Howloween- don't let your dog be a scaredy cat.

Halloween is almost upon us and with lots happening around the house and in your neighbourhood, this can be a particularly stressful time for your pets. So with that in mind, we've put together some tips to help keep give your precious pooches a peaceful holiday.

 

Trick or Treat:

 

Trick or Treating is one of the best things about Halloween, no matter if you're the one giving out the treats, or receiving them. However, whilst sweets and chocolate may be okay for us to eat (in moderation!), they can be seriously damaging to your dog. Chocolate (especially dark and baking chocolate) can cause chocolate poisoning in your dog, making a very poorly pup indeed. Sweets are no safer, as some use a type of sweetener which is known to be particularly bad for your dog, not to mention the risk of your not-so-canny canine eating the wrappers! If you think your dog might have eaten something they shouldn't have, contact your veterinarian straight away, especially if your dog is showing signs of being unwell.

Staying Indoors:
 

With lots of strange people wandering around, and lots of loud noises and unusual smells, it's especially important to keep your dogs indoors over Halloween. Trick or Treaters knocking on the door every few minutes can be very stressful for your pet and if you expect a lot of visitors to your home, give your dog their own space to relax in, away from the hustle and bustle of the front door.  To keep your dog feeling safe and happy, make sure he has a warm secure space with a comfortable bed and a few favourite toys and blankets, and of course make sure he or she has access to clean fresh water at all times. Turn the radio or TV on, and the volume up so that it hides the sounds of fireworks and your house callers.
 

Going Outside:

 

As well as spooky costumes, Halloween is often punctuated with fireworks and bangers, and with hearing far more sensitive than ours these loud bangs can often be terrifying for your canine.Try to get out for your evening walk before dark before the fireworks start, and if possible in an area where there won't be lots of witches and ghouls walking around!  Make sure you keep your dog on a lead at all times so that if they do get a fright they can't run off and lose their way. When you're letting your dog out for their bathroom break, stay with them in the garden and wait there until they're ready to come back in. A frightened dog can bolt pretty quickly, and can find escape routes your never knew existed.  Make sure that your dog's microchip details are up to date, and that they are wearing an ID tag, so that if for any reason they get lost, there's a much better chance of them being returned to you.

 

Decorations & Costumes:

 

Be careful of decorations such as costume accessories as some parts may easily become loose and your dog may choke or become tangled up. Lit candles (including those placed inside pumpkins) can easily harm your companion – so keep these items out of reach and do not leave your dog unattended

Do not force your dog to receive any unwanted attention, even from family members, as he may not recognise his owner if in costume and this may make him very uneasy

Never force your dog to wear a dog costume or put anything on him if it inhibits the use of his senses, i.e do not cover up his eyes, nose or ears.

 

 

Have a safe and happy Halloween for all!

 

It's raining Cats and Dogs!

 

Hi Guys! Jake here - Senior Education Dog if you want my full title. I wanted to take over the blog this week to talk to you about a subject close to my heart - WALKIES!

Now that the weather is getting colder and wetter, lots of doggie parents might think that their dog's might not want to go out walking but I'm here to tell you that's not true! I still need my walks two times a day, wind, rain or shine! My human, Fiona, knows that even if it's raining I still like to get out and about - who else is going to make sure that my neighbourhood is safe?

I thought that I'd show you all how easy it is to keep us dogs healthy and happy even when that water stuff is falling from the sky!
 

I do love my walks, whatever the weather, as it's always nice to go back indoors and warm up afterward. I would hate to be stuck outdoors with no shelter and blankets to keep me warm like some dogs, all that rain and cold air and no way to dry off and warm up? No thanks! If you two-legged folk do have outdoor dogs, it's not hard to make sure that they have somewhere warm and dry to shelter in, after all you wouldn't want to sleep out in the bad weather would you?

 

 

My new friend Meg loves being warm and cosy too, and Fiona (not MY Fiona!) makes sure that she gets a good spot by the fire, especially in the bad weather. Wouldn't it be great if all dogs could do this? We both agree that every dog deserves a safe place by the fire (or a nice warm radiator!).  Especially when it's stormy out, us dogs can get scared, run off and lose our bearings, so please keep us safe indoors, and keep an eye on us when we need to go outside. And keep us on a lead when we're out walking, so that if either of us get scared we won't run off and lose each other!
With Halloween coming up this is especially important, so check out the blog next week when the humans will be giving you some tips to keep us hounds safe and sound at this time of year.

Meg Makes the Grade!

As you may remember a few weeks back we introduced  you to our newest Education Officer, Fiona Ryan. Fiona is covering the South East area while the lovely Deirdre is on maternity leave. Last week Fiona's dog, Meg, happily sailed through her assessment to be an Education Dog, and so will soon start her training and begin to visit schools with Fiona to  help educate young people about Responsible Dog Ownership. Hurray for Meg!  

