Global warming might be causing dogs to become depressed, say pet behaviourists

Global warming might be causing dogs to become depressed, say pet behaviourists | Environment | The Independent:
A boredom epidemic is sweeping through Britain’s dog population – and global warming could be to blame.
Across the country, there are reports of down-in-the-mouth mutts, and under-the-weather canines.
Leading pet behaviourists told The Independent that the number of depressed and unsettled dogs they have seen in recent months is unprecedented.
And they suggested that the spate of wet winters could be at the root of the problem, as owners cut down on the daily walks that are crucial to keeping dogs’ spirits up.
...“I’ve been working with dogs for more than 20 years and I can’t remember a time when they’ve been this bored.
I tend to see boredom in bursts but I’m seeing it chronically this winter,” said Carolyn Menteith, a dog behaviourist who was named Britain’s Instructor of the Year in 2015.
Ms Menteith spends much of her time outside walking dogs and has noticed a significant change in the weather in the past five years or so – as cold, crisp winters gradually give way to “constant wet dreariness”.
She – like many scientists and meteorologists – puts this down to climate change and expects to see more bored dogs in the future as global warming unleashes increasingly frequent and intense bouts of winter rainfall..."