October 2021, FREE
Guinea Pigs & small pets looking cute
JANETTA HARVEY: For the Love of Schnauzers Vet
Photo courtesy of The Michigan Paw pet accessories
Vet
The healing power of horses
Horses, like many animals, have long been held to have therapeutic bene
Vet
Many people enjoy horse
that the use of horses dates back 6,000 years. However, riding, and choose to have more recently it has been their own horses. But you recognised that the partnership might not know that there between horses and people can are many psychological and go beyond work and leisure, to provide educational and physical health bene ts to therapeutic benefits you might equestrian activities. We've not know about.
asked Katie Allen-Clarke
Equine Facilitated Education and Therapy (EFET) can be a come over to Pets Mag and great choice for many people. It is a form of therapy that allows take us through all the budding horse enthusiasts to ways that horses can be learn and develop through therapeutic. horses. It involves horse riding, looking after horses, and Horses and humans have had a learning in practical settings. long and enduring connection, This form of therapy can with many people estimating benefit many individuals, but
fi
fi
s
from Horse & Country TV to
particularly those with learning disabilities. Here are some of the many things that EFET can provide support and learning for. Building con dence with horse Working with horses can be a major confidence booster, for many different reasons. Even just spending time with such a large, powerful animal and being in control can show many people their own potential to accomplish things in the world.
The Riding for the Disabled Association found that 77% of people they have worked with thought their confidence had improved. Horses also provide instant feedback on your actions, so you can see instantly when you do something good, such as stroking them or giving them the right command. This is great for making people feel more confident and capable. Reducing anxiety through horse ridin
n
g
There is a lot of evidence that physical exercise and
movement can reduce anxiety, and horse riding and looking after horses is no exception. The physical movement of horse riding helps people concentrate on their actions and their bodies, and the exercise relieves some of the bodily tension that builds up through anxiety.
Improving movement and cognitive functio
As well as reducing anxiety, being around and riding horses can be helpful for people with learning disabilities as it improves movement and cognitive function. This is because when you ride horses, you practice balance, and Completing tasks and learning develop muscles that you don't how the tack room, stable, and use much in everyday life. The arena are organised and looked physical benefits also extend to after, also helps people to feel building muscle strength and in control and take on bigger improving posture. practical problems. Riding and looking after horses also provides a safe environment for many people
with learning disabilities, in which they can practice responding to others and what is happening around them. This can improve reactions and hand-eye coordination. Developing social skills around horse
s
Spending time with horses can also help people with learning disabilities to explore and develop social skills. In fact, the Riding for the Disabled Association found that 68% of the people they worked with felt that they had improved their communication.
Giving instructions to horses and building relationships with individual animals gives people a wealth of opportunities to build their communicational abilities. Making friends not only with horses, but the helpers in the sessions, gives people a community and social support as well as physical exercise. Spending time with horses and exploring EFET can help people with learning disabilities reap all the benefits of the relationship between humans and horses. Whilst people have enjoyed horse riding and keeping horses
recreationally for many years, there are so many psychological, physical and social positives of working with horses as well.
Vet
Cuteness comes in small creatures
Suits you, Sir!
There really is no other point of this feature than to bring your some muchdeserved cuteness. The Michigan Paw is, as far as we can see, the only retailer specialising in handmade crocheted accessories for small animals including create handmade crochet accessories for small pets such as guinea pigs, bunnies, cats, and small dogs. The US based company has a growing fan base and ships internationally; most items with FREE P&P. See their Etsy shop or Instagram for more information.
Vet
Trick or treat?
Vet
Pretty in Pink
Vet
Sombrero Kids!
For the love of
Schnauzers
JANETTA HARVEY is author of ‘Saving Susie-Belle’, a personal account of life with adopted dog, Susie-Belle, a survivor of the worst of commercial puppy breeding industry. The sequel, ‘Saving One More’ examines the global puppy breeding business and updates readers on life shared these days with Susie-Belle’s adopted canine sister, another, severely damaged by her years of imprisonment in a UK puppy farm. She is a leading campaigner and advocate for animal welfare, and founder of the charity, Schnauzerfest . Here, Janetta writes about her latest initiative.
