Your+Dog++May+2019

LETTERS

26 Your Dog May 2019

BRIEFLY...

I would just like to say

thank you for the tickets

we won for Crufts recently.

We have never been

before and what a fantastic

day we had. We met some

beautiful dogs and we did

some shopping for our own

dog. We have a Whippet so

we went on the Saturday

to watch the Hound group.

We saw agility, fl yball, and

Scruff ts, the cross-breed

competition. What an

amazing experience it was.

The only downside was

getting up at 5am, and the

four-hour round trip which

meant we did not get

home until 11pm — but it

was all worth it. I would say

to all dog lovers you must

experience Crufts as it

is fantastic!

Diane Greatrex,

West Yorkshire.

LONG LIVE

CHOCOLATE

LABRADORS

Regarding your news pages

about chocolate Labradors

living shorter lives (‘Chocolate

drops in health stakes’, January

issue), I’d question this in a big

way. I have had two chocolate

Labradors; the oldest one I have

just lost due to a stroke. She

had a great life and she was just

under 16 years old.

In her life she had two litters,

one litter of 10 puppies and

a second of nine puppies. I still

have one of the pups from

the fi rst litter, who is now

12 years old.

Fudge was the mother’s

name. Although she was nearly

16, she had very good, healthy

teeth, and her joints were

supple; it was her heart that

gave up.

For me, chocolate Labradors

are wonderful dogs and they

have as long a life as any other

dog. I will be getting another

chocolate Labrador in the

summer, hopefully one from

a rescue centre.

Liz Kellett, Anglesey.

SLOW DOWN!

As someone who enjoys

exercise (I go running with

a group of friends two to three

times a week) and also has

two dogs, there is something

that constantly upsets me. It is

seeing people running at full

speed with a leashed dog in

tow, or — even worse

— cycling with the dog

running alongside, the animal

having no option but to keep

pace. He cannot do what dogs

naturally do, which is stop, sniff ,

and scent mark. And, if he did

stop for any reason, he would

be dragged along for a few

yards due to the momentum.

Also, what about the dogs

off the lead with the owner

running a few yards in front;

how would you know when the

dog had stopped for a poo? You

wouldn’t be aware, so wouldn’t

clear it up (I’ve seen this often

near my house where people

run with their dogs along the

old railway line).

Personally, I think that

it’s a very lazy way of

exercising the dog; it

wouldn’t be so bad if

people went part

of the way at their

pace, then let the

dog set the pace,

stopping to sniff

and so on.

No doubt, if

you print this

I will get many

irate readers

stating: ‘Oh, he

enjoys it’, but, with summer just

around the corner, how many of

them will succumb to heatstroke?

Carol Casan, Devon.

TEENAGE

TANTRUMS

I really enjoyed your article ‘It’s

all in the mind’ (March 2019

issue) about managing teenage

dogs. Our German Shorthaired

Pointer, Jack, has just turned

one year old and is defi nitely at

the terrible teenager stage! As

a young puppy, he was so keen

and eager to please, and picked

up training quickly, but as he has

reached his teenage years, it is

not uncommon for him to look at

us defi antly when we ask him to

sit or get into the back of the car.

His interest in being around us

when we’re out and about has

deteriorated as he has become

more interested in exploring the

environment (usually sniffi ng

around and eating sheep poo!).

I agree that it is certainly

a frustrating time, but he

gives the best cuddles and

we love him, so we’ll let

him off the odd teenage

tantrum!

Rachel Russell, Cumbria.

Ed’s note: Keep at it

Rachel; you will get

through this phase!

Looking at your

lovely photo, you

still have a dog who

can focus on his

owner!

SCRAGGS by Richard Duszczak

At Orvis, we love our canines with

the same passion as you do, that’s

why we specialise in supplying dog

products of the highest quality,

most notable of which are our dog

beds. Our choice of colours, fi lls, and

personalisation mean your dogs’

beds will be as unique and special

as they are. We also have road-ready

products for the adventurous,

including crates, travel hammocks,

and collapsible bowls. When it comes

to dogs, trust us, we know them. Visit

Orvis.co.uk to shop, or Orvis.co.uk/

stores to fi nd your nearest store.

What do other

readers think

about people

running with

their dogs?

d if

r

him o

t R E R t L l s c o

GSP Jack is at the

terrible teens stage.

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25-26 YD Letters CS(SW)ok.indd 26 26/03/2019 11:40