Brodie in the running for TV stardom

Brodie the border collie is "fit as a fiddle and sharp as a knife".

The four-year-old pooch from Tokomaru has been selected as a finalist for New Zealand's next Tux dog television advertisement.

Brodie and nine other dogs from throughout New Zealand have been selected out of 500 entries received by the dog biscuit company.

In the past few weeks, the judges have been travelling the country, auditioning the 10 finalists and Brodie got his 30 seconds of fame on Wednesday morning at his home.

Owner Kathryn Beer said she entered both of her dogs, Brodie and Bracken – also a border collie. Bracken was shortlisted but didn't make the cut.

I know Kathryn.. we used to work together !! Well done Kathryn and Brodie!! I've known Brodie since a pup !!   I forgot to enter our Max, Spoodle... but Brodie will be a great Tux Dog!!

"Both of my dogs do competitive obedience and I go to shows with them. Bracken has only just started but Brodie has been doing it for a few years."

Miss Beer said Brodie was a soft-natured, happy dog. MORE>>

Fur flies over MAF bid to rejig cat, dog imports

Importers who want to bring pet cats and dogs into New Zealand have challenged biosecurity officials trying to toughen up the import health standards for pets coming from Britain, while reducing quarantine requirements for pets coming from other parts of the world.

The new standard proposed to be introduced this month for cats and dogs being brought to New Zealand "will not be issued as anticipated because there has been a request for independent review", the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF) said today.

New Zealanders and immigrants import about 2000 cats and 3100 dogs annually from about 40 countries, most of them from Australia (60 percent), Britain (23 percent) and the United States (8 percent). MORE>>

Most dog attacks hushed up

The public is being kept in the dark about the real scale of dog attacks in New Zealand, says Tauranga dog-control expert John Payne.

That's the problem, so the solution is our International Dog Bite Prevention Week !! 

Mr Payne, the city council's environmental compliance manager, told the Bay of Plenty Times that official statistics did not reflect the true picture, largely because dog owners were not reporting dog bites that they or their families sustained.


Why? the fear that their dog will be put down. The more aggressive the law, the more you frighten people, and the more that they go 'into hiding'.

Interviewed after he presented his monthly report to council yesterday, Mr Payne estimated that 75 per cent of dog bites were not being reported - and local authority statistics were what drove government legislation.


Information he obtained from ACC showed that claims for 270 "dog bite-related incidents" were lodged with ACC in Tauranga in 2009. This contrasted with the 61 biting dogs reported to the council, some of which would have been represented in the ACC's claims.

What is needed is a better way of assessing dog bites... I vote for Dr. Ian Dunbar's scale.
http://www.dogtalk.com/DogBiteScalesDunbar2011.pdf



The trend was repeated last year, with 303 dog-bite claims lodged with the ACC, compared with 67 biting incidents reported to the council. And even the ACC's figures did not represent the true scale of the problem: "You could double that because not all dog bites needed treatment."

And 10,000 claims last year... according to the NZ Herald

Interesting how the statistics are being thrown around.

The difference between ACC and council statistics was mostly explained by a family's loyalty to its dog - even when it bit family members, he said. OF COURSE !! Would you condemn your child to a life of death!

Mr Payne said the ACC was not required to notify councils about dog bite claims, so they didn't find their way into official statistics. Who would have known that government offices don't talk to each other!

He told the council yesterday that microchipping of dogs was making owners more accountable.
Whereas 38 per cent of dogs nationally were now microchipped, 44 per cent of biting dogs were found to be chipped.  That isn't actually very high, is it?? 44% of 38% is a very small number!

Problem dogs were often a reflection of problem owners and chipping identified those people, Mr Payne said.-- "those small number of people"

He also noted an alarming trend with pit bull terriers. Pit bulls comprised 1.4 per cent of the country's registered dogs, but were responsible for 18 per cent of bites.  Hum... statistics, statistics, and more lies
What is now classifieD as a pitbull?
Are we talking about breed-specific legislation?!?

Dog's tale offers hope to Christchurch kids

Four women from opposite ends of the country were determined to illustrate, design, publish and distribute a book in one month – a feat that usually takes up to two years.

The women were driven to succeed because of the one thing they all couldn't stop thinking about – the Christchurch earthquake.

Remuera resident Victoria Azaro received a phone call from manuscript assessor and publisher Jill Marshall two days after the quake shook Canterbury on February 22.

She illustrated the entire book in eight days – corresponding with Ms Marshall and designer Cheryl Rowe in Auckland and Christchurch resident and author Emma Pullar.

"We all wanted to push the little dog out into the world and get money for Christchurch," Ms Azaro says.
Curly from Shirley was on the shelves within three weeks and the proceeds are going to the Red Cross to help with relief efforts. MORE>>

Shot cop keen to return to force

He still has no bottom jaw from where he was shot in the face, but Senior Constable Bruce Lamb didn't have to think twice about going back to work.


The Christchurch police officer graduated from the New Zealand Police Dog Training Centre yesterday, with his new black labrador Mylo.

His previous dog, Gage, was killed when Mr Lamb and Constable Mitchel Alatalo were attending a house call in Philipstown, Christchurch, last July.

Mr Lamb was shot in the face and Mr Alatalo was shot in the leg.

Mr Lamb now has a steel plate in his jaw, and is still receiving medical treatment – but says he can't wait to get back to work in Christchurch. "I love it, just love working with dogs. It's great to be this close to getting back to it after nine months off." MORE>>

Teen's life gone to the dogs

A British teenager turned Kiwi farmhand was the youngest competitor at the Wairau Valley Collie Dog Trials last week.

Jordan Randall, 18, moved from Somerset, England, to Waihopai Valley near Blenheim with his family three years ago.

He loves the country lifestyle in Marlborough so much, he has replaced his football with a rifle and a dog.
"Me and my brother do a lot of hunting now, we try and get out most weekends."

Jordan said he misses his favourite British food, such as Cornish pasties and pork pies, but was enjoying bringing home the bacon himself. MORE>>

Not quite another dog training day

With the predator dogs nearing their final exam, my brother and I decided to take them out training away from Tui Nature Reserve.

Liam took the mailboat to Havelock to visit a farm in Blenheim for a few days with his dog Tori.
Chase and I were picked up by our neighbours and taken to Pohuenui station which is right across from us.
This new environment was perfect for training, with plenty of challenges for the dogs.

This large semi-island has livestock, and pet animals such as an ostrich, a horse, two goats and ducks.
After getting some good training in Blenheim, Liam and Tori arrived at Pohuenui with the mailboat on Friday and after lunch they went out looking for stoat evidence in the area. MORE>>

Teach a Child, Save a Dog

International Dog Bite Prevention Week, May 15-21, 2011

*The School of the Naked Dog supports International Dog Bite Prevention Week by launching their own Doggone Safe “Be a Tree” Event on Sunday, May 15, 2011 from 10am to midday at the Foundation of the Blind, 96 Bristol Street, Christchurch.*

During the third week in May, Doggone Safe and The School of the Naked Dog are delivering a solution to one of the nation’s most commonly reported public health problems affecting children: dog bites. Half of all children are bitten by a dog by the time they are 12 years old.

With many media reporting dog bite incidences like that of the incident at the Video Ezy store in Auckland, and the dairy incident in Christchurch, dog trainer Blair Anderson says that empowering the child is the protective measure to reducing the risk of injury to both child, and to the life of the dog.

Doggone Safe, a non-profit organization dedicated to dog bite prevention through education offers free information at its website www.doggonesafe.com to help promote safety messages. The School of the Naked Dog ( www.nakeddog.co.nz) is promoting and delivering the Doggone Safe “Be a Tree” children’s programme during the annual International Dog Bite Prevention Week in May. MORE>>

Canine heroes to be recognised

Search and rescue dogs which helped search for trapped people in rubble after the Christchurch earthquake will be among the canine heroes recognised at this weekend's national dog show.

All New Zealand dogs that have behaved in an outstanding way will be celebrated as part of the 125th New Zealand Kennel Club National Dog Show at Manfeild from April 29 to May 1. The dogs being celebrated include police dog Gage, killed in the line of duty in Christchurch last year, and the urban search and rescue (Usar) dogs.

MORE>>

Taradale dog trial president sitting pretty

The top five Hawke's Bay dogs in each class will go into the Hawke's Bay championships run-offs on the third day.

The Hawke's Bay dog trial season will end with some of its longest days when the Taradale club hosts the final event of the season in conjunction with the centre championships next week.

The club event, doubling as the qualifying stages of the centre championships, will be held on April 29-30 at Waipiropiro Station, in Shanley Rd (off Taihape Rd), and has attracted 107 handlers and 236 dogs.