Meg practices her tail wags for the big test



However, as with all new employees, we had to check out Meg's C.V to make sure she had the right qualifications and experience for  the role. We thought you might enjoy having a look too!

We hope you agree with us that Meg will make a great addition to the Education Team, and that she looks lovely in her new uniform :) Fiona tells us that she's really looking forward to bringing Meg with her to her workshops, and that Meg can't wait either! Welcome to the team MEG!

Ready to Educate!

If you would like to book a workshop with Meg, accompanied by Fiona of course, you can contact Fiona on 0872965883 or at fiona.ryan@dogstrust.ie

If you would like to book a FREE Dogs Trust Educational Workshop in your area, contact education@dogstrust.ie.

Our Top Doggy Doodlers!

In Dogs Trust's most recent Dog Tales newsletter, we asked budding young artists to send us in drawings for our Doggy Doodles Competition. We had a fantastic response, and the Education Team loved seeing the pictures of your favourite dogs from our newsletter!

As this was a competition, we had the hard task of choosing the winners, and you didn't make it easy! However after much deliberation and discussion, our top three drawings are below. Well done to our winners!

 

 

 

FIRST PLACE:

 

 

The very talented Tamsin Fitzgerald, aged 10 from Portarlington in County Lois sent us in this lovely colourful picture of Buddah, our tough little puppy. We loved Buddah's waggy tail, and the bright orange letters! Well done Tamsin!

SECOND PLACE:

 

We just loved this pint sized picture from Emma Angell in Ballinasloe, Co. Galway. At 6 years old she's already a super artist! We especially love that there's a collar and tag on her dog, it's great to see some Responsible Dog Ownership!

THIRD PLACE:

 

Ben Curneen sent us this amazing drawing of Guy, complete with his Dogs Trust harness. Ben is aged 9 and lives in Dublin. We think that Ben is a very talented young artist, look at all the details he's included in his drawing!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Very well done to our top three Doggy Doodlers! Some lovely Dogs Trust's goodies are on their way to you!

As we had such a brilliant bunch of pictures to choose from, we decided to include a 'Highly Commended' category - so that we could a few more drawings with you all!

Khalessi by Niamh Culloty (9) from Tralee, Co. Kerry

 

Buddah by Lucy Sullivan (10) from Athy, Co. Kildare.Thanks for the update on your Dogs Trust dog Maisy!

 

Julius by Rebecca Brown  (9) from Bansha, Co. Tipperary

 

 

A huge well done and thank you to everyone who sent us in a Doggy Doodle!

 

Ba(r)king Mad with Canine Cookery

All dog owners will have experienced those big sad eyes looking up at you longingly while you munch on a tasty treat, and we know how hard it is to resist giving our furry friends a little taste. However we must remember that what's okay for us to eat isn't necessarily okay for our dogs to eat. For example chocolate, onions, dried fruits and grapes can all make your dog very sick indeed!

 

With that in mind we have decided to share with you some tasty doggy friendly recipes that will have your hound howling with delight, and spare you the guilt trip while you enjoy your own tasty snack :)

 

CATHERINE'S CAKE

Here's one we made earlier...



You will need....

• 2- cups of whole wheat flour or rice flour
• 1- cup of dog kibble
• 2 large eggs
• 1tbsp of honey
• Half a cup of olive or vegetable oil
• 1 grated carrot
• 1 banana
• 2tbsp peanut butter
• 2tsp baking powder

Directions:

Preheat the oven to around Gas Mark 5. Blend all the lovely-jubbly ingredients in a bowl and add more flour or oil to get the right "cake like" consistency. Sloop the gloop into a greased baking tin and bake in the oven for around 30-45 minutes.

PAWS OFF! Leave the cake to cool and start preparing your toppings. Using peanut butter or Kong Paste for glue, stick cute treats around the edge of the cake or spell your dogs name out in tiny titbits! It’s up to you!

__________________________________________________

 BAKED DOG BONES

 

 You will need....

• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 cup unsalted natural peanut butter (smooth)
• 1 cup skim milk

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets. Stir together the flour and baking powder; set aside.

In a medium bowl, mix together the peanut butter and milk. Stir in the flour mixture until well blended. Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth. Roll out to 1/4 inch thickness and cut into shapes using cookie cutters or freehand. Place 2 inches apart onto the prepared cookie sheets.

Bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until lightly brown. Remove from cookie sheets to cool on wire racks.
 

NOTE: These recipe are not designed to  substitute a well balanced meal. Get creative, have fun but for the love of Dog, please feed small amounts as a special "treat" and try not to eat them yourself!

