It's a Dog's Life Down on the Farm - and on the smallholding...

In the last of this bi-monthly series, Jeremy Hobson continues to discuss the life of the smallholders' dog as a working companion and pet

- Jeremy Hobson

There was a time when hard-working dogs would be fed nothing more than a porridge of flaked maize or even simply stale bread soaked in water. Remarkably, given such a poor diet, they were still able to manage a hard day's graft out on the upland hill farms. Even so there's no way that it could ever have been considered a balanced diet!

Neither can the diet we sometimes offer our dogs around the Christmas period. Whilst we might consider it a kindness to allow them to share in the festive food selection, too rich an unaccustomed diet could very easily upset a dog's stomach.

The Kennel Club website says: "In December, dogs are 75 percent more likely to be treated by a vet for eating human food that is poisonous to them, compared to any other month of the year."

A few judicious pieces of cooked turkey and left-over vegetables is a welcome 'treat' but all things in moderation - and certainly no chocolate or nuts; either given intentionally or stolen by the dog from either the coffee table or Christmas tree decorations.