Rottweiler plays hide the chip

You could put the microchip in the dog but reading it was another question, Invercargill MP Eric Roy said. An impromptu field-test was carried out at Veterinary Services Invercargill on Thursday to show the effectiveness or otherwise of microchips in dogs.

An 8-year-old rottweiler, Hank, which was microchipped as a pup for reasons other than behaviour, was brought into the vets to be scanned, Mr Roy said. "We were unable to locate the microchip," he said, after the scanner was run all over the dog.
The test raised several questions about the effectiveness of microchipping dogs, Mr Roy said.

The Government should be looking at the behaviour of dog owners instead of microchipping the dogs, he said. Yes, of course!!! But now the government has changed it 'reason' for chipping... saying that it will help with locating dogs when they move councils districts. This is politics at its best (or worse)... put a law in place and tell the public the reason, then when that reason proves ineffective, make up another one.

"This is placebo legislation." However, Elles Rd Veterinary Centre vet Sandy Cooper, who is the New Zealand Veterinary Association (NZVA) companion animal executive representative in Southland, said the technology was good and that animals should have their chips checked each year during health checks.

She said she had never had one disappear. HOG WASH!!! How many chips has she checked??

MORE>>

No chips for farm dogs - Southern councils

South Island councils – many representing rural regions – say they will ask Parliament to exempt farm dogs from microchipping.
(...)
In the Hawke's Bay, Federated Farmers urged farmers and dog owners to attend anti-microchip rallies on Saturday. One will be held in Napier on Saturday morning and another at Waipukurau, in Central Hawke's Bay, during the afternoon.

"I urge all dog owners to attend a rally to show their disgust at the Government's plan to microchip all dogs," Hawke's Bay Federated Farmers spokesman Kevin Mitchell said.
"A lot of people – and not just farmers – are hacked off about the microchipping law," he said.
The protest gatherings are being organised by in conjunction with local MPs.
_________________________________
Councils differ on enforcing dog law 29 April 2006
The success of the Government's microchipping law could be in the hands of local authorities when it comes into effect on July 1.
So where do the Southland, Invercargill and Queenstown Lakes district councils stand as the enforcers?

Microchipping... and councils, and drugs, and laws

In my other post (below), there are all these really bad dog stories that you would think have TEETH (to them). But then, you read how councils don't think that microchipping is worth the time and effort... (as written down below in this post)

Can someone in the media please tell me, are dogs dangerous, or aren't they??
Sheese, what a bunch of mixed messages the news stories are giving! This is a good way of understanding how the 'media' influences each and every one of us.

Take the cannabis laws for example. In New Zealand, there are sooo many bad stories about drugs. We are lead to believe that drugs are bad, that they is a problem, and that we should get rid of them. We are lead to beleive that EVERYONE feels that this is a big bad wolf.

If this is the case, why is it that only 12 people showed up when government officials from Wellington came to town (Christchurch)... We are talking about policy advisors wanting to open up the channels of communication, and ask the community their response to the present drug policy. Only 12 people came, and NONE were from the City Council (who's responsibility is to make laws around the drinking/drug establishments around town), NONE were from the District Health Board, NONE from the police (who tell us it's a big problem), NONE from any school boards (who want to test for drugs), NONE from the MEDIA who report all the RUBBISH around town...

Are drugs a problems or aren't they??
Are dogs a problem or aren't they??

Ya wouldn't know by reading it the media, would ya?
__________________________________


No chips for farm dogs - Southern councilsStuff.co.nz, New Zealand - Apr 28, 2006
By KENT ATKINSON. South Island councils – many representing rural regions – say they will ask Parliament to exempt farm dogs from microchipping. ...

Council to send anti dog-chip partyTVNZ, New Zealand - Apr 28, 2006
Masterton District Council has resolved to send a delegation to Parliament to push for a review of dog microchipping legislation that comes into force in July. ...

Council takes stand against chipsTVNZ, New Zealand - Apr 26, 2006
A Wairarapa council is taking a stand against the government plans to microchip all dogs. Pushed on by local farmers, Masterton ...

