This is a collaborative post with Purina
Unlike a lot of people who adopted a dog during lockdown, we adopted Darth Vader, an ex racing greyhound, after lockdown
Having been through two years of being in and out of lockdown and me working from home we decided the time was right to add another member to our family. One of the reasons, as well as wanting the companionship of a dog, was because we really felt it would help us all individually as well as bond our family unit. Each one of us had suffered due to lockdown; Little L was only three when lockdown started so he remembers little about life before, but Big L, who was eight, was hit pretty hard.
As I am immunosuppressed we took the decision to take the children out of school a week prior to them closing and started shielding. Knowing what we do now I would not shut us away again, but the fear of the unknown, and the fact it was government advice meant we felt that was what we should do to keep me, and our family, safe. Big L only saw friends via Zoom and it really took its toll where Little L was actually pretty happy to be at home with Mummy and Daddy each day.
Vader “roaching” on his back. This means he’s happy and content
I had wanted to adopt a dog for a long time
Big L had been campaigning for a dog for quite a while too. During lockdown we watched a show on Netflix called The Healing Powers of Dude with him. It’s a story about a boy who was homeschooled due to crippling anxiety, then he gets a dog, Dude, who helps him and he goes back to school and makes friends and learns to deal with his anxiety.
I could really see how having a dog would help Big L, and all of us really, so I started researching rescues that will rehome to families with young children, The Greyhound Trust ticked our boxes and have branches close by so I made enquiries. To cut a long story short we went to meet and walk the dogs and I can honestly say Vader chose us as much as we chose him!
Vader is an ex racing greyhound who retired due to breaking his leg. He’ll never race again and isn’t really supposed to run around, but try telling him that when he’s doing zoomies around the back garden!
Vader really is part of the family and enjoys his walks
The affect of diet on behaviour – not just for humans!
It has been recognised for a long time that diet plays a huge part on a humans behaviour but the same can also be said for dogs. Physically, having Vader has made us more active as a family; Monsieur Incidental and I take it in turns to walk him morning and night and weekends are now centered around walks we can go on as a family, they usually involve a trip to a cafe of some sort! The children’s behaviour is much improved after some exercise in the fresh air for sure.
But equally important for behaviour is diet. I know that when I feel down I tend to eat badly and there is no shame in that, but eating healthily really does pick me up and it is also known to help with brain function (and goodness knows I need all the help I can get on that score!) as well as stress. A dogs diet needs to be balanced for both physical and behavioural reasons in fact research from well known pet food brand, Purina, has shed a light on how gut bacteria can affect the brain and behaviour.
We want to do the best for Vader and for us
Knowing that feeding Vader a balanced diet and helping him cope with stress through dog CBD oils will not only help him physically but also help his behaviour, brain function and also ease any stress he may feel due to any changes is a great tool to have. Armed with that knowledge we can ensure he has all he needs to tackle any emotional obstacles he may face. Vader, being an ex racer, was taken from a kennels and he had never lived in a house before, plus he was in the constant company of other dogs. Now he lives in a house with us and is left overnight while we sleep upstairs and also for short periods during the day. Hopefully, with the right diet, we are able to help ease any of the stress he might feel.
Having a happy, content dog is so important for our family. We wanted to adopt a dog to offer him he chance of a better life and I really hope that that is what we are doing, simply by meeting his exercise needs, feeding him the right diet and giving him lots of love.
