rescue shelter is one of the toughest jobs out there, caring so much when dogs arrive when there is just no more room. It would be great if advertising could present welfare-friendly messages about dogs; even just selling an extra pair of wellington boots and a nice harness and lead to encourage owners to take the dog out more.
The day continued with another ‘Fail’ (as my kids call it) where Asda posted an image of another Pug (obviously the breed of choice at the moment, themselves suffering at times from serious health problems and in need of proper health checks if you plan to buy one). This time, hapless Asda posted about looking forward to tasting your first mince pie, with said Pug at the Christmas dinner table. The picture was adorable, but the message was deadly. Raisins and grapes can be toxic to dogs, even in very small quantities.
Asda’s unfortunate image
I suppose we could say that these excitable tweets were all in good spirit and did not intend harm. And yet, dogs are used widely in marketing, from two leading retailers in this case. Used without sufficient checks for their welfare in messages that reach, for House of Fraser, 276 000 followers; in Asda’s case, 357 000 followers.
Imagine if those same retailers could now send a better message, about rehoming a dog or feeding him safely. Now that would be a great, and welcome, start to Christmas.
Karen Wild, Dip App Psych, CCAB
What DOES your dog want? Win a copy of Karen’s book!
7 key tips to becoming the perfect dog owner – all in an easy to read photo and text format!
Welcome to those of you visiting from the Canine Insight interview this week. Now is your chance to win a signed copy of my book ‘What your dog wants’ – see below.
The book is written to help family dog owners that I work with every day, struggling with all the debate and confusion surrounding how to get the best from your family dog. From choosing a nice pup, maintaining his health and keeping him trained, sensible, calm and happy, I wanted to share this to owners and families in a visual, easy to dip in and out of format.
There are so many training books and behavioural advice sections but these can become very indepth and hard to really get a feel for the clearest route to success. My goal with ‘What Your Dog Wants’ is to give a clear, time-is-critical overview to any dog owner without needing them to plough through reams of text.
Behavioural health is one of the most underestimated features of any pet dog’s life. We make sure they have regular Vet checks for fleas and other illness, but there is a missing section. What if our dog is worried or stressed? How can we help him to stay calm and happy? Training is not the complete answer, so what can we do to help our family dog deal with the manic activity levels of the everyday.
My hope is that this book is a support to new and existing owners and keeps the dog in their homes forever. Sections on Comprehension, communication, motivation, stimulation, awareness and responsibility all provide a clear visual overview of what to expect. I also rated these on difficulty with the little ‘bone’ scale at the start of each chapter! My aim was not to provide weighty references or long-winded descriptions, since a photo can speak more clearly to any owner who wants to learn more about body language signals in their dog.
Nearly all of the photos are original artwork taken specifically to illustrate the behaviour you should learn to spot. They were carefully chosen after each photoshoot and represent a number of breeds. I hope that professional trainers can use the book as a supplement to teaching owners what to look out for and to give them general behaviour care that all dogs need!
The book’s oficial launch was held last October at PATS Harrogate on the Collarways stand G7. Do let me know if you are interested in stocking the book at your training club, behaviour or Veterinary practice, too.
WIN! To enter our Canine Insight competition to win a signed copy, which will be drawn on 10th June 2013, please leave a comment below telling me in ten words (no more, no less) what it is YOUR dog wants.
If you cannot wait, and would like to order your copy, please follow this link: Order a signed copy of ‘What Your Dog Wants’ NOW!
Thanks for sharing this special event with me!
Karen
‘PAD’ Dogs now training in UK
Dogs are amazing companions and we know that from time to time, our dog makes us feel so much better. Even Simon Cowell says so (see link at the foot of this post, where Simon talks about his dogs and his support for the WSPA)
Psychological Assistance Dogs UK (PADsUK) is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to bringing the benefits of Psychological Assistance Dogs (sometimes called Psychiatric Service Dogs or PSDs in other countries) to users in the UK.
The role that dogs play in improving the health and well-being of their human companions is well documented. Dogs have been used for years in therapeutic settings to aid the recovery of individuals with mental health issues. However, the United Kingdom has not thus far had support for these individuals to benefit from the use of an assistance dog. We are a group of interested individuals from the area of assistance dog training, mental health, and law intent on establishing a charity for the training and placement of Psychological Assistance Dogs (PADs).
PADs have been successfully used in other countries for many years now. It is evident through the work of similar organisations elsewhere that PADsUK could bring a new and positive element to Assistance Dog provision in the UK, whilst integrating beneficially with the current Assistance Dog community. PADsUK eagerly anticipate becoming positive contributors with a constructive role in the Assistance Dog community, and look forward to working with those with further expertise in this area.
If you are interested in being provided with this type of Assistance Dog then please contact us, but please be aware that we are not actively placing dogs at this moment as we are concentrating our efforts on developing a sound and thorough platform on which to do this. We are also seeking experienced professionals to join our team from the areas of mental health, charity organisation and fundraising. Please contact us for more information here on: http://www.padogsuk.org/ or follow us on Twitter
It’s the Dogs Dinner!
The first ever national doggy dinner party is just a few weeks away!
Would you like to have a special dinner party for your dogs, and help Hounds for Heroes at the same time? Why not be part of this nationwide initiative to raise funds for Hounds for Heroes spearheaded by a man on a mission.
The first ever Dogs Dinner – a nationwide initiative to raise funds for Hounds for Heroes – is fast approaching.
Everyone is encouraged to host a dinner party over the weekend of 14 and 15 September. The meal can be as adventurous or as low key as the host decides, ranging from “a Restaurant in my House”, a quiet dinner party for friends, or simply beer and pizza in front of the telly or games console, or even a Bark-B-Que!
The guests are asked to donate what they feel the meal was worth to the charity.
It’s the first co-ordinated nationwide event of its kind, and it is the brain child of Robin Hollington. 100% of the all the money raised will be given to charity. Robin is a man on a mission to raise millions for charity. He admits it has been his coping strategy after the tragic death of his son.
Robin Hollington said, “Hounds for Heroes is truly amazing – it will provide specially-trained assistance dogs for injured or disabled men and women of both the UK Armed Forces and Civilian Emergency Services. My wife and I were honoured when one of the charity’s first batch of puppy cadets was named Yomper Richie, in memory of our son Richard – the 300th UK serviceman to die on operations in Afghanistan.
“It costs £20,000 to train and maintain each dog throughout their working life – but for the people the dogs will help, these dogs are priceless.
A website, packed full of party ideas, recipes and menus has also been launched. Supporting materials include a poster, invites and place cards that can be downloaded.
For more information about The Dogs Dinner and to register visit http://www.dogstodaymagazine.co.uk/thedogsdinner or https://www.facebook.com/TheDogsDinnerUK
To find our more about Hounds for Heroes, and the work it does, visit www.houndsforheroes.com
I’m a full-time U.K. dog trainer and behaviour consultant based in Peterborough with 17 years in the field. My work ranges from class teaching, obedience, flyball, agility and working trials, competition, to running a popular dog display team.