Councils against dog chipping lawsRadio New Zealand, New Zealand - 6 hours agoThere's growing opposition among local bodies to a dog control law that will require all dogs registered from July to have an identification microchip inserted ...

Microchip law given low priority in MastertonWairarapa Times Age, New Zealand - 20 hours agoBY MARLENE DITCHFIELD. Masterton district councillors went to the dogs last night, deciding a new law requiring dogs to be microchipped ...

Council Votes To Make Dog Microchipping A Low Prioritynewswire.co.nz, New Zealand - Apr 25, 2006The Masterton District Council is snubbing the new microchipping law for dogs by passing a resolution this evening to make it a low priority. ...

Wow... look at all the negative stories about dogs...

These stories are all in the NZ Herald of late. And you wonder how anyone would want a dog as a dog guide, a hearing dog, a search and rescue dog, and/or a pet dog. I mean, you'd think that they were the most vicious animals alive, and we should shoot them all...

This is the media's way of turning dogs into monsters. How dare they!

Why council didn't prosecute attack dog's owner ›› Waitakere's dog control chief is defending a decision not to prosecute the owner of a pitbull terrier cross which attacked a 10-year-old girl last Thursday. Sree V Nair received seven stitches to her hand after the attack by the unleashed dog in Te Atatu Peninsula. Its owner took it into hiding but later surrendered it for destruction when council officials and police called with a search warrant....


• Dog attacks leave 35 sheep dead on regional park farm ››

• Flesh 'literally dangling' from girl, 10, after dog attack ››

• Garth George: Forced to take the dog out for an exercise in futility ›› [P]

• Editorial: Forget this nonsense, for all dogs ›› [P]

• Dangerous dogs face bullet ››

• Babies more at risk of dog bites ››

• Hinemoa Elder's dogs put down ››

• Pack of dogs attack pre-schoolers and teacher ››

• Dog pack mauls preschoolers ››

• Nine-year-old mauled by pit bull in Kaikohe ››

• Woman savaged by two dogs ››

• Dog-bite victim cheerful ››

• Boy in hospital after attack by dogs ››

• Christchurch dog attacks down ››

• Man mauled by his three pit bull terriers ››

• Pitbull Boris guilty of car-nage ››

• Attack dog could be fixated on tyres ››

• Patrols fail to find dog ››

• Dog attacks woman ››

• Dog owners to pay for attacks ››

• Toddler mauled by dog ››

• Biting dogs put down ››

• Dogs terrorise residents and kill cat ››

• Dogs seized after serious attack on woman ››

Yolande to help dogs sniff out mines in Africa

Growing up on the North Shore Yolande Dunn never expected that at 25 she would be moving to Tanzania to work with land-mine detection dogs.

Miss Dunn says she was "surprised" a month ago when she received a phone call from Max Jones, an animal-detection specialist for the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining.

Mr Jones supervised Miss Dunn when she completed a masters degree in behaviour analysis at Auckland University last year. He told her there was a position going at the centre for someone to oversee research on the training of land-mine detection dogs in the small town of Morogoro, she says. MORE>>

Dogs slaughter farm animals

Dogs with a taste for blood have killed or maimed almost 100 sheep and 13 cows at Puhinui Reserve in the past month.

The attacks have horrified farmer Robert Austin. who says it is the first time dogs have killed cattle on the farm he leases from Manukau City Council.

The cows were 10-month-old wieners and the sheep were lambs and mostly pregnant ewes.
There have been three attacks on animals at the reserve since late March. In the second attack, the most brutal, 70 sheep and eight cows were killed.

"The first sheep I discovered had half its head eaten off and was still alive," he says.
"I drove down another 50 metres and there were dead and wounded sheep lying everywhere. MORE>>

Dogs to get in behind microchip protest

Dog owners are being asked to take their animals to protest meetings in Napier and Waipukurau on Saturday to protest against proposed laws requiring dogs to be microchipped.
The meetings are being organised by Hawke's Bay Federated Farmers and two local National MPs, Napier's Chris Tremain and Tukituki's Craig Foss.

