National Microchipping Month

As of 2016, it will be compulsory for all dogs to be microchipped so, as June is National Microchipping Month, why not go and get your doggie microchipped? Although I have fortunately never gone missing, there could always be a first, which is why it is vital that I'm microchipped. Sadly, at the moment, there are over 16,000 dogs missing in the UK. Although many of these losses may have been a result of an unpreventable cause, the chance of any dog being returned to their owners is greatly increased if a vet is able to simply scan a found dog and return them to their owner, which is why the Kennel Club and Petlog are urging dog owners to get their dogs microchipped. Losing any dog is horrific for its owner but having the knowledge that your dog is microchipped can provide a huge amount of confidence for the owner that they'll get their dog back. 

Is your dog already microchipped? Fantastic! However, I still highly recommend checking that the details associated with the microchip are up to date as otherwise reuniting you with your dog could prove very difficult. 

Shown below is an adorable video of some happy doggies welcoming home their owners. I hope that my humans think I give just as good reactions when they get home...

So, get your doggies microchipped or update your details now! 

Talk soon, Jasper x

Click here to be taken to the PetLog website to check that your details are current.

To find out more about the Kennel Club's campaign to get more dogs microchipped, visit their website here.

A Fantastic Day!

When we had arrived at the dog hospital, the rate of wags-per-minute by my tail suddenly diminished. I had thought my days were over at the place, but seemingly I was very wrong.

What was I doing there? 

Was I there for yet another check-up?

Was I having another operation? 

I had started to panic and refused to budge from the comforts of my crate. There was no WAY I was going back into the hospital! But then the humans started laughing at me. "He doesn't know what he's got in store for him," they cackled. At that point, I had had enough and finally allowed the humans to lift me out of my beloved room in the boot of the car. Surely, they weren't going to put me through another miserable ordeal. 

And I was right. I was going to experience my first session of the wonder that is hydrotherapy!

That half-an-hour session in the pool was possibly one the greatest moments of my life. Firstly, they had put a life-jacket on me and tried to get me to walk slowly down a ramp into the water. Of course, my idea of walking slowly is quite different to any human's but I got in the water all the same.

Then, the two ladies who were in the water with me gave me a massage to ease my stiff shoulder joint by rocking me slowly back and forth. To say I thought this was weird would be an understatement! I continually gave the humans 'the look' as they sat at the side of the pool. Once again, they laughed at me...

Following the massage was my favourite part of the session: I went for a swim! With one of my humans walking around the edge of the pool, the two water-humans held me as I surged as quickly as I could through the pool, trying to keep up with my human outside. I tried to make as big a splash as I possibly could as I did a circuit round the pool; I managed to get my previously-dry human wet which was a bonus! Did you know that one minute of swimming for a dog is the equivalent of a mile of running for a human?! No wonder us doggies seem to have stamina only a human could dream of having!

For the rest of session, I was massaged and then swam a lap of the pool, massaged and then swam a lap of the pool again. After the second massage, the water-humans gave me a brand-new, dazzling-green tennis ball to chase and hold which I was THRILLED about. After over 2 months of not being allowed a tennis ball, I had began feeling a bit deprived so this was definitely a highlight of the session! 

In conclusion, my first hydrotherapy lesson was a very positive experience and I CANNOT wait until the next time I am allowed back into that pool of loveliness. 

Talk soon, 

Jasper x