MORE>>

Dogs show skills in autumn splendour

Top gun dogs from throughout the country and their owners went through their paces in Central Otago over Easter in the New Zealand Gun Dog Trial Association's 75th jubilee championships.

The event attracted 89 competitors with 132 dogs. The 11-event championship was hosted by the Central Otago Gun Dog Club.

"They were blown away by our scenery, the fabulous weather and all the autumn colours," trial secretary Esme MacDonald, of Galloway, said.

"The North Islanders all wanted to move here to paradise, they said. They just loved it."
For pictures and to read more>>

Dog no danger says owner, but victim's dad disagrees

The owner of a dog that bit a Christchurch girl's face, forcing her to have 30 stitches, says the animal is not dangerous and he will fight to save its life.

Charlize Allen was injured outside a dairy in Selwyn last weekend after approaching Tama, a bullmastiff cross, while he was tied up. 

Editor's note: after having spoken by email with the mother of the child, she said that her child did not approach the dog as she was scared of dogs... rather, the dog got up and lunged at the child.
I have withdrawn my earlier comments criticising the parents for not supervising their child, and  apologised for taking the article at face value. (see other article Mastiff mauls three-year-old)

For a dog to bite a person and/or another dog unprovoked can be either be: 1) the dog is unsocialized and can't read the body language of dog/human 2) has been in a fight recently and the stress levels of the dog is still elevated, like that of a human who's 'on edge' 3) medical reasons (ie- dog has hip dysplexia, undiagnosed broken bones, bruising, etc.

I Owner, Tai Marsden, 26, is now fighting moves by Charlize's parents, Chris Allen and Chontelle Johnstone, to have Tama put down.
"It wasn't a mauling. Tama was tied up with a chain and they went up to him. It's just common sense not to go pat a dog you don't know."

This is very true. I have witness over and over how parents allow their child to pat our dog without asking while standing there. He looks friendly and he is. But the habit of getting your child to ask before touching really needs to be emphasised to children.

In this case however, it appears that the owner didn't witness the attack and therefore is not in a position to comment on what happened.

The dog was a regular at the dairy and there had never been a problem. "He's not a vicious dog and he's well behaved - he just looks a lot scarier than he really is," Marsden said.

No dog should bite a person. It is the responsibility of the owner to make sure that their dog is safe in the community before allowing it to sit in public unattended.

He said his friends and neighbours, some who had children, were comfortable around Tama.
"We are sorry that it happened but nothing like this has happened before."
Chris Allen said, however, that he would push for the dog's destruction.
"It needs to be put down, or I'll do it myself," he commented.
- STAR CANTERBURY

Bull mastiff mauls 7-year-old

On April 10, Carolyn Davies took 7-year-old Sheldon to meet a new friend in West Auckland.
The boys were playing basketball in the sun, away from the homeowner's 45kg bull mastiff fenced off in the yard.

As Sheldon went inside to get a drink he looked at the animal and it attacked without warning. Carolyn remembers the dog launching over the fence to grab her boy "like a whale leaping out of water".
And she will never forget the moments that followed.

"The dog launched over the gate, grabbed my baby by the face and pulled him over the fence and ripped his face off. MORE>>

This is an incident where I would like to know more about the dog that attacked. They (the victims) may not have seen the warning as it can so so subtle, but the owner would have know some past life of the dog. A dog doesn't just jump over a fence and attack... there is more to this story, and it has nothing to do with dog laws... rather dog owner eduction.

A national review of dog laws is on hold.


He promised the review would resume and wanted debate on current legislation. Hide said he wanted to know if more could be done to ensure public safety while recognising responsible dog ownership.

Dog owner asked to help pay bill

A woman is appealing for the owner of two dogs that attacked her son's dog on Sunday to "come forward" to help pay what she expects will be a costly vet's bill.

Basically, she told the dog owner that there was no damage to her dog when he came back from the dog bite incident. It was when she got home that she saw her dog limping. She didn't take the guys details so she can't ask for help to pay the bills. So this has made the provincial news. 

What chances do you think there is that this person is going to come back and 'own up'? Hum.. now that dog control are involved, he'll probably get a fine too for not having his dogs on leads.

So I ask, What chances do you think there is that this person is going to come back and 'own up'? We live in a punitive society and although all the dog owner is for a bit of help with the vet bills, the council will want to 'make him as example' of bad dog owners... 

