September 2015 - Dog Walking | Kirkby in Ashfield

Good Life Dog Walking had a very successful time at the first Canicross race meeting of the season. The venue was Box End Park near Milton Keynes, a water sports centre with amazing facilities. Two of the four legged team were determined to chase the waterskiers into the lake, as they whizzed round on the ski cables!

Bella the Beagle was making her racing debut. We rehomed Bella in July so she has had just over 2 months training with Colin and Ozzie (the seasoned canicross pro’s) to get fit for the new season. She took to camping like a duck to water and made a lot of new friends whilst taking all the new sights and sounds in her stride.

Louis was running for the first time in the youth class for 13-16 year olds. He raced with Colin the Lurcher, who is celebrating his second year with us this weekend. Lying in second place after Saturday’s race (the winners were decided after the times for both days racing were combined) we spent Saturday evening discussing tactics for Sunday to try and get the win! Everything went brilliantly well in Sunday’s race and Louis and Colin won their class in their first partnership together. I was so proud.

Off they go! Louis & Colin in their first race together

The Winners of the 13-16 Youth class

I ran with Bella and Ozzie in the 2 dog female class and we came fourth over the 2 days.

The start line in Bella’s first race….. She looks more keen than Ozzie!

Success!….. at the finish line!

I also gave Bobby a run out in the veteran dog class on Saturday. Bobby will be 10 years old in a couple of weeks time and still loves to run with us. Mindful of his age though, I only entered the veteran class on Saturday. No prizes for Bobby this time but he had such fun racing (and chasing the water skiers) that prizes just didn’t matter!

Bobby all ready to go….

A little distracted going past the waterskiers, but the little old man made it!

The venue was great, the weather was even better and we all had a FAB time!

Our next race is a charity race at Hicks Lodge near Swadlincote on 25th October.

When I decided to set up my business, my first thought was to put myself in the clients’ position.

Why should they let me take care of their precious family member?

Well, I have lots of experience with different dogs and love seeing them run around together having a whale of a time. Being out in the fresh air is what walking is all about. But what if something goes wrong? Dogs running around can get injured, pick up poison; suffer a snake attack or insect sting or numerous other accidents. I wanted to make sure that I was prepared to deal with such an emergency to give my clients peace of mind that their dog would be safe until we got to the vet.

So, off I went to Animal Aiders Dog First Aid course at Forrest Feeds near Newark. What an eye opener!
The course was run by Sophie and Lucy, a trained Veterinary Nurse with 17 years’ experience, 10 of which were in emergency veterinary care.

We started off by covering Basic signs of health – what is normal? – Before moving on to injuries and bandaging. Different kinds of wound were discussed and advice on how to treat each given and explained. Simple things like how to make a temporary buster collar while transporting the dog to the vet were most helpful.

We covered choking and breathing difficulties and learnt how to perform the Heimlich manoeuvre on a dog! I practiced CPR (Cardio Pulmonary resuscitation) on Casper (the doggy dummy) and was surprised at how quickly I needed to massage the heart and how hard it is to blow enough air into the lungs to fill them!

Lucy introduces Casper

Lucy showing us how it’s done

How to recognise serious illness such as Toxic Poisoning, Bloat and allergic reactions was also covered and of great value. I once had an epileptic dog and I could recognise the signs of a fit before it happened so could prepare for it without panicking.

I now feel more at ease with my ability to cope with an emergency situation. Keeping a clear head and being prepared for anything is essential to ensure the best result from any emergency.

My dogs are all currently being used as guinea pigs for bandaging, taking their pulse and being held in a restraining position. A dog that is used to all these things happening in a relaxed state will be much calmer in an emergency too.

Tip – I’ve added a roll of adhesive bandage to my dog walking bag ….. 😉

I would gladly recommend the course to any dog owner……

Our first Canicross race of the season……

Good Life Dog Walking goes First Aid Training!