I have written this text thinking about the reality in Eastern Europe. So many dogs there never go for a walk because their owners believe that the garden is good enough or that the dog is to guard the property and has no rights.
Here you have the text written in Polish, just translation into English. I am so happy seeing it is not the case here, in Edinburgh. I hope it is like that in the whole Scotland or even UK. I am still discovering your country, so please, let me know what it looks like here.
“I have a garden so that the dog will be fine with me.”
Nothing could be further from the truth. I dare say that most dogs living in blocks of flats are happier than most dogs living in houses with a garden. For two reasons:
- the main point of the dog’s life is social contacts
- having a garden, people become lazy
ad.1) The dog, like a human, is a social animal. For happiness, he needs other individuals. Also of its own specie.
Living alone in the garden is like a life sentence under house arrest without a phone, radio, television, or internet. Imagine that from today you live alone, without the possibility of leaving the house. You have books, but eventually, you get bored. From the novelty, you will have leaflets that the letter carrier can slip under your door. If you’re lucky, someone will talk to you through the door for a while (other dogs passing on the other side of the fence). Besides, all-encompassing boredom. Not a very alluring prospect, is it?
I don’t even want to think about dogs that aren’t allowed into the house! At first, people go out to the puppy and play with him. Later, the effect of novelty disappears, and people less and less often find time and desire for it. Additionally, a dog living outdoors is dirty and stinks. And what would we smell like, living in the park for a year? It’s not the dog’s fault that it was raining, and he had to lie in the mud. Instead, he is punished for it: his people no longer want to touch him, stroke him, or play with him “Because he will get me dirty!”, “Because he stinks”.
A man is so wise, and taking a dog did not foresee it? So now the animal suffers loneliness. Think about the summer heat and the lack of water in the bowl (because it got spilt because it evaporated because someone forgot to pour), rain and rheumatic pains in old age, and cold, lonely winter nights …
IT IS A NIGHTMARE that should not have a raison d’être in today’s world.
As Mahatma Gandhi said, “The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.” I fully agree with that.
Ad.2) The plan is often beautiful: the dog has a garden, but in addition to this, he will go out for walks three times a day. In the beginning, he does. Later, it turns out that no one has time for it, and the desire is less than before. One walk a day is enough – after all, he has a garden. Autumn spit comes, and everyone prefers to sit under a blanket with a hot tea. Walks are at the weekend – if the weather is good. Here’s a surprise: the dog doesn’t come back for summoning! => ceases to be unleashed => begins to jerk => people jerk the dog, trying to control him => begins to throw himself at other dogs => owners are ashamed to go out “with such a dog” => the dog stops going outside the garden.
Now: an explanation of WHY this happens:
If the dog does not go out for walks regularly, then when he finally does, he tries to enjoy freedom. How can we expect him to come back? After all, he knows they will pin the leash on him and lead him to the boring garden.
The result is not more frequent walks (we humans always see the fault in the dog; somehow, we are reluctant to think about our own behaviour and the impact of our behaviour on the current situation…). Instead, we decide not to let the dog off the leash. Oh, horror!
Sometimes it is added to this “until it gets smarter!” And how is he supposed to get smarter? How can he learn to come back on call when he is not let go of it? It’s like I said: I’ll let you drive and buy you a car (in that order) when you get your driving license!!!
Eventually, the dog is no longer let off the leash.
His heart breaks out to play with other dogs and sniff the whole park, meadow, and grass. He would like to run finally! So… He pulls.
The man again, instead of wondering WHY the dog pulls, decides to make it stop. He starts jerking the dog to control him.
The suffering caused by spikes from the new collar sticking into the neck is less poignant than the desire for freedom – so the dog pulls on.
A new element appears: when he pulls towards the dog he meets (he dreams of social contacts!) – the owner stops him with a jerk. The pain increases significantly. Over time, the dog associates: every time I see a dog, it hurts more. What can I do about it? First, scare that dog is the one away so that he doesn’t come up and it doesn’t hurt again. Then a person thinks that his dog “pounces on other dogs” and becomes even more ruthless. His ward reacts more and more panicked to dogs. He wants to scare them away from an increasing distance. It turns out that he is aggressive and lands in the garden for life imprisonment …
Even if similar mistakes are made by the owner of a dog living in a block of flats, he will take the animal for a walk. Maybe for a short time, but EVERY DAY. At least 3 times per day. Let’s add that regular walks reduce the risk (although, unfortunately, they do not exclude) of falling into the vicious circle described above…
I hope you understand why, in my opinion, most block dogs do better than most house dogs.
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