Nosy barkers

Handler Andrew Hall could be describing his best mates rather than the detector dogs that sniff out potentially catastrophic pests at Wellington Airport, those cute little beagles who shove their wet muzzles in your bag without so much as a by-your-leave.

There's intense and cheeky Max, who pulls out all the tricks to stop Mr Hall from leaving him at the end of the day. And there's his laidback brother Mason, "not the sharpest tool in the shed". Then there's Oscar, who has a red shoe fetish and a habit of howling at the ceiling when disturbed.

"He's a really nice dog," Mr Hall says. "When he hits red or tan leather shoes, he just starts getting a bit excited. He just gets a bit fixated on them." MORE>>

Drug dogs sniff around high schools

How would you feel if you received an out-of-the-blue letter from your kid's high school warning you drug dogs will be sniffing around?

It is more common than you might think, in fact it is a rapidly growing industry.

Which means business is booming for New Zealand's fastest growing private drug dog company.

Schnauzer Sam sounds the alarm

A Christchurch dog has been trained to provide essential medical help to its owner.

Pip Farrant, the owner of Sam the miniature schnauzer, has kidney failure and needs at least nine hours of dialysis a day.

To allow her to continue her job as a needs assessor at Princess Margaret Hospital, Farrant gets her dialysis while she sleeps.

But she is profoundly deaf and cannot hear the alarm that goes off when she rolls over in bed and crushes a tube in the dialysis process.

Farrant and her dialysis nurse, Lesley Harsburgh, decided to train one-year-old Sam to jump on to the bed and wake his owner when the alarm sounded. MORE>>

The most basic training technique... great to see people using their initiative in getting dogs to work!

Is this the world's most dangerous dog?

Forget rottweilers and pit bull terriers - the floppy eared, doe-eyed cocker spaniel is being singled out as one of the world's most aggressive dogs.

Kiwi owners and breeders have leapt to the defence of the "devoted and lovable" breed after a Spanish study looked at 1000 cases of dog aggression between 1998 and 2006.

Most were attributed to cocker spaniels, rottweilers, boxers, yorkshire terriers and german shepherds. But the study found english cocker spaniels were more likely than other dogs to act aggressively toward their owners and strangers.

However, Gloria Odiam, a New Zealand cocker spaniel breeder for 30 years, found the study hard to fathom.

"I don't know what they're breeding over there, but [there's] nothing like that here." MORE>>

You'll always get a mix reaction to the breed specific 'aggressive' temperature gage.

Fugitive leaves dog tied to kennel

Leo Gao fled Rotorua in such a hurry that he left his border collie Sam tied up in a kennel in the garden.

The Weekend Herald understands the dog was stuck for a week before neighbours realised what had happened and called the SPCA. MORE>>

Call for code to stop 'cage crazy' dogs

A senior SPCA manager is calling for a national code of standards for pounds to avoid the risk of seized dogs going "cage crazy" after being locked up for months at a time.

Jim Boyd, the national operations manager, said he will be recommending the National Animal Welfare Advisory Committee, which reports to the Minister of Agriculture, to produce the code of welfare. Animals kept in pounds for long periods of time became stressed and "cage crazy", he said.

The situation was highlighted earlier this month in the case of Kaipara dog, Jack, who was run over and killed after escaping from a Whangarei pound caregivers' property. The dog had been seized seven months earlier after it was alleged to have killed chickens. MORE>>

Super-council, dangerous dogs on Hide's agenda

A Southland super-council and the controversial proposal to put violent dogs down on the spot will be high on the agenda when Local Government minister Rodney Hide visits the region on June 16.

Mr Hide was to be Invercargill to meet councils Wednesday but was forced to cancel because of other commitments.

Yesterday, Mr Hide said it was a shame he had to postpone the trip but was looking forward to getting down south soon.

The proposed dog law would definitely be discussed as it was an issue that needed immediate attention, he said. "Very keen on that, we're certainly going to look at that because it's a serious problem."

