fostbcmag

  I usually like to post positive articles but the fact that the rescue situation is getting worse everyday is something that cannot be ignored   Rescue Back in the Day   I can remember many years ago – and I do mean many – that ‘rescue kennels’ were not the norm.   The RSPCA is almost 200 years old and was the one most people knew about, chasing them in age is Battersea and the NCDL (now the Dog’s Trust), both well-established but not familiar names to most people ‘back in the day’.   The age of the smaller rescue kennels began to materialise some fifty years ago, they were mainly breed specific and few in numbers. The dogs that needed rescue spaces were also very different then. They were dogs that genuinely needed rescuing, stray dogs, abused dogs, neglected dogs, all in need of tender loving care and a good permanent home. The small percentage that came from pet, or companion (as I prefer to call them), homes were usually due to family bereavemen...

  A Day Away A day away on the coast, something I so looked forward to but of course I totally forgot that it was the summer holidays, and that parents and grandparents were seeking their way to sun sand and how to wear the kids out time. The usually quiet beach that normally played host to regular dog walkers who, in my limited experience of visiting there, were usually always sensible and with well-mannered dogs. But clearly, they knew when to keep away. Many years ago, and I am talking about many years, we lived near Hornsea and throughout the winter months and into Spring the beach, the cafes and the bars were welcoming and always had space. But come the summer months my kids couldn’t get near the beach, the queue for ice-cream was huge, and as for a bite to eat, well even if that were possible it was never the same quality as our winter treats. I get it, everyone has to make a living and when its seasonal then it’s all hands-on deck. But believe it or not it’s not the kids...

  Flexi leads harmful or harmless? I have to be honest and tell you that I’ve never liked them. I find them cumbersome to use, unable to slot them on my arm when trying to get money, poo bags etc from my pockets and, to be even more honest, I find it much easier to hold an ordinary lead at the length it is meant to be than to fiddle with a button on a plastic case. I found out recently that there are some areas in the UK where retractable leads are banned by local councils from the beach, the town areas and parks. There are also petitions gathering momentum to present to the government for a national ban. Everyone will have their own thoughts on this and those who use them and have never found them to be a problem will probably be horrified they may be banned. However, more and more trainers are against them, as are a lot of rescues. So why are they a problem? They have caused accidents - leg, arm and even throat burns to people who have become entangled in them, usually wh...

  Ripples on the Lake Training a dog can be much easier if we remember to keep the dog near to us until it thoroughly understands what we are trying to teach. A very wise saying is ‘never ask a dog to do ten yards away that it isn’t perfect at five yards away’. If a dog doesn’t have a good recall there is little point in letting it run off a long line. The recall given as the dog is a distance away is distorted and applied as the dog is running away! Far better to get the dog to run back on the long line and then give the recall, which will have a direct line to the ears of a forward running dog so the sound won’t be distorted, and the dog will associate the recall with coming back and not with going away. When a pebble is thrown into still water it creates ripples which will spread, and the further they are from the centre the wider apart they become. If the water is a large area the ripples will not reach the edge as they would in a smaller area. In fact the smaller the are...

Give a Dog a Bad Name Our breed is described in many different ways. Border Collies, Sheepdogs, herding dogs, working dogs, faithful, loyal, intelligent. These I can relate to. But what about the less favourable ones, nippy, chasers, biters, nervous, hyper, neurotic, and the one which really infuriates me – not good with children. Other people’s re-action to the breed has often prompted me to put pen to paper, but what has really caused me to feel that Border Collies are being misrepresented is an article I read some time ago, and one on the Internet, which were aimed specifically at Border Collies and children. I have no doubt that the intentions were well meant but I see nothing beneficial in making people believe that a particular breed of dog is of dubious character. I see in black and white information such as ‘Border Collies are not good with children they are meant to chase sheep and nip them, it’s what they are bred to do and if you let them in the garden with your childr...