TO MUZZLE OR NOT
TO MUZZLE THAT IS THE QUESTION?
Malarky able to
have a run on the beach quite safely
You know when you
keep putting something off because you
are not sure of the outcome - well this
has been the case with this article.
Muzzling a dog can
be a taboo subject - owners just hate the
idea even though it can be the most
sensible solution in some circumstances.
In the world of
greyhound racing it would be more
uncommon to see a dog without a muzzle
but I know when we are out with our
greyhounds and I have some of them
muzzled people automatically think the
dogs are 'bad' with people. In the case
of our dogs there could be nothing
further from the truth, they are the most
gentle of breeds, but we have more than
two dogs and that is a pack and when dogs
pack there can be major consquences in
any breed. In the wild a pack of dogs may
all attack if one started.
But why after so
long did I decide to write this article
well because the other day I met a dog, a
medium sized mongrel, who was wary of
people and unmuzzled. When I attempted to
stoke him, being unaware of his
temperament, he went for me and that made
my mind up. The owner seemed quite
oblivious to the fact that I could have
been a child but was well aware that the
dog was not sociable. Then you talk to
people who know of dogs who are the same
- so why aren't they wearing a muzzle?
There are all sorts
of aggression, one of the worst being
fear aggression, but there are many
others, and when you have a muzzle on you
know that you have more control over
whatever situation you meet.
Muzzles can be used
for all sorts of conditions, for example
I know dogs that are real scavengers so
much so that they make themselves ill -
simple solution put a muzzle on and the
dog can then run 'till its hearts
content' without eating rubbish. There
are times when maybe your dog has a sore
patch or stitches and continues to lick
the area and makes it infected - this is
another time when the muzzle could come
in handy.
Malarky happily
playing with his ball even with the
muzzle in place
How skilled is that, running
with the ball and the muzzle!!
If anyone would like to try
a muzzle please give us a call and we
will let you borrow one of ours or indeed
try and find you one that would fit your
dog.
In the meantime it would
make life easier and muzzles more
acceptable if the public tried to
appreciate that, as in people, there are
dogs with characters of all types but
unfortunately we can't put muzzles on
some folk as much as we would like
to!!!!!
For further
information please give us a buzz on
01534 742619 or email:
gailmalanddogs@hotmail.com
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