Invercargill City Council manager William Watt, who has pushed for a law change to allow dog control officers to immediately destroy dogs that attacked people, said he was encouraged by the minister's comments. It was important animals were treated humanely but public reaction both locally and across the country showed most people agreed with the idea, he said. MORE>>

Of course it's a serious issue... the city can't protect the public because it doesn't know how to make their dog pound secure!!

Teach your dog to take photos

How will you fill the time indoors this winter? Well, you could teach the dog to take photographs.

Kodak has a helpful video on its podcast website showing how to get Rover into the photography hobby. You'll find it at http://tinyurl.com/dghcwh.

Jenny Cisney, chief blogger at Kodak, was inspired to get her dog taking photographs by the possibilities presented by the Gorillapod, a versatile tripod with bendy legs.

It can be used as a flexible, three-legged conventional tripod or it can be wrapped around any convenient object, such as a tree, a fence post or a dog's neck. MORE>>

Trials sort out who's top dog

Cool conditions tested both man and beast at the second day of the South Island Sheep Dog Trial Championship's at Waihi Gorge yesterday.

About 240 people and twice as many dogs are at Waihi Station this week for five days of trials.

A small tent village has sprung up on the station to cater for the competitors who have come from throughout New Zealand.

The number of competitors taking part in North and South Island events had increased from about 200 several years ago, Canterbury centre president Andy McNab said yesterday. The sport was attracting more younger competitors in the 18- to 25-year age group, he said.

It was a sport in which age was not a barrier, with several septuagenarians and octogenarians also competing.

Molenaar's dog survives the siege

Jan Molenaar's dog Luger, which disappeared as its owner fired the shots that started the Napier siege, has been found alive.

Molenaar was returning home from walking the female Staffordshire cross, named after the German pistol, when he confronted police on Thursday. MORE>>

National cuts Dog Education Programme out of the budget

From the news item:
English cutting Labour's 'unrealistic and misdirected' spending
Watch the video

Editor's comment:

I just heard on TV3.co.nz tonight, that our dear young National Party is cutting the Dog Education Programme that the Labour Party introduced after the 2003 famous dog attack.

"The Dog Box is a resource kit for New Zealand schools all about dog safety. The kit is aimed at year 1 to year 8 students.

The kit contains:

teachers' notes
a DVD for year 1 - 8 students explaining how children can be safe around dogs
a game/poster and dice and counters
a pad of Stay Dog Safe information sheets for families

To request a copy contact: info@dogsafety.govt.nz

John Key was smug and said that this programme cost the taxpayers $1 000 000 or 1 Million dollars. But I looked on their website, and the May 4 09 Animal welfare is important to our welfare says that

"Animal welfare is vitally important to New Zealand - as a nation we are passionate and enthusiastic owners of companion animals.

In fact our pet ownership statistics are among the highest in the world.Do you want to know how many of us own cats or dogs?Well, more than half of New Zealand households have at least one cat, and just over 35 percent of households own a dog."

Perhaps Mr Key read the excellent book written by Janis Bradley "Dogs Bite, But Balloons and Slippers are More Dangerous"

Janis explains how dog bites should be put in perspective....

" Dogs are dangerous. And they are more dangerous to children than to adults.

Not as dangerous of course, as kitchen utensils, playground equipment or bedroom slippers, or anywhere close to the danger presented by family, friends, guns or cars!

Here's the reality. Dogs almost never kill people.

A child is more likely to die choking on a marble or a balloon, and an adult is more likely to die in a bedroom slipper related accident.

Your chances of being killed by a dog are roughly one in 18 million.

You are five times more likely to be killed by a bolt of lighting.

The supposed epidemic numbers of dog bites splashed across the media are absurdly inflated by dubious research and by counting bites that don't actually hurt anyone. Dogs enhance the livers of millions more people than even the most inflated estimates of dog-bite victims.