Hey, I may be wrong,... I'm just so cynical, sorry.

Big logistics task to run dog trials

The South Island sheep dog trial championships will be held at the Waitaki Collie Dog Club's trial grounds from May 9-13, drawing many of the country's top triallists.

With more than 200 entries in each of the four events, it is a major undertaking to arrange sponsorship and organise all trials activities.

It has been a big couple of years for the Waitaki Collie Dog Club, which held its 125th anniversary trials last year.

Originally known as the Waitaki Dog Trial Club, [the name was changed in 1889] the club held its inaugural trials on March 13, 1886.

It has the distinction of being the oldest dog trial club in the southern hemisphere and is believed to be the only club in the world to have run competitions every year since its formation. MORE>>

Winston Peters: Childhood can be dog's life

New Zealand needs to change its attitude to children.

How different would our results be if we exhibited the same concern for having and raising children as we do for having and raising dogs?

To be a parent in New Zealand there are but two requirements: consenting adults, both 16 years or older at the time of conception.

In contrast, most cities in New Zealand have an average of 16 legal requirements for owning two or more dogs. Sixteen laws for dogs, 16 years of age for mothers and fathers. There is so much irony in this, it begins to feel like an Alanis Morrisette song.

Here are just a few of the rules to own two or more dogs.
The owner is given a background check to.... MORE>>

Drug Dogs Lead The Chase Outside The Wire

Corrections drug dogs are leading the campaign to catch contraband before it gets inside the prison walls.

In addition to searching for drugs and other contraband inside the nation's prison the 12 dogs and their handlers are focussed on patrolling prison car parks to stop visitors trying to sneak illicit substances inside.

National Dog Unit Co-ordinator Tony Coyle says the patrols of prison borders are an important part of their work which regularly resulted in drug finds.
(...)
He faces a number of drugs charges after It is alleged he had LSD powder - with a street value of up to $2.5 million - among other drugs, utensils and cash in his possession.

Just want to point one fact here... dogs can NOT detect LSD. This article is made so that you THINK they can... like they said below, dogs (and police press releases) are a deterrent but they don't find all drugs, nor do they find all the CORRECT people. There are false positives, meaning that someone could have sat on a chair when cannabis was, and the dog can indicate drug on the person, but in reality it was just a sniff.

The drug dog units have contributed to the fact that nationally, positive general random drug tests are sitting at an all time low of 6 per cent.

"Our drug dogs and their handlers do some great work but they also have an excellent deterrent value that can't be measured," Mr Coyle says.

And they scare people who shouldn't be scared. Cops blame the dog when they are going to search a person without any evidence other than the dog sat down to 'indicate'. Well, any good dog handler can train a dog to sit with a hand command without anyone else knowing he or she did that.

"We've seen cars full of gang members turn around in the car park and drive away as soon as they spot the dogs and other intelligence has revealed would be drug smugglers are worried."

But.... you didn't catch the drugs!! Isn't that the whole purpose of having these dogs!

MORE>>

Dog maulings on the rise

The father of dog-attack victim Carolina Anderson has renewed calls to reduce the number of incidents in New Zealand.
Oh, so the microchipping didn't work? How surprising that the laws that were rushed into government hasn't worked!!

"under urgency" these laws were put through by Labour. And now National is passing even MORE  laws 'under urgency', so we now have a lot of BAD laws coming into this country. Will they be as ineffective and DANGEROUS as the dog laws?  (dangerous to the dogs too)

Figures from ACC reveal the number of claims for dog-related injuries is rising steadily and reached almost 10,000 last year.
We need a database of the severity of dog bites. Look at Dr Ian Dunbar's scale, as this is what we should be using in this country.

The claims cost about $4 million a year in follow-up care. ACC doesn't record the extra cost of acute medical care such as ambulance and immediate hospital bills that are specific to dog attacks.  That's too bad as it would give us a better understanding of the severity... if the person needed an ambulance, you'd know that it was bad!

John Anderson, whose daughter still has regular surgeries after being mauled in an Auckland park in 2003, said the figures were "shocking". "These statistics beg for more action from officials. I believe aggressive dog breeds should be muzzled while in public places," he said.

Why oh why does the media go and ask this guy for answers !!! I mean, he's the one that pushed through our bad, not-thought-through bad laws!   Muzzling dogs because they are supposed to be an aggressive breed ?!?! gee, come on... hello?!? where's the science that this would work???