Federated Farmers executive member Hugh Ritchie said the rallies were for all dog owners, not just farmers. He hoped hundreds of people would attend the meetings, at Anderson Park in Napier at 10am and Waipukurau's Post Office corner reserve at 2pm.

"The concept of the law is wrong," Mr Ritchie said. "It won't address the issue of attacks by dogs. Responsible owners register their dogs and they will pay the cost of the new law. People who don't register their dogs will not get them microchipped." MORE>>

Chaos as pets fight like cat and dog

The age-old hostility between dogs and cats has left an Otaki house trashed and flooded after two dogs attacked and fatally injured their feline housemate.

Owners of the Cobb Place house thought they had arrived home to a burglary, but a police investigation has uncovered a strange series of events. The two dogs that lived at the property had spotted the family cat inside the unoccupied house, a police spokeswoman said.
The dogs pushed open a ranch-slider then chased the cat around the house.

During the rampage on Monday, the cat had jumped on to the kitchen bench and knocked a tap, turning it on. With dishes in the sink, water flooded the kitchen and living room, the spokeswoman said. After furniture was tipped over and the house "trashed", the cat escaped out a door, only to be cornered and attacked on the driveway.

A neighbour who heard the ruckus went to investigate and found the cat lying severely injured. It was subsequently destroyed. The homeowners returned at 7pm, then reported what they thought was a burglary. It would be up to the dogs' owners to decide if they should be put down, the spokeswoman said.

Parasite detector eyed after dog sniffs out infested sheep

An Australian dog has been trained to smell sheep droppings to tell which sheep have parasitic worms.

Australian researchers said the German shepherd dog's skills will be used to develop an electronic handheld "sniffer" device to detect gastrointestinal nematodes in sheep.
Reliable parasite detectors could save sheep farmers millions of dollars a year, agricultural scientists at Melbourne's La Trobe University told the ABC.

Internal parasites are a constant headache for sheep farmers because they can interfere with a sheep's wool and meat growth, and make the animal weak and susceptible to other diseases. They can even kill. MORE>>

Vet guilty of misdiagnosis

A vet who gave a dog an unnecessary operation and lied to the owner of a sick horse has been fined $5000 and suspended, pending a psychiatric assessment.

The North Island veterinarian, whose name and details are suppressed, pleaded guilty to charges of professional misconduct stemming from two complaints. An investigation by the Veterinary Council found the vet had also been dishonest in both cases.

A dog in his care was incorrectly diagnosed as having stifle joint disease and operated on, causing complications that were not recognised or treated effectively for three weeks. MORE>>

Hearing dogs can save lives

Smoke alarms save lives - and so do hearing dogs.

Thousands of deaf New Zealanders can't hear the everyday sounds most of us take for granted, including telephones, doorbells, clocks and smoke alarms.

Hearing dogs are trained to alert their owners to those sounds - and their assistance can save lives.

Hearing Dogs for Deaf People New Zealand is an independent charitable trust, set up in 1998 to assess, select, train and place hearing dogs with deaf and severely hearing impaired people.
The dogs, most rescued from animal centres as pups, are trained to internationally recognised standards and are provided free to selected recipients.
(...)
The trust receives no government funding. How disgusting!!
Red Helmet Day on April 22 is the trust's biggest fundraiser of the year. Give genereously!!
MORE>>

Dog attacks boy and teenager in Christchurch

A six-year-old Christchurch boy is recovering after being mauled by a neighbour's dog.
The boy was attacked on Tuesday night by a mastiff, suffering cuts to his face, head and shoulders and a puncture wound to his chest. He was taken to Christchurch Hospital and released yesterday.

It is believed the boy was standing at the end of a driveway in Guernsey Street, Aranui, not far from his home, when he was attacked. A friend of the dog's owner, Johnny Montgomery, 16, said the dog bit him inside the house before the youngster was attacked. Montgomery said the dog bit him on his side, but he managed to escape. "After he bit me, I ran out the door and jumped up on a car in the driveway trying to get away," he said.
(...)
The number of dog attacks in Christchurch has dropped dramatically since the introduction of new licensing laws in 2003. The number of reported incidents dropped by 50 to 190 in the year to June last year.

