Paws, Pars and Promises...
Golf – as Mark Twain supposedly once said – “a good walk spoiled”. I can certainly attest to that having dusted off my clubs towards the end of 2025 having not touched them for 8 years. It is also important to point out that the reason for this long hiatus was because I am fairly useless at golf and after a particularly torrid experience on a course in 2017 I had decided that I had enough pastimes in my life without enduring an additional one - which generally resulted in negative emotions!
The reason for this change in attitude? The fact that both my boys (aged 11 and 13) have become rather obsessed by it. Given that the consequence of this is many an hour spent in the fresh air, for them it is a “boring walk made interesting” and therefore something to encourage…. Time is a healer, hence the pains of nigh a decade ago had dulled, and I thought spending some quality time on the links with my progeny could only be a good thing. Suffice to say that this quality time was somewhat marred by the quality of my golf. It is certainly a time for self-reflection when your 11 year old son takes pity on you after half a dozen holes and says, “do you want to take that again, Dad?”! The unintentionally condescending nature of this comment has made me resolve that I need to get better at this golf thing if we are to maintain any chance of a golfing relationship in the future!
So, along with the standard New Year’s resolutions to lose weight, drink less, row across the Atlantic etc, I have decided to get some golf lessons. This has got me thinking about whether it is feasible to set new year’s resolutions for our pets. Other than the obvious diet for those who are a bit on the portly side, it isn’t fair to impose a regime on them that would negatively impact them. However, we can resolve to instigate changes that will have a positive impact such as:
· Prioritise dental hygiene. So many of our pets have bad breath, rotten teeth and gingivitis. Brushing their teeth (if they are amenable) and feeding dental kibble are two ways to improve this and prevent dental disease. There are also a variety of adjunctive products such as dental gels and mouthwashes which are an aid but generally less effective. If the teeth are bad enough a dental procedure may be indicted to descale, polish and remove any diseased teeth. If you’d like any advice on this, just get in touch and we can arrange a dental check up – this is FREE for Health Plan Members.
· Give them a bath or a brush! A bit like watching chimps picking parasites off each other on a David Attenborough documentary, most pets love a bit of a spruce up, so get the zoom groom or the pet shampoo out, or contact your local groomers for a professional job!
· Teach them a new trick. Our pets like spending time with us and teaching them new skills or attending classes or events such as dog agility is a great way to do this. It’s also a great opportunity for pet (and pet owner!) socialisation.
· Mix up the routine. More for dogs this one, but try some different walks or different areas, or even visit a pet café. Yes, these do exist – often offering breed specific events!
On the last point, one thing I did see whilst on the golf course, was an individual walking his border terrier at the same time as playing a round - which seemed to be a great bit of multi-tasking. However, I’m not sure it would work for our two labradors, who would probably “retrieve” every golf ball that they could find - with a ban from the golf course the likely result. This certainly would be a good walk spoiled!
