Woman survives pitbull attack

An animal control officer is calling for people to "wake up" and take responsibility for their pets after a Rotorua woman was brutally savaged in one of the worst dog attacks ever seen by council officers.

The grandmother is "lucky to be alive", after officers found her more than two hours after she was viciously attacked by an American Staffordshire/Pitbull cross.

Rotorua District Council Animal Control supervisor Kevin Coutts said her injuries were "horrific".

"They were huge, absolutely massive injuries to her right arm. The arm had been eaten right through to the bone in parts."

The woman also broke her leg, but it was not known whether that was during the attack or after it. Coutts said he could not understand how she survived it.

Although it wasn't clear how long the dog had been attacking her for, Coutts said it was at least two hours before animal control officers were called to her Edmund St home on Saturday morning.

He said it was a "family dog", which belonged to the woman's grandson.

"The grandson voluntarily surrendered it and the dog was put down this morning," Coutts said.

While the 65-year-old is now said to be in a stable condition in Waikato Hospital, Coutts said he wondered what it would take for people to "wake up" and realise the breed of dog was dangerous. MORE>>

Of course, we all know that it isn't the breed but how they are raised... obviously, this grandson probably used the dog as protection over his who'knows'what... 

SPCA disappointed with dog slaughter sentence

The SPCA is disappointed two men found guilty of slaughtering 33 dogs on a neighbour's property have escaped jail.

 Russell Mendoza and Tony Campbell killed 23 puppies and 10 adult dogs on a rural property in Wellsford in 2010 and were today sentenced in Auckland District Court.

Campbell was sentenced to six months home detention and 300 hours of community work to be done at his local SPCA. MORE>>

Labrador pups join border patrol

Beagles at the front line of border patrol keeping out fruit and other undesirables have received a boost - with Labradors to join the ranks of detector dogs for the first time.

Five Labrador pups - Shyann, Enya, Egypt, Ella and Eden - will patrol at Auckland International Airport, joining the 26 other detector dogs around the country that protect New Zealand from harmful organic matter.

The dogs are a first for the Ministry of Primary Industries Labrador breeding programme. The Labradors were chosen for their versatility and flexibility to cover both mail centres and airports.

Primary Industries Minister David Carter awarded the dogs their graduation coats on Friday after two years of intense training from birth.

''It was really fascinating, they are really remarkable the way they are able to find the risk,'' he said.

''The trainer would throw an orange peel onto a conveyer belt, there were literally thousands of items, and the dog would identify the package and point the handler in the right direction. MORE>>

Dogs are fascinating ... I never stop awing at their brilliance.

NZ vets treat tripping and stoned dogs

This news story made the world news....

A NEW Zealand veterinary clinic says it has treated drugged pets, including a chihuahua who ate leftover marijuana joints and a dog tripping on magic mushrooms.

The After Hours Veterinary Hospital in Hamilton has treated at least eight stoned dogs since it opened in January.

Owner Keith Houston told AAP most of the pets had eaten marijuana left lying around the house.

"One person had thrown all their hash cake on the lawn, someone else had taken frozen (marijuana) heads out of the freezer and the dog ate it out of the garbage," he said.

"If you're stoned and lying around on the couch and you leave your biscuits out, then they're going to eat them."

Dr Houston said generally marijuana was not harmful to dogs but being stoned did upset them. MORE>>

Wellington dog owners plead guilty

She ran away for weeks after being run over in her driveway, but Sweet Pea's owner added salt to the wound when the dog returned to her Cannons Creek home with a gaping cuts and a broken leg.

The timid 10-month-old staffordshire bull terrier had a fractured tail, wounds on her belly, and was unable to put weight on her swollen left hind leg when Wellington SPCA found her.

Liliulagi Samafuao pleaded guilty under the Animal Welfare Act to failure to alleviate the pain and distress of an injured animal. He was sentenced to 40 hours' community work, disqualified from owning any animal for two years and ordered to pay $731.34 reparation to SPCA in Wellington District Court yesterday.

Sweet Pea has been with the Wellington SPCA since February and is yet to find a new home. MORE>>

What a nice looking dog... just looking for some good owners... 

Who's a good dog?

When dogs go bad, there can be dismaying results – but the good news is that such incidents are rare.

And the positives in dog ownership are numerous – especially when the animal has been brought up appropriately and knows the sort of behaviour that is expected.

Happy and well-adjusted dogs need good, early socialisation, as they learn how to interact with people and other animals.

