The forecast was finally for a warm weekend, so we headed for the beach. It turned out to be so hot that we had to find shade for the dogs. They loved it down at the water's edge where the sea was cooling and there was a delicious breeze, but back up the beach, they sat happily in the shade, peeping out from time to time to see if it was time to go for another paddle.

We had a wonderful day at the beach today. We had fun, the dogs had fun, and we made sure that the dogs didn't stop anyone else having fun. That may sound an odd thing to say, but I love being able to take Buddy and Star with us on a day out. They both adore the beach - having a paddle, enjoying a dig in the sand and so on. I am convinced that if dog owners allow their dogs to spoil the good time others are trying to have we will be banned from more and more places.

Today is a "guest appearance" in the blog, with a post by Jenny.

Now I know Border Collies are different from many other breeds, and need occupying, but I'm really not sure this is the way to go about it. Here you can read an article about Kirin who has been taught to do squat type exercises on command. All very well and good, except I'm not sure how good it is for her back legs. I always worry about dogs who are required to even walk upright on their back legs a lot, but standing on them and raising and lowering herself must be putting a ton of unnecessary strain on Kirin's legs.

She wags her tail as she's doing it, and do like the clever way she tries to find a handy wall or piece of agility equipment to lean on for balance.

Is it clever training? - yes it is. Is it good for the dog? - I wouldn't have thought so, but if any vets or other health experts reading can shed light on the subject, please do.

Take care,

Julie x

Dogs Trust do an incredible job in the UK rehoming dogs and making those in their shelters as happy as possible. At my local shelter there are a mother and son looking for a new home together. They look lovely and I hope they are soon happily settled with a new owner. Bless 'em.

MUMS THE WORD AT DOGS TRUST RODEN

Mother and Son, Duke and Sheba, desperate for a home together