Crazy Pigeon Man

Dog Owners Be Warned of the CRAZY PIGEON MAN!

Zorra and I were having a lovely walk in the park. We stopped to talk to two lovely women and their lovely terrier. Everything was lovely. We were all minding our own business. 

Then, a cloud seemed to appear out of nowhere. But it was not a cloud, it was a swarm of disgusting flying rats; pigeons. City rock pigeons to be exact. Pests which swarm our cities and parks and drive away other birds, leaving us with a monoculture of fat grey birds. These birds were swarming around a man in a motorized wheelchair, who had a bag of bird feed on his lap and a pigeon on his shoulder like a deranged pirate. The women cowered and protected their heads from the swarm of birds; there must have been at least 300 of them. St James' Park is home to many interesting and exotic bird species; these all left the vicinity once the swarm of flying rats moved in. 

This was enough to be anti-social; it turned what was an enjoyable area for dozens into the private pigeon pleasure garden for one man. People feeding the birds is a problem, but that was the least of our problems today. 

The man took one look at our dogs and started muttering "I can't stand dogs. I can't stand dogs." He then drove his electric wheelchair straight at the two girls and their terrier, causing them to flee. He turned his attention to me and said loudly "I can't stand dogs."

"Well, I can't stand pigeons!" I responded. 

Then he ran over my foot. 

I think he was trying to attack my lovely, sweet, good-natured, people-loving dog and I just got in the way. Obviously I got in the way; when someone is trying to attack my dog my natural instinct is to protect her. It hurt, but my foot is now fine. The principle of the matter remains; I was essentially attacked by a deranged man because I was walking my dog (on a leash!) in a public park. 

This is unacceptable. 

He left the scene, trailed by his hoard of fluttering air-rats, muttering "I can't stand dogs. I can't stand dogs." If anyone sees this man again please notify the authorities. 

Product Review - Hali Dog Headcollar

Nowadays Zorra walks very well to heel and does not pull, I can even let my mother who is not as keen on dogs take her for a walk and not worry about her being dragged around the block sled-dog-style by my overexcited retriever. This was not always the case. Zorra went through a period of lunging/pulling/general maddness when out on a walk. I tried various methods to stop this; circling, pulling back at her and yelling, sharp tugs, and finally the Halti. I never used a choke collar/chain because I don't think dogs learn from these, but if they have worked for someone I wouldn't judge them for it.

So we got our Halti, I was very excited and Zorra was slightly concerned. I put it on her and it looked exactly like the photo; I was pleased that it fit and expected it to work brilliantly. The photo looked something like this:

Taken from http://4pawspetsitting.com/collars-vs-harnesses/

In fact, Zorra looked so like the above photo that she even mimicked the flat back ears and worried expression. 

We started to walk and Zorra immediately tried to swipe the Halti off with her paw. If we stopped for more than two seconds she would successfully get it off and it became obvious why the Halti has a safety strap to give you some semblance of control once your dog has successfully removed it. 

As long as we were moving forward Zorra would not get it off, and although she would constantly toss her head and prance with her paws in the air it has to be said that she was not pulling. I'm not sure how effective this was because whenever we did not have the Halti I continued to pull her back sharply or turn in circles. 

I think the most important thing to do when a dog is pulling is ANYTHING! Too many people let their dog lean on the collar and pull the human along. I hate to see this. It almost causes me physical pain to watch because this is something that is so easy to fix, yet many dog owners just accept it and resign themselves to having a dog that pulls. The longer this goes on the more ingrained it is in the dog's behavior. 

Overall I would recommend the Halti. Zorra definitely was not in pain, even though she did find it a bit annoying. I've seen many dogs with them walking calmly and it is certainly better than nothing. One of the most important things a dog needs to learn is to walk calmly next to a person. This is important for safety (being in control of your dog) and because when a dog leans on you it is RUDE! If you dog pulls, please do something about it! 

Preparing Your Dog for a Flight

As some of you who follow Dogs Allowed on Twitter or Facebook may already know, a few days ago Zorra came with me from London to California. She immediately settled in and is loving every minute of being here (particularly the pool) but I had to do a lot of work and research to get her ready to fly.

If you are planning on taking your dog on a plane here are some tips:

1) Do some research about which airlines are available for the route you are taking. One long flight is easier for a dog to handle than a layover. Airlines have different pet policies so you should read these carefully before booking; for instance, Virgin Atlantic has climate control in the dog area and your pet earns you miles: win!

2) Read your airline's pet travel requirements very carefully, some may require extra health checks to reduce the risk of something going wrong. If you are in any doubt call the airline, usually people who work in the pet travel department of airlines are dog people and very friendly!

