An afternoon practical session had us heading for Edinburgh's cat and dog home. Row after row of unwanted or stray dogs had us all quite emotional. Most of the unwanted dogs were there because of 'snapping' or because of new arrivals in families, and the dog didn't fit in. There were fewer cats, again mostly strays.
After the tour, we had an hour's handling dogs and then an hour of the cats. After choosing an unsuspecting subject, each group assessed the breed and age of dog, lifted it onto the table, administered a 'tablet' (actually a rather more tasty doggy chocolate drop, and a liquid drug (water...) and applied a muzzle to the extraodinarily well behaved dog. The cats were not always as cooperative, typical moggy style.
All in all, it was an eye opening reminder of unwanted pets and a valuable handling experience.
