Fair weather walkers

MojoTilly · Master

Fair weather walkers

max · Enlightened One

Odd is,nt it I can be out in snow storms and thunder storms yet I hardly ever see the usual walkers that always there when the weather is fine. At the end of the day dogs need walked what ever the weather. Skin is waterproof.

Nora

yvonne · Master

I was down at Irvine beach walking my two with my pal and her GSD. Not one other person did we see along the WHOLE length of the beach...... NOT ONE!!!!!! and those of you who know Irvine beach know its very very long. It was however peeing down with rain and a bit baltic.

Fair weather walkers right enough. lol

Christine Young · GAL Newsletter Editor

I meet lots of new people walking their dogs in good weather. On the wet days only the regular dog walkers are out 'n' about. I've been out in absolutely atrocious blizzard conditions with Vegas in the middle of a field where about 6 of us hard core dog walkers huddled together. The dogs of course were having a ball in the blizzard, playing chases and snow basking!! Great fun for them - but us humans almost got frostbitten!

Christine

Dave · Enlightened One

blimey Debbie, your Greyhound goes out in the rain..

..you must have a strange model...

Sunny girl · Master

I was walking in the park tonight in the pooring rain and thinking the same thing where is everybody. I can only guess they have gardens that they can let the dogs into when its raining. Sadly living in a flat I don't have that luxury so its 5 walks a day even for first and last pees.

Dave you gave me a faulty model too. Sunny won't even let me miss one walk even if its pouring down, she has a built in walk time radar, you can set your watch by it. She quite likes the rain, but hates the wind.

Landess and sunny

MojoTilly · Master

Yep, Tilly seems to quite like the rain (unlike our last dog who used to cross the road to avoid getting his feet wet in a puddle) although she is happiest when she wears her posh coat we got her from the GAL shop (quick plug!). Tilly doesn't seem to have a problem with the wind - apart from her own! She is happiest, though, when lying sound asleep on our lawn in the sun (the part she hasn't yet finished churning up!).

As for people with big gardens, we have a reasonable sized garden (though not huge) and still feel that Tilly needs to go out at least twice a day to catch up on the daily doggy news. When we worked at Battersea, where many of the people who came to get dogs lived in blocks of flats, more often than not the very best homes were those without gardens because you could guarantee that the owner would take their dog for a walk because they physically had to. It would be very easy (although unfair to the dog) to just let the dog out in the garden twice a day, much like one of our neighbours.....

Jennifer · Big Cheese

Sunny girl wrote:

Sadly living in a flat I don't have that luxury so its 5 walks a day even for first and last pees.

This is the case with me too, walks if its raining or not!

I notice all winter you only ever see the same folk (comitted walkers LOL) then during the summer months, dogs and owners that were about the previous summer, start to appear again. Surely these walkers cant just let the dogs out in the garden all winter?

-- Edited by Jennifer at 23:00, 2006-05-15

FAJ · Enlightened One

I've got one dodgy greyhound and one proper greyhound. One is happy to go out whatever the weather and the other one gets a face on that could curdle milk at the first sight of rain. Guess which is which!!

Jay · Old Hand

Ours are similar:

Denver - Too daft to even know its raining, goes out mo matter what

Boston - Knows its raining but goes out cos he loves his walks, but won't go into the garden...

Lita - Aging Princess. Wont go in rain. Wont walk through puddles. Full stop.

I was wondering if its because their eyes, compared to other breeds, are exposed and therefore their vision is compromised in rain. Hence the aversion??

greyluvver · GAL Membership Co-Ordinator

If its raining very heavy & windy, Max is crafty and will walk behind you for a bit of shelter!!
Tyler doesn't worry about the rain.

Jason, I didn't realise greys eyes are more exposed than other breeds. In what way?

Amber · Master

Mine go out in all weather too, though not having a garden, we don't really have a choice there!

Fair weather walkers - don't get me started! Like Sunday drivers, they often seem to have no clue about manners and naturally their dogs have zero recall (since they only get walked when the sun's out, which is not v often) and run up to mine, which is a total nightmare for Oscar, as he is fear aggressive toward strange dogs, particularly those that approach him when he is on a lead and under control.

In fact, I quite like it when the sun goes away and we get the usual dreich weather back as it means we can usually go on a walk without being assualted by rude off lead dogs.

FAJ · Enlightened One

Amber wrote:

In fact, I quite like it when the sun goes away and we get the usual dreich weather back as it means we can usually go on a walk without being assualted by rude off lead dogs.

Amen to that!!!

Jay · Old Hand

I just wondered if this was the cause. Lita (our Lita, not you!!!) has eyes which protude quite a bit, (ie they bulge, but don't tell her I said that!). She is the worst in the rain, but Denvers are set back in his head more then hers are and he is better.

When compared to other breeds like Labs and Collies and the like it seems to me that Greys eyes are more exposed. Ie not much hair or "eyebrows." Just got me wondering if there was any connection.

That and the fact that GHs reliy on sight more than other breeds...

FAJ · Enlightened One

In the spirit of recent poetic postings, here's my ode to "Rainy Days and Greyhounds".......

Beloved are the greys
Who don't mind rainy days
And do their business come what may,
Like Harry.

Still beloved are the greys
Who hate the rainy days
And force their mums to walk round and round the blummen streets and fields for ages in the bucketing rain getting thoroughly soaked before grudgingly producing a dribble of widdle and a poo the size of a stunted acorn,
Like Pearly!

(Harrumph. Think I need some hot chocolate.)

Teresa · Enlightened One

hmm. dave and daisy not keen on rain. they take one look out the back door and decide that the garden can wait until they are desperate for wees and/or poos !!

if we get them ready for their walk - ie, putting on coats and leads etc - they're keen until we open the door and they see the rain. somehow the idea of a walk seems to lose its appeal but we drag them out anyway!

i see what you mean about the eyes - they do seem more exposed than other breeds so it might be a contributing factor in deciding about walks!

Jay · Old Hand

Hes not so bad now but Boston once went 17 hours without a pee cos it was raining.

Is that a record or can anyone beat it?

Lucretia · Old Hand

This post made me laugh, I thought the term "Fair Weather Walkers" was just something my lot used!

The walks I usually go are great and relatively peaceful, but on a sunny day you can't move for people who you never normally see, one of my favourites being a woman who shouts at me that her dog never comes back to her so she just doesn't bother putting it on a lead - which is fine, but I had to rescue it from a 60mph road a couple of weeks back, dragging it against its will from the road whilst still holding my own dog, and all the while she made no attempt to come after it!

PS I think my dog is an oddball, he doesn't mind the rain. Maybe because I have to walk him 4-5 times a day, and he has learned that he has no choice in the matter, and rainy walks always mean getting rubbed down with a towel, which of course he loves!

MojoTilly · Master

Jay wrote:

Hes not so bad now but Boston once went 17 hours without a pee cos it was raining. Is that a record or can anyone beat it?

Our last Lurcher, Eeyore, once went for 18 hours as it was raining!!! And boy did he do the most enourmous pee when he did eventually venture out!!!!!! Just about flooded the place!

Valerie · Guru

Agree with all of this, and often noticed how little some poor dogs are walked. Biscuit likes all weather really, and the wind makes him more skittish than usual. I agree about the comment about the eyes, because being sight hounded eyes (more on the side of the head, and a bit exposed), I've noticed Biscuit "squinting" his eyes against strong winds!