It’s national twin with your dog day today created by the lovely Kim O'Donnell from Leo Charley & Me. They hand make high quality, beautiful fabric accessories for dogs and owners with personality.
My dog's personality is anxious and she always wears a yellow harness so we often twin most of the year in our yellow! I either wear a yellow hoodie or a yellow t-shirt.
But do our personalities twin too?
So many owners of anxious dogs find it challenging walking their dogs. In a recent Animal Wellbeing Report by the PDSA the estimated dog population (March 2022) is 10.2 million dogs. Shockingly 45% of owners have concerns about walking their dogs. Do you get anxious about an off lead walk or walking alone with your dog? Do you return home after yet another stressful event, and your heart aches? Your confidence hits rock bottom.
Owners with higher stress levels tend to have dogs with higher stress levels too. Studies show that this relationship runs both ways. Owners that experienced long term stress and anxiety can pass it on to their pooches as dogs are quite good at understanding humans.
In order for dogs and their owners to overcome their fears they must face them with practical support. And yellow is such an important tool when you own a fearful dog. Yellow accessories for your dog act as a visual reminder and are a powerful way to communicate that your dog needs space. They give me confidence, they show my dog's personality.
Let’s turn the anxiety around and walk with confidence and enjoy those walks again.