Ribbon to help with nervous pooches

DOGS come with all sorts of accessories these days – from coats, to designer toys. But one very simple accessory is helping owners in Wales with nervous dogs.

A simple yellow ribbon or bandana tied to a lead or a yellow jacket is being used by pet owners to show others that they have a nervous dog, or a dog that needs a bit of space.

From being ill or old, recovering from surgery, being in season or simply being too agitated to mix with other animals, the scheme, created by a charity, aims to promote awareness of dogs that won’t interact well with others.

The Yellow Dog Project is a registered charity created to bring awareness to pet owners about the importance of looking out for that little yellow symbol.

Dave Lewis co-runs the project in between his work tuning cars in south-east London. He said: “It’s been going for quite a long time and is now in 20-odd countries.

“The project is just so people can see that some dogs need a bit of space for a variety of reasons.

“We’ve got over 100,000 Facebook friends. Some people now say they’ve got a ‘Yellow Dog’ so it’s becoming a bit of a saying.”

Zoe Cooke, 26, from Swansea, started using a yellow vest for her anxious rescue dog, Mitch.

She said: “We started using a yellow vest because we have a very anxious rescue dog who barks at every dog and cat he sees, as his way of making sure they don’t come near him.

“We worked with a trainer and had to allow him to bark and not to drag him away so he can see there is no threat.

“Once he had his vest with ‘I need space’ on it we felt people understood a bit more.”