Beer-drinking dog receives Kiwi hero medal

Guinness the dog stands out for more than one reason - not only is he an 80kg giant, he's now the first animal to ever be presented with a local hero medal as part of the New Zealander of the Year awards.

He was recognised last night for the voluntary clean up work he did alongside his owner after Christchurch's devastating earthquakes.

The dog was known through the silt-laden streets of the eastern suburbs as the gentle giant who brought smiles back to residents' faces.

He's an Irish wolfhound and he enjoys a strong stout, drinking pints of Guinness beer with ease.

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Dog owners urged to vaccinate

A month ago Whangarei SPCA staff were dealing with one of the worst outbreaks of the virulent dog disease parvovirus they had seen.

Now, while vets and animal health authorities are warning of similar serious outbreaks elsewhere in New Zealand, the Whangarei situation has calmed down, says SPCA manager Francine Shields.

Even though cases have dropped dramatically, Ms Shields is warning dog owners to stay vigilant.

The disease is avoidable and can be minimised if people ensure their dogs are vaccinated. MORE>>

Foundation of the Blind's Red Puppy Appeal gets under way

David Wilson has Usher syndrome, the most common condition affecting both hearing and vision.
The 53-year-old is partially deaf and has progressively lost his range of vision over the years, to the point now where he has just central vision, the ability to see straight ahead.

Depending on how fast the condition progresses, Mr Wilson may be completely blind within five to eight years.
For the past year Mr Wilson has had the assistance of three-and-a-half-year-old black Labrador Gavin.
Fate played a part in bringing the two together.

When the February 22 earthquake struck Gavin was in the back of a Royal New Zealand Foundation of the Blind van in Christchurch with two other guide dog trainees.

It was not a good place to be. The van rocked and rolled and the dogs were thrown about, and were traumatised by their ordeal.  MORE>>

Auckland Council rethinks hike in dog fees

.......Auckland deputy mayor Penny Hulse said the council has got nothing to hide. "We could probably give you all the contracts, all the information on all the dog control contracts we've got."

However, the council later declined to provide that information, citing "commercial sensitivity".

It blames changes former Act leader Rodney Hide made as local government minister for having to hike registration fees.

"Rodney simply went through and chose the cheapest fees from one of the smallest councils, it was irrelevant to the actual cost of running the services. We're now charged with making sure that we have one fee across the region," said Hulse.

Bob Kerridge from the SPCA believes their Auckland team do twice as much on half the council's budget - $6 million.  MORE>>

Pets used as pawn in domestic violence

Woman are delaying leaving violent relationships for fear their pets and other animals will be killed or tortured.

Evidence from a 2011 survey shows one in three women reported delaying leaving a violent relationship because they feared their partner would kill or torture their pets.
Of these, one quarter say their children also witnessed the violence against animals.

The research also showed that 50 per cent of women interviewed had witnessed animal cruelty as part of their experience of domestic violence. MORE>>

Owner admits dog 'doesn't really like people'

The owner of a bull terrier dog that put a man in hospital admits it is another example of poor dog ownership.

Billie-May Graham, 19, pleaded guilty in the Waitakere District Court this week to owning a dog that attacked a male causing serious injury.

She told the Herald on Sunday that she had been a 16-year-old living on her own who needed protection. So she bought a cute bull terrier cross puppy and called him Munter.

But after being chained to a tree on a regular basis for nine months and trained to "attack on command", the cuteness escalated into aggression.

Please, someone tell people who want protection, to get a gun! You CANNOT have a sweet dog and a killer dog in the same dog. They either attack or they sleep on your bed. If you want to train for attack, make damn sure that they can ''release'' on command-- and that takes training. YES TRAINING

Graham was in the shower in March last year when her friend let Munter off his leash. He escaped the property and ferociously latched on to the leg of a man who was walking past their Glen Eden home carrying a large black stick.

"He's usually chained up to the tree but my mate let him off and someone went past so he ran after them. My dog doesn't really like people," Graham said.

Well missy, you live in a community full of people. If your dog isn't trained to live amongst people, then you let your dog down. You failed him badly!  And who's going to pay the price for that?

She didn't see the victim but was given photos of his injuries - including one which showed "heaps of stitches in his leg".

Munter was seized by the Auckland City Council and destroyed.

