Beware of dogs

Suva

I believe the best time to walk is in the morning as opposed to the afternoon.

To exercise by walking in the morning offers a number of benefits – from the cool fresh air that we breath to meeting other like-minded people walking for the same purpose. And, the purpose of walking is to those pounds, stay fit and healthy. While other people prefer afternoon walks because it becomes convenient for them the bottom line is that walking is one of the ways of preventing noncommunicable diseases (NCD).

What frustrates us more during our walks are stray dogs, including domesticated ones (pets), which have become a hindrance to an enjoyable exercise. Animals will always be animals despite man's efforts to domesticate them as pets or be part of the family.

Meeting these dogs during our walks can be really challenging especially if you are walking alone when out of the blue they lunge at you. Apart from this, we have dogs that are labelled as the silent killers because they simply don't care about your walk. As you pass them they silently attack you. It is advisable to stay alert and perhaps carry with you a firm stick as a weapon for self-defence against these unpredictable dogs. All in all, please dog owners give us a break and do your part in making our walk an enjoyable one. Best wishes to everyone in their morning or afternoon walks.

Please be careful not to get another tetanus injection.