Knowing our pet's time schedules...

[jaylach]

As is obvious from another thread I detest the bi-annual time changes. What a lot of people don't realize is the impact on their pets. Animals have built in clocks as to wake/sleep and feeding times. When there is a time change it throws off the animal's built in clock unless their human realizes this and changes feeding and such over a little time. As to myself I adjust the feeding and sleep times over a week. For instance I normally feed my fish at ~6:00 PM. Today I fed at 6:50. Tomorrow it will be 6:40 and so on.

The above is more noticeable when clocks are set back than forward as no critter minds being fed early as would normally happen when clocks are set forward. However they DO mind being fed late. The black lab I had in Florida taught me this. It was a fall back time change and I went to feed him and he went nuts jumping all over me. This was not normal behavior as he would normally just sit and wait while I filled his dish. For a while before I fed him he sat by me with a forlorn look on his face. It took a while but it finally dawned on me that according to his internal clock I was an hour late in feeding. Boils down to the fact that animals know nothing about time changes. They only know their internal clock. As responsible animal keepers we have the responsibility to know this and gradually change such things as feeding times when there is a time change.

 

[Deleted member 149562]

My next door neighbour is retired (in her late 60's) and she owns the loudest dog in the street...a Bassett Hound called Elvis.

She never gets out of bed before 1pm. She puts human incontinence sheets all over the flat for the dog to do its "business" whilst she sleeps. The dog gets fed when she gets up....which can be any time after 1pm (no schedule) and she ties the dog to the radiator in the hallway, opens the front door and lets the dog run amok and bark its wotsits off for hours on end all afternoon and into the night.

This behaviour has only been prevalent for the last 8 or 9 months. Prior to this starting, she would be up at 6am, dog fed when she had breakfast by around 7am and 4 or 5 walks every day with the dog. The dog is about 12 years old and been hers since 8 weeks old.

The dog is so utterly confused....poor thing only has one eye and glaucoma in that eye, he is desperate for a walk and barks his wotsits off inside the flat but she will not take it for a walk. He has gone from a regular schedule of feeding, walking etc to one of "as and whenever".

So as much as I am sure some animals...like their human counterparts...struggle with the changing of the clocks and seasons, I find that animals get more unstable if their entire routine is screwed up. Animals do have an inbuilt clock and they do notice changes in routine and react to them...however lack of care by owners to keep a routine will have a longer term effect than seasonal change cos the animals get used to seasonal change whereas when their entire routine is messed up every day for months and months, I think that affects them more.

 

[jaylach]

My next door neighbour is retired (in her late 60's) and she owns the loudest dog in the street...a Bassett Hound called Elvis.

She never gets out of bed before 1pm. She puts human incontinence sheets all over the flat for the dog to do its "business" whilst she sleeps. The dog gets fed when she gets up....which can be any time after 1pm (no schedule) and she ties the dog to the radiator in the hallway, opens the front door and lets the dog run amok and bark its wotsits off for hours on end all afternoon and into the night.

This behaviour has only been prevalent for the last 8 or 9 months. Prior to this starting, she would be up at 6am, dog fed when she had breakfast by around 7am and 4 or 5 walks every day with the dog. The dog is about 12 years old and been hers since 8 weeks old.

The dog is so utterly confused....poor thing only has one eye and glaucoma in that eye, he is desperate for a walk and barks his wotsits off inside the flat but she will not take it for a walk. He has gone from a regular schedule of feeding, walking etc to one of "as and whenever".

So as much as I am sure some animals...like their human counterparts...struggle with the changing of the clocks and seasons, I find that animals get more unstable if their entire routine is screwed up. Animals do have an inbuilt clock and they do notice changes in routine and react to them...however lack of care by owners to keep a routine will have a longer term effect than seasonal change cos the animals get used to seasonal change whereas when their entire routine is messed up every day for months and months, I think that affects them more.

You sound like an animal lover as am I. If the woman is unable to do so could you not offer to walk the dog?

 

[Deleted member 149562]

You sound like an animal lover as am I. If the woman is unable to do so could you not offer to walk the dog?

For one thing, I am housebound.

She has 3 sons and a daughter who all live less than 10 minutes away. One son is extremely aggressive (I have had run-ins with him due to his insistence that he parks on the grass outside my flat, when it is not allowed). None take the dog out despite being regular visitors. She states that the dog doesn't like them.

