Checkers Dog Walking - Christchurch

21/08/2024

Wednesday afternoon walk, first time in a while it’s been warm enough for me to actively seek shade.

21/08/2024

Wednesday morning walk. Sun’s out, tongues out!

20/08/2024

The Tuesday afternoon group enjoyed a fresh breeze and some gorgeous views of the snow-capped Alps from Vic Park today. Harvey disgraced himself in a mud puddle and needed a good hose-down when he got home.

20/08/2024

A very peaceful Tuesday morning forest walk with this handful of dogs. We practiced our sit/stay drills a couple of times when we saw a cyclist and another dog walker, and were told that we were a very well-behaved bunch (although maybe they meant just the dogs?)

19/08/2024

It’s amazing what a difference 24 hours of rain makes to a braided riverbed. We were lucky to have easy access to some shallow braids well away from the main current for the dogs to have a good splash around in. With the three Springers (Milo, Pou, and Bruce) leading the charge, even land-lubbing Coco and tiny Louis did some wading/doggy paddling before we hit the bush track for some drier adventuring.

19/08/2024

Hi everyone, just a reminder that Checkers has signed up for the 🎀 Pink Ribbon Walk 🎀 in October to help raise funds for the 9 women diagnosed with breast cancer every day in New Zealand.

Betty (modelling her pink bandana below) asked me to tell you that she has 29 just like it to give to the first 29 Checkers clients or local (Christchurch) supporters who either sign up to do the Pink Ribbon Walk too, or donate to the appeal via the link below:

https://fundraise.bcf.org.nz/s/9415/9637/s

Just let me know if/when you do either of the above and I’ll get your pink dog bandana to you 😀

16/08/2024

This walk put a lovely full stop on a busy working week. Thank you Milo, Coco, Ted, Harvey, Little Nellie, and Louis for being such wonderful companions. Have a great weekend everyone! ❤️

15/08/2024

More recall work this afternoon with more pleasing results. It wasn’t all work and no play though, the dogs still got to do some of their favourite things; swim/wade, run, dig, and snore in the wagon on the way home.

15/08/2024

Morning walk in the red zone. I’m doing a bit of a stock take of how well our groups meet the definition of ‘under effective control’, so we did quite a lot of recall work today. I was pretty chuffed with the results, and I’ve got some ideas on how I can work with Checkers clients to improve this even more. Watch this space 😀

15/08/2024

Did you know there are several collective nouns for a group of otters: bevy, family, lodge, romp (being descriptive of their often playful nature), or, when in water, raft?

I decided today there should be some more collective nouns for dogs, and first off I would like to propose a ‘puddle’ of dogs. What other collective nouns do you think we should have for dogs?

14/08/2024

Afternoon walk at Southshore.

14/08/2024

Morning walk at BLF with this gorgeous bunch of goofballs.

13/08/2024

Sometimes it feels like the pictures I post get a bit repetitive; same dogs getting up to the same shenanigans in the same locations. It’s hard to capture the stuff that makes each walk unique, but I can guarantee that no two walks are the same.
Today for example, I needed to take a ‘nature break’ (a nice name for peeing behind a bush) and found myself surrounded by Harvey, Ted, Hunter, Milo, and Kye. I’m not sure if their circling of wagons was to preserve my modesty or keep me safe while o was vulnerable, but I was thankful for their efforts regardless.

13/08/2024

A busy day fighting the good fight on behalf of group dog walkers in Chch 😀 I was able to fit a couple of interviews with the media around our walks today. Here’s a link to a press article, and another to an interview with Lisa Owen on RNZ Checkpoint this afternoon.

Checkers clients, please feel free to contact me directly if you have any questions regarding anything I’ve said in either of these pieces.

https://www.thepress.co.nz/nz-news/350372402/professional-dog-walkers-nervous-council-considers-imposing-limits

https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/checkpoint/audio/2018950969/christchurch-council-to-review-dog-walking-bylaws

Professional dog walkers are nervous about city council moves to limit the number of dogs a person can be in charge of in public.

