It's Pawty Time.....

Did you know that Dogs Trust are holding their open day next week, Tuesday 14th July? The Education Team are SUPER excited for the Superhero themed day!

 

 

Last year the Education Team had a great time at our Education Station, where the children learned all about Responsible Dog Ownership.  We had a quiz and a colouring competition where the children designed their own 'scoop-the-poop' bags.  There were prizes galore and everyone got a lovely green poo bag holder donated by the Green Dog Walkers Campaign.

 

Some highlights from last year!

 

This year we are determined to have EVEN MORE fun! We've got some superhero themed activities, lots of prizes for our competitions, and of course we will all be there to talk to the children about Responsible Dog Ownership. We can't wait!

 

So, if you're coming to the event, be sure to pop over to the Education station to say hello! If you haven't booked your spot yet, there are still some tickets left for the morning session (10am - 12 noon) so follow this link to snap one up!

 

 

See you all there!

 

Teddies from Caring Clare!

Back in April, our South Connaught and Clare Education Officer, Dawn, visited Holy Family Junior School in Ennis, Co. Clare. Over the course of a couple of days she spoke to all 12 of their classes, finding out lots about their dogs, and talking about what dogs need to be healthy and happy. Dawn had a fantastic visit, and was delighted when Ms Normoyle's class offered to organise a collection of soft toys in the school, so that she could bring them up to the centre for the dogs!

 

So last week Dawn headed back to Holy Family to collect the teddies, and was presented with 4 big black bags of them! In fact, the children had been so generous, and had done such a good job of collecting the teddies, that they took up all the space in Dawn's boot!

 

Teddies Galore!

 

The Education Team would like to say a HUGE Thank You to the staff and students at Holy Family Junior school for organising this collection, and for being so generous! An extra special Thank You goes to Ms Normoyle's class who took charge of the collection. You can see a photo of them helping load Dawn's boot on their website http://www.holyfamilyjuniorschool.com/ (photo 21 on the slideshow).



We are sure you will all agree with Dawn's dog Odie that HFJS did a terrific job donating their old and unwanted soft toys for the dogs in Dogs Trust.

Dogs Trust always welcomes donations such as these as they go a long way to keeping the very special dogs in our care healthy and happy. We also take in food donations, and always need enrichment foods used to treat our residents and to help with their training. The kinds of food that our dogs love are listed below.
 



If you would like to donate any of these items, they can be dropped off at our rehoming centre on the Ashbourne Road, Finglas, Dublin 11.

 

Many Thanks in advance!

Dogs Trust visits Cork Summer Show 2015

Another exciting week has just passed for the Dogs Trust education team and, two weeks in a row, we’re heading down to Cork to see what our Cork Education Officer has been up to there! And what a week it’s been! Not only has Liadh been spreading the Dogs Trust responsible dog ownership message in West Cork schools but she also got the chance to do the same at the Cork Summer Show on the 20^th and 21^st of June. This show is the oldest agricultural show in Ireland and it was an honour to be asked along by Paul and Josie Barry and the entire team who’d organised all the super pet dog shows that were run during the event. Liadh met about 250 dogs AND all their owners at the show and not only was everyone thrilled to see Dogs Trust taking part – they were doubly thrilled to hear that Dogs Trust will have it’s very own Cork venue in the not too distant future!! Although we have to find a venue first – so if you know of anywhere that might suit give us a ring! Exciting times ahead which means LOTS more blogs from the South and South West Munster region over the coming months.

 

Fun in the sun at the show :)!

But for now Liadh would like to congratulate all the wonderful dogs who took part in the shows over the two days in a range of nine categories from ‘best puppy’ to ‘the dog the judges would most like to take home’! And remember, every dog was a winner because, quite simply – every dog is!

 

 

 

 

　

 

 

 

 

 

 

　

Togher Scoops the Poop!

Last week our Cork and South West education officer Liadh Fitzgerald was invited to attend the launch of a scoop-the-poop campaign organised by the student council of Togher Girls National School in Cork City!　 Liadh was thrilled to attend the event and she, along with Cork City Councillor Paudie Dineen, spoke to the girls about the importance of cleaning up after our dogs and commended them on their decision to promote this responsibility.

 

 

The school's campaign was based around Dogs Trust Scoop the Poop campaign that was rolled out by the Education Team for the first time in 2014 which made it extra special for us.

　

And..... update alert!! Further to their campaign, the Student Council was invited to an area meeting in Cork County Hall where it was agreed that the area engineer would put in dog litter bins and hang up signs in Togher!

 

A super yayee and big shout out to all at Togher Girls National School for achieving such a positive outcome and for helping to get this responsible dog ownership message out to those in their community!!

Glorious Goodies! Thanks to St Raphael's & Chanelle Pets!

A couple of weeks ago St. Raphael's College, all the way from Loughrea in Galway, travelled to Dublin for a tour of the centre with Fiona S, our Dublin and East Education Officer. Nothing unusual in that! However, this lovely group of students had worked super hard before their visit to raise funds and ask for donations locally so that when they visited they could bring with them lots of goodies for our residents! What a thoughtful thing to do, don't you agree?