Can we PLEASE have more laws that are evidence based as opposed to emotionally-based because they make bad laws!

Anderson said officials had to remember that some dog attacks happened on the streets and in public places, and had repercussions for years afterwards for the victims.
Carolina, now aged 15, "still has operations in front of her".

Actually John, most dog attacks happen in the HOME !! yes, in the home! from dogs that are known as 'family' dogs!

Her surgeon, Dr Janek Januszkiewicz, was also alarmed there had been no reduction in the number of bites.

He said injuries "cost a lot of money and suffering" and politicians should "limit" breeds which did the most damage.

"Maybe there's a role for compulsory training for dogs - like you have to have lessons to drive a car," he said.

How about a compulsory course on how to understand what a dog is telling us humans? How to read a dog's body language? How about introducing Doggone Safe Dog Bite Prevention Programme in this country! (well, it actually is... The School of the Naked Dog is starting to get this programme into schools)

Plastic surgeon Dr Glenn Bartlett said specialists at Middlemore Hospital in Auckland had dealt with four dog-attack victims in the last week.

Yes, and he probably dealt with none for the past 2 months. 

One was a 7-year-old West Auckland boy whose lower lip and chin were "almost ripped off".

Was this from a dog the child knew, or a stranger dog?

Another was a young girl with a badly bitten chest.

Was this from a dog the child knew, or a stranger dog? 
 
ACC head of injury prevention Peter Wood said the organisation didn't have enough money to highlight the dangers of every possible injury.

Well, Doggone Safe is a programme that is given by volunteers. Hum... 

Much of its budget for prevention was targeted at accidents in the home, where people were most likely to be injured.
 That's exactly where most dog bites happen!
There are about 600,000 claims for injuries in the home a year. Last year they cost ACC about $621m.

Vigilance to protect kids
Louie Hardy needed plastic surgery after his face was bitten by a dog - but the 4-year-old's parents blame themselves, not the animal.

Well, well, well... finally ownership from people who didn't know better !! 

Deb and Chris Hardy believe parents and dog owners have joint responsibility for keeping children safe around animals. YES

The Auckland couple took Louie and Lily, 6, to a barbecue on February 5 where Louie was bitten by the host's 2-year-old Neapolitan mastiff as she ate her evening meal.
 (...)
Louie was among almost 10,000 subjects of ACC claims for dog bites last year.
Deb said she felt guilty for allowing her son to get too close to the animal as she ate.
Now this is a start


She said the owner apologised and told her they had considered putting down the dog, giving her away or having her assessed. That decision was left to the owner, and Deb was yet to hear the dog's fate.

The owners are the one that didn't keep the DOG safe !! They should have known that such a big dog poses some threat to a child, esp while eating... 

Dog triallists mark 75th year

The Wairau Valley Collie Dog Club has reached 75 years and is still going strong.

Members, past and present, joined about 70 competitors for the club's annual dog trials and jubilee celebration yesterday and today.

Club president and champion triallist Simon Fowler was rapt with the turnout.

The club might have only 10 members now, but it had a proud history and had received great community support through the years, he said.

Its glory years were in the early 1980s, when more than 10 members qualified for the national championships. MORE>>

Family guilty of muzzling dogs with insulation tape, mistreatment

A Northland family who muzzled dogs with insulation tape and left them in a dark and dirty shelter with no clean water have been found guilty of failing to meet the basic needs of animals.

Joanne Bailey was banned from owning dogs for two years by the Whangarei District Court on March 1, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF) said.

The convictions came two years after MAF officers, Animal Welfare Investigators, SPCA inspectors and a Police Officer searched the Bailey family property in Taipuha, Northland.  MORE>>

Puppy killer pleads guilty

A Te Kuiti man has today pleaded guilty to bludgeoning to death a six month old pup with a golf club.
Mathew George, 44, appeared briefly this morning in the Te Kuiti District Court and admitted charges of wilfully ill-treating an animal, possessing an offensive weapon and threatening behaviour.

(...) Police today said they would be seeking to ban George from owning a dog for 10 years.

Outside court, Te Kuiti/North King Country SPCA president Sandra Squier said George's attack on the pup was one of the most extreme cases of animal abuse she had seen.

Is Your Dog NZ’s Next Tux Dog?

