Happy Holiday Hounds!

 

Hi everyones, Meg here! The humans wanted to write about keeping dogs like me safe at Christmas, but I thought 'who better to write it but me, an actual dog?' So I'm takings over this blog thingy this week to help other hounds stay happys this holiday! So here's my advice...

 

Visitors:

Not so long ago we had some scarys looking folk come to the house, they smelled just like peoples, but looked different, I think you call it Halween? Or somethings like that. Fiona made sure I had a 'Meg only' place when this happened as it was a little bit odd and confusings for me (hey, they smelled like normal peoples but looked all weird)! She said she's going to make sure I have a spot just like that over this Christmas whatchamacallit, because lots of other humans will be comings around. She said I've sniffed most of thems before, but having lots of different two legged animals comings round is exhausting! I get so tired entertainings them with my cuteness, and need a nice spot to snooze and put my paws up away from everyone else. Fiona will make sure that its a quiet cosy place with some nice cleans water and my favourite toys and blankets where no one will disturb me- just bliss!

 

Food:

You humans do get to eat some lovely smelling food, I've heard my peoples talk about mince pies, Christmas cake, Christmas pudding and chocolate. Now, I smelled all these things last year, and would have happily helped the humans eat them, but they hid them from me! I thought they were just being selfish - hey, I'd share my doggy biscuits with them! Fiona told me though that some stuffs in them are poisonous to dogs, I don't know what this poisons thing is, but it doesn't sounds good :( . She said that if I ate them, I'd have to go to the V-E-T, that's the vet, she thinks if she spells it I won't understand, but I'm a smart dog cookie! The vet jabbed me with somethings last time, and even though it didn't really hurt, I definitely don't want to go back! I might forgets that they're not goods for me though, so it's better that I can't gets at them at all! The humans said to say that these are some of the things thats is not goods for us dogs: raisins, grapes, onions, garlic, macadamia nuts, avocados, and chocolates.

 

 

Decorations:

This is a strange things to me, but my peoples have put a tree INSIDES the house! They have put lots of shiny things on it, and twinkly things that looks like the twinkles up in the sky at nights. I tried to tell them night twinkles and trees should be outsides, but they didn't listens to me! I had a good sniff of their twinkle tree to make sure it was clean, and then I lefts it alone. I'm a sensible dog - but some doggies aren't so sensibles and push over the trees, or even tries to eats the round shiny things! Fiona says this is bad, and so maybe their humans should make sure they cant reach the shiny things, or get tangles up in wires from the twinkles. There's also this thing called tinsel - and if we eat it, we would have to go to the VET agains!

There's some green things called  holly, mistletoe, and poinsettia plants which also has this poisons things so my peoples keep them away from me so I don't eats them by accident.

 

 

 

 

So lots of things for you humans to thinks about at Christmas! I'm sure you'll all make sures your dogs are just as safe as Fiona makes me! Ifs you ever worried that your doggy pals has eatens something he shouldn't, rings the vets, they can tells you what to do! Don't forgets you can make us a nice Christmas present like the humans showed you last week!

 

 

 

Merry Christmas everyone! The blog will be taking a break for the next two weeks, but we'll be back again in the New Year! :)

Dogs Trust's Homemade Christmas!

It’s almost Christmas, and if you’re anything like us you love to spoil your furry friend (even more!) at this time of year. So we’ve decided to show you some homemade gifts that you can make for your dog, in true Blue Peter style!

FEEDING MAT:

Dogs are not usually the neatest eaters so why not make an easy clean mat to place under your canine’s food bowl?

 

 

What you will need:

• Some paper with your chosen design on it- this can be wrapping paper, or make it even more personal by creating your own design with your dog’s name on it! The size of the paper will depend on the size of the food bowls!
• Some coloured card (needs to be slightly bigger than your design)
• Glue
• Stickyback plastic OR a laminator

Instructions:

Start by placing your dog food bowls over the paper with your design on it (see photo)

Once you know that you have the right sized paper you can stick it to the card so that it has a hard back- try to make it so that the card creates a border around your design J

You now have your basic mat – though it’s not waterproof yet! If you have some stickyback plastic (the kind you wrap school books with) you can neatly cover your new mat with this. If not, a  good laminator can do the same thing!

Once it's covered you're done! There are lots of different designs you can have, so be creative!

PLAITED ROPE TOY:

If your dog loves to play with toys, then this is the gift for him!

All you need is some old t-shirts or material!

Instructions: Cut/tear long strips from the pieces of material you have,  they don’t have to be done neatly and it doesn’t matter if they aren’t all the same size! Tie the strips together at the top using a short piece of material. Now you can plait these together, and when you’re done, tie them together at the bottom the same way you did the top! Instant rope toy!  If you want a bigger toy, use more strips!

TREAT TUBE:

Using an empty Pringles type tube you can make terrific storage for dog treats!

What you will need:

•  1 crisp tube
• Some paper to wrap the tube with (you can do your own design on plain paper, or use some left over wrapping paper)
• Sellotape
• Stickyback plastic (optional!)

Instructions:

 

 

Wrap your paper with your design around the tube, and sellotape it in place. If you have some extra paper at the bottom you can either cut it off neatly, or cut a few slits in it so you can fold it under the tube.

 

If you have a bit of the tube uncovered like here, cut a length of the same design, or something plain, and stick it over so the whole thing is now covered in paper!

