It Affects Animals Too

Mavis' face sums up this post so perfectly!!

It really is starting to affect the animals now this long lockdown, staying at home and not meeting any other dogs or animals is really having an effect on their mental health.

Here in Wales the rules are strict, we cannot drive anywhere to start a dog walk.  So although our two are getting plenty of exercise and lots of fresh air running round the paddock twice a day and sitting out with us whenever we down tools and leave the office for a coffee break, they are not getting the important social side of their lives that they are used to.  Walking dogs is not after all about just the actual walking, it's about the sniffing, the meeting of other dogs, the interaction with humans other than the ones that they live with.

Our dogs have always been social butterflies, coming with us to shops, to cafes, on days out and long walks.  They interact well with other dogs, and all other animals and birds and love to play and sniff their way around their world.  

And all this has only really come home to us this week seeing how lethargic they are becoming.  Sleeping the day away, in their various beds, out on the patio, on the sofa, on our beds upstairs.  They move from room to room, from inside to outside as though a change of space is as good as anything they can find to do.

We know exactly how they feel  🤣

I was overly excited yesterday to get next weeks Radio Times through the post.

And have just spent a leisurely hour over breakfast circling the things I want to record next week, we record virtually everything we watch so that we can watch at our time of choice, and also so we can  izzy whizzy through the adverts.

This made me smile, I love the follow on ...  

... if Paul Hollywood Eats Japan he will be joining Britain's Fattest People for sure!!

I think we need to give this a watch, we might be able to pick up a few tips.  Although I have a sneaking suspicion it will involve teaching your dog new tricks to keep it's brain active and unfortunately our dogs don't do tricks.  

Suky gives you that look as if to say 'Don't be so stupid ... why would I want to do that!'  We have tried a few times to teach her 'fetch', but she just runs after the ball and sits next to it, as if to say 'here is your ball, you threw it if you want it come and get it ' ... so that's exactly what we have to do. 

Mavis is too nervous after her appalling start in life and then the horrible theft episode, and sees every attempt at training as an attempt to belittle or upset her.  You can literally see her retreating into another place and shutting down when she doesn't understand what you are asking of her ... however nicely you ask it.  

It takes me an average of two months to teach her a new word or thing, and it all has to be done gently and slowly.  She can now almost 'shake hands', she can wink, she can go around and around to untangle a lead or move in another direction and she knows a lot of words.  The obvious ones ... dinner, bones, caravan, home, car, grannies house, sheeps (yes she knows them with an S) ... and the names of her favourite people Dad, Mum, Jason, Suky, Ginger and Ethel.

She knows enough, and that makes her and me happy, any more would bring down the shutters.

So we will probably watch the programme and see if we can pick anything up, at the very least it will have lots of dogs in it ... and Mavis and Suky both like to watch dogs on television.

Meanwhile, we were eating our lunch on the patio yesterday and Ginger treated us to a full on bath time and grooming session.  

Alan commented ... 'I could use lockdown time to master the art of that!!'

Sue xx