Lack of barking 'showed dogs knew the killer'

A dog psychologist has told a court that the killer of Jack Nicholas had to be a family member in order for his farm dogs to have remained silent on the morning he was shot.
Mr Nicholas' wife, Agnes, had told the court that it was strange that the farm dogs, kept in kennels near the house, did not bark before or after her husband was shot.

(...)He said there were only three reasons why the farm dogs would not have barked: they were extremely distracted, unwell, or were familiar with the person they saw.

"That familiarity level would have to be high ... It would have to be close, very close, if not a family member".

He said dogs usually barked on hearing a gun shot and he believed the only reason Mr Nicholas' dogs did not was due to the high familiarity factor with both the gun and the person.

He said it would be highly unlikely that anyone could have approached the Nicholas house without alerting the dogs in the still, frosty conditions on the morning of the murder.

A police reconstruction a month after the murder, at which an officer approached the house without the dogs barking, was called a "bungle" by Mr Hutton.
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SPCA launches pet adopt-a-thon

The Newtown shelter will be open 36 hours straight - from 8am on Friday to 8pm on Saturday.
No appointment is needed so people who can offer an animal a loving forever home can pop in anytime, day or night, to meet the animals needing a new home.

Wellington SPCA has Wellington’s largest selection of pets with dogs, puppies, cats, kittens, rabbits, guinea pigs and even a couple of chickens looking for new homes.

People adopting a cat aged one year or older will receive $75 worth of goods from the SPCA's retail area to help them start their new life together.

All enquires should be directed to the Wellington SPCA, Newtown. Phone 04 3898044 or email caregivers@wellingtonspca.org.nz for further details. MORE>>

Poisoned sausage sickens dog owner

A man whose dog ate part of a poisoned sausage at a Blockhouse Bay park is afraid it could be a child next time.

Mike Fish was walking his dog Roxy at Craigavon Park last Saturday morning when the wheaten terrier discovered the sausage.

"I told her to drop it and she left it, but she went back and bit the end off it. I picked it up and it was blue inside."

Suspecting the blue substance to be rat poison, Mr Fish rushed Roxy to the vet, who confirmed it was either poison or slug pellets.

He gave Roxy tablets that made her vomit up the offending sausage and she was fine.

But he is concerned the next victim could be human. MORE>>

A very good reason for training your dog to only eat from his/her bowl and to 'leave it' when told.

Dog trials 'first': the lady is a champ

THE FIRST woman to win the Wanganui Centre Sheepdog Trial champs at Rangiwahia beat her own mentor for the title: her husband.

Ali Davy and her eight-year-old heading bitch, Juice, won the long head champs at Anzac weekend, from a field of 100.

Ali is the first female champ in the Wanganui Centre - which covers Wanganui, Rangitikei and Waimarino - but she didnt know that until she read it in the newspaper.

"There are about 12 women at the moment taking part in trialing, and any one of them could have been the first."

Ali and husband, Dave, along with their children, Amber, 11, and Jimmy, eight, live on an 1100 acre farm near Taihape. MORE>>

Dumped mutt turns into rescue ace

A Reefton mongrel rescued from the pound has defied the odds and qualified as a top search and rescue dog.

Steff, a three-year-old bull terrier-border collie cross, was dumped at the pound two years ago.

However, she was rescued by Geoffrey Collis and his wife, Sally, who is a dog ranger.

"This guy arrived and said she had behavioural problems and he wanted her put down because she was aggressive and so forth. He tied her to a tree, and left her there," Geoffrey Collis said.

The pair thought Steff was too nice a dog to destroy and decided to try to rehabilitate her.

"I could not go near her. I had to lie on the ground beside her for two days just out of reach. She had just not been around people before." MORE>>

Researchers Seek to Demystify the Metabolic Magic of Sled Dogs

When humans engage in highly strenuous exercise day after day, they start to metabolize the body’s reserves, depleting glycogen and fat stores. When cells run out of energy, a result is fatigue, and exercise grinds to a halt until those sources are replenished.

Dogs are different, in particular the sled dogs that run the annual Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race in Alaska. This is a grueling 1,100-mile race, and studies show that the dogs somehow change their metabolism during the race.

Dr. Michael S. Davis, an associate professor of veterinary physiology at Oklahoma State University and an animal exercise researcher, said: “Before the race, the dogs’ metabolic makeup is similar to humans. Then suddenly they throw a switch — we don’t know what it is yet — that reverses all of that. In a 24-hour period, they go back to the same type of metabolic baseline you see in resting subjects. But it’s while they are running 100 miles a day.”

(...)

“They have a hidden strategy that they can turn on,” he said. “We are confident that humans have the capacity for that strategy. We have to figure out how dogs are turning it on to turn it on in humans.”

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Dogs and cyclists can mix

Dog owners howling about the city's draft plan for a southeast off-leash park should put a muzzle on it. The changes will improve Southland Park, and accommodate more multiple users.

The park is there to be shared, yet dog owners have come to think of it as their own private off-leash space after the floods of 2005 wiped out pathways and restricted access.

All recreational users -- including cyclists, hikers and runners-- will have equal access under the proposal, which will drastically improve the path system in and around the park. MORE>>

It looks as if they are reviewing by-laws about everywhere.. but dogs should win out because we love them, and they bring us such joy :)) oh....