Vet
What happens when a rescue is faced with a vet bill of £6000 to save a dog’s life? Hope Rescue in Wales was in this situation and turned to Schnauzerfest, the charity I founded in memory of my dog Susie-Belle (pictured right with Janetta). The charity pays for veterinary treatment for rescue dogs like Teddy who was in the
I founded Schnauzerfest exactly for cases like Teddy’s. To offer a financial lifeline to rescues. The given to them when his charity pays large bills like owners left him with the Teddy’s to routine treatments vet facing an uncertain such as vaccinations, dentals, future. He was seriously ill spay and neutering.
health problems. This was on top of having everything to learn about living with humans for the first time in her life. Kind humans were an unfamiliar experience for her, she had no way of understanding that we were and later investigations While the charity is young - it nothing to worry about. By found he had a liver shunt, only gained official registration restoring her eye sight it helped in late 2019 - it really started 10 to remove one of the barriers to a serious condition years ago when I adopted her learning to enjoy life. requiring specialist Susie-Belle. She had received surgery. Schnauzerfest cataract surgery when she’d As soon as I adopted Susiefunded Teddy’s treatment been saved from a puppy farm. Belle I began fundraising. Restoring Susie-Belle’s vision Knowing that Susie-Belle’s and he now has a bright was a great gift of kindness surgery came at a cost of and healthy future ahead from the rescue which cared for several thousand pounds I her. While not life saving it was wanted to support rescue work of him. life changing. Susie-Belle, like so that other dogs could benefit many dogs coming out of the as she had. The majority of my breeding industry had multiple fundraising supported the
care of Hope. He’d been
rescue centre where SusieBelle was cared for, but as the years passed I came to see the enormous need for financial support in the wider world of rescue. In 2014 I started Schnauzerfest as a simple fundraiser. It was based on friends organising dog walks amongst themselves and collecting donations. Every year the Schnauzerfest community grew, more people became interested in fundraising under the Schnauzerfest banner. Our iconic orange theme grabbed both attention and imaginations on social media and when people were out walking with their dogs. We gathered a tremendous amount of support not just within the schnauzer owning community but from other dog lovers who joined the walks and other fundraising events we ran on social media.
In 2019, before it became a charity, Schnauzerfest appeared on ITV’s Britain’s Top 100 Dogs for our work highlighting the problems of puppy farming and the need to support good rescue work. It’s always been important to Teddy me not only to fundraise but to bring attention to the reasons why it is so badly needed.
Educating people about puppy farming, how to source dogs well and avoid falling into the many traps there are today is a central part of Schnauzerfest’s
work. The charity has a strong educational purpose, enshrined in its constitution.
I always knew Schnauzerfest
of the world and raised
farming and
being a charity was a big step to £19,000.
Schnauzerfest
take and would involve plenty of challenges, as well as new
Our supporters love having
opportunities. However, we
more flexible events and ways
faced an immense challenge in
to support us and in October
•
times about the challenge
2020, our first year and the one we have a brand new monthwhen a pandemic hit! It forced long hybrid event happening. us to radically rethink
One that can be done in
everything. Our established
gatherings, with friends, or
fundraiser - nationwide dog
more quietly from the sofa.
•
Donate £10
•
Pick your 10 - do your own thing and tell us about it
We’re really looking forward to
walks - had to be
seeing what everyone does.
abandoned. But,
With everything to do with
With everything to do with Schnauzerfest, it’s about having fun while raising awareness and funds.
with the amazing community of supporters which
Schnauzerfest, it’s about having fun while raising awareness and funds. Sadly, Susie-Belle died in
Schnauzerfest
2015. Schnauzerfest is her
has, we not only
legacy and she continues to
survived our first year we did it
#Schnauzerfest10For10 invites
inspire me. Every day I am
in some style!
everyone to do something
awed by the generosity of
around the number 10, in the
Schnauzerfest’s volunteers and
From scratch we created a new
tenth month of the year, of the
supporters who make
event, Schnauzerfest Walks
tenth year since Susie-Belle was everything the charity does possible. adopted and this whole thing
The Globe. The aim was to get
enough pledges of support from started! people that one lap of the globe Take 10 walks • (24901 miles) would be walked between October- the
•
Walk 10 miles
traditional month of
•
Walk with 10 others
the year. We achieved that in
•
Walk at 10 (am or pm)
under 48 hours. So we
•
Get 10 sponsors
extended the challenge! By
•
Wear 10 days of orange or 10 items of orange
completion, over 400 supporters had covered 5 laps
•
Tell 10 people about
rescue dogs, puppy
(dogs or people or both)
Schnauzerfest - and the end of
Post on social media 10
Ember
Ember had overcome a lot of
Ember and will pay for any
her anxiety arising from her
surgery in future.
When Ember was saved from a
background. As she will always
puppy farm at a year old she'd
be partially sighted, and
already had a litter of puppies.
potentially blind one day, she is www.schnauzerfest.org
She also had cataracts in both
staying with her fosterer
and follow Schnauzerfest
eyes. Just as she was about to
permanently.
on social media
To find out more visit
@Schnauzerfestuk.
have cataract surgery, lockdown hit and her surgery
As soon as it is decided that
was cancelled.
surgery is the right thing for Ember, her cataract surgery
By the time it was possible,
will go ahead.
sadly one eye had developed complications and surgery was
Schnauzerfest supports the
no longer possible. After
ongoing veterinary costs for
months with her fosterer,