DOC dogs to sniff out rats for sport event

The Department of Conservation (DOC) will use dogs to sniff out any rats who have hitched a ride with people competing in a sporting event on Rangitoto and Motutapu Islands today.

Competitors will mountain bikes or run across the islands in The Dual Motutapu-Rangitoto Traverse sports event.

Three rodent detecting teams, led by DOC ranger Fin Buchanan and his dog Pai, will screen about 2000 people ferrying to Motutapu this morning.

The pair recently caught and killed a rat hiding in a van about to be ferried to Motuihe Island, a pest-free sanctuary for endangered wildlife near Rangitoto and Motutapu. MORE>>

Give a dog a job, and he makes the news! Well dog Pai... 
Great to hear you found a rat !! better you than me :)

Betsy has her day in court

She's a fluffy, enthusiastic heap of good-humoured trouble - but Betsy the poodle's owners never thought she'd lead them all the way to court in a year-long legal battle.

Betsy was simply too much to handle for the proprietors of the kennel where she was sent for her holidays, wriggling free from the operator's arms and escaping into the rural bush for almost a week.

A year on, the operators of Hound Homestay have appealed to the Auckland District Court to avoid paying vet costs and a few hundred dollars in travel expenses and compensation to Betsy's owner. MORE>>

Dogs maul two kids

A 3-year-old-boy was savaged by a stranger's dog as he patted it outside a video store.

Oracle Brampton had a hole in his cheek big enough to put a finger through after the incident in West Auckland.

The owner has apologised and pleaded with authorities not to kill his "best friend". Shame the owner ran away when the incident happened!!

It was one of two attacks by apparently docile dogs a few days apart, prompting campaigners to call for compulsory registration of owners.

In the second incident, Cameron Pita, 9, from Palmerston North, needed 88 stitches after being attacked by a friend's family pet. The owners surrendered the animal so it could be put down.

Oracle was taken to hospital by ambulance after being bitten by a Staffordshire terrier cross outside Video Ezy on Lincoln Rd, Henderson, on March 16.

He was sedated for three hours while doctors washed his injuries with saline and gave him nine stitches. A doctor told the family the bite narrowly missed an artery.
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Security camera footage shows a girl patting the dog seconds earlier without problem. But what was the dog doing? Did he lick his lips? Did the dog turn away? What was the dog 'telling' humans? There are always signs that the dog is under stress... it's just unfortunate that the owner wasn't watching and understanding what his dog was telling him!

When Oracle and his sister bent down to pat it, the animal attacked. The owner ran out of the shop, grabbed his dog and fled.

Of course, children should never approach a dog, and children should always ask the owner if they can pat their dog. Of course, parents should be also schooled in this. It's a shame that this could have all been prevented with a course like Doggone Safe !! 

Man and his dog brightens up Christchurch

An army enthusiast and his dog have been bringing smiles to the faces of wary Christchurch residents with their quirky roadshow.

Tony Karauria and his bespectacled dog, Rhoda, have been driving around the quake-ravaged city in his 1942 Ford Willys Jeep, which was rebuilt two years ago, with the intention of brightening people's days.

"The whole idea was to cheer people up. I might just go down to the shop or to the mall and park the vehicle in the front and the next thing I come out and there's heaps of people taking photos, standing next to the jeep, and my dog puts her head on their shoulder still with her glasses on, so they all seem to be happy. MORE>>

Drunken prank with dog backfires

A drunken man who thought it would be a good prank to pull a dog's tongue has suffered serious facial injuries after the dog bit his mouth.

The 39-year-old National Park resident was partying at a friend's house on Wednesday when he grabbed the large crossbreed dog and held it down while trying to grab its tongue.

The dog managed to free itself and lunged at the man's face, biting the corners of his mouth, Constable Conrad Smith said.

The man was taken to Taumarunui Hospital and later flown to Waikato Hospital. He was in a stable condition last night, a hospital spokeswoman said.
"He had lost a lot of blood," Mr Smith said. "It is likely he will need cosmetic surgery to repair the wounds."

The dog was impounded overnight but returned yesterday to its owner, whose house the party was held in.

"It was a bit of a bitser. It was not a pit bull or anything. It was an old dog, it has been around for a long time," Mr Smith said.

I wonder if the outcome for the dog would have been different if it were a bully breed?

