Auckland pet owners follow the pack for buddy's name

Thinking of getting a dog?

It's probably best to stay clear of the name Max or Bella, as hundreds of pups in Auckland already have these names.

Auckland Council dog registration records in the past year show Bella and Max are the favourite monikers for many dog owners in Auckland.

Records show there are 99,612 known dogs in the city.

This year is the first time all pups in the region will be registered to one council.

A total of 786 pups were christened Bella or Belle and 750 went by the name Max. MORE>>

Max is a great name... it's short and to the point!

And they call it puppy love

Waiheke is putting out the call for responsible dog-lovers to consider owning a new puppy.

Last weekend Auckland SPCA held a special Rescue Me themed weekend to deal with an unprecedented number of dogs and puppies.

The island branch has nine new puppies looking for homes.

Rusty and Ranger are staying at the Waiheke Vets in Oneroa and Jack and Sally are at the SPCA centre in Surfdale.

Five tiny German shepherd-collie cross puppies also need new owners but are still at their Waiheke home with their mum, and will be moved when they are a little older.

The puppies are all crossbreeds from four different litters and are six to 10 weeks old.

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Hot dogs show their true grit

It's a dog's life hauling a human up to 8.5 kilometres over rough terrain - but it was all part of the fun for 42 dog sledding teams over the weekend.

The teams had 120 dogs between them, and were participating in the New Zealand sled dog championship at the Kaingaroa Forest course, 20 kilometres north of Taupo.

Ten sprint and freight races between 4.5km and 8.5km long were contested over a track of gravel, clay and pumice.

Chris Skelton caught the dogs and drivers in action.

Dog savages 4-year-old boy

David Oliver's "parent radar" failed to go off when he and his family walked past a large dog sitting with its owner outside a cafe on Saturday.

Moments later he heard growling, followed by his wife's screams - and knew something awful had happened to his 4-year-old son, Ben.

"Leigh shouted, 'He's been bitten,' and Ben came running towards me with blood running down his face, down over his top. He was screaming, absolutely screaming."

The West Auckland family had been to the Titirangi village bakery and were walking home about 2pm when the attack happened.

Bakery?! hum... was the child holding on to a muffin?  I'm just looking for a possible reason why the dog 'bite' the child. One possible scenario is that the child was walking past the dog with a muffin, or something else in his hand... perhