'DOG ENDS' NEWSLETTER
President and Chair – Valerie Harrison
Acting Secretary – Eunice Pearson
Treasurer – Stephen Lowe
treasurer@billingshurst-dtc.org
Club Website: www.billingshurst-dtc.org
‘Dog Ends’ Editor- Susan Tindall
Email: susan_tindall@icloud.com
Dog Ends Late Spring Extra 2026
Welcome to your second edition of BDTC Dog Ends for 2026.
Very important, please read and consider…
New secretary required.
Due to Pat's continuing ill health, BDTC requires a new secretary. If you are interested in helping out the club and taking on this role, please contact Eunice on eunice.pearson@talktalk.net for more details.
Eunice is acting as temporary secretary, but most of her time is spent organising the Obedience open show at present.
She will be willing to assist anybody who wants to take on the role.
For the future of the club it is imperative we find a new secretary as soon as possible. Without a Secretary, the club cannot run and would have to fold.
*We know Pat will be a very hard act to follow, but help and advice will be given to you to ease you into the role
The Good News ; We have a new treasurer, we are pleased to welcome our new Treasurer – Stephen Lowe, who is actually the founder member of Billingshurst DTC and has been, at various times Chair, Secretary, Senior Trainer and general dog’s body over the years, but never Treasurer until now! He has taken over from Trudy who has been doing a sterling (££’s!) job over the past 11 years!
Trudy Nye has been a wonderfully supportive member of the committee and a meticulous Treasurer, but she now finds that family life is taking up more of her time and so we offer her our grateful thanks and wish her all the best in her stepping back from Club duties.
Best Wishes Trudy! (Eunice)
Dates for your diary;
BDTC OBEDIENCE SHOW will be held on Saturday 27th June 2026. Please put date in your diary, we would be most grateful for helpers on the day, and Friday pm and Sunday pm for set up and dismantling, also cakes & Tombola prizes. more info below.
AGM: 27th November 2026
Please keep an eye on your Agility and Obedience notice boards and BDTC website for further information. If you need to find anything out about Billingshurst Dog Training Club, the best place is to check out the website www.billingshurst-dtc.org, which Tania keeps regularly updated.
BDTC Obedience Show 2026 - HELP PLEASE;
Before the show – Tombola prizes needed – take along to your club night activity over weeks before show. If someone would like to volunteer to do the numbering up of the prizes before the day that would really be helpful.
We serve afternoon tea to the judges and stewards so cakes will also be required if you are handy in the kitchen, please bring along Saturday morning.
Friday – help in the afternoon setting up.
Saturday - we need someone at the field early to manage the parking and someone else to take scoreboards etc out to the rings. During the day we will need someone to run the tombola.
Sunday afternoon taking down and repacking the trailer.
*Please note if you are bringing your dog with you please complete a 'Not For Competition' (NFC) entry form to cover Kennel Club rules. There is no charge for this. Eunice will ensure there are entry forms available at both training venues for people to complete if bringing their dog along NFC.
BDTC Charity Update
Charity Coordinator: Catherine Brown Bdtccharity@billingshurst-dtc.org
Each year, all BDTC members can nominate a dog-related charity to be voted for by our members at our at our AGM in November, with the lucky charity usually receiving around £1000! In 2024-2025, Clymping Dog Sanctuary was selected and a fantastic £1,100 was raised by our members. At our last AGM, no charity was proposed and so the money raised this year will be carried forward to the lucky dog- related charity that is selected our next AGM. So whatever, charity is selected will receive 2 years of fundraising & there is already £347 raised in the charity pot!
Charity nomination forms will be given to members in August - but please can you think about what dog-related charity you would like to nominate. It can't be linked to a single dog breed and it must have all it's paperwork up to date with the Charity Commission (https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/charity-commission). Many thanks!
BDTC Payments
The best way to pay your membership/course fees is online. It is the quickest and easiest way to pay the club.
For anybody who wants to take advantage of this payment system, here are the bank details.
Sort code: 30 94 41 Account number: 01678041. Billingshurst Dog Training Club.
Contact Stephen at treasurer@billingshurst-dtc.org for more details.
Valerie Harrison keeps an eye out for interesting articles that may be of interest to us as dog owners/lovers. Thank you Valerie for the following article.
How To Help a Dog with Arthritis
Canine osteoarthritis is common in senior dogs – and a surprising number of middle-aged dogs. Here’s how to help a dog with arthritis.
By CJ Puotinen Published in ‘Whole Dog Journal’
Providing your arthritic dog with an especially thick bed will make her more comfortable. But helping her gain fitness and lose weight, fitness and weight will help even if she isn’t morbidly obese, will help her stay mobile, be in less pain, and live longer. © Nancy Kerns.
Just like the humans they live with, dogs often develop arthritis as they age. The most common form is osteoarthritis, also called degenerative joint disease, in which cushioning cartilage within the joints becomes brittle and breaks down, resulting in painful inflammation that interferes with every canine activity.
