The time has come. The final approaches. Saturday 18th May at 5pm is the 2019 FA Cup Final. Here at NHHQ we are convinced that dogs can sense the build-up of excitement that comes with big matches. The tails get a bit waggier, the eyebrows a bit twitchier, the jumps a bit higher, the smiles a bit wider. Here are the top three reasons that we can think of why dogs, like their owners, love football so much.
1) Lots of football on TV means lots of sofa time. Whether you are a strict “sofa is a no-go-dog-zone’, or you are totally up for having your hound snuggle up on your plush cushions with you; dogs love it when we loaf. They enjoy the company. They enjoy your proximity. They enjoy the stray hand that comes down and strokes them in tense moments of the game. And they definitely enjoy being on the receiving end of a celebratory hug! Gooooaaaal!
2) We all get inspired to get active after watching sport on TV. Pah! That Raheem Stirling has nothing on me. I got skiiiiills. Dogs love the extra exercise time in the park while we remember that actually football is HARD and we are not as good (or as fit) as we thought we were.
3) The day after the game, everyone naps and no one cares because – like at Christmas – post FA Cup Final middle of the day napping is considered A.OK and totally socially acceptable.
4) Stray snacks. The table is likely to be loaded up with all kinds of delicious snack products to keep you going through the match. Without a doubt, most dogs are excited at the low-lying tidbits of treats. It is, after all, a dog’s natural instinct to steal food. But remember that it can be problematic and even dangerous for dogs to eat human food – chocolate in particular. A good way to discourage dogs from stealing your carefully collected Cup Final snack selection (Pringles is NHHQ snack of choice for footie watching, in case you were wondering) is making sure you have fed them at the right time with a healthy dose of Nature’s Harvest complete dog food, and have taken them for a long walk before the match. (This might also benefit YOU – a walk is a great way to calm the pre-match nerves!)
What you don’t need to worry about is any kind of treachery from your dog. Dogs are renowned for their loyalty and will no doubt be die-hard fans of whichever team you support. BUT, just like you they do have their favourite players – of present and past. Didier Dogba, Rio Furdinand, Harry Kanine….shall we stop now? We think we probably should. We reckon we might have a touch of the Football Fever….