Dogs
For all of you who have read this blog for a while, you know how I feel about dogs. The dogs in my life have all been important to me, and any decision that JM and I make about our lives takes Maggie into consideration as much as ourselves.
France is, in general, paradise for dogs. They eat well, they are allowed access to more places than American dogs, they have lots of countryside, etc.
But this is not true for all dogs in France, unfortunately. There are many, many people here who either abandon their pets when they are no long "convenient," or simply ignore them or worse.
As a pet lover this is hearbreaking. This time of year is particularly upsetting, as with hunting season there appear to be many more lost, escaped and abandoned dogs running around.
I have always tried to be a responsible pet owner. I keep Maggie on her leash or in the house, but always under my control. I do not allow her to wander. I carry "poop bags" and use them when she does her business. I do this because it is better for us, better for the community and better for her.
Alas, there are many dogs who are not kept under control. I adore our village dogs, Roxie, Arthur and Sam. I know they are good, gentle dogs who pose no danger to us or others. Unfortunately, because they wander around loose, they have had their fair share of scrapes. As I wrote a few weeks ago, Arthur had a brush with death because of his love of chasing cars. And, just on Friday, JM and I heard screeching brakes and a loud yelp of pain and fear. Sam and Roxie had been playing together when a car drove through the village far too quickly. Sam was lightly hit, luckilly avoiding any major damage, although he was terrorized and in a bit of shock for the rest of the day.
As a concerned pet-parent, I am also concerned about wandering dogs when it comes to the health and well-being of my own dog. There have been two incidents lately where we have been out walking and dogs that I don't know have approached Maggie, tails up and stiff in an agressive posture. Now, because she is basically submissive, I don't think she will be attacked. However, both of these dogs seemed to be drooling heavily and I worry about contagious illness. I was able to keep her away from one of them, I was not with the other this morning. Now I will need to watch her like a hawk to make sure she has not caught something, in spite of her vaccinations being up-to-date.
This disturbs me greatly as I take good care of Maggie and try to do my best for her. I know that some of my neighbors think I am odd for never allowing her to wander freely. However, I feel that if she does not have a safe, enclosed space, then she must stay on her lead. She is not a dog who is used to being off-lead in the country, and any momentary enjoyment she would get from that is trumped by the danger she could be in from running off to chase a squirrel.
Am I overly cautious? Perhaps. But I couldn't live with myself if my neglect caused her harm.
Ciao for now.
Randy
France is, in general, paradise for dogs. They eat well, they are allowed access to more places than American dogs, they have lots of countryside, etc.
But this is not true for all dogs in France, unfortunately. There are many, many people here who either abandon their pets when they are no long "convenient," or simply ignore them or worse.
As a pet lover this is hearbreaking. This time of year is particularly upsetting, as with hunting season there appear to be many more lost, escaped and abandoned dogs running around.
I have always tried to be a responsible pet owner. I keep Maggie on her leash or in the house, but always under my control. I do not allow her to wander. I carry "poop bags" and use them when she does her business. I do this because it is better for us, better for the community and better for her.
Alas, there are many dogs who are not kept under control. I adore our village dogs, Roxie, Arthur and Sam. I know they are good, gentle dogs who pose no danger to us or others. Unfortunately, because they wander around loose, they have had their fair share of scrapes. As I wrote a few weeks ago, Arthur had a brush with death because of his love of chasing cars. And, just on Friday, JM and I heard screeching brakes and a loud yelp of pain and fear. Sam and Roxie had been playing together when a car drove through the village far too quickly. Sam was lightly hit, luckilly avoiding any major damage, although he was terrorized and in a bit of shock for the rest of the day.
As a concerned pet-parent, I am also concerned about wandering dogs when it comes to the health and well-being of my own dog. There have been two incidents lately where we have been out walking and dogs that I don't know have approached Maggie, tails up and stiff in an agressive posture. Now, because she is basically submissive, I don't think she will be attacked. However, both of these dogs seemed to be drooling heavily and I worry about contagious illness. I was able to keep her away from one of them, I was not with the other this morning. Now I will need to watch her like a hawk to make sure she has not caught something, in spite of her vaccinations being up-to-date.
This disturbs me greatly as I take good care of Maggie and try to do my best for her. I know that some of my neighbors think I am odd for never allowing her to wander freely. However, I feel that if she does not have a safe, enclosed space, then she must stay on her lead. She is not a dog who is used to being off-lead in the country, and any momentary enjoyment she would get from that is trumped by the danger she could be in from running off to chase a squirrel.
Am I overly cautious? Perhaps. But I couldn't live with myself if my neglect caused her harm.
Ciao for now.
Randy
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