How Long Can a Dog Live With Arthritis?
Arthritis isn’t fatal, so your dog won’t die of it. In fact, dogs with arthritis can live well into their teens, but they may lead restricted and pain-filled lives. Our challenge as caregivers is to help our best friends stay active for as long as possible. Become familiar with the risk factors and symptoms of arthritis so that you can anticipate, recognize, document, and treat the signs of arthritis before they incapacitate your dog.
What Causes Arthritis in Dogs?
Risk factors for osteoarthritis include the dog’s size (larger breeds and overweight dogs are more likely to develop joint pain), age (the risk increases over time), genetics (some breeds are associated with joint abnormalities such as hip dysplasia that lead to arthritis in Labrador Retrievers, Golden Retrievers, and German Shepherd Dogs), stress and trauma injuries, an inflammatory diet, diabetes, and diseases transmitted by tick bites.
Signs of Arthritis in Dogs
Symptoms of arthritis in dogs vary from one patient to the next but as the illness progresses, most dogs experience:
- intermittent lameness
- “hopping” or three-legged gait
- stiffness after rest or after vigorous exercise
- abnormal stance when walking
- reluctance to rise or move
- depression or lack of interest
- joints that hurt when touched or swollen joints that are tender and warm to the touch
Light exercise under the supervision of a veterinary physical therapist helps this senior dog maintain mobility.
How To Help a Dog With Arthritis at Home
There are quite a few things you can do at home to help your dog with their arthritis symptoms.
Help your dog lose weight. This sounds simple, but it is one of the most powerful things you can do to help her stay active because being overweight stresses the joints. Foods with high protein and moderate fat levels are better for overweight dogs than typical high-carbohydrate, low-protein weight-loss diets.
Keep your dog hydrated. Dehydration complicates joint problems, so it’s important to provide fresh water in clean bowls at all times. To encourage your dog to drink more water, add small amounts of bone broth or other flavourings.
Provide resting areas with extra padding. Dogs sleep more than people, an estimated 12 to 18 hours a day, and their beds make a difference. Some orthopaedic mattresses consist of a memory foam base and a layer of gel memory foam, while others use an egg-crate-shaped orthopaedic foam, support foam, or layers of shredded memory foam. Egg-crate memory foam helps keep sleeping dogs from overheating by increasing air circulation.
To be sure your dog’s orthopaedic mattress will be a good fit, check the manufacturer’s measurement guidelines and buy the right size. In general, sturdy lightweight materials are easy to clean. For dogs with reduced mobility and possible in-house accidents, beds with waterproof liners and removable, machine washable covers simplify cleanup.
Provide traction. Slick floors, whether polished wood or shiny vinyl, pose health risks to dogs with arthritis. Use carpet or sisal grass runners in hallways or wherever your dog needs traction. Surround his food and water bowls with a rubber-backed rug so he can lower his head to eat or drink without his hind legs slipping out from under him.
Raise the bowl. If your dog has started hesitating at the food bowl or loses his balance as he eats, try a raised feeder. We’re not fans of raised bowls for all dogs, as they have been shown to increase the incidence of bloat, but a raised platform for feeding can help a very arthritic dog reach his food more comfortably.
Keep him moving! Make light but regular exercise part of your dog’s everyday routine. The less an arthritic dog moves, the more muscle mass is lost, and the less stable the joints become. Exercise rebuilds and maintains muscle strength, helps with weight reduction, and improves circulation to affected joints. The goal is to provide the benefits of exercise without overdoing it, as too much exercise can damage the joints, causing pain or injury. The key words here are “slow and steady.” Ask your veterinarian about physical activities that are appropriate for your dog.
Massage that dog! Arthritis is associated with a lack of lymph circulation, and an effective way to help improve your dog’s condition is with massage.
Help him up. For dogs with advanced arthritis, climbing stairs or standing up after lying down can be painful. Dog-lift slings or harnesses remove pressure from painful joints by allowing handlers to physically lift the dog’s hindquarters. Ramps and steps help dogs jump into cars or onto the bed or sofa.
Keep him warm. Because cold temperatures can worsen arthritis pain, a sweater, jacket, or heated dog bed can help aching joints feel better in cold weather. Part two in next issue
Tail Note;
This is your BDTC Member magazine so please let me know your news. Share your successes and highlights about you and your dog/s, or information that you think will interest other members. Please send any info. to; susan_tindall@icloud.com
NB; Articles and information included in our BDTC newsletters are sent to me for your information but not necessarily endorsed by the club.
Kara will continue to help edit to ensure we have enough info about our most important 4 legged team partners, so get thinking and send in your news. Thanks very much to those who have contributed to this edition. Best wishes, Susan x & Kara x
(Please note BDTC cannot be held responsible for any information found on any links on the BDTC website!)
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