Last Month was National Walk Your Dog Week and today Celebrity Pet Lifestyle Expert and Animal Behaviorist Colleen Paige, brings awareness to the ever increasing problem of canine behavior issues and canine obesity in America. Sponsored by Animal Miracle Network, it aims to improve the health and well being of America’s dogs and sends the message to unchain your dogs!
Paige says, “With more and more people becoming sedentary and gaining weight due to a lack of exercise, dogs don’t get the necessary outlet they need to stay physically and mentally healthy. I feel that part of the overpopulation of dogs in this country is hugely associated with our growing waistlines. Generally, the less a person exercises, the less a dog exercises. Having trained thousands of dogs in the last twenty years, it’s my estimation that at least 75% of dogs in shelters are there due to a lack of exercise, which has thus resulted in serious behavior issues such as aggression, destruction and separation anxiety issues.
“Often, dogs run away from home because they’re kept sequestered all day long in a crate or a small yard, which only exacerbates a dog’s destructive, aggressive or anxious tendencies. This, coupled with too much fatty food, leads to obesity, as well as medical issues like pancreatitis, diabetes, heart disease and the number one killer of dogs – cancer. October is a beautiful time of year everywhere to get outside. Walking your dog on a daily basis not only increases the endorphins in both human and canine brains {happy chemicals} but it improves the bond between the two.”
Speaking for myself, every day in my dog’s life is Walk your Dog Day. I take pride that Sanchez gets at least one off-leash run and an on-leash walk every single day, rain or shine. Sanchez is seven years old and is in excellent physical condition. And all the walks inspire me to take breaks from long hours at both of my keyboards – the grand piano with 88 keys as well as the computer keyboard.
Read more: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/its-national-walk-your-dog-week.html#ixzz14fRVsbms