12/08/2024

Today I decided to run a wee experiment with my morning group of four (Skye, Ziggy, Bruce, and Pou) and keep the gang on leash for the duration of their walk. It went as expected; once the dogs realised they weren’t going to be let off leash after the first few minutes (as per usual) they settled down and mostly walked at heel(ish) with a loose(ish) leash.

The thing is though, doing this broke my heart a little. These dogs LOVE being off leash, exploring and engaging with the environment and each other on their own terms. And I LOVE enabling this, while keeping them safe and preventing them from being a nuisance to others.

The outcome of my experiment today was that I know I can comfortably walk at least 4 dogs on lead. With training and practice (for both me and the dogs) I’m sure I could safely walk twice this number on lead. BUT I also know I don’t want to walk dogs on lead for as long as I can find a safe, financially viable, legal alternative to this.

PS, I didn’t get any pictures of today’s walk because … well … I had my hands full 😀

PPS, if Ziggy, Pou, Skye, or Bruce feel ripped off for their walk today, I’m happy to consider a free do-over if their humans ask for it.

10/08/2024

09/08/2024

Wow, it was so beautiful in the forest this morning. It felt like nature had really rolled out the green carpet for us today.

09/08/2024

Look at what I stumbled across in the wild today! I thought Frankendog was a myth, but here he is:

09/08/2024

I’ve got some sad/exciting news. The sad news is that Brenna will no longer be walking dogs for Checkers. The exciting news is that Brenna will no longer be walking dogs for Checkers because she’s in the process of launching her own business as a dog trainer. She’s currently putting the final touches on a qualification in dog psychology which, when coupled with her experience, will put her in a great position to offer a knowledgeable, professional, and caring service to owners of reactive dogs.

I’ll keep you posted on Brenna’s progress, but in the meantime I know you’ll be with me in wishing Brenna all the best and thanking her for the loving care she has given our Checkers dogs over the last two-and-a-bit years.

Nga mihi nui, & haere rā Brenna ❤️

08/08/2024

Prepare your popcorn and pull up your couches, Netflix’s new doco “Inside the mind of a dog” is released tonight, just in time for another rainy weekend 😀

Netflix‘s latest documentary, Inside the Mind of a Dog, explores what makes our furry friends tick, revealing how dogs connect and communicate with their owners while attempting to tackle the all-important question of whether they truly love their humans. 🐾

As the title suggests, Inside the Mind of a Dog comes from director Andy Mitchell following his earlier venture into the world of cats with 2022’s Inside the Mind of a Cat. This time, we are let into the minds of humans’ best friends and the various scientific and emotional insights about their relationships with their owners.

According to Dr Vanessa Woods, the director of the Puppy Kindergarten at Duke University, both humans and dogs rely on eye contact as a means of communication while also sharing what’s called the “love hormone.” When dog owners question what it means when their dogs stare lovingly at them, it often means that they’re experiencing a feeling of excitement and appreciation, or in scientific terms, a rush of oxytocin.

“There is a lot of what we call convergence between dogs and humans,” Woods explained to Salon. “Basically they’ve hijacked this oxytocin loop. When your dog stares at you and you stare back at your dog, it increases your oxytocin and it increases their oxytocin. They’ve taken over this neurological loop that we developed between our children and ourselves. And for another species to do that is quite extraordinary.”

The documentary, which is narrated by Rob Lowe, whose pets are also featured, explores the various ways owners can better understand their pets, including knowing which barks indicate a higher level of stress than others. For instance, if a dog is barking at a high pitch repeatedly, it is in a high state of distress. If the barks appeal higher in pitch but with pauses in between, the dog still has some cognitive ability.

The documentary also shows that dogs communicate with their tails to let owners know if they are agitated, anxious, curious, or excited. Despite dogs only having 16 facial expressions, as opposed to humans’ 27, they rely on their eyes, barks, and tails to communicate the emotions and messages that their faces can’t.