 

So why not have a go at whipping up one of these doggy delights, and send us in a photo of your furry friend enjoying their very own home made treat.

Email your photo to: dogstrusteducation.ie@gmail.com and we'll try to share your photos on a future blog entry!

 

 

Scoop the Poop 2014!

You may remember a couple of weeks ago we hinted at an upcoming Education campaign- well here it is! Scoop the Poop week will take place on 6th- 10th October, and we're asking National schools in the East, South East, West and South West of Ireland to sign up.  

 

 

 

So, what is this all about? Well the name says it all - Scoop the Poop! We want to raise awareness of this  very important aspect of Responsible Dog Ownership, and we need you to help us do that. I think we can all agree that dog fouling isn't a very nice thing to see on the pavement, in the park, or around your schools, so why not join our lovely education dogs and help spread the word?

Bag it, Bin it. Any Bag, Any Bin!

 

 

 

We will be sending out packs to participating schools which will be jam packed with Scoop the Poop themed activities, competitions, stickers, information and even a rap! These packs are limited in number, and so will be given out on a first come first served basis. So if you're interested in joining and being part of the first of many Education Campaigns to come, contact your local Education Officer on the details below.

 

Dublin & East:  Fiona.simpson@dogstrust.ie

 South West Munster: Liadh.fitzgerald@dogstrust.ie  

South East: Fiona.ryan@dogstrust.ie 

Clare & South Connaught: Dawn.kavanagh@dogstrust.ie 

 

 

If you would like to book a FREE Dogs Trust Educational Workshop in your area, contact education@dogstrust.ie.



Goodbye Dee, Hello Fi!

It's all change in the South East Education Team, as Education Officer Deirdre is off on maternity leave.  Deirdre says, "Myself and Education Dogs Sadhbh, Cónán and Béibhinn would like to thank all the wonderful schools, libraries and community groups we have visited in the South East since 2012.  We've had an amazing time spreading the word about Responsible Dog Ownership and have appreciated the warm welcome we've received everywhere we've been."  Those of you who have been lucky enough to have had a visit from this pawsome foursome will agree that they have done a fantastic job educating young people about being a Responsible Dog Owner, and the Dogs Trust's Education Team would like to say a HUGE thank you to Deirdre and her four legged pals for all their amazing work since 2012. 

Worry not though South East! While Deirdre is on her maternity leave, the Education Team's newest member, Fiona Ryan, will be visiting schools and community groups in her place. Let's find out a bit about her:

Hi Fiona, tell us a bit about yourself.

Hello, my name is Fiona Ryan. I have a degree in Earth Science. I have over five years’ experience in delivering curriculum related-education workshops to an audience of all ages. I’ve always loved dogs, so I’m really excited about joining the Dogs Trust team. 
  

Why did you want to work for Dogs Trust?

Dogs Trust aim of ‘working towards the day when all dogs can enjoy a happy life free from threat of unnecessary destruction’ is something I feel very passionate about! I am truly grateful to have the chance to combine my love for dogs and education while spreading a positive message about Responsible Dog Ownership to the schools I will be visiting. 

Do you have a dog of your own?

Yes I have a dog – her name is Meg and she is a black and tan Jack Russell. Meg has yet to undergo the training and assessment all Education Dogs must undertake before being deemed suitable to visit schools with me. I really think Meg will make a great Education Dog; she loves meeting new people, especially children. I know she’ll be very excited to meet all the pupils in schools across the South East very soon. 

You will be replacing Education Officer Deirdre while she is on leave.  What areas will you be visiting?

I’ll be covering counties in the South East, so Kilkenny, Carlow, Waterford, Wexford and South Tipperary. 
 

The Education Officers offer a wide range of educational workshops to primary schools.  Which one is your favourite and why?

I love the, ‘Match a Dog workshop’. It’s a great, group-work based workshop where children have the chance to match the right dog with a suitable family while taking on the role of a Dogs Trust employee. I think it really makes children consider the responsibilities of bringing a new dog into their home in a fun and interactive way!

What effect do you think the Dogs Trust Education Programme has on the future dog owners of Ireland?

By educating the future dog owners of Ireland about Responsible Dog Ownership, the Education Programme aims to help bring down the number of abandoned dogs and strays we unfortunately see in Ireland today. 

Do you have any workshops booked yet?

Yes, I do I have bookings in the Carlow libraries this October with our ‘Story Time with Dogs Trust’ workshop. I am also currently taking bookings for schools across the South East during term time. 

 

If you would like to book a FREE workshop in the South East with Fiona, you can contact her on 087 296 5883 or at fiona.ryan@dogstrust.ie.