This festive season, beloved British actor Martin Clunes OBE, known for his roles in Doc Martin and Men Behaving Badly, has teamed up with Dogs Trust, the UK’s largest dog welfare charity, to bring “D-Beebies Bedtime Stories” to dogs across the UK.
In a homage to the popular CBeebies programme, Martin and Dogs Trust have joined forces to release a new adapted version of the classic poem, “Twas the Night Before Christmas”, to help dogs relax and settle. This will be particularly important on Christmas Eve, when an “unexpected visitor” may pop down the chimney. The new, updated version, can be viewed on social media and via www.youtube.com/shorts/qLP4DHdUzqU.
The charity cares for around 13,000 dogs each year and is continually introducing ways to enrich the lives of the dogs in its care while they wait for their forever homes. Simple audio enrichment, such as talking and reading to dogs, has also been proven to have a positive impact. Studies have shown that dogs bark less and rest more when exposed to classical music or audiobooks, and slow-paced interactions such as stroking and just talking to dogs can also have beneficial effects on oxytocin levels to both dog and owner*.
Martin joins a team of Dogs Trust volunteers who regularly read to the dogs in its 21 rehoming centres in a bid to help reduce stress and help relax the dogs whilst in the care of the charity.
Martin Clunes, an Ambassador for Dogs Trust, says: “I’m delighted to work with Dogs Trust on this project. The Dogs Trust team of staff and volunteers work tirelessly to give the wonderful dogs in its care the second chance they deserve, and if a bedtime story can bring a bit of happiness and reduce stress for these dogs, then I’m honoured to be part of it.”
Owen Sharp, Chief Executive of Dogs Trust, says: “We’re so grateful to Martin for lending his voice to such a special project. The dogs in our care come from all walks of life, and many have faced difficult journeys, so we are always looking at new ways of enriching the time they spend with us in our rehoming centres. Every day, across the country, staff and volunteers spend time with the dogs in our care, doing all they can to keep them entertained and engaged. This includes reading to them, and we have seen a positive impact on the dogs in our centres.
“We currently have over 1,500 dogs in our care, all looking for their forever homes. Until we find our dogs their forever families, we’ll continue to do all we can to make sure our rehoming centres are a happy place for them.”
Sleeping like a … dog?
The charity is now encouraging dog owners across the UK to pick up a book and read to their dogs to help them settle and relax. This call comes as Dogs Trust releases data from its groundbreaking GenPup study on the sleep habits of dogs in the UK. With over 9,000 puppies already enrolled, Dogs Trust’s Generation Pup is the largest study of its kind and explores how factors like genetics, early experiences, and the environment shape dogs’ behaviour as they grow.
The study has found that typically dogs sleep just over 11 hours each day, with over a third of owners reporting their dogs dreaming a lot during this time.
Although the majority of dogs sleep for some or all of the night on their own bed – 86% sleeping in a dog bed, kennel or crate – just over a quarter of dogs spend all or some of the night sleeping on their owner’s bed. And when it comes to positions, the study found that dogs preferred to stretch out or lie on their side, (84%) but many also liked to sleep curled up (64%).
73% of owners surveyed reported that their dogs twitch in their sleep, 38% said they believed their dogs dream a lot, and 30% said they had witnessed their dog “chasing something” in their sleep.
13% of owners reported that their dog snores loudly when asleep, and the breed most likely to snore are Pugs with their flat faces and well-documented breathing difficulties thought to contribute to this. Clumber Spaniels and French Bulldogs were also reported to regularly snore loudly. Persistent snoring in dogs can be a sign of underlying health problems such as obesity or brachycephalic airway syndrome, especially in flat-faced breeds, so discuss this with your vet if you notice your dog does this.
For more information about the dogs currently looking for their forever home in the care of Dogs Trust visit www.dogstrust.org.uk