No charges would be laid. "All I can say is that people need to treat animals, especially dogs, with respect".

Dog terror forces mum to keep child indoors

A Rotorua woman is scared to let her daughter play in her own backyard because of fears she will be attacked by wandering dogs in her street.

Michelle Klee lives on Collie Dr and said some of the neighbourhood dogs were scaring residents on the street.

Miss Klee had to put her cat down recently after it was attacked by a dog.

"The dog had come on to my property," she said. "I had to put my cat down because its injuries were so bad."
(...)
Rotorua District Council's animal control supervisor Kevin Coutts said the incident with Miss Klee's cat had been reported and staff were doing more patrols in the area.

"Unfortunately we didn't receive a description of the dog involved so we weren't able to take it further."

Mr Coutts said roaming dogs were an issue in Rotorua.

"It is something that pops up in different areas at different times."
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Wellington SPCA board in disarray

The Wellington SPCA board is falling apart less than three months after being elected as an "all or nothing" option – proposed by Theresa Gattung – to peg back over-spending and save the Chest Hospital pet shelter project.

Chairman Craig Shepherd and board member Debra Ashton resigned about 10 days ago after opposing the selection of Iain Torrance as chief executive.

The appointment of Mr Torrance, from international consulting firm Coffey International, was announced yesterday. MORE>>

Dog killed with golf club

A man is "assisting" police after a dog was beaten to death with a golf club in Te Kuiti, 80km northwest of Taumarunui.

Inspector Sean Rutene said police were told a dog was being beaten with a golf club at a Te Kuiti house and, when they arrived, the dog was dead.

A man armed with an axe had barricaded himself inside.

"Police responded tactically and following a careful negotiation the male came out of the address without incident," Mr Rutene said. "He is presently assisting police in this matter."
- NZPA

NZTV about dogs!

Different sort of programmes regarding dogs NZ

Artist sells work for the SPCA

World-renowned impressionist photographer Eva Polak is putting her money where her art is – donating all proceeds of a new exhibition to the SPCA.

Walking the Dog, which opens at Auckland’s Te Karanga Gallery on April 4, is a collection of Polak’s painterly images of dogs, captured in poses varying from inquisitiveness to sheer exuberance.

It’s also a celebration of the life of her beloved photo shoot companion, Chucky, who died last year [2010] after a six-year battle with epilepsy.
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Her work has been included in many group exhibitions and last year she held her first solo exhibition, Tides of Light, at Devonport’s Art Space gallery. Polak has run workshops on impressionist photography with NZ Photography Tours and the Photographic Society of New Zealand.

Walking the Dog opens at Te Karanga Gallery in Auckland’s Karangahape Rd at 6pm on April 4 6pm-8pm, running until April 13. Opening hours are Mon 12-6, Tues - Friday 10-6, Sat 10-4. Entry is free.

All proceeds of sales during the exhibition will go to the SPCA and donations to the SPCA will be collected at the exhibition.
 
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Shake fund walk a success in ruff weather

Fifty Wanganui dogs raised $800 for earthquake-stricken Christchurch over the weekend but they had to get soaking wet to do it.

The dogs and their owners were part of Wanganui Vet Services' "dog-walk-a-thon", a mass dog walk around the city bridges on Saturday.

Organiser Linda Hart said the event had to go ahead in the rain, but everyone had still been keen to take part.

"The dogs got absolutely soaked and there were a lot of towels being produced at the end of the walk." MORE>>

Brave Kiwi saves master

Lost and alone on the streets of Christchurch as masonry fell around him during the terrifying earthquake, blind office worker Blair McConnell was led to safety by his faithful dog Kiwi.

Now the loyal labrador-retriever cross is being hailed a hero for navigating McConnell to safety amid the carnage and rubble along the banks of the city's Avon River.

Despite falling concrete and the screams of panic around him, the eight-year-old, curly coat, guide dog stayed on task until a passing motorist stopped and gave the shaken pair a ride home.

Almost completely blind, McConnell, with Kiwi at his side, would travel each day to work at Telecom's Old Exchange Building in Hereford St. The sales rep would normally have been out at lunch on Colombo St at 12.51pm when the earthquake struck on February 22, but was dealing with a customer on the phone.
"I dived under the desk. Kiwi was already under it," he said. "I grabbed his harness and he was quite keen to get out.
MORE>>