Is Your Dog NZ’s Next Tux Dog?
The search is well underway for NZ’s Next Tux Dog – but time is running out to put your dog forward and make him or her part of Kiwi TV history.

However, the closing date for the search is drawing near. Postal entries must be received by last mail on Monday, April 18th – so print off your form at www.tux.co.nz and send it in with a photo by Friday April 15 to ensure it arrives in time!

“The TUX range has a product for every type of dog, so the search criteria is quite open,” says Animals on Q’s Mark Vette, a top animal trainer for film and television who will be part of the judging panel and training the chosen dog on the day of the shoot. “The new dog doesn’t have to be a big dog, or a rural dog – it could be large or small, an urban or a working dog. Of course, we’re looking for a dog that can follow a few commands, but nothing too tricky will be required – it just needs to have that something special.”

Once all entries are received, the judging panel will visit the shortlisted dogs to meet their owners and film auditions of the dogs in action. The public will then be able to see the Top Ten dogs on the TUX website, and select their favourite TUX Dog – the “TUX People’s Choice” by voting online between 9-20 May. If any other dogs are needed for the television commercial, they will be selected by the judges.

To be a part of the search for the NZ’s Next TUX Dog, head to www.tux.co.nz now, and make your dog a star!

Forget Fido, now it’s Samfoofa

Forget Fido, when it comes to naming their four-legged-friends, many Kiwis have gone barking mad. 

While Max and Bella remain the most popular dog names, the list of wacky monikers registered ranges from funny to bizarre. Lists from registers in Auckland, North Shore, Waitakere, Hamilton, New Plymouth, Wellington and Christchurch reveal the lengths some owners go to give their pet an original name. 

A few were registered with no name and others as Dog, Pup or Puppy. Some were simply Boy or Girl. The most unusual included Aeroplane Ears, Ting Ching, Stolen, Fugly, Jesus, Rangatira Skid, Fish, Slimey, Tomato, Toaster, Communion, Botox, Coast Guard, Death, Samfoomfa, Awesum, Piddles, Griffy Griff Griff, Poopoo, Trevor the Wolf and X. MORE>>

Gibb, the duck-herding dog

Ken White's dog Gibb is not your usual farm dog.

The five-year-old Heading dog herds Pekingese ducks, manoeuvring the birds around and through obstacles.
(...)

"Anyone can have a duck show, the difference is separating the black and white," White said.
White started working and training sheep dogs 30 years ago and will head to England in August with Gibb for the World Sheep Dog Trials.

"We beat England and France last time, the All Blacks can't do that, and we were one dog down."

However, with the cost of taking each dog overseas reaching $10,000, it is hard for New Zealand trainers to attend such events, White said.
MORE>>

Taxi driver 'saved me' in dog attack

Invercargill woman Lesley Frederick reckons a passing taxi saved her from becoming "another dog-mauling victim like you see in the news".

She spoke to publicly thank the taxi driver she knows only as "Bruce" and the efforts of men on a recycling truck for fending off two menacing dogs as she walked her own dog home yesterday.

"It was damn scary, I was just about puking," she said.
Mrs Frederick was walking her poodle McGregor back home after an appointment at Elles Rd Veterinary Centre in south Invercargill.

On Biggar St, she and McGregor were confronted by a rottweiler with a studded collar and another dog, she described as "some sort of cross, possibly ridgeback-ish".
She knew her own dog was no match for the menacing canines.

"He's a white standard poodle and he was wearing a tartan jacket, which was just asking for trouble."
 (...)
"He slowed down and said `are you all right'? I said `erm not really', then they lunged at me again."
To escape she jumped in the taxi.

"It was so scary, my god, if that taxi driver hadn't stopped."
MORE>> 

How did this story get in the news?!? I mean, did she ring the newspaper, or were reporters around the neighbourhood :)

Police manhunt after man, dog attacked

Invercargill police are hunting three armed men who attacked a man and his dog - in front of the man's child - in Glengarry last night.

Senior Sergeant Maggie Windle said the three men - wearing face masks, carrying weapons and possibly a pistol - knocked on the door of the home where the victim opened the door.

He was then seriously assaulted by the men, while his 10-year-old son looked on.

A dog at the address was also seriously injured in the attack by the offenders, who left in a vehicle before the police arrived.
MORE>>

Council told to do more in fight against dog poo

More should be done to encourage dog owners to clean-up their dog's poo, says Marlborough District Councillor Peter Jerram.

