Healy's Hounds

14/11/2025

*RESOURCE GUARDING*
what is Resource Guarding?
This is when a dog thinks it "owns" a possession. Examples can include food, a bowl, a cup, a sock, a toy, a space they occupy, (e.g. a spot on the sofa, their bed, a crate), & even us; people.
Many of us do something stupid like sticking our hand in a dog's food bowl "to show them who's boss." What this can ACTUALLY do is create more conflict with the dog, & it can lead to serious events like biting. We try to stop the growl, the curled lip etc, but this is just a dog's way of showing displeasure at your action. If we do this, the dog is much more likely to skip the growl & go straight for the bite. This can lead to fights (between dogs) or biting a human.
If you want help with RG, ALWAYS consult a professional who can show you what to do & what NOT to do.
We are NOT alphas. We are NOT the boss. So please remember that RG is a dog's natural way of communicating that they have that possession, & growling is a natural way to communicate.
(Image done via AI as I was interested to see what Vespa would look like bearing her teeth! 🤣)

🐶❤

08/11/2025

*IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT*

Healy's Hounds will be taking an emergency family time out for this next week. Current boarders will remain & anyone booked in in the next week will also be welcome. My husband will remain at home whilst I concentrate on getting better & visiting my loved ones. I will update you on my scheduled return.

05/11/2025

This is Vespa. She is the most chilled out dog I've ever met. She doesn't run up to other dogs. She casually saunters up to people to see if they have food! 😆 She's not fussed by most things. She is 100% calm & collected. She'll lay down if I'm talking to someone. She doesn't bark. She hasn't got a mean bone in her body. She is, however, going deaf. So if you see her, feel free to pet her, but make sure she can see you first. Because even the friendliest dogs can be startled, & a gut reaction is a snap or a bite. This goes for ANY dog. Please do not feed my dog. She is strictly vegetarian, & the last person who gave her a treat caused her to have chronic diarrhoea 🤢 But shower her with love & affection, she loves that ❤️
She is the best behaved dog we've ever owned. But she's getting old, bless her 🥺 She doesn't get enough credit or recognition, but she's the reason we were able to start boarding in the first place. She is great for nervous dogs, & has proven that, especially through this last week.
Vespa. My number 1 girl 🥰🥰🥰

03/11/2025

It's been so nice spending time with this one. She used to be my everyday girl. Until she kept falling ill 😞
Her symptoms ranged from chronic diarrhoea, sickness, lethargy & generally being unhappy (taking herself away from the family). We tried EVERYTHING. Some things worked for a few days, then went right back to where we started. We knew our girl had a chicken allergy, we cottoned on a few years ago. And it made me mad that nearly EVERY wet & dry food contained chicken or chicken deritives, and what we could find without it was bloody expensive! 😒 she is 11½ years old. She's had half her life going through the same thing, day in, day out. Loves her food. But within hours, right back to diarrhoea, sickness etc. I urge everyone to think about this; dogs have been around humans for thousands of years. They have been eating table scraps for longer than we've been alive. Back in the day, only the rich could afford meat, whilst the poor lived on a vegetarian diet. That was the same as their dogs. Dogs learned to survive on cabbage, carrots & broccoli.
Next time your dog falls ill (not a one off, I'm talking CONSTANTLY ill), have a think about their diet. We are being told that RAW FEEDING is better for our dogs. But why do we scoff when we say your dog may be a VEGETARIAN?!
I don't agree with raw feeding, but I'd never tell you to change. We can't accept raw food in my house, as my husband has cancer & immunocompromised. So I decided to go down the vegetarian route for Vespa. (She can eat fish, but again, food can be expensive & is very limited). She's been on a vegetarian diet now for over a month. She's happy, playful & able to come out a bit more often on walks now. (Can't manage everyday due to arthritis). She loves a little play with Ashley in the mornings, & loves running around the garden. She's even stalked Kari on the odd occasion! 🤣 Let's not judge each other anymore. Let's learn. Let's share stories & be kind to one another. Whilst Kari & Ashley can eat virtually anything, Vespa can't. But my goodness, the transformation over the last month has made my heart hurt. ❤️ I don't know why it's taken me so long to figure it out, but I'm happy she's going to live the rest of her life in peace. And I'm also forever grateful she's going deaf, because she can barely hear the fireworks anymore! 🤦‍♀️🤣🤣

28/10/2025

**Now offering ballet lessons**
🤣🤣🤣

28/10/2025

To check whether your chosen Boarder is registered & licenced. Absolutely brilliant. (I say that, cos we're on it! 🤣) Just pop in the name of the boarder, & here it is! 😁

Official Animal Licence star ratings for England

28/10/2025

I wanted to talk a little bit about Rescues. Like this lot.

All rescue dogs have a history of some sort. I deal with many rescues in my day to day life. I love watching them learn, grow & become confident members of their families. I absolutely love my job, & this is one of the best things about it.
Rescues come in all shapes & sizes, all manner of backgrounds & some are mysterious. But in the end, they are STILL DOGS.
We feel sorry for them. We want to love them too hard, too fast. We want them to trust us from Day 1. We want them to look at us & instantly say "thank you so much for rescuing me! You are my favourite human!!"
But in reality, this is what they're ACTUALLY saying:
"I'm scared of you."
"Please don't look at me, I don't know what you want from me."
"Your loud voice terrifies me."
"What are you doing with that hand?!" (As you go to stroke them/pet them).
"Don't come any closer!" (Whilst growling/barking/snarling)
"This is mine! Don't touch it!"
"Please go away & leave me alone!"

What we need to do for the best is LEAVE THEM ALONE. Don't put your hand out to them. They have a much better sense of smell than we do. They can smell you a mile off. This could potentially get you bitten, then we shout at the dog when its not their fault. Each dog has a different story, but the result is still the same. We need to learn to be patient, understanding & vigilant.
Only then will we break the walls down. But until then....

🐶❤

24/10/2025

Yesterday, whilst on my way home from training, I was driving through a High Street that has cars parked on the opposite side of the road. This makes the road a one car lane, pretty much like all the roads where we live.
Anyway, my side was clear, & at the point of passing the first parked car, an ambulance was coming towards me. No lights, no siren; just a regular motorist.
I keep going, I'm doing 25mph, as it has serious 'S' bends on it, but so does the ambulance. He cuts onto my side of the road and heads towards me. This makes me mount the pavement, which shocked me as I wasn't expecting to have to do this. He then rolls down his window (we're side by side now! 🤦‍♀️) & says quite bluntly;
"Do you not know the Highway Code?? We get priority over other users!"
I respond with "Is there a patient in the back?" "No" he says. So I say "without a patient or blues & twos, you are a regular motorist, just like me. My side of the road was clear, & had already passed the first parked car when you headed towards me. You ONLY get priority if your lights/sirens are on. I ask that you respectfully read the Highway Code, & stop abusing your position by thinking you're above everyone. This is what's wrong with society today. Too many 'privileged' & 'entitled' people thinking they are above everyone else. Have a good day."
I drove off. Carefully, because I'm on the pavement due to the entitled moron who thought he was above the law 😒

I will ALWAYS move over for emergency services, but yesterday, he was a regular motorist.

Stop abusing your position to get your own way. I happen to know the Highway Code & follow it. Shame today's youth seem to have missed it.... 😕 (the chap in question was at least 20 years my junior.....)

(Pic of Ashley not enjoying the fact we got rained on! 🤣)