Tigger Club News
By Animals - For Animals
news@tigger.club

 


A Nice Walk on the Beach

As the weather warms up it is  nice to go to the beach for a walk with your humans.
There are things you need to be careful of when walking on the beach.

Sand:
Yes sand feels nice on your paws but get your human to make sure the sand is not too hot for you to walk on.
Also there is the risk of objects that are hidden in the sand which may be poisonous or cause injury to you.

Where there is sand there is a risk of quicksand. Quicksand is caused by a hole filled up with loose sand and water which makes a gloopy mess that is very hard to walk through or get out of.
Also, depending on the size of the hole , you or your human may find yourself stuck or submerged.

Water:
Always take care when in the sea as the tide is always changing and  may pull you out to sea.
Drinking sea water is not good for you either as there is a high level of salt which can make you very sick.

Sun:
Yes I know in the UK this can be a rare event BOL!
Humans do not realise that we can get sunburnt and suffer heatstroke too.  So your humans need to keep an eye on you.

Seaweed:
Seaweed is in abundance on most beaches but you need to take care with seaweed that is dried out.
If you eat any it can expand inside you and cause a lot of damage or in some cases death.

Dead fish (and other dead things on the shoreline):
Apart from grossing your humans out by sniffing then rolling in something dead and stinky on the beach, you need to avoid going near anything like this.
The dead critter may have died from disease, but even if it didn’t it will now be jumping with bacteria and other nasty germs that can make you ill.

Jellyfish:
some jellyfish are poisonous and can make us very ill.
Even non poisonous jellyfish can cause problems as we may be allergic to them.

Palm Oil:
This can appear on beaches as white or grey jelly type or solid lumps, sometimes mistaken for washed up polystyrene.
These must be totally avoided as they are waste product and some humans had the bright idea of getting rid of it by dumping it out at sea.
After being dumped out at sea it travels the tides picking up a vast amount of nasty bacteria.

Seals:
Seals naturally  get out of the water and have a rest on the shoreline.
Normally they do it at times when there are not a lot of humans or dogs around.

They can be aggressive if they are disturbed and even more so if they have their young with them.

Keep away from the seals.
If your human is worried that the seal may be injured, tell them not to approach them and contact a local  wildlife or marine expert.

Other dogs:
Not all dogs get on with each other and not all dogs are allowed to run off lead on the beach.
If you came across another off lead dog make sure you listen to your humans if they call you away from that dog.
Never approach a dog that is on lead if you are off lead.

Humans:
If there are humans sitting on the beach don’t rush up to them as not everyone wants a soggy, sand covered slobbery cuddle from you.
Also avoid helping yourself to their picnics.

Keep well away from humans that are fishing as they have hooks, line , lead weights and other things that are harmful to you.