Don't get too wrapped in the 'success' of the new licensing laws... People just aren't reporting the attacks. I didn't when my dog got attacked. (especially since the dog owner paid all the vet fees, and was really remorseful)

Bride expo goes to the dogs

Designer wedding dresses are going under the hammer to raise funds for Auckland SPCA.

"Thousands of women in the city get married each year and we want them to come along and get involved in the auction," says fundraising manager Gerry Harrison.

"They have the opportunity to get a fantastic designer dress and support the SPCA."
Beau, a samoyed owned by Brenda and Bill Cottle, will be one of the SPCA's dog squad members escorting the models wearing the gowns down the catwalk at the Premier Wedding Expo at 2pm, followed by the auction on Sunday, April 23.

MORE>>

When I lived in Japan, I bought a wedding dress for $30. It was only used once, beautiful... and I thought... what a cheap dress. Well, it cost me $35 to ship back home, and when I arrived home, I found out that it was a size 10 (or 8). I'm size 14. Even my skinny aunt couldn't fit in it. And for some reason, I couldnt't sell it even in a garage sale!

Competitors get ready for sheepdog trials

Sheep farmer Michael Oliver is rounding up the regional sheepdog trial winners to take part in the North Island championships in May.

Mr Oliver, who runs stock at Whitehall, east of Cambridge, is organising the championships between May 8 and 13 in his capacity of Waikato president of the New Zealand Sheepdog Trial Association.

I'd go if I could, but it's on the other island... good luck dogs!!

WDC puts brakes on microchipping data

Rising costs have led the Whangarei District Council to stop gathering information for the new system of microchipping dogs.
(...)
At a recent Whangarei District Council meeting deputy mayor Phil Halse called for the council to suspend any work on microchipping dogs until the council gets further clarification on the legislation.

Cr Halse said he was concerned the council was paying for all the work to have data on dogs sent to Internal Affairs and that it was another example of central government passing on costs to local government.

Corporate services manager Alistair Drake told the council that contractors doing the work were not charging the council extra, but the council had to upgrade its computer software to link with Internal Affairs.

MORE>>

they have to upgrade their system... WHAT? with SECURITY measures?? How can we be certain that our private information is actually kept safe in the council's computer system??
Argh...

_Another council not giving in_________________________

Council will not offer microchip system
19 April 2006

Waimate District Council is preparing a petition for the Government that working farm dogs be exempt from microchipping laws.
In the meantime, the council has decided it will not be offering a microchipping service when the act becomes law on July 1.

Cr Anne Townend said before the council decided whether or not they will enforce dog chipping they needed to continue to lobby the government for an exemption.

"The bill is being passed but we still have time to lobby the Government to make an amendment to the act." MORE>>

Cr Peter Foley questioned what the continual debating of the dog chipping law had cost the ratepayer, especially after it sought a legal opinion on the legality of ignoring the act.

Carter rejects call for one cat and chips

An environmental group's call for microchipping and a one-cat per household limit has been rejected by Environment Minister Chris Carter, who prefers to encourage "responsible pet ownership".

Brrr.... argh!! says the dog.

Christchurch's Cat Control Campaign group wants restrictions on cat ownership to combat their killing of wildlife.

Spokesman Ray Spring said cat owners should be limited to one animal and be required to microchip and register their cats, keep them on their sections and inside at night. "Any cats out at night, if they have been microchipped, would be returned to their owner and [the owner] fined," Mr Spring said.
(...)
Mr Carter, who owns one cat called Judith that spends her time lying about and has "never caught anything in her life", said controlling the number of pets people owned was not the answer.

MORE>>

Yup, I think they should have limits too. I remember telling a friend that her cat should have a bell on. She said that her cat has never caught a bird, and probably never will. Finally enough, the very next day that we had this conversation, her cat came inside the house with a bird in its mouth. Do you think that the cat now had a bell? nope....