But that weekend Graham claimed she was put in hospital herself after being bashed at a party. "If my dog was there it probably wouldn't have happened," she said. "He was a lovely natured dog but he would attack on command, he was very protective."  NO, I do NOT believe that. You need to release command WAY BEFORE you train him to attack. Attacking is the easy bit.

Graham will be sentenced in the Waitakere District Court in June.  And I hope it's a long one!

Runaway dog causes train delays

A runaway dog on the train tracks is among several incidents causing delays on Auckland's railway system this afternoon.

Veolia, the organisation which operates the city's trains, says emergency services were called to retrieve a dog loose on the tracks near Britomart earlier today.

The fire service was called to retrieve the dog just after 3pm and trains were stopped to ensure it got off safely. It is now with the SPCA.

"Point failures" at Britomart, Henderson and Papakura have also contributed to delays. MORE>>

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From NZ Herald.co.nz

Simba, a 17-year-old Jack Russell, escaped down a bank on to the railway corridor near Auckland Port, where she was hit by a train. The accident sparked an emergency call-out, and Simba was rescued from the tracks by firefighters about 4pm on Friday.

But she suffered serious injuries and later had to be put down by a vet.

Owner Barry Sparrow said the family were broken-hearted after losing Simba, who had lived with them since birth. She had gone missing from the Parnell Gardens earlier that day.

"My sister takes her there to play with the cats.  Play or chase? But there's a bank down to the railway tracks and that's where she got hit by a train. We called the council to report her missing but then the fire brigade called us at home," he said.

"We got there at the same time as the SPCA and were told to take her to a vet straight away. He told us she had a broken back and was too old to heal properly so the best thing to do was to put her out of her misery."

Charges dismissed for dog shooter

A Christchurch judge has dismissed the charge against a Hornby man for recklessly ill-treating a bull terrier-cross last year.
Adam Blain Milne, 24, shot his hunting dog “Bully” several times before leaving it tied to a post on the banks of the Waimakariri River on August 6.
He appeared in court last week defending the charge and admitted he was angry when he shot Bully, because the dog had “bailed’ his four-year-old daughter as if he was hunting.

Read more>>

Crimp gives $1m to SPCA shelter

Invercargill businessman Louis Crimp has donated $1 million to the SPCA to build a new city animal shelter.

Mr Crimp had previously donated $200,000 to the SPCA to fund cat desexing and animal cruelty inspection programmes.

SPCA manager Mary Bradley said the present shelter, off Bluff Highway, was becoming increasingly dilapidated and cold.

"In winter it's very stressful for the volunteers and animals ... it's past its use-by date."

The SPCA set up Animal Ark in 2009 to raise money for a new centre.  MORE>>

Committee member Kate Buchanan said it had now raised $1.4m.

Five Fido-friendly getaways

Actually, it's not in New Zealand. But look how backwards we are in terms of welcoming our companion animals into our holiday plans!

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Animates moves in the right direction

The local branch of Animates is the chain's first store to sell only SPCA-sourced puppies, rather than pups supplied by commercial breeders.

Animates in Lower Hutt started its SPCA-only policy late last year when it shifted into a new building.

Interesting... wonder if they'll sell the mix breed staffies!

3-year-old progresses after nasty dog attack

Rikiau West-Pakuria has a smile that lights up the room.

But as the 3-year-old lay in an induced coma after a horrific dog attack, there were times when his parents Eulia West-Pakuria and Rik Pakuria thought they might never see that smile again.

In the attack, eight weeks ago, Rikiau was bitten in the throat by his aunt's dog and suffered critical injuries that needed major surgery. MORE>>

Gone to the dogs: How to stop the attacks

well.. good breeding is the first thing about creating good dogs. 

Second, good care for the bitch and her pups, and that's knowing how to care for them. All pups should be house trained before leaving the breeders place (Yes, it can be done)

Third, good dog education (no a-la-Cesar way either!.. just kick the dog on his hind legs to get him to walk beside you)

If you want to read the article in the NZ Herald which tells you how to stop dog attacks, and who I'm sure has no idea what he's on about... go ahead.. the article link

Here's the crap that the article writes about ""Payne thinks councils need to lift their game. By law the public can report threatening dog behaviour to their local authority, even without the animal biting anyone."" 

Now that is pretty crazy! 

SPCA strays get jackets to advertise themselves

Wellington SPCA is turning its dogs into four-legged billboards - advertising themselves.

The likes of Neapolitan mastiff-boxer cross Nella and her "best friend'' ridgeback-labrador cross Coco have had special coats made.