When she moved to the flat 5 years ago she claimed that the dog belonged to her son and that she was "dogsitting". Later, and once she was settled she admitted that the "dogsitting" was a lie and that it is her dog. This is relevant since there is a dog ban on new tenants that came into force 7 years ago (I have been here 16 years). She has been reported for excess noise from the dog, excess dog "business" on the communal gardens and parking on the grass several times but the council are duty bound to rehome her and they have not got a spare flat elsewhere for her to go.

Basically we (the rest of the residents) have to wait til she either moves away of her own volition or the dog dies - either old age at home or euthanised at the vet.

 

[jaylach]

For one thing, I am housebound.

She has 3 sons and a daughter who all live less than 10 minutes away. One son is extremely aggressive (I have had run-ins with him due to his insistence that he parks on the grass outside my flat, when it is not allowed). None take the dog out despite being regular visitors. She states that the dog doesn't like them.

When she moved to the flat 5 years ago she claimed that the dog belonged to her son and that she was "dogsitting". Later, and once she was settled she admitted that the "dogsitting" was a lie and that it is her dog. This is relevant since there is a dog ban on new tenants that came into force 7 years ago (I have been here 16 years). She has been reported for excess noise from the dog, excess dog "business" on the communal gardens and parking on the grass several times but the council are duty bound to rehome her and they have not got a spare flat elsewhere for her to go.

Basically we (the rest of the residents) have to wait til she either moves away of her own volition or the dog dies - either old age at home or euthanised at the vet.

I really have no clue as to how o respond but wish wish that I did. Sounds like a really bad situation.

 

[Deleted member 149562]

I really have no clue as to how o respond but wish wish that I did. Sounds like a really bad situation.

It'll be worse once the clocks go forward later this month since the evenings will be longer, so the dog will be outside longer...and when on the leash attached to her radiator, the dog stands and barks its wotsits off right outside my bedroom window (I am on ground floor same as she is, bedroom at the front of the building right where the dog usually lurks)

C'est la vie....

Patiently waiting the time when the dog goes...or she does with the dog....with decent earplugs.

 

[seangee]

As is obvious from another thread I detest the bi-annual time changes. What a lot of people don't realize is the impact on their pets. Animals have built in clocks as to wake/sleep and feeding times. When there is a time change it throws off the animal's built in clock unless their human realizes this and changes feeding and such over a little time. As to myself I adjust the feeding and sleep times over a week. For instance I normally feed my fish at ~6:00 PM. Today I fed at 6:50. Tomorrow it will be 6:40 and so on.

The above is more noticeable when clocks are set back than forward as no critter minds being fed early as would normally happen when clocks are set forward. However they DO mind being fed late. The black lab I had in Florida taught me this. It was a fall back time change and I went to feed him and he went nuts jumping all over me. This was not normal behavior as he would normally just sit and wait while I filled his dish. For a while before I fed him he sat by me with a forlorn look on his face. It took a while but it finally dawned on me that according to his internal clock I was an hour late in feeding. Boils down to the fact that animals know nothing about time changes. They only know their internal clock. As responsible animal keepers we have the responsibility to know this and gradually change such things as feeding times when there is a time change.

Yup - learnt this with my lab. She knows exactly when is feeding time. We have that week where all our meetings with US colleagues are at the wrong time - so my adjustment starts next week.
Not so much of an issue with the fish. I feed them at pretty random times to keep them on their toes

 

[seangee]

This behaviour has only been prevalent for the last 8 or 9 months. Prior to this starting, she would be up at 6am, dog fed when she had breakfast by around 7am and 4 or 5 walks every day with the dog. The dog is about 12 years old and been hers since 8 weeks old.

The dog is so utterly confused....poor thing only has one eye and glaucoma in that eye, he is desperate for a walk and barks his wotsits off inside the flat but she will not take it for a walk. He has gone from a regular schedule of feeding, walking etc to one of "as and whenever".

Might be worth a discreet call to social services or a charity like age concern. Not to complain but as an I'm concerned about my neighbour call. Such a major change in behaviour suggests there is something seriously wrong with her (either physically, mentally or both). It doesn't sound like she is getting the support from her kids. Older people can be reluctant to admit they are not coping - even to their own children. I know this from personal experience as my late mum suffered from early onset dementia and we are currently struggling with my in-laws who refuse to "give up their home" or accept any assistance, despite the fact that they are clearly not able to cope.

