Miss Chien – Flickr
You may judge me, if you wish, as one of those typical animal lovers who is too girly to like bugs and creepy crawlies.
Yet girly is never a word anyone who knows me would use to describe me. I have terribly slimy experiences with snails while being forced into helping my parents garden. I am scarred from childhood my friends.
Scientists have now discovered what we thought to be super-slow-slimy-snails are actually quite the movers.
Research conducted by Dr Dave Hodgson has found that:
They’re not that fast – but they’re fast enough to cover about 10m overnight
Although the idea that they harmlessly attached small LED lights to snails to research this paints a pretty picture for my garden!
theledlightingcompany – flickr
While these findings aren’t enough for us to start running for the hills as snails take over the world, they do mean there’s a new concern for dog owners.
Snails have been found to carry a parasite that can be deadly to our pooches. Snails can spread angiostrongylus vasorum – to you and me that’s a kind of lung worm.
With the number of snails increasing – by about 50% in the last year according to the Royal Horticultural Society – that could start spelling disaster for our domesticated canines.
We all know dogs get into everything they possibly can, and just like little kids, they explore the world with their mouths so it’s very easy for them to accidentally snatch up a snail. Be especially careful if you have a French breed they might be more partial to this new cuisine.
So dog owners be warned! Keep an extra keen eye on your pooches when they’re in the garden or sniffing about on walks, it could save their life!
You can read the BBC’s coverage here.
Everyone at some point has looked at their lazing hound or snoring kitty and thought “wow, what an easy life, not a worry in the world.”
But we never think of how the changes in our lives really change our pets’ lives too.
Confused Molly – Sang Valte Flickr
Anyone who has moved house with a pet in-tow will know the stress an animal can go through. My personal experience had me in hysterics when my kitties were panting they were so stressed out. It’s difficult to uproot any animal from its original home, but as long as they have a constant (i.e. you) then slowly but surely they should settle.
Hugo Cardoso Flickr
What people don’t think about is those who leave their pets behind. It’s no secret that a lot of people are making cuts on their spending and even I have fallen to the downsizing trend.
But it’s becoming an increasing trend (according to my obsession with watching RSPCA rescue programmes) that people are leaving their pets behind.
Six people needed to rescue 12-stone St Bernard dog
When I first read the title of this article on BBC News Online, I gasped a little with the sheer size of the dog and the comedy of needing six people to move it.
But the story behind this is that this dog along with a cat and a hamster were simply abandoned.
I could never bring myself to abandon an animal because I know that no domestic pet can fend for itself. Despite the belief cats are independent, they are not used to hunting to stay alive. Dogs are pack animals, they cannot live by themselves with no one filling their food dish. And as for the hamster; those bars are made to withstand those teeth so it doesn’t have a hope at all.
Too many people are abandoning their animals and costing charities like the RSPCA thousands of pounds to rescue, rehabilitate, and re-home these pets.
“If people have pets they cannot care for, for any reason, then help and advice is always available from the RSPCA and other animal charities.” – RSPCA Inspector Gemma Cooper
Please share the message that there are alternatives to abandoning pets or leaving them to starve.
If you know anyone who is struggling then let them know there are charities there to help and places that can find a home for a pet that has the funding to support pets (let’s be honest that 12-stone St Bernard must have had a hefty food bill!).
Find help on the RSPCA website http://www.rspca.org.uk/home
animalaffairs 