Moreton is a village and civil parish in Dorset, England, situated on the River Frome about 8 miles east of Dorchester.
* Dog bin at Moreton Village only.
Accessibility: Some paths were relatively flat and even at the time of visit and may be accessible for some pushchair and wheelchair users and those with mobility or other issues; a reccying visit is advised to check out which paths are suitable for particular requirements, if doing this it’s probably worth looking at the route starting from Moreton Village.
Moreton Forest Grid ref SY819911
Moreton Forest is an attractive, large and varied woodland with options for short and long circular walks along its network of paths. Dogs will love it! There is also a wide ford and footbridge with walking links through to Moreton village and surrounding countryside. The Jubilee Trail crosses the woodland.
There are tea rooms at Moreton village, near the ford.
The Forest has many different types of trees, heathland areas and a wide, shallow ford (dependent on weather conditions) which is crossed by a footbridge.
Parking areas are available at several laybys bordering the northern edge of the woodland along theTincleton road and some parking is also available at Moreton village. The nearest public transport links are at Bovington, see bus stop map for more information. It is then possible to access Morden Forest from Bovington via a public footpath.
Please be aware there are free range sheep and
hens near the ford!
In Wimborne having fun in the Autumn leaves!
Here is Diesel having a lovely time on his walk yesterday.
Diesel suffers a little with Arthritis, so I encourage him on our walks and varying them daily.
A gentle hill, level only and then a loop including both.
Quote Diesel “Okay, you have my picture, now let me carrry on sniffing in the leaves!”
Diesel you’re adorable!
Dogs understand what we say AND how we say it: Researchers find canine brains are far more capable than thought.
A groundbreaking study to investigate how dog brains process speech has revealed canines care about both what we say and how we say it.
It discovered that dogs, like people, use the left hemisphere to process words, and the right hemisphere brain region to process intonation.
It found praise activates dog’s reward centre only when both words and intonation match, according to the new study in Science.
Trained dogs around the fMRI scanner used in the study: Dogs, like people, use the left hemisphere to process words, and the right hemisphere brain region to process intonation, according to the new study in Science.
WHAT THEY FOUND
The brain activation images showed that dogs prefer to use their left hemisphere to process meaningful but not meaningless words.
This left bias was present for weak and strong levels of brain activations as well, and it was independent of intonation.
Dogs activate a right hemisphere brain area to tell apart praising and non-praising intonation.
Researchers also say dogs developed the neural mechanisms to process words much earlier than thought.
‘The human brain not only separately analyzes what we say and how we say it, but also integrates the two types of information, to arrive at a unified meaning.
‘Our findings suggest that dogs can also do all that, and they use very similar brain mechanisms,’ said lead researcher Attila Andics of Department of Ethology and MTA-ELTE Comparative Ethology Research Group at Eötvös Loránd University in Budapest.
Andics and colleagues also found that praise activated dogs’ reward centre – the brain region which responds to all sorts of pleasurable stimuli, like food, sex, being petted, or even nice music in humans.
In the Guardian.
John Lewis Christmas advert: Buster the boxer is a sledgehammer to 2016
John Lewis thought a dog bouncing on a trampoline couldn’t offend anyone? Oh how wrong they were
‘This is the story of a little girl called Bridget who loves to bounce,” says the John Lewis website as it introduces its new Christmas advert. Bridget has always loved to bounce. She’s put in the hours, endlessly springing up and down on her bed as her dog Buster watches from the sidelines. Arguably, there is no individual better qualified to bounce than Bridget. She’s been preparing for this her whole life.
Finally, Bridget is given her big shot. Someone has assembled the trampoline of her dreams in her back garden. On Christmas morning, Bridget wakes up and sees the thing she’s always longed for. She races downstairs. She has a clear shot at the trampoline. But then, at the last moment, Buster barges in ahead of her and grabs the trampoline for himself. Bridget stands on, astonished that something as stupid as a dog could have beaten her to it. Meanwhile, Buster gets his stupid dog mouth and his stupid dog parasites all over the trampoline, ruining it for anyone who ever wanted to use it afterwards.
That’s right, Buster the dog is Donald Trump. Buster the dog is Donald Trump, Bridget is Hillary Clinton and the trampoline is America. Thanks for rubbing it in, John Lewis.
They’ve done the impossible … made 2016 worse.