Each can have placards attached, meaning as they get taken for walks by volunteers, members of the public can get the necessary information in case they want to adopt the dogs.

So far only two prototype coats have been made but eight more are in the pipeline.

The new ones will also have pockets for flyers, with information about the specific dog. MORE>>

Pit bull at party puts three in hospital

Three people needed hospital treatment after being attacked by a pit bull dog at a party in the Taranaki town of Patea on Thursday afternoon.

Police and the animal control service were called to the house at 5pm and found a middle-aged man had already been taken to Hawera hospital, while a woman in her 20s had a large bite on her ankle.

A second woman in her 40s yesterday went to Whanganui Hospital to get treatment for bites.

Constable Jason Wright said the animal's owner and others at the party were highly intoxicated.

"They were really hard to reason with," he said. "The guy got so agitated he let the dog out into the streets, so we had this dog that had just bitten two people running out on the streets and there were lots of kids around."

John McKenzie, South Taranaki District Council's group manager of environmental services, said two victims were transferred from Hawera's accident and emergency to Taranaki Base Hospital in New Plymouth. "Their injuries were very serious."

A pit bull had been seized and impounded, he said.

"The owner of the dog wants the dog back, however we intend on prosecuting him for failure to control his dog and will be seeking a court order for the dog's destruction." MORE>>

What... dog's destruction ?? why don't they say, they want to kill the dog?

Aint the dog's fault for idiot drinkers!

'World's ugliest dog' is dead

When a beloved pet dies, good manners usually dictate saying something nice about the departed companion.

And for Yoda, it was a compliment to say she sure was ugly.

Yoda won the 2011 World's Ugliest Dog contest at the Sonoma Marin Fair for her short tufts of hair, protruding tongue, and long, seemingly hairless legs.

The Chinese crested and Chihuahua mix died in her sleep Saturday. She was 15.

The 0.8-kilogram pooch had lived a rough life before Terry Schumacher found her abandoned behind an apartment building and mistook her for a rat. MORE>>

Editorial: Dog control at heart of vexed fee-rise wrangle

...............

Statistics for 2010-11 show more than 3300 dogs impounded in Auckland were destroyed after being unclaimed by their owners and deemed too dangerous to be adopted. A higher reclaim fee would only aggravate this.

Given that, the dog owners' case against the increase in registration fees must rest on the concept that control is a community issue, rather than a burden to be placed on the shoulders of dog owners.

This view is underpinned by the many roles of man's best friend, not least in providing companionship for the elderly and the ailing, and in enhancing community health and wellbeing through activities inherent in dog ownership.

In that context, it is reasonable to argue that there is as much reason for ratepayers to subsidise dog control as there is, say, to subsidise council swimming pools. Ironically, the $5.5 million that KPMG estimated it would cost ratepayers for free entry to the council's 24 pools is almost identical to what they would have to pay if the dog registration fees were to remain as they are.

Auckland's beaches provide a readymade alternative to the council pools. That severely undercuts the case for free entry. Dog control costs create far more of a dilemma. The ultimate answer probably lies in a licensing system that would require owners to do a course in dog behaviour and care.  MORE>>

Dog abusers banned from owning animals

A man has been banned from owning an animal for 10 years for keeping an elderly dog in such poor condition it died within minutes of SPCA intervention.

It is one of two cases of Aucklanders being brought to justice for abusing pets this week.

Harley Love appeared in the Waitakere District Court yesterday charged with keeping an "animal alive when it is in such a condition that it is suffering unreasonable or unnecessary pain or distress".

The 21-year-old was charged after an SPCA Auckland inspector was called to his Glen Eden home in January and found a 17-year-old German shepherd-type dog collapsed on the back deck.

The SPCA said the dog, named "Troy", was very thin, covered in patches of live fleas and maggots and was lying in its own excrement.  MORE>>

Long-distance collie dies in fire

A dog that walked around the South Island to raise money for the Cancer Society has been killed in a Wellington house fire.

Wellington computer analyst-programmer Mike Butler walked 2325 kilometres around the South Island in 69 days with border collie Rapid and kelpie Ella last year, raising more than $22,000.

An electrical fault caused a fire in his Island Bay home on Sunday morning, killing seven-year-old Rapid, which was recovering from a tear in a cruciate ligament, Butler said.

"He was resting in a crate recovering from surgery."