______________________________

Another intersting article

Kerre Woodham: Kooky cat owners not helping cause
16.04.06
Ray Spring doesn't seem to like cats much. They're ecological vandals, according to Ray, decimating New Zealand's native bird population and shredding native trees with their vicious claws. They're also dirty little things, Ray reckons.

They get into good, honest pet-free neighbours' gardens and poop everywhere turning a garden of Eden into a toxic wasteland. Ray concedes that doing away with cats altogether is probably a bit radical - so instead he's suggested that cats be restricted to one per household and that all cats be microchipped so that rogue cats can be identified and their owners can be made accountable for their actions. MORE>>

Why council didn't prosecute attack dog's owner

Waitakere's dog control chief is defending a decision not to prosecute the owner of a pitbull terrier cross which attacked a 10-year-old girl last Thursday. Sree V Nair received seven stitches to her hand after the attack by the unleashed dog in Te Atatu Peninsula. Its owner took it into hiding but later surrendered it for destruction when council officials and police called with a search warrant.
Council animal welfare manager Neil Wells said the owner would not be prosecuted in return for handing the dog over.

In response to Herald readers' queries, Mr Wells said yesterday there was misunderstanding in the public mind about powers given by the Dog Control Act. "It's not an open-ended policy that there will be no prosecution if the dog is handed over. It's done on a case-by-case basis."

I would have thought that they treat all dog owners the same... a $300 fine minimum, then ask questions later. I'm amazed to read that dog control officers have that power to be "discreet". So why don't they use it more often when a good dog owner gets down hard? Remember that lady who was just in front of her house (with kids), and she let the dog off lead to run into their yard. Bang, dog control officer gives then a $500 fine. (for dog being off lead! not for attacking a kid! ) I don't seem to remember any discretion being made there. Mind you, I would have gone to court to defend good dog owners in general! But that' s me.

....

"We'd rather work one to one with the person on education to ensure they understood their responsibilities."

Well, that's nice to read... would have been nice if they would have done that ( education) before the attack... but then again, the owner probably didn't know that their little precious was capable of it.

MORE>>

It's raining dogs - and cats

The SPCA needs people to replace hot cross buns with cross-breed dogs after being hit with double its normal intake of puppies and dogs in the lead-up to Easter and the dog registration period.

Auckland SPCA's general manager, Jane Thompson, said 60 dogs had been taken into its Mangere centre in three days this week. By yesterday the centre was asking people to wait until after Easter to give up their dogs because it was running out of space. The centre already had 45 dogs waiting for adoption, and were hoping Easter would bring new owners, not new dogs. MORE>>

Amazing escape for 'partner in crime'

A Napier toddler hit by a car as she chased her dog down the street has walked away with only a bump on the head and grazed legs.

Seventeen-month-old Oriwia Fraser was back home playing with her best mate Concrete, a pitbull-type dog, yesterday after her ordeal on Monday. MORE>>

AMAZINGLY no one blamed the dog!! wow! and he's a pitbull-type dog!

A dog's life to change from July

A dog's life will not be so free and easy in the Queenstown Lakes District from July 1.

The district council yesterday made its new dog policy official, ratifying new microchipping, doggy litter and exercising rules.

Basically:
chip your dog, all dogs
pick up your shit
no dog exercise areas within the town because there's just so much space around...

Dog unit to sniff for drugs at school

A drug-sniffer unit will visit Dunstan High School for the first time next term as part of a plan to maintain a "safe" school environment for students, principal David Smythe confirmed yesterday. The visit, which had been under consideration for two years, would include an "educational demonstration" by the Dunedin-based dog unit followed at a later date by a "random" check for drugs.

While there had been no evidence of drugs at school, a "town issue" with drugs had prompted moves to ensure they did not arrive at school.

a "town issue" ??

"The kids tell me the school is clean, basically, they know the difference between the school and the outside – I'm just ensuring that," Mr Smythe said.
"It's about making the school safe."

gee, how much is that going to cost? don't fix what aint' broken...

