Instilling a fear of dogs into your kids

We were out and about this weekend with Jack (it was his first experience of crowds while standing on his own 4 paws, he did fantastically well, and with true pug pride was his usual fearless self.)

It was an interesting social experiment - as we all know, puppy's tend to draw a lot of admirers, and Jack is no exception. There were 2 very clear groups in the children that spotted him - those that ran up to him and asked if they could make a fuss of him and those that stood and pointed at him, whilst being dragged away by parents - twice I heard "don't touch, he might bite". What a terrible prejudice to instill in a small child. Yes, we should be concerned about "problem" dogs (and that is a whole other discussion), but to tar all dogs with the same brush is unfair to both children and dog kind. Parents should be teaching their children to treat all animals with respect, and fear does not teach them this.

I was brought up with numerous pets, have been bitten, clawed and scratched from a very young age (not to mention being kicked and stood upon by horses!), but learnt from that and have continued to love and respect pets. The fun and affection you receive in return is one of the best things in life, and it's very sad that many children miss out on this because of parental ignorance.

Pet Plan, probably the best pet insurance out there..

Having tried various pet insurance suppliers over the last 10 years, and claimed 3 if not 4 times, we've found Pet Plan to be the easiest to deal with and most prompt to pay up without quibble.

There's nothing more daunting when faced with a large vet bill, whether your insurance will cover it.

PetPlan offer 3 levels of cover (we've not found this with any other insurer and most other companies only offer the equivalent to PetPlans basic cover), to suit your pocket and level of requirement. There's also nothing stopping you changing the level of cover.

For more information on PetPlans cover and any current offers and a free quote, click the image above or this link to Petplan Pet Insurance

Jacks Product of the Week - Dog Doo Bags by Ezydog

These truly are one of our favourite EVER useful dog accessories. If like us, you can never leave the house for a walk without cash, keys and mobile phone and a stash of poo bags, and bulging pockets, the Ezydog Dog Doo bag is the product for you!

It attaches to your dogs lead or clicps to your belt loop. Available at JackPaws.com in 2 colours (red and blue), it's £6.75 - a very small price to pay for a little gadget you'll wonder how you ever lived without!