Butler was judging a dog agility competition in Upper Hutt, something he would normally take Rapid along to, when he got the phone call from police about 7.30am on Sunday.

"I'm absolutely devastated. I'm barely hanging in there. He was something special. For seven years he's been my shadow, my sports partner. He cuddled up with me at night."  MORE>>

R.I.P

To own a dog, you should have to pass a licence

Brain wrote this article - the counter argument about WHY is there an outcry about dog fees....

Animal champion Bob Kerridge is outraged that good dog owners like himself face a huge rise in Auckland Council dog registration fees, to help pay for the sins of bad dog owners.

Yesterday as I handed over $287.75 to license my well-behaved car, I wondered if the SPCA boss could be persuaded to broaden his campaign to include law-abiding motorists as well. After all, the biggest chunk of the car licence fee was for accident compensation. Why should I be paying to rehabilitate the hoons who smash themselves up any more than Mr Kerridge should pay for prosecuting errant dog owners?

(...)

For those about to lose their dog owner licence discount, the proposed leap in fees is huge. For a de-sexed dog, the fee jumps from $47 to $120, for an "entire" dog, $53 to $160. MORE reading in between the lines>>

What Brian forgets to think about is.... why do other countries NOT have FEES or have VERY LITTLE fees to own a dog.
For example, in Ottawa, Canada (my birthplace)

Description	Cost
for each dog/cat 6 months of age or older, which is sterilized and microchipped:	$17
for each dog/cat under 6 months of age, which is microchipped:	$17
for each dog/cat 6 months of age or older, which is sterilized but, not microchipped:	$23
for each dog/cat under 6 months of age, which is not microchipped:	$23
for each dog/cat 6 months of age or older, which is microchipped but, not sterilized:	$23
for each dog/cat 6 months of age or older, which is neither sterilized nor microchipped:	$40
for each dog whose owner has been convicted of permitting the dog to bite or attack, without provocation, a person or domestic animal	$103
for each service animal:	free
for each replacement of a lost identification tag:	free

HOWEVER,
I know that people will say, but Ottawa has a bigger population than Auckland. REALLY? Google it!


NOW,
What my beef is... is that when your dog does get lost, they put her/him in the pound, instead of giving you a ring and saying that they found your dog. I mean, they are all microchipped aren't they? They all have their ID on them, so why not just drive them home! 


You will say... BUT THEY AREN'T a TAXI SERVICE! 
For $150, what the hell do you get for your money?


* is there a percentage of your dog fees going towards research ?
* does the city council offer free dog talks by experts in the fields ? (using positive methods only.... take those dog rollers out of here Ie the alpha stance)
* does the city council give discount vouchers for doing the right thing and get dog owners out there doing a dog sport?
* dog education for kids?? using volunteers (educated ones) to conducts school programmes. Check out the Victoria Government dog education programme.


Oh, and by the way, Rodney Hide PROMISED dog owners at the Conference that he attended, that part of the money that is collected goes towards research in our DOG PoLiCiES around the country. The laws around dogs that they implemented in government-- ARE THEY WORKING? are the number of dog bites reducing? 

Barking up a storm over rego rise

ngry dog owners were set to bail up mayor Len Brown in south Auckland last night over what they label outrageous hikes in the cost of dog registration.

(...)

Dog lovers Karen Malfait of Papatoetoe and East Tamaki's Janice Goodger are calling for owners to unite and fight the rises. They were planning to confront Mr Brown at a Papakura Local Board public meeting last night.

A fellow dog lover has also set up a Facebook group Stand Up Auckland Dog Owners which gained nearly 2000 followers in its first week online and is still growing.  MORE>>

10-year pet ban follows puppy bashing

A man who bashed a puppy to death has avoided a jail term but he will not be allowed to own or have control of an animal for 10 years.

Robin Gerrard Wilson, 32, will be allowed to serve his four months of home detention at his home where other family members have pets, but he is not allowed any control over them.

Wilson was sentenced at Christchurch District Court on a charge of reckless ill treatment of a white and tan female Jack Russell terrier puppy.

Judge Raoul Neave said it was clear the dog had suffered significantly.

Wilson grabbed the puppy and threw it outside without the intention to harm it, but it was badly injured. He took it inside and attempted to care for it, but over the next few hours decided it was suffering and tried to break its neck. He also struck it over the head with the butt of an axe to kill it. MORE>>