3) IF YOU ARE TRAVELING ABROAD: look at the requirements for BOTH the country you are leaving and the country you are arriving in, especially if you plan to come back and bring your dog with you. You want to avoid quarantine at all costs. These can usually be found on your country's government website, but quite often you can get this information from the airline. In Europe it is essential that you get a pet passport as soon as possible because a blood test must be carried out weeks after the initial shots.

4) If a vet check is required go to the vet early, for instance with Virgin I was required to get a vet check for Zorra within 10 days of travel, so I went 9 days before traveling to the vet. This was good, because I was an idiot and I forgot to bring her passport with me to be stamped, if I had left it too late I would not have had time to make another appointment.

5) Do NOT sedate your dog for the flight! Virgin and some other airlines do not allow animals on the plane which have been sedated because they can stop breathing and die. Even if you airline does allow sedated animals please don't do it! Dogs are resilient, and  they should settle on their own but even if they don't a distressed dog is better than a dead one!

6) Make sure you put bedding in the crate which is soft, absorbent, and which you don't mind throwing away. Especially for long flights they are quite likely to pee on it even if they are completely house trained .

I hope if you do travel with your dog that it goes as smoothly as it did for me and my dog! I believe that all dogs should be crate trained because it makes situations like this much easier. Even though I haven't crated Zorra since she was a puppy she settled quickly and clearly felt safe and comfortable. With these steps you should be well on your way to a safe and fun trip with your dog!

Happy travels!

Dogs on the London Underground

Dogs on the London Underground

The tube is an excellent way to travel around London and for the most part it is very easy to take your dog on it. I recently found that some stations can be much harder to navigate than others. For instance, Victoria Station is dog-accessible for the Circle and District lines but not for the Victoria line, which only has escalator access. The step-free access map actually does not help with finding tube stops which are more dog friendly. Deeper stations with lots of underground tunnels are fine for experienced dogs but are not ideal for young dogs who might get restless or which aren't toilet trained; the only issue are platforms which are only accessible by escalators. Dogs Allowed is going to venture to find out which stations and lines are the most dog friendly, stay tuned!

Restaurant Review - The Two Chairmen

The Two Chairmen - St James/Westminster

I went to this pub with Zorra after a long walk in Green Park on a rainy day. I was not planning on going to a pub for lunch, but this one looked so inviting I decided to pop my head in; after all, someone has to go around asking which pubs are dog-friendly! The bar staff were very friendly and were welcoming of a drenched girl and her even more thoroughly soaked dog. One of the barmen even offered to keep an eye on her while I nipped upstairs to the loo.

The food was great and unexpected; there was a nice selection of gormet burgers ranging from the usual beef burger to the more rare venison burgers and other interesting meats. The selection of beer was good but not as wide as I've seen in other pubs, but they had a wine list that was quite extensive for a traditional pub.

Overall I'd definitely recommend this pub; they were very welcoming of dogs, had a nice, friendly atmosphere, and better than your average pub food.

Deciding to Spay or Neuter Your Dog

Tonight Zorra is feeling somewhat sorry for herself but is otherwise fine post-op after being spayed this morning. Many people get fanatical about spaying, and either think that it is wrong to force an otherwise healthy dog to have an operation or that NOT spaying or neutering your dog is irresponsible. I personally was very conflicted about the decision to spay Zorra. Part of me kept thinking that I might want to breed from her in a couple of years, she's lovely and healthy and a good example of her breed.

It took me a long time to make the decision to spay her. I hated how final it would be, that once I took her to the vet I could not turn back. I finally made the decision that I knew I needed to make. I am not a dog breeder, I do not have the time or facilities to devote to breeding puppies, my dog is not a champion gun dog nor does she have perfect conformation. For me and my dog, spaying was the right option.

I believe it is important for every dog owner to take their time and read as much as they can about the pros and cons of spaying or neutering your dog. I truly believe that in MOST cases it is better to spay or neuter your dog, unless you are breeding for the right reasons.

So get the information, read as much as you can, talk to your vet, talk to breeders, but most of all don't make a decision based on pressure from others or because you can't face putting your dog through a procedure.

Traveling with Dogs to Paris

The advent of Pet Passports and changes to quarantine procedures means that it is much easier to travel from the UK to the Continent with your pet. As always it is crucial that you check the rules in your destination country as well as any restrictions that may be placed on your pet returning home.

France is a popular place for UK residents to take their dogs due to the relative ease of getting there. Dogs are NOT allowed on the Eurostar, but they are allowed on most French trains so once you arrive in France either by ferry or plane you and your dog are able to travel freely. Traveling with a dog is an excellent way to explore a new city, you end up meeting lots of locals and discovering new parks. Sitting outside at a Parisian cafe with a dog in tow is a great way to feel like a local!

Please do not try to act too much like a local in Paris, the city has a lot of dog poo on the streets. If you do bring your dog on vacation with you please pick up after your dog regardless of the local customs.

Watch this space for tips on where to take your dog in France!