MORE>>

Dog attacks leave 35 sheep dead on regional park farm

Dogs have mauled to death 35 sheep in two attacks at a South Auckland farm park. Auckland Regional Council (ARC) park ranger Stan Hall found 16 dead sheep scattered across two paddocks at Ambury Park's 80 hectares of farmland on Monday and three more had to be destroyed. Last week, 17 sheep were found dead following a similar attack.

A camper was woken by the noise and saw the animals - reported to be two staffordshire-cross dogs - before they got away. MORE>>

Microchipping dogs detracting from the feral issue

The decision to microchip all dogs tells us much about the current Cabinet.

It keeps dealing with the symptoms of problems, never their causes. Thank heavens none of the members are doctors or their patients would have died long ago. Yes, there is a problem with dangerous dogs. Too many people get bitten. The experience terrifies children. Adults, too. I was bitten a couple of times by mongrels when campaigning in my electorate.

What to do about them is the problem. We had a chance in the 1980s to stop the importation of dangerous breeds but muffed it, and now there are too many.

If the "real dog problems come from owners" as stated below, why is the importation of dangerous breeds the problem, as stated above? Just playing with your logic:)

Under Cabinet's new requirements, all dog owners will have the expense of microchipping, irrespective of the dog's likely danger. Yet we have known for many years that the real dog problems come from owners, in what the Australians call the feral parts of society. They don't bother even to register dogs, and certainly won't microchip them.

yup, ya got that right!

Once more everyone will suffer because Labour can't come to grips with the problem end of society that its social policies continue to create. Instead, it is engaged in a form of political escapism. Ministers want to look as though they are doing something useful about dogs, when in reality they aren't even applying a band-aid.

Gee, sounds like some other laws we get around here. IE. put the drinking age back up to 20. Ya, like that's going to fit it? Band all cold tablets. Ya that's going to stop the making of meths.

Even the microchip itself, if the ferals could be persuaded to register and chip their dogs, is worthless when it comes to stopping dogs savaging children. It is crude placebo politics at its worst. AGREE!

We have seen lots of this sort of nonsense over the years, and it has not been confined to Labour. Random breath testing is another substitute for real policy. The police stop cars often at times and in areas where they know they will not encounter the section of society that is most over-represented in road-fatality statistics.

I like what Micheal has said about politics in general.. to continue reading the whole article, push here

Federated Farmers toughens stance on dog micro-chipping

READ ALL ABOUT IT!

The Government's refusal to back down on micro-chipping farm dogs has led Federated Farmers to toughen its stance on the issue.

After failing to convince the Government to exempt working dogs from having to carry the new form of identification, the federation has gone back to opposing the micro-chipping of any dogs.
MORE>>

Dog registration fees to remain at same levels

Press Release: Auckland City Council 10 April 2006

Registration fees for dogs in Auckland city will remain at their current levels for the 2006/2007 financial year.

Auckland City's service requests manager, Jackie Wilkinson, says that it is vital that all dogs in the city are registered - both for council records and animal control purposes, as well as to enable lost dogs to be reunited with their owners.

ya see, that's what I don't understand... if the purpose of registering your dog is to reunite lost dogs with owners, then what's the real purpose of microchipping ?!? they say that microchipping is for the life of your dog, and if that is so, then it's registered !!

"Registering dogs is important and by keeping registration fees at the same level we are aiming to ensure they are affordable to all dog owners."

Look at the prices below!! Can you afford that?

There are two ways to reduce the costs of registration, either through neutering your dog or, as an owner, completing a good dog owner course.

For more information on these courses, call Animal Control Services on (09) 360 0750.

The current fees for registering dogs in Auckland city are as follows: Standard fee Late fee (applies after 31 July 2006)
A Neutered dog, with an owner who holds a dog owner licence $38.00 $57.00
B Neutered dog, with an owner who does not hold a dog owner licence $62.00 $93.00
C Un-neutered dog, with an owner who holds a dog owner licence $81.00 $121.50
D Un-neutered dog, with an owner who does not who hold a dog owner licence $106.00 $159.00 E Special purpose dogs (e.g. guide dogs, police dogs) NIL NIL
F Working dogs (e.g. farm dogs kept for herding or driving livestock) $38.00 $57.00
Dogs adopted from the Redvale Shelter, SPCA, or Humane Society - for the first year of registration only $20.00 $20.00
Owners of dogs classed as dangerous must pay 150 per cent of the registration fee.