I want to thank Karen Batchelor who has put me on to the book :)

So Mr Key.... with the one million dollars in savings... how about if you put a course in place for new dog owners and get them to understand the importance of early socialisation, and how to 'speak dog'.

No treats in this doggie bag

OPINION The author Lynley Dodd once wrote a wonderful picture book called My Cat Likes to Hide in Boxes. I'm considering writing a canine-themed equivalent, to be titled My Dog Likes to Shit in Nettles.

And we're not just talking nettles: my dog also likes to do it in gorse bushes, among patches of lethal toadstools, on the edges of cliffs, through barbed wire, and once - in an appalling display of disrespect - into the open mouth of a decaying kahawai. She is, in every other respect, a sweet-natured creature whose only act of aggression since puppyhood has been to maul her half-brother's soft-toy duck.

As far as she is concerned, however, defecation is not merely a bodily function: it is an extreme sport.

The subject of dogs, and particularly dog poo, has been much in the news recently, thanks to Wellington City Council's proposed reform of its dog control policy. MORE>>

Dogs killed after vicious attack

An Invercargill man armed with a metal bar saved the life of a pensioner being viciously attacked by two large dogs yesterday, a witness said.

Phillip Devery has been hailed a hero after rushing to the aid of a 70-year-old man who was being mauled by two dogs in O'Byrne St late yesterday morning.

It was the third dog attack in the city in the past month. MORE>>

What is going on in Invercargill.. or has the media just pinpointed some juicy stories. Of course, this is really disturbing that dogs are left unsocialised, under-exercised, and under-valued. What shall we do? If you look at the collar.. you'll see the stereotypical mentality of the dog owners.

Since the dog were seen attacking, the law says that you can shoot the dogs on sight /on site.

SPCA sets up emergency line for Napier pet-owners

The SPCA is urging people who have been separated from their pets or animals because of the siege in Napier to contact them on their emergency line: 021 451 682.

The SPCA are organising to enter the area with a police escort to feed animals and pets.

Police dog Fi alive and uninjured

Napier police dog Fi is alive and well.

Senior Constable Grant Diver's drug dog, a five-year-old Alsatian, was thought to have been killed or badly hurt in the shooting at on the city's "hill" yesterday. MORE>>

Police Dog Handler Traumatises Teenager

The Police Dog handler ” Kayne ” who released the police dog onto Logan Douglas is known for his brutality antics within the BOP region. The Tauranga Police created a ” Crime Squad” to catch out burglars by prowling local neighbourhoods. During this ” crime squad peak operation ” a number of local teenagers were harassed and in some cases assaulted by Kayne, Police Dog Handler of Tauranga Police.

Read the article. There's a pretty awful picture of the puncture wounds.
I thought that police dogs were better trained than that. If they were trained correctly, the dog should release on command.

New Zealand households are among the highest in

David Carter says: In fact, our pet ownership statistics are among the highest in the world.

More than half of New Zealand households have at least one cat, and just over 35 percent of households own a dog.

For full speech...

Council to lobby for power to kill dogs

The Invercargill City Council will lobby for a law change allowing authorities to kill dogs on the spot if they are known to have attacked a person.

related to this story

Woman attacked by dog... but took 5 days to report it!

You should know what Doglinks thinks of this... Scoop It

Sensible Sentencing Goes to the Dogs

Next day's news: Dog attack law gains support

"A Southland Times poll reveals most readers want known attack dogs killed on the spot, with 69 per cent voting in support yesterday."

My question is... 69% may sound like a lot, but what is the total number of people asked. I mean, you can ask 10 people, and if 7 say they are in favour... well, that's 70%.

Statistics can be manipulated to mean whatever you want...

UPDATE:

Dog Owner Upset Pet Was Killed By Officers-- Now, this news comes from overseas, and this is EXACTLY what is going to happen around here.

"Bartlesville - The Bartlesville police department is taking heat from a dog owner whose pit bull was killed yesterday.