Perhaps I’m reading too much into this. Perhaps the John Lewis brain-trust got together and looked around them. Perhaps they looked at the state of the world, with Brexit and Trump and the rise of the right and all our dead heroes. Perhaps they looked at their own past offerings, where a woman relentlessly ages and a penguin is forced to seek companionship with a monstrous cadaver and the world’s loneliest man dies in space. Perhaps they took stock of all this and shrugged “surely a dog on a trampoline won’t upset anyone”.
In theory, the intention was admirable. But this year has been such a domino stack of heartbreaking disappointment that John Lewis wouldn’t have had to do much to make everyone cry. An advert where a weekend dad saves up to buy a toy for his son, soundtracked by a sad cover of Heroes by David Bowie. An advert where an old man sits on the white cliffs of Dover watching Europe fade into the distance, until he cheers up when a cartoon Belgian monkey gives him a gift voucher. Literally just a static card reading “2016”. Any of these would have been a shot straight to the tear ducts.
There is no individual better qualified to bounce than Bridget. She’s been preparing for this her whole life.
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There is no individual better qualified to bounce than Bridget. She’s been preparing for this her whole life. Photograph: John Lewis/PA
But no. This year John Lewis tried to be happy. It tried to show us something as innocent and gleeful as an animal on a trampoline, in a bid to remind us that there’s still some good left in the world. Our lives are flat and grey and trodden on, but so long as there’s a dog bouncing next to a weirdly anachronistic telephone box, we’ll still be fine.
And what did it make? A sledgehammer allegory for Donald Trump. A woman who gets shoved aside by an unthinking, self-interested animal even though she’s much more suited to the task at hand. Watch the advert while listening to Hillary Clinton’s concession speech. I dare you. It’s heartbreaking. John Lewis, you’ve done the impossible. You’ve made 2016 worse.
Dog Pic to make you Smile!
Happy Friday!
Lol! I’m a Dog.
Everday is Friday!
Tip for Today. Vomiting in Dogs.
Get the dog checked by a Vet if it displays prolonged or repeated vomiting, or if the dog is lethargic or in obvious pain.
Do not feed the dog until it has seen a vet.
Help a rescue pet this Christmas by donating a Shoe Box filled with goodies.
At this time of year we see an increase in animals coming into our care and less people looking to give a rescued pet a forever home. We are asking for kind members of the public to help a rescue pet this year by filling a shoe box or small container with treat, toys and other goodies for the pets that are with us over the festive period. Each pet that is with us on Christmas Day will receive their own present and have fun opening them.
Please drop off your shoe boxes at one of our Centre’s or check below for drop off points. If you own or run a local business and would be prepared to take in shoeboxes for our animals, please let us know by emailing jazmin.house@mgar.org.uk
If you would prefer to make a purchase from one of our Amazon Wishlists instead, please follow these links for Church Knowle, Lincoln Farm and Wingletang.
Thank you for your support!
Suggestions for Shoebox items:
Dogs: Stevie WT (1)
Tennis balls
Nylabones
Treat balls
Squeaky toys
Peanut butter, Marmite and hot dog sausages (Kong toy fillers)
Dog biscuit treats
Liver treats
Kong toys
Cats: Munchkin Shoebox
Catnip mice
Ping-pong balls
Grooming brushes
Feliway
Play tunnel
Glass foster feeding bottle for kittens
Snugglesafe microwave heat pad
Igloo bed
Whiskas jelly food for kittens
Farm Animals: Shoebox DeliveryCK
Sunflower seeds
Wonky Veg Boxes
Large feed balls
Hanging feeder
Dried mealworms
Mane and tail conditioner
Himalayan horse salt licks
Gel pads for under the saddle
Bridle Hooks
Lead ropes
Solocomb
Shedding blade
Chick sticks treats
Donkey head collars & fly masks
Small Furries: Bunnies Shoebox
Wooden hay rack
Willow toys
Fresh greens
Timothy hay
Gnawing toys
Hay tunnel
All donations will be distributed accordingly.
Drop off locations – if there’s not one near you, keep checking back for new ones…
Dorset
Emily’s Sandwich Shop, 147 New Rd, West Parley, Ferndown BH22 8EB
Precision Engraving, 46 Park Street, Weymouth DT4 7DF
Muddy Paws, 6-7 Business Park Holland, Holland Way, Blandford Forum DT11 7BJ
Pampurred Pets, Unit 1 Salisbury Road Retail Park, Salisbury Road, Blandford Forum DT11 7QG
Pets At Home, Weymouth Avenue Retail Park, Weymouth Ave, Dorchester DT1 2RY
Pets At Home, Westover Retail Park, Castle Ln W, Bournemouth BH9 3JS
Ark Aid Veterinary Centre, 266 Wimborne Road, Poole BH15 3EF
Marshalls Pet Store, Marshalls Pet Food Store Ltd, 24 Station Road, Ashley Cross, Poole BH14 8UB
JP MORGAN, 1st Flr, Hampshire building, Chaseside, Bournemouth, BH7 7DB
Brewery Farm Shop, Ansty, Dorchester, DT2 7PN
Blue Bird Care, Lynch Lane offices, Lynch Lane, Weymouth, DT4 9DN
Or visit the website www.margaretgreenanimalrescue.org.uk/
Studies have shown playing the right music can have a powerful and calming influence on dogs and cats.