(....)
Under the Dog Control Amendment Act 2003, new regulations have been introduced by the government which will require some dogs to be microchipped from 1 July 2006. This applies to:
* all dogs registered in New Zealand for the first time, eg. new puppies or imported dogs
* any dogs classified as menacing or dangerous
* any dogs which are impounded more than once after 1 July 2006
* unregistered dogs which are impounded.
Auckland City is home to approximately 18,000 dogs.
ENDS

Guide dog gives a new freedom

The Royal New Zealand Foundation for the Blind says that every guide dog handler has a story - and Matamata man Bryce Hooton certainly does.

His guide dog, Force, a black labrador, and Bryce are often seen together pounding the pavement together on long walks - something that Bryce could not do until relatively recently.
Despite having been blind for 19 years, Bryce has only had a guide dog for three years, and although the changes in his life have been positive, it still took a lot of adjustment.

"(Having Force) has definitely given me a sense of freedom," Bryce said.

"But they are not bulletproof, they are dogs... it's all trust, and believe me, it took a while." MORE>>

AND have you given to the RNZFB??
We at doglinks always goes out and collects for Guide Dog Appeal... We do the Christchurch Strip, Oxford Terrace! Say hi to Holmes our dog. He guides us in how to love him (and that ain't too hard!)

Savage dog attacks will continue

This is written by an MP in Rakaia (check the link to see who). What really hazzels me (and yes, hazzel is a word, MY word) is that when doglinks asked MPs their opinions about microchipping, we were laughed at! Oh, there were more important issues they seemed to say by their manner...

Dog attacks are an urban problem, not a rural one, and the Government's plan to microchip all dogs will do nothing to solve it.

The debate about microchipping dogs has raged for so long that the rationale behind it has been lost by many. I thought that Kiwis would never forget the horrific images of Carolina Anderson, a beautiful little girl scarred for life by a vicious, savage and uncontrolled mongrel dog. This was just one of many such attacks by these types of dogs over recent years.

At the time, the community rose up in anger and demanded action. The Government beat its chest and declared it would indeed address the issue. But then it faltered and finally lost its nerve because, ultimately, it came to realise that the only way to stop vicious dog attacks is to destroy these dogs and bar them from being bred or imported. Rather than face up to this issue, the Government carefully crafted a smokescreen about the need to identify all dogs. So the concept of microchipping all dogs was born. From the Government's point of view, this policy has worked perfectly, allowing them to conveniently "forget" the problem of savage dogs.

MORE >>

Blah, blah, blah.. would you vote for him now? Would he have said this before the elections??

Dog trials a family affair

When Simon Fowler started trialing dogs a couple of years after leaving college, he was always one of the younger guys at events.

At 29, the Wairau Valley Collie Dog Trial Association president is still a relative young 'un and is keen to attract others to his "work-related sport".

The association trials are on tomorrow and Sunday at Glenmae 11km west of Wairau Valley township on State Highway 63.
A feature of the weekend will be the novice competition with prize money of $500.

In stepping into the president's shoes, Simon is carrying on a long-lasting family tradition. His father Harry is a past president, great-grandfather Jack was among a group of men who started trials in the valley and his great-uncle Gerald is the association's patron. MORE>>

If you have never seen a dog Trial, go and see it... it's really fun to watch. Mesmorizing actually.

Relax, it's a dog's life at the office

For Cosmic, the daily grind is anything but a dog's life.
The dog's owner, Claire Horrobin, has been taking her six-year-old canine into the office since late last year and claims it is the perfect incentive to keep her tied to her job.

After clocking in, the black labrador-cross greets all five staff at his Christchurch inner-city office, where he promptly climbs into his bed under Horrobin's desk and naps until coffee break.

