A new year…
and so many topics are running through my head…
Annual review, new year and good resolutions, new projects…or maybe the New Year’s dogs?
Maybe a bit of everything?
Last year was a special one for me. I married my wife. We met by chance in 2019 and are so wonderfully on the same wavelength that I don’t want to be without her for a single day. Above all, we share our love of dogs and our passion for helping people build a better relationship with their dog. I am very grateful for that (gratitude…also a great topic for the blog).
I learned a lot last year from the dogs in my training and also from meeting special people…that leads me to new projects and new approaches for the new year. I don’t think much of good resolutions for myself because I usually didn’t keep them and they caused more frustration than joy. That doesn’t mean that I don’t set myself goals…they are definitely on my list!
But now I want to get to my real topic…you’ll find out more about my goals in the coming months…
The New Year’s Eve dogs…that’s what I call them. I mean the poor frightened creatures that are reported missing around New Year’s Eve. Who, frightened by rockets and firecrackers, just run away in panic…headless and no longer responsive.
Before New Year’s Eve, I regularly post videos and posts in which I give tips on how to secure a dog for the last walks before the end of the year, so that they can’t slip out of the collar and harness if a firecracker explodes right next to them. I also regularly recommend keeping dogs on a leash in the days around New Year’s Eve. Ideally, you walk the dog by its collar and harness at the same time. On these special days, I deliberately tighten my dogs’ collars one more hole to make sure that they don’t turn their heads out in an emergency. The typical harnesses are pull harnesses, which means they sit comfortably and distribute the load over the body when the dog goes forward. However, if the dog goes backwards while the harness is pulled forward, it easily slips over the shoulders and head and you have… whoosh… the leash and harness in your hand and the dog is “naked”.
A so-called safety harness has an additional strap that runs behind the dog’s ribs. This means that the dog cannot slip out of the harness. If I also secure it to the collar, I am well prepared for one last walk of the old year.
I take my dogs out for the last time on December 31st between 4 and 5 p.m. After that, they go home and can retreat. We won’t go out again until the new year in the morning.
I had hoped that the New Year’s Eve fireworks wouldn’t be too loud and that people would rather invest their money wisely (although that is certainly in the eye of the beholder), but things turned out differently. Maybe I wasn’t used to anything after 2 quiet years due to the pandemic.
As early as December 31st, the first reports came in that dogs had run away in panic on walks as well as out of gardens.
I suffer with every dog owner who is looking for their furry friend and is doing everything they can to find them.
Our furry friends are capable of running long distances if something has made them panic. This makes finding them again very difficult.
I find it really horrifying when comments are posted under search messages in which the owners are only blamed and even insulted.
That certainly doesn’t help at this point!
The worries and fears about the dogs and the grief of having lost a dear friend are terrible.
Among the dogs currently missing is one who was with us for some time in training.
I sincerely hope that he will be found soon and can return home to his family.
If there is one resolution for the new year, it is that people should be more friendly and understanding towards one another. You don’t know each other’s history, you have never walked a single step in each other’s shoes.
Look behind the facade and reach out to help.
I think our world is in great need of helping hands right now!
Be good to each other.