 

 

If you want extra durability, wrap the tube in stickyback plastic, although careful to avoid air bubbles!
Once you're done, fill with your dogs favourite treats :)

 

 

So there you have it, 3 terrific presents for your dog that you can make yourself! Don't forget you can also make some tasty dog cookies with the recipe that we gave you back in September :), make them Christmassy by using Christmas cookie cutters instead of bones! 

 

 

 

 

Santa Paws is coming to town!

Sunday 14th December....put it in your diaries and come along to our Santa Paws event at Dogs Trust's rehoming centre in Dublin!

We're calling all little elves aged 5-12 to take part in our Elf Workshop where you'll get to help Santa give our dogs a magical Christmas!

You will:

• make stockings for some of our four legged residents, after all - everyone deserves a very Merry Christmas!
• design posters to promote Dogs Trust's message 'A Dog is for Life, not just for Christmas'
• get a tour of the rehoming corridor to see some of the dogs who will receive your wonderful stockings
• meet Santa and have your photo taken - he will also give all his little helpers a small gift for their hard work
• not forgetting a chance to learn how to safely meet education dog Jake!

Fancy dress is optional, and all this will take place between 10.30am and 12pm in our Rehoming Centre in Finglas. €10 per elf is required to book a place, which can be done via this link!

 

 

If you can't make it to the workshop, you can still meet Santa and his elves, have your photo taken and receive a small gift! Come along between 12.30 and 3pm to the Rehoming centre for your meet with Santa. The cost for this is €5 per child - booking is advisable, but not essential, and can be done through Dogs Trust's website here.

 

The Education Team can't wait to meet you all there! 

Dogs Trust Educates Together.

Students at Carrigaline Educate Together help launch
the new programme of lesson plans!

Last week Dogs Trust Education Officers Liadh and Fiona were delighted to be invited to Carrigaline Educate Together to the launch of a brand new animal welfare lesson programme. Along with Educate Together, the ISPCA and Veterinary Ireland, Dogs Trust were thrilled to be asked to help create these lessons, which are the first of their kind in primary schools in Ireland.

Education Officers Liadh and Fiona with Minister Coveney at the launch.

This new programme is designed to teach young people about pet care and responsibility in a fun and interactive way :) The lesson plans are available for anyone to download and use from our very own education website www.learnwithdogstrust.ie, they are also available on the websites of the other partners! So go on and have a look!



An example of one of the many lesson plans aimed
 to teach Responsible Pet Ownership


The Education team here at Dogs Trust hopes that these plans are a huge success, and has no doubt that they will be enjoyed by all the young people who get to use them!

 

 

Learn with Dogs Trust!

At the very start of our blogging career the Education Team told you about our very own education website, learnwithdogs.ie.  In the last few weeks the Dogs Trust's team has been beavering away, creating a brand spanking new website for us, with even more ideas, curriculum linked plans, and fun games for you to play with Jimmy 'n' Chew! With a new site comes a new address  and you can find our shiny new page at www.learnwithdogstrust.ie .



There are some fantastic new Educate Together lesson plans that Dogs Trust helped create alongside Educate Together, Veterinary Ireland, and the ISPCA, which focus on caring for animals, and animal welfare. As well as these, there are lots of curriculum-linked classroom teaching resources, with, of course, a dog theme! Not to mention two new games, which Education Officer Dawn is slightly addicted to already!

 

On the new page you can also check out who your local Education Officer is, book workshops, and find out a little more about the work of the Education Team.

 



So whether you are a teacher in search of exciting classroom resources or a young person in search of fun activities and games all about our furry friends,  www.learnwithdogstrust.ie is the site for you!

Where in the world....?

Dogs Trust’s Education Officers spend a lot of time travelling in our own areas, delivering fun, free and interactive workshops to Primary aged children, and you may have seen your local Officer driving by in their Dogs Trust car (give a big wave if you do!). As well as having the great job of visiting schools to deliver Dogs Trust’s messages, and teach the next generation of dog owners all about Responsible Dog Ownership, the Education Officers also get to see a lot of Ireland. We drive through some really lovely parts of the country, and sometimes can’t believe our luck that this is part of our job! (Of course it helps when the weather is on our side).

 

So, we decided that we’d give you all a sneak peek into where we go, and the range of places that we get to see on our travels. Here are some places that the Education Team have had the pleasure of seeing en route to their workshops over the last month, we hope you agree that they are stunning! J

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

Lots of Learning with Longford Libraries

Earlier this month, our South Connaught and Clare Education Officer Dawn made a special trip to Longford to take part in joint workshops with Longford County Council. Dawn visited two libraries alongside County Vet Michael King and a whole menagerie of animals, to talk to local National School children about pet care and of course Responsible Dog Ownership. There was fantastic involvement from the children who attended, with Halloween being big on their list of concerns for their pets. We scooped some (fake!) poop, talked about how to be responsible dog owners, including walking our dogs twice a day, keeping them secure so that they don't roam and making sure they are microchipped and have a license. Everyone then got a chance to meet the range of animals there. What a fantastic day!

 




Students from Bunlahy NS, Longford with the menagerie of animals, and yes, that is a miniature horse in the library!

 
 



Persian Cat



 Silkie Hens

 












 Angora Rabbit



small horse



Dogs(x3) & 2 puppies!

 

 

The Education Team would like to say a big Thank You to Longford County Council for inviting them to take part in this terrific day.

 

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





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!