Sound is a major factor of our surroundings, especially in today’s loud, fast-paced world. Noise pollution can be a significant stressor for both animals and humans, while healing music can calm us and improve our lives.
Sound consists of waves of energy. How fast a wave is traveling, or its frequency, is measured in hertz (Hz). One Hz is defined as one wave cycle per second. Humans hear frequencies of 20 to 20, 000 Hz, while dogs hear a much wider range of 40 to 65,000 Hz.
Loudness is measured in decibels (dB). Hearing damage occurs at 100dB, but can also be caused by prolonged exposure to noise levels above 85dB – a level frequently reached in animal shelter environments.
As you can see from the below, many of us are at risk for hearing loss:
Whisper 30dB Traffic 70dB
Conversation 50dB Lawnmower 90dB
Alarm clock 70dB Rock concert 130dB
Resonance and entrainment
Psychoacoustics is a discipline that studies how humans perceive sound – how we listen, our psychological responses, and the physiological impact of music and sound on the nervous system. Bioacoustics, meanwhile, is the study of sound perception in animals. It looks at how animals communicate, as well as the positive and negative effects of sound in their environments.
Two of the most important principles of psychoacoustics and bioacoustics are resonance and entrainment.
Resonance describes the effect of one vibration (or frequency) on another. For example, placing a tuning fork on the spine allows the sound vibration to resonate through the entire nervous system.
Entrainment is the process by which sound rhythms cause major body systems (heart rate, brain waves and breath) to naturally speed up or slow down. For example, if we listen to slow music, our pulse and breathing will decrease.
The orienting response
Pattern identification is another component of bioacoustics and psychoacoustics, and is related to the complexity of sound. When a new pattern is introduced, the focus of the brain turns to this sensory input. This is termed active listening. Once the pattern has been processed, the brain returns to a passive hearing state.
This is an instinctive process that also occurs in animals. This orienting response is a survival mechanism, and is especially important in prey animals. The ear pinna of dogs and cats allow the reception of sound to occur on a much more sensitive level than in humans. We have all witnessed the sudden arousal of an animal when an unusual or loud sound is heard. While the orienting response is important for the animal’s survival, it also has some negative consequences in domestic environments, where he is exposed to sounds that may continually activate his orienting response. Even though these environmental sounds may not elicit overt fear, the ongoing instinctive reaction to sudden noise can interrupt the animal’s relaxed state.
Music is the answer
The effects of music have been well documented in humans, and studies with domestic and other animals have revealed that music also has a powerful effect on them. For example, studies showed that country music can calm ponies while classical music helped cows produce more milk and improved the growth rate of chickens. A recent study in cats demonstrated that calming music increased the depth of anesthesia during surgery. Dolphins, meanwhile, have been known to swim in synchrony to Bach.
A study done in Ireland found that classical music is the preferred calming sound source in dog shelters. Research done by Through a Dog’s Ear took this a step further and applied the principles of resonance, entrainment, and the orienting response to classical music selections. It discovered that slow, psychoacoustically-arranged single instrument (piano) music had the most calming effects. Upwards of 70% of dogs in shelters and veterinary offices, and 85% of dogs in home environments, became noticeably calmer with this music. It was also found to reduce twice as many anxiety behaviors in fearful dogs as standard classical selections did. Many animal shelters are now benefitting from programs that provide calming music for their residents.
Music is a wonderful tool for relaxation and healing. I hope you and your animal companion can discover its potential together.
Do a sonic evaluation
You may want to do a sonic evaluation of your home, especially if you have an anxious or reactive dog or cat. Take a few minutes to listen to and note down all the sounds you (and your animal) hear — the results may surprise you. We humans are masters at tuning out what’s happening around us, so your environment may be noisier than you realize.
Remember that our nervous systems also have an orienting response, so creating a healthy sound environment with appropriate music may improve your well-being as well as that of your four-legged family member.
by Susan Wagner, dvm