Pet buggies….love them or hate them?

I find that pet buggies can really divide people’s opinion…what do I think?

In my job I see many animals that are on restricted exercise, sometimes temporarily and sometimes for the longer term. The reasons for this are very varied, for some it might be an arthritis flare-up, for others it might be an injury or recovering from all varieties of surgery-some of which might take several months or more to recover from, sometimes it may be that full recovery is not even possible.

Buggies allow those animals, and owners alike, to experience the mental stimulation that a walk provides whilst being able to tailor exactly to the physical abilities of that animal on that specific day. Stimuli might include seeing people and dogs, being able to sniff somewhere different, being out in the fresh air…..the benefits go on. Allowing the dog out to exercise on a buggy walk means that new scents can be appreciated and the duration of exercise can be specific (without doing the same boring walk around the block!) - this means that the exercise is less likely to cause increased pain/stiffness later in day and actually work as part of the rehabilitation program.

Of course there are always people who disagree or don’t understand, and likewise in some instances buggies can be used inappropriately, but not commonly in my experience. In fact most owners of pets in buggies have been through a mental battle of ‘what will people think’ and ‘people will stare at me’ but these owners are trying provide the best mental and physical stimulation for their dogs. Most owners will be happy to tell you about their pet if you ask, so moral of the blog is please don’t judge without asking first :)