At the meeting of the council yesterday, Cr Jerram said the four dog litter bag dispensers in the district – two along the Taylor River in Blenheim, one at Picton's dog exercise park at the Auckland St Reserve and one at the Wairau Golf Course – were not enough.

The idea that the public could be educated to pick up dog poo without more bags and dispensers was not realistic, he said.Decent bags and decent dispensers were needed.
MORE>>

It also helps that there are rubbish bins near the walking places... 

Doggy biscuit for tea

Marlborough Lines clerical assistant Rachel Giddy last week took dog biscuits to work to sell to her colleagues during their tea break.

But rather than a crude practical joke, Rachel, 20, was in fact raising money for the Royal New Zealand Foundation for the Blind, baking her dog-shaped treats with the help of one of the charity's biscuit cutters.

The money raised by participants throughout the country will go predominantly towards retraining guide dogs in Christchurch due to the dramatic changes in their usual routes and routines after the February 22 earthquake.

Rachel made five batches of the biscuits, raising nearly $100.

"I usually give money for the guide dogs but there was a newsletter on the table at work about this and I thought it would be a nice thing to do," said Rachel. "And the puppies are so cute."

MORE>>

- The Marlborough Express

Guide dog sponsorship reaches100 puppy milestone

Real estate agency Bayleys has reached its initial target of funding the breeding and training of 100 puppies for the Royal New Zealand Foundation of the Blind’s (RNZFB) Guide Dog Services.

 As principal sponsor of RNZFB’s Guide Dog Services for the past six years, Bayleys has undertaken a number of fundraising projects to enable the company to reach this goal.

It was proceeds from the Every Dog Has its Day online auction, which concluded last month, which got Bayleys across the 100 dog sponsorship threshold. The company has now raised more than $2.2million for Guide Dog Services. MORE>>

Quake refugees abandon pets

Pets have been abandoned by owners fleeing quake-ravaged Christchurch, the SPCA says.
SPCA Canterbury manager Geoff Sutton said staff had been kept busy dealing with lost animals, as well as those left behind.

"We have seen too much of it. Not everybody has the same commitment to the family pet as some others, but that's hardly news to us," he said.These animals were taking up valuable SPCA shelter space, he said.

About 500 animals had passed through the shelter in the past six weeks, which was about double the normal number. As many as 170 had been staying in the shelter at any one time. MORE>>

Dog attacks go past 300

There have been more than 320 dog attacks on people in Auckland in the past six months.
(...)
A council spokesman this week said dogs were not automatically put down. Most dog bite investigations took four to six weeks. A decision would then be made on enforcement action and there could be delays in the court process.

The spokesman also revealed that in the last six months there have been 68 dog bite incidents on people recorded in the former Waitakere city area, 83 in central Auckland, 121 in Manukay and 56 in the former North Shore and Rodney council areas. MORE>>

It would be nice to have a dog bite level like Dr Ian Dunbar's one. What is a dog bite for one person is different for someone else? We need a national standard, and Dr Dunbar's one has been proven very very systematic.

Retiring dog handler farewelled by minister

While visiting the South Dunedin station, she spent time saying farewell and thanks to retiring police dog section chief Sergeant Trevor Bolt.

Sgt Bolt (52) is working out the last days of a 35-year career as a police officer, 25 of them as a dog handler.
Having entered police training as a 17-year-old, Sgt Bolt said he knew, after three years as a general duties constable, he wanted a job that kept him on the front line.

He settled on becoming a dog handler, despite never having owned a dog in his life.
After another six years of "maturing" on the beat in Dunedin, he finally landed a job with the Dunedin dogs team, and has been in charge of the five-man team since 2004. MORE>>

Inching closer to independence

Robert Bensemann's eyes have four legs and blonde hair.

The 67-year-old is legally blind and relies on his 18-month-old guide-dog Inchy to see for him and guide him around Richmond on his daily outings.

Mr Bensemann got Inchy in November, four months after his previous guide-dog James died of thyroid cancer.
Tomorrow is the Royal New Zealand Foundation of the Blind's annual Red Puppy Appeal day, which will see red-coated puppies on streets around the country to raise awareness of the cause.
Mr Bensemann summed up what his guide dog means to him in one word.

"Independence." Inchy gives him mobility to get out of the house to go into Richmond for a coffee or pay the bills. MORE>>