Doggy walks with Deb

06/02/2025

Taking a pic of the witches butter & the wee pocket rocket comes along for a sniff 😂
Trampled all over it too 😂😂

05/02/2025

When you've been spotted walking other doggos 😂😂

26/01/2025

My only group of 4, was a wee mellow group til Hugo arrived 😂😂😂

14/01/2025

What a fantastic start to January, the weather has been very kind!

06/01/2025

Not everyone enjoyed the return of their walks 😂 Darla & Lucky are my very reluctant walkers. Biffy, Spyro & Tia loved it as always. Enjoyed my 2 weeks off but did miss the doggos ❤️🐾❤️

31/12/2024

Wishing all my friends, family & customers the best for 2025, may all your dreams come true! See you next year!

20/12/2024

Last walkies of the year done & dusted! Will see all my fabulous customers week commencing 6th January! I hope Santa paws is good to you all ❤️🐾❤️

10/12/2024

Lovely crisp day for walkies. ❤️🐾❤️

06/12/2024

So bad at posting pics, I do take them then have to delete them because I have no space on my phone. I need to stop taking videos of my doggo 😂😂

15/11/2024

Not many pics from this week. It's been a lovely dry couple of weeks for the doggos!

10/11/2024

WHEN SECONDS COUNT

This post is not advocating that dogs meet every other dog, but about how to go about it, if and when it does happen, in a safer way.

The 3 second rule for dogs meeting each other is used as a guideline to help foster positive introductions, prevent either dog from feeling overwhelmed or trapped and prevent any potential reactivity and stress.

A short 3 second introduction is enough time to provide important information to both dogs.

Enough information for dogs to know – “are you a threat?”, “do I like you?”, “do I want to learn more about you?”, “do I really dislike you?”, “do I need you to go away?” etc. Both dogs may not feel the same way – one may not be happy to engage while the other may want to.

All interactions should ideally happen like this, not just initially. Just like us, dogs can have off days – things like pain, trigger stacking, lack of sleep or a host of other reasons can influence whether a dog wants to interact or not.

There are countless times I have witnessed meetings or introductions between dogs that have gone on just a few seconds too long and have not ended well. This can have long lasting effects on future behaviour when meeting other dogs.

Understanding body language is critically important. If we are going to share our lives with another species, protect them, advocate for them and help them feel safe, then we need to understand and respect their language.

The examples in this post of red and green flags are just a few general ones to look out for – there are many more and these will differ depending on the individual dog, context and circumstances.

Here are some resources and links to learn more about body language -
On Talking Terms With Dogs - Calming Signals, 2nd Edition by Turid Rugaas
https://www.dogwise.com/on-talking-terms-with-dogs-calming-signals-2nd-edition/?srsltid=AfmBOoqj8ruQJx5bCP7qWb03TqCyAGfmAvCj988UuWk_L1_UHbYcZsES

The Veterinary Behaviour Centre
https://www.heska.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/TVBC-Canine-Dog-Body-Language-handout.pdf

Make sure those first 3 seconds count – they can make all the difference.

07/11/2024

Think I remembered everybody this week! It's been a fantastic mild November so far!

07/11/2024

❤️🐾❤️

We are delighted to announce that the SSPCA veterinary service are once again kindly offering a FREE consultation on Friday 8th November 2024. The uptake of this service has been great and lots of pets have been assisted.
⏰ The session will operate between 1.30-3.30pm at the Ardrossan Church of the Nazarene.
The team consists of a Vet and a Vet nurse they can assist with dog, cats and small animals. 🐶 🐈 🐰…….The session can accommodate seeing 16 of our animal companions.
📲 Please text 07411113126 to request a spot. We will confirm if a session has been allocated to you and your pet. Please include a name and wee description as to any condition you are asking the vet to check. For instance, if it is a general health check simply say Health check. It helps the vet to have an idea as to what to expect on the day and be prepared.

Please see the following disclaimer issued by the SSPCA
Please note this a charity service that remains free of charge and without means testing, to ensure it remains this way, we have to be clear this service is for family pets and as such cannot be extended to animals used for commercial purposes such as breeding, showing or racing. There will be a limit of two pets per household for only visit only. You cannot return with additional pets at a later date. The service offers short term help and return visits will be at the discretion of the veterinary team.

26/10/2024

Happy 1st birthday to darling Darla. It's been a tough couple of weeks but she's a wee fighter! ❤️🐾❤️

24/10/2024

It never even got out the car park 😂