The owner says police shot and killed the dog as it was running away. Police disagree. And, finding out what really happened could be hard to do." Read the rest of the article...

And that's the problem!! Who's going to believe that their dog didn't attack when there is so much heat of the moment going on ! I do believe that Southlanders are intelligent people, and won't be swaded (sp?) by the media !

Dog law sufficient

Opinion

There are 15,000 registered dogs in Nelson and Tasman. Of those, fewer than 20 are regarded as dangerous, meaning they must be muzzled in public.

For most responsible dog owners, having an animal classified in that way would trigger a serious soul-search about its future. No community should have to put up with vicious dogs roaming at large.

However, the potential for abusing a shoot first, question later law would be high. The present law is sufficiently robust, even if some of the nation's pounds might not be.

Fenced-off dog parks suggested

Dog attacks in Invercargill could be reduced if the city had a designated park for dogs to run free in, a businesswoman said.

Invercargill's Doggy Daycare owner Jo Hamilton said a recent attack at Sandy Point, in which a woman was bitten by a dog that had been let off its leash, had highlighted the need for a fenced-off dog park to be set up in the city.

Dogs had to be under control at all times in public places but many breeds needed a good run to burn off energy, she said.

As a result, some owners were letting their dogs free in inappropriate places, which had, in isolated cases, led to attacks.

I personally don't think that there is a need for a dog park in Invercargill. It's a small town, and lots of open space. Why not use the money for a dog park into DOG EDUCATION and EARLY dog SOCIALISATION classes!

A pup, a perp and a puzzle

Holed up here in isolation because of you know what, and with nothing to do but check the swineherd's temperature, the puppy and I are puzzled.

What's puzzling us is the phrase "holed up". We think it ought to be "holed down", because down is the standard direction for holes.

The pup volunteered to research the phrase on the internet, but I said no because he's only 18 months old and, according to an article in the paper this week, the internet is too dangerous for the young to toy with. MORE of the cute little story>>

$300 fine for dirty dog owners

Owners caught walking their pooch in Wellington without a way to dispose of doggy poo will face a $300 fine.

The council is also considering whether to create Wellington's first public dog destination park a kind of canine Club Med which are popular in other cities and may introduce fines for people who feed pigeons and ducks.

The recommendations will be considered by the council's strategy and policy committee today.

The council's associate social portfolio leader, Iona Pannett, said Porirua and Manukau had passed bylaws to make owners carry poo receptacles which had successfully cut the amount of muck left behind.

"We are putting the onus on to owners to clean up after their dogs."

(....)

OTHER CHANGES

Only three dogs to be allowed at one property.

Improved access for dogs to the waterfront through the central business district.

Owners to face an exam to be registered as Responsible Dog Owners.

Yes... and who will be qualified to 'exam' them?

TIMETABLE

The full council will endorse the draft at the end of May.

Six-week public consultation period from June 26.

New policy adopted, probably in October.

Teenagers, dog rescued

Three teenagers and a dog were last night rescued after spending almost three hours on the roof of their car in the middle of a rushing river.

Two 17-year-old females, an 18-year-old male and their dog became stranded in the swollen South Canterbury Opihi River when their four-wheel-drive became stuck after attempting to cross it.

(...)

A passing rescue helicopter plucked the teenagers and their dog to safety shortly after 8pm. They were taken to hospital and treated for hypothermia. MORE>>

I wonder if they took the dog to the vet for check-up?

Animal welfare is important to our welfare

Agriculture Minister
David Carter
2 MAY, 2009
Animal welfare is important to our welfare

Good morning. It is a pleasure to be here as the Minister of Agriculture to officially open the Royal New Zealand Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals' National Conference for 2009.

I always enjoy speaking at events in Canterbury, and in my home city of Christchurch. You'll be interested to know that Canterbury holds an important title that can't be taken away from us - it is home to the oldest SPCA branch in New Zealand.

MORE of his speech>>