23/06/2025
Winter Solstice ❄
We are here at the darkest day of the year. Now we welcome the return of the light!
What is Winter Solstice? The solstice is caused by the tilt of the Earth’s axis in relation to the sun. During the winter solstice, the tilt is such that the sun follows its lowest and shortest path through the sky, resulting in the least amount of daylight and the longest night of the year.
Winter Solstice in the Southern Hemisphere this year fell on the 21st June. BUT It's only up from here, as the daylight increases by a few minutes each day now, until we hit peak light at Christmas.
This time of year is dark and cold, and most of us feel more tired which is totally normal. This applies to our animals as well - you may notice them sleeping more. It's important that we allow ourselves and our animals this time to retreat, rest, restore, and regenerate. That is the purpose of winter. They may be a little more hungry as well with the cold weather.
Aim to have them get some sun each day if possible, and include a walk in it for dogs and a play for cats. It's important to move the energy through the body, to get fresh air, sunshine and Vitamin D.
It's a difficult time of year to exercise our dogs outside of work hours unless you work from home and can take a break during the sunny hours. Less exercise can result in weight gain. Their feed ration may need to be reduced if there is insufficient exercise. Make food gathering more interesting to reduce boredom and make the food last longer to increase satisfaction: don't just feed out of a bowl (enrichment feeding).
This is the perfect time to increase enrichment, games, and training as these can be done inside and at any time of the day. Click the link below for a few ideas for enrichment inside during winter:
Nosework games for dogs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTYZ_cenuWw
Cat enrichment ideas: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL527_if6j9X4dWxs80LsKziYuYjsXOpbA