According to Dr Brian Hare, a professor of evolutionary anthropology at Duke University, the documentary teaches viewers that, although dogs are commonly mistaken for simple pets without complex minds, the opposite is true.

“We now have overwhelming evidence that dogs have multiple intelligences — these different types of cognition already emerge in puppies but first appear at different times,” Hare explained. Adding: “Some cognitive skills appear early, like the ability to read human gestures, and other cognitive skills, like self-control, come online a bit later. Understanding how the puppy mind develops helps us manage our expectations of what puppies can do or learn while they are growing up.”

Inside the Mind of a Dog is currently streaming on Netflix.

08/08/2024

Thursday afternoon group (plus Gus) at Coutts Island. It started raining at lunchtime and kept raining lightly for the rest of the afternoon (you know that annoying kind of rain where you use every speed setting on your intermittent wipers and none of them is quite right?).

Once again went for the ‘double dip’ method of ensuring the dogs were clean-ish at the end of the walk.

08/08/2024

Gus joined our Thursday morning group today, boosting our numbers to 7 dogs (and one human). These guys are all familiar with each other and easy to wrangle so it was a lovely walk. I am so thrilled to see Ivy slowly letting her walk
mates (especially Sidney) into her ‘circle of trust’ & personal space, enabling her to relax and even play a little. Gus, Ada, and Boris were very fun to watch.

07/08/2024

Keeping with the summery vibes for the day, our afternoon group explored the best water holes along the Waimak, bravely wading with me through the shallow braids and along the river bank. I was wearing insulated gumboots so can’t tell you how cold the water was, but I surveyed the dogs who said;

Ed: Tropical! I could stand here all day waiting for you to throw a stick.

Stella: What water? Did someone say stick?!!!

Kim: What water? Did someone say Stella?!!!

Milo: It’s pppppretty cccccold.

Daisy: Best avoided, but I’d follow you anywhere.

Wilson: Best avoided, but I’d …. Oh wait, I have to p**p again …

Little Bear: It’s awesome!! Everything’s awesome!!! Look at me run!!!!!!

07/08/2024

I love these winter days that start off with a frost but feel like summer by lunchtime. Our Wednesday morning gang had some ice-skating in the forest and then got to ‘hang 16’ (if that is the doggy version of hanging 10) with some surfing on the beach.

06/08/2024

06/08/2024

If you can’t join me for the Pink Ribbon walk on Sunday 20th October, please feel free to support the Breast Cancer Foundation NZ with a donation via the link below 🎀

I'm fundraising for Breast Cancer Foundation NZ, to help fund breast cancer education, research and patient support. Please donate to help the 3,500 Kiwis diagnosed with breast cancer each year in NZ.

06/08/2024

Checkers will be supporting Breast Cancer Foundation NZ at the Pink Ribbon Walk on Sunday 20th October. Betty and I have signed up for the 5km walk and would love some company! If you and your dog would like to join us, sign up via the link below and let me know you’re coming so I can set aside an awesome pink bandana for your pooch. I’ve got 30 available in various sizes, so be in quick 😀

Support women with breast cancer

06/08/2024

We started and finished our walk at The Groynes with a swim this afternoon. This was the best way to ensure this bunch of mud-loving monsters were just wet, not wet and filthy when they finish their walk. Maggie the Lab temporarily joined the gang for their aquatic activity session. When it comes to dogs and water, it’s usually ‘the more the merrier’ 😀

06/08/2024

There was much excitement this morning when we found a nice icy patch in the shade and the dogs mistook the thick ice for popsicles. I had to retrieve a large chunk from Murphy before he gave himself an icecream headache. Ada was looking super sleek after a recent groom, Chloe initiated the Barney-Chloe kiss fest this morning, and Wilson again tried (and failed) to keep up with Pou.

05/08/2024

Monday afternoon walk around to Magazine Bay.