28/08/2026
🐾 JUST A DOG TRAINER, KEEPING IT REAL… 🐾
I call this photo: “When you’ve spent the summer cancelling because it’s too hot, only to discover rain is waiting in the wings.”
Well… what a summer. 😂
I don't think I've ever postponed so many classes because of the weather. And this year it hasn't just been the daytime classes affected. We've had heatwaves where even the evening sessions have been too hot to safely run.
It wasn't that long ago that the hottest part of the day was roughly 12pm–2pm, so by the time evening classes rolled around, things had usually cooled down enough.
Now? Apparently 5pm–6pm is peak oven, and it can stay ridiculously hot until 8pm.🔥
And as much as I hate cancelling or postponing classes, your dogs' safety is always our number one priority. There's not much point doing a training session if everyone, dogs and humans included, is too hot to think, learn or enjoy themselves! There were times that I think my sweat was sweating!
Of course, behind the scenes, it's been a bit of a nightmare.
I've spent the summer trying to stop my crazy spaniels from cooking themselves. They are not particularly good at moderating their own exercise, so they've been having many of their leg stretches on long lines rather than charging around like lunatics, or under house arrest.
Which they obviously think is deeply unfair.
I've worried about my chickens getting heat exhaustion.
I've worried about my 19-year-old cat.
And then there's the small matter of running a business when Mother Nature decides she doesn't fancy cooperating.
The field rent still needs paying.
Insurance still needs paying.
Memberships still need paying.
All the usual overheads are still there.
And postponing classes doesn't just mean putting a date in the diary for another week. It means contacting everyone, rearranging sessions, dealing with refunds, finding alternative dates and generally creating a whole load of admin that nobody particularly wants.
There has been one tiny financial benefit to the heatwave…
NO GRASS CUTTING! 🌱🙌
Unfortunately, the weeds took the lack of rain as a personal challenge and seemed determined to conquer the field.
So I've spent a fair amount of time trying to tame them.
Which brings me neatly to the part where I nearly removed my own leg. 🤦♀️
During one particularly enthusiastic weed-removing session, the battery strimmer with the serrated blade hit the rock-hard ground, rebounded and headed straight into my leg.
Thankfully, it was only a surface wound.
The strimmer, however, has now been permanently promoted to the “absolutely bloody not” pile.
I switched to long-handled shears instead.
Which gave me blisters.
Because apparently I wasn't suffering enough. 😂
And then, just when I thought I had finally accepted that I had relocated LWDT to the Sahara…
🌧️ WE GOT RAIN.
⛈️ AND THUNDERSTORMS.
Honestly, I think Mother Nature has serious beef with me.
So, as we head towards the end of summer, I thought I'd give a little reminder that behind the classes, appointments and bookings, there are lots of small self-employed businesses trying to navigate whatever the weather throws at us.
Your dog trainer.
Your dog walker.
Your gardener.
Your local tradesperson.
When the weather stops them working, they're often still paying the bills, doing the admin and trying to rearrange everything behind the scenes.
So please bear with us when Mother Nature decides to throw a spanner in the works.
And if anyone knows how to negotiate a ceasefire with her before autumn arrives…
I'm all ears. 😂🐾