 

Gorgeous Guy- one of the many dogs waiting for their forever home in Dogs Trust who will benefit from

this fantastic donation. Click his name to find out more about this handsome chappy!

 

On their hunt for donations they approached the wonderfully generous Chanelle Pets in Loughrea, who donated boxes and boxes of fantastic items for the dogs.

 

 

Fiona S with the students of St. Raphael's College showing off their amazing donated items! Wow!

 

The Education Team would like to say a HUGE Thank You to both St. Raphael's and Chanelle Pets for this wonderful donation which will go a long way to keeping our residents healthy and happy.

 

Worry-free walkies!

Hello readers! We hope you enjoyed your Bank Holiday weekend as much as we did. Lots of long dog walks were had by our Education Officers and their canine pals in the wind, rain, and shine! While out walking some of us noticed some dogs out and about off lead, and so we thought that on today's blog we would talk about our responsibility as dog owners to keep our dogs under control whilst out on our twice daily walks.

 

 

There are lots of common sense reasons to keep your dogs on leads when out and about such as:

• Preventing them running off and getting lost. Dogs have much better hearing and long distance eyesight than us, and so may run off after something we haven't even noticed!
• Stop them from getting into an accident. This is especially important if you are walking your dog near a road. Some dogs aren't very car smart.
• Stop them from causing an accident. Dogs on the road could cause car accidents as people do their best to avoid the hitting the dog.
• Making sure that they aren't running up to strangers- remember, some people are afraid of dogs and even if yours is super friendly, having a strange dog approach them would be very frightening for some people.
• Making sure they aren't approaching other dogs who may be nervous/frightened. Just like people, some dogs can be frightened of strange dogs and so if approached may growl and snap at your dog. We don't want to stress out any dog and keeping your dog on a lead will help prevent this.
• Making sure that they aren't picking up and eating something that they shouldn't. If he does you might end up with an ill dog, and a big vet bill!

'Okay, I'm on my lead, now lets walk!'
Finn - one of the very special residents in Dogs Trust Dublin looking for his forever home.
(click his name to find out more about him!) 

It's also part of the law surrounding dog ownership:

Your dog must be accompanied by and be under your effective control or the control of another responsible person if it is outside your home or premises or the home or premises of the person in charge of it.

Effective control for lots of dogs means being kept on a lead, and in some places, local by-laws insist on dogs being kept on leads in certain places for some of the reasons listed above. As well as being unsafe for your dog and sometimes the public, if your dog not under 'effective control' when out and about then you can face an on the spot fine!

 

If you want your dog to get some much needed off lead exercise, then choose enclosed spaces where your dog is unable to get out near a road, and places where dogs are often exercised (like a dog park) so that the people there are all aware that dogs are often present and off lead. Make sure your dog is well socialised with other dogs and people, and train them to come back to you when called (recall).

 

All these suggestions will help keep our beloved pooches safe and secure and allow them to run around to their hearts content without the worry of what might occur!

 

*Remember- when out in public, the law requires your dog to wear some form of ID, such as a collar with an ID tag attached.  



 

Hot tips to keep your dog cool this summer!

 

So the June Bank Holiday is on its way and that will hopefully mark the start of the summer!

 

We humans can get very excited about the summer sun and love to soak up those warm sun rays. It’s important to remember however that our doggie pals are a lot more sensitive to the rise in temperature around this time of year. Dogs can’t cool down as easily as we do, they can only cool down through their paw pads and panting which can be hard work for our doggie friends. We have put together a few top tips to help keep your doggie pal cool and relaxed during the summer months!

 

Water: Our doggie friends will drink a lot more water than usual when the weather is hot, so make sure you have a bowl full of clean fresh water ready for your dog throughout the day. No added ice-cubes though as these can make our dogs REALLY ill.



'gulp gulp' Meg, our South East Education Dog enjoying a fresh drink of water.



 

Exercise: If you can, avoid taking your dog out on his/her walk during the hottest part of the day between 12 and 3pm. Instead let them enjoy their walk in a nice cool temperature so they can enjoy and not miss out on any of their ‘walkies’ fun.

 

Shade: If you do find yourself outside during a hot day make sure to take breaks in the shade. Always be prepared with a bottle of water and a small container so your dog can enjoy a drink of fresh water to quench their thirst.

Meg taking a break in the shade!

 

Never leave your dog in the car, even if it feels cool outside: Remember, dogs find it harder to stay cool than humans, so what seems cold to us might be very warm to our dogs! Dogs left in cars have been known to suffer from heat stroke and even die. Don’t let your dog be a hot dog!!

 

Parking in the shade or leaving the car window open does not make it safe: Even with the window down, it is always hotter in the car than it is outside. Think of a car as a bit like an oven: air finds it hard to get in and out. We don’t want any melted mutts!

 

If you are driving with your dog, avoid the hottest part of the day when possible and try to use a sunblind in the window: This will make the journey much more comfortable and enjoyable for your furry friend. Remember to always have water on hand and to take breaks.

 

Some breeds of dog need a summer groom: Some breeds of dog have lots of fur that will need to be cut or trimmed to make sure they don’t overheat when the weather is warm.

 

So there you go some of our top tips to keep your dog cool and calm during the summer months :) .