Dog review provokes hot debate

An Auckland City Council committee set up to review dog bylaws is weighted in favour of dog owners, says a critic.

(...)

Mr Watkins said a hearing into Tahuna Torea a couple of years ago had won the case for keeping the bird sanctuary dog free, but now it was up for grabs again.

"The last hearing was bitterly fought ... the dog lobby group is strong and well organised."

Mr Watkins said that because Tahuna Torea was a reserve, and home to a range of birdlife including godwits, it should be spared such uncertainty.

(...)

Dr Casey could not be reached for comment but Ms Millar told the Herald she had been misquoted in the local community paper in the eastern bays which had created a false perception she was biased in favour of dog owners.

Ms Millar confirmed she owned a dog but had been so impartial in the past that she had been accused of not understanding what it would be like to be a dog owner. "I've been screamed at by both sides."

The city councillor was confident she could do her job impartially.

Sam Lotu-Iiga, chairman of the committee, said he did not own a dog and had confidence in the ability of the committee to do its job. "I don't believe there's any bias."

There is ALWAYS bias... in anything. We're humans, not rocks!

The Auckland City Council had received 195 submissions on the dogs' review bylaw by the close-off date last Friday. The dog bylaw had attracted the most comment to date of all bylaws under review. That's a lot of people wanting and having their say. Good on them for writing in!

(...)

The council's general manager city development John Duthie said dog ownership was not regarded as a vested interest and the council was happy with the impartiality of the councillors reviewing the dog bylaw.

A-rover-therapy

Dachsund puppy Lucy may look a bit hangdog when it comes to having a bath - but there's not a nasty chemical in sight as the shampoo lathers up on her slick wet hair.

It's not just humans getting into the move toward all things environmentally friendly.

Sustainable pet products are no longer something to be sniffed at - they are big business.

(...)

"I think if you have a pet you have to care for the planet," said Lucy's owner Jon Cumming. I'm not sure where the logic in that is... Does that mean that if you don't have a pet, you don't need to care for the environment?

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Judge: Leashes legitimate in keeping public safe

A High Court judge has upheld Auckland City Council's dog control bylaw after a pooch lover took issue with the requirement to keep dogs leashed in public.

The plaintiff, Geoffrey Harrison, asked the court to review the council's dog control bylaw requirement for dogs to be kept on leashes in public, unless in a designated dog exercise or off-leash area.

Over the course of two hearings in the High Court at Auckland, on September 10 and February 28, Mr Harrison argued the bylaw restrictions were unreasonable and unnecessary.

However, in a ruling released recently, Justice Lynton Stevens said it was not unreasonable to require dogs to be under control in public places.

"Parliament has clearly entrusted the task of developing and adopting a policy on dogs to elected territorial authorities."

Justice Stevens said the legislation directed territorial authorities to consider "minimising danger, distress and nuisance to the community" when adopting a dog control policy.

Justice Stevens acknowledged that Mr Harrison's application had been made in good faith, saying Mr Harrison was a genuine dog lover and was concerned foremost with promoting his dogs' wellbeing.

- NZPA

Stab vest for SPCA

The Auckland SPCA is issuing inspectors with stab-proof vests to protect them from angry animal owners.

General manager David Lloyd-Barker said he was taking the "purely commonsense" step after cases of assault and threatening behaviour.

While none of his inspectors had been stabbed, some had been pushed. He felt it was a small step to someone picking up a bottle or knife."I don't want to go to any funerals," he said.

Lloyd-Barker, who worked for London's Metropolitan police and British special forces, said many of the problem visits were to south Auckland homes with gang links and usually involved dogs.

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Missing Dog returned

Dog, the cross-breed missing from his Titirangi home since before Christmas, has been reunited with his owners.

Leigh Tawharu and her family had almost given up hope of finding their beloved pet when a note arrived in their letterbox this month.

The letter writer claimed to have Dog, saying he was okay and "having a wonderful life".

Leigh was outraged and went public in the Western Leader last Saturday with a plea to the mystery writer to come forward.

She was relieved to get a phone call shortly after the article appeared and thrilled to find Dog at a Cornwallis address. Leigh says it’s great to have Dog back home.

"The lady who had him has looked after him really well and there are no hard feelings." Sure...

Chloe's back but not as she would like it

Being convicted of assault or having drugs would have been better than being caught shoplifting, says Chloe of Wainuiomata, who has admitted stealing a flea collar and flea drops. MORE>>

On TV 3 tonight

New Zealand’s most dangerous dog
A dog in Tauranga has been locked up for ten months because it is too fierce to be set free. Meet the animal that’s been described as being like a loaded firearm.

Hair of the dog keeps kid's allergies at bay

Having a dog in the house reduces the risk that young children will develop allergies, German researchers said.

The finding, based on a six-year study of 9000 children, lends weight to the theory that growing up with a pet trains the immune system to be less sensitive to potential triggers for allergies like asthma, eczema and hay fever.

Just why this should be is unclear but scientists believe youngsters may get beneficial early exposure to germs carried into the house on the animal's fur, which helps their immune systems develop.

"Our results show clearly that the presence of a dog in the home during subjects' infancy is associated with a significantly low level of sensitisation to pollens and inhaled allergens," said Joachim Heinrich of the National Research Centre for Environmental Health in Munich. MORE>>