 

[jaylach]

Might be worth a discreet call to social services or a charity like age concern. Not to complain but as an I'm concerned about my neighbour call. Such a major change in behaviour suggests there is something seriously wrong with her (either physically, mentally or both). It doesn't sound like she is getting the support from her kids. Older people can be reluctant to admit they are not coping - even to their own children. I know this from personal experience as my late mum suffered from early onset dementia and we are currently struggling with my in-laws who refuse to "give up their home" or accept any assistance, despite the fact that they are clearly not able to cope.

Excellent post and fits.

 

[xxEMOxLIZZARDxx]

Might be worth a discreet call to social services or a charity like age concern. Not to complain but as an I'm concerned about my neighbour call. Such a major change in behaviour suggests there is something seriously wrong with her (either physically, mentally or both). It doesn't sound like she is getting the support from her kids. Older people can be reluctant to admit they are not coping - even to their own children. I know this from personal experience as my late mum suffered from early onset dementia and we are currently struggling with my in-laws who refuse to "give up their home" or accept any assistance, despite the fact that they are clearly not able to cope.

That's what I was thinking. The fact that they used to get up and care for the dog and now seem to be ignoring not only their mental health but the dogs health as well is concerning.
A call to someone to check on the person's mental and physical healthy might be a wise idea.

 

[Deleted member 149562]

@seangee @xxEMOxLIZZARDxx @jaylach

Nice idea on the courtesy call by social services....next door but one has tried that and the woman is actually a carer at a nursing home and wanted to make sure our neighbour was OK

Unfortunately our neighbour was none too kind.....actually extremely hostile. So we, as fellow residents and neighbours have basically given up. The dog is tied to the radiator as I type and barking its wotsits off outside my flat and the neighbour has turned her TV up to block out her own dog's barking.

It is very difficult....myself and others in the street have been yelled at, called everything under the sun by the dog owner and the dog owner's son....been told several times to "go forth and multiply" by her and her son.

It is a council flat...just like everyone else in the street. The council could evict her and the dog but as I said they are duty bound to rehome them...so it would only move the issues on rather than actually deal with them

Hence why we await the death of Elvis (the dog) or the owner decides to move out. Our hands are tied. The council's hands are tied. She refuses to open the door to anyone from the council or anyone else she is not expecting or doesn't know (she has a camera doorbell courtesy of aggressive son)

 

[xxEMOxLIZZARDxx]

I'm sorry that you are dealing with this. I just feel bad for the dog.

 

[emeraldking]

There are also lots of people who just get a pet and just don't pay attention on a pet's routine of feeding, sleeping or whatever. Such people shouldn't be having pets in the first place. But it's something we just can not stop.

I have a lot of respect for those people who are disabled and have a dog to help them out. Eventhough, those people are disabled, they can take care of their dog. And I applaud for that.

 

[Back in the fold]

The only light on any of my aquariums is on a timer. I leave it alone. Like all animals my fish are on earth time.

 

[Uberhoust]

As is obvious from another thread I detest the bi-annual time changes. What a lot of people don't realize is the impact on their pets. Animals have built in clocks as to wake/sleep and feeding times. When there is a time change it throws off the animal's built in clock unless their human realizes this and changes feeding and such over a little time. As to myself I adjust the feeding and sleep times over a week. For instance I normally feed my fish at ~6:00 PM. Today I fed at 6:50. Tomorrow it will be 6:40 and so on.

I always had a different opinion on this. I don't believe most pets need to be feed on a strict schedule. Most carnivores will eat when they can, herbivores will eat when it is convenient. I know a lot of ungulates will feed at night during a full moon (direct observation), but if it is overcast during the full moon they eat in the morning. The point is there is no fixed feeding schedule in the natural environment. If your dog gets his meal an hour late, so what, they might be a bit miffed if it is late or happy if it is early but they will adjust. Coastal bears feed when the tide is low, this varies 30 to 60 minutes each day, and ties into the weather and circadian, lunar, and yearly rhythms (direct observation). Life constantly changes, so do meal times.

I have owned a number of dogs. They get feed in the morning when I get up, and get fed when we get home. When I have used dogs as pack animals they get fed when I eat, and that will vary quite a bit depending distances travelled and the elevation gained.

I don't agree with the time changes just because they are a pain, but that is mostly because of the problems associated with changing the time and tracking it on all of our clocks and systems. I also don't like that it typically changes the time I get up but we all have to go through those changes, do you always get up the same time in the morning every day?

Just my opinions.