We often hear dog owners say that their dog is a member of the family and rightly so, with many owners going as far as to see their dogs as their children, so why do these same owners put their beloved pet at such risk?

Last Sunday my granddaughter Bethan won the title of Overall Individual Champion and helped her team to a  gold medal in the South Area Novice gymnastics competition in Wales. As many of you will know, this sport involves swinging on bars, vaulting over huge obstacles, not to mention flipping backwards on a four inch beam and all without a padded suit and safety helmet.  This sport is so brilliant, as the level of dedication and discipline that is required (often from very young children) is incredible and she loves it.

As you can imagine all of this happens under strict rules, one of which is that no child is allowed on any apparatus without an instructor being present, to keep the child safe but also to guide their movements and aid success by quiet encouragement.

Whilst Bethan is encouraged and permitted to do all of this she is never allowed to venture far from the house without supervision, as she is only 10 years old. Even though it is clear that she is extremely responsible and has great self-control, she has yet to learn of the many dangers that our societies can hold and it will be many years before she is considered experienced enough to do any different.

Our modern world can be so dangerous for anyone who does not know the rules and as our rules have no reality to a dog it can never cope with everything out there, no matter how well 'trained' it may be.

Children and dogs have one very important thing in common, which is that they are both so vulnerable, they can never be expected to know how to survive in the modern world, they cannot recognise many dangers and so we teach our children to stay away from strangers and to let someone know if a stranger tries to make 'friends' with them. We take no chances with their safety, yet so many people allow strangers to approach their dogs to stroke them and if the dog were to snap at the person then the dog would be blamed. When a dog warns the owner of a stranger approaching it is often shouted at or worse still punished.

I invite all loving owners to protect their dog, just as you would your child from the mistakes of others and the possible dangers that are out there.

Our dogs can never begin to understand our world and need us to watch over them for their entire life and even if they are obedience champions, the world that we bring them to will always be beyond their comprehension and it is up to us to keep them safe.

Jan Fennell

16th November 2011

(Hope you enjoy these floor exercises.)

Amazing Back Fliping Poodle!!!