Dog health and welfare
Responsible Dog
Ownership
As the Kennel Club rightly points
out, owning a dog brings a great deal of enjoyment but also
carries with it a series of responsibilities.
If owners are not aware of these
responsibilities then communities can grow to dislike the
dogs in their areas and anti-dog attitudes can develop.
Cleaning
up after your dog
- Owners will be prosecuted if they allow
their dog to foul and do not clear it up in designated
areas (Dog Fouling of the Land Act 1996).
- Cleaning up after your dog is one of
the key areas of responsibilities for dog owners, especially
when in public spaces. You can face considerable fines
if you don't.
- Carry poop scoop bags with you at all
times. Simply keep a plastic bag in your pocket when out
walking.
Identification
- Under
the Control of Dogs Order 1992 you must ensure your dog
wears a collar and tag stating your name and address
- Microchipping your pet and registering
it will give you the peace of mind should your dog stray
away from home.
Training
- Schemes such as the Kennel Club's Good
Citizen Dog Scheme are a great way to start training for
dogs of any age. Concentrating primarily on the everyday
situations facing owners such as walking to heel, barking,
vehicle travel and feeding, the programme helps owners
to develop an understanding of the needs of the dog and
how to maintain authority. For more information visit
the Kennel
Club Site
Feeding
 So
often owners neglect to give sufficient consideration to what
they feed their new puppy or older dog. We know from studies
on humans that diet can have a real bearing on general health
and behaviour, and yet so many shop by price rather than quality.
A recent study by one of the
large manufacturers has shown what John Burns has been saying
for many years -that a healthy dog is a lean, fit dog, and
the approach used by Burns Real Food, of meeting but not exceeding
the pet's requirements for health and vitality is the right
way to go!
A good quality food, such as
Burns Real Food can actually work out cheaper
in the long term because it is so digestible (and feeding
amounts are less).
When John Burns was developing
his food, it was based upon his experience as a Veterinary
Surgeon and a home-cooked recipe
of brown rice, meat and vegetables.
More information
Below are a series of articles
which may be of interest to dog owners
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