>>MORE

There is an international dog day in March... I've written about this in my previous blog writtings. We should encourage people to do this. I'm lucky as I work in an environment where Guide Dogs are allowed, and pet dogs are not frown apon...

Brash bashes farm dog chip plans

National Party leader Don Brash got almost as many cheers as the competitors at the New Zealand Shearing Championships when he hit out at Labour's plan to microchip dogs.

"That has to be one of the dopiest ideas to come out of Wellington for a very long time," Dr Brash told the capacity crowd gathered at the Waitomo Community Cultural and Arts Centre on Saturday night. He received a cheer as fervent as that heard at any National conference. But he was in staunch National territory and on the home turf of former National Prime Minister Jim Bolger, who also attended the event. MORE>>

Vets talk down cost of microchipping

Opponents of compulsory dog microchipping have been exaggerating the cost of the procedure, the Veterinary Association says.

You mean, you won't get THAT rich?!

Farmers have been lobbying to have their dogs exempted from the new law, saying the dogs don't leave the farm and costs will be high because farmers commonly own several dogs at a time. But Veterinary Association's chief executive Murray Gibb said the heated debate surrounding the issue had not been helped by misinformation about the costs.

"Figures used by opponents of microchipping are way out of line," he said.
"For farmers, only newly registered dogs will need to be chipped. Currently registered dogs are exempt, so claims that those with 20 or more dogs are going to have to spend thousands of dollars getting them chipped are just plain wrong."

Mr Gibb said vets were charging between $35 and $75 all-up for chipping dogs, depending on whether it was a stand alone procedure or included as part of a consultation for other reasons.
It included the cost of the chip as well as lifetime registration on Australian databases.

SO, if it's a lifetime registration, why is there an EXTRA cost in registering your dog with City Council. Surely if that cost was gone, there wouldn't BE an anrgument!

Mr Gibb said microchipping wasn't restricted to vets and the Veterinary Association envisaged competition putting downward pressure on prices.

OH REALLY... so anyone with a machine can go into business?!?!

"On average, there are five dogs per farm in New Zealand, each with a working life of about seven years. A one-off cost of about $50 for each new dog is a long way from the prices being used in the current debate," he said. "This works out at less than $50 per year per farm, a quarter of claimed figures, and should be put in perspective. "It costs about $500 per year to properly feed an average working dog."

Farmers back Anderton despite microchip plan

Federated Farmers says it still has confidence in Jim Anderton as agriculture minister despite his failure to convince the Cabinet to change dog microchipping laws.

At least someone has confidence... not I

Mr Anderton, ranked No 3 in Cabinet, lost the argument to exempt farm dogs from laws aimed at curbing dog attacks, with the No 18-ranked minister, Nanaia Mahuta, leading the charge to include all dogs.

The Opposition has seized on this, with National spokesman David Carter calling Mr Anderton a "lame duck".

The federation, which represents 19,000 farmers and other rural people, is working on plans to attack the new law, which will come into effect on July 1.

President Charlie Pedersen said Mr Anderton had asked for a list of "doable practical items" that the federation would like him to achieve.

Heading that list was the microchipping issue. "It seemed like a little thing to get fixed," he said. "Now they've bitten into a bunfight they didn't need to." MORE>>

Softly softly on dog chipping for council

Clutha District Council Mayor Juno Hayes this week suggested council staff should only microchip certain dogs but denied the move would put the council on the wrong side of the law.
"We're not breaking the law, we're just not playing sheriff by going round chasing up unchipped dogs," he said.

The Clutha District Council plans to take a softly-softly approach to some microchipping provisions contained in the dog control legislation, due to come into force on July 1.
Councillors at yesterday's council meeting opposed the microchipping of farm dogs, which the Government said this week would not be exempted from the new regime.
They supported Mayor Juno Hayes, who suggested that council take a "silent approach" to enforcing some aspects of the proposed law. MORE>>

The law ain't broken if no one knows.. Or as a high school English teacher once told me: Cheat well, or don't cheat at all!"