Many local veterinary clinics offer regular "puppy preschool" and other dog obedience-type classes. Nelson Mail chief photographer Martin de Ruyter thought they offered good opportunities to get creative with his camera.

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For those wanting a free e-book written by Dr Ian Dunbar Before you Get your Puppy and After you Get your Puppy books, check out the resource on the School of the Naked Dog in Christchurch

Huge dog to get hero medal after quake work

It will be a big day for a big dog.

An 80 kilogram Irish wolfhound will be the first animal to be presented with a Local Hero Medal, as part of the 2012 Kiwibank New Zealander of the Year Awards.

Guinness, known as earthquake dog, will stand alongside Mayor Bob Parker, Student Volunteer Army founder Sam Johnson and other unsung Christchurch heroes to have an engraved bronze cast medal placed over his hairy head at The George Hotel on Thursday night.

Owner Sean Scully, 37, who is also a medallist, said Guinness was very proud of himself and hoped the award would "increase his luck with the bitches at the dog park".

"It's going to be a big night for both of us bachelors, but the biggest issue will be getting us both presentable."

Six-year-old Guinness will be groomed for the first time before the ceremony and Scully had planned to buy a dog brush this week.

He had also contemplated a canine bow tie, but didn't think it was Guinness' style.

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We had an Irish Wolffhound looking dog that we rehomed called Murphy. But this one is truly Irish with a name like Guinness (great beer too!)

Dog still at large

One of two dogs that killed 11 merino wethers in the Taylor Pass near Blenheim has not been found.

 The owner of the sheep, Duncan Grigg of Meadowbank Station, said one dog was shot straight after the sheep were killed on a property south of Blenheim where they had been grazed.

 A trap was laid but failed to catch the second dog, said Mr Grigg. Maata Waka animal control and Marlborough District Council staff said they could not talk about the attack, including what had happened to the remaining dog, because an investigation was under way.

 Maata Waka tracked down the dogs' owners to a house in Weld St and the owners seemed to accept they should pay compensation, Mr Grigg said. He did not know if the surviving dog had returned home. Immediately after the attack, Mr Grigg thought nine sheep, each worth about $110, had been killed, but he had since found two more dead sheep. MORE>>

That's an expensive escape... Dog owners need to take care!!

Rubbish dog becomes eco hero

Fred, the blue heeler cross, is a doggone eco hero.

 He can't tell you to do what he does so you'll just have to follow his lead. The six-year-old dog has been trained by owners Paul Culpan and Sasha Brownlie, of Te Atatu Peninsula, to pick up rubbish and put it in a bin and has already picked up almost 1000 pieces of rubbish.  MORE>>

 I know a dog owner in Christchurch who's mission is to clean up this city, and is always with his dog. He needs to train it like Fred!


 

Rusty saved from the surf

There's a very good chance that one Timaru family would now be without a dog if not for the efforts of two surfers and some helpful bystanders on Friday.

Rusty, a 2-year-old american staffordshire terrier, ran into the surf at Patiti Pt and was knocked over by a wave, said Tweedy St resident Melissa Fleming.

"Once he went under the big wave, I knew he was in trouble," she said. She and her two young sons watched, helpless, from the beach as the dog was dragged out to sea by the undertow.

She called her partner, James Carroll, who left his workplace and rushed to the scene. He tried wading in after the dog, which by that time was about 50 metres out, but could only get up to his chest before the freezing water and powerful current changed his mind.

While James tried to organise a boat, the family watched their dog slip further and further out to sea. MORE>>

Wellington Vet Campaigns to Improve Canine Oral Health

A Wellington veterinarian says he is shocked at the state of canine oral health and has joined a nationwide programme to offer free dental health checks for dogs this month.

Dr Allan Probert says a recent survey* showed that more than half (61%) of dog owners admitted to not brushing their dog's teeth at all with 55% saying they did not realise they needed to and 15% claiming their 'dog didn't like it'.

Give your dog a bone! That will help with his dental work.

Dr Probert says it was also worrying to see that at least 7% of dog owners didn't know how to brush their dog's teeth.

Research** also shows that 80% of Kiwi dogs over the age of three have developed gum disease which can lead to tooth loss, abscesses and bone infection.

(...)

He hopes to address this issue by joining more than 200 other vets across the country as part of the Pedigree Dentastix initiative - which will offer free health checks for dogs throughout Doggie Dental Month in July.

Why do I have a feeling that this is marketing?!

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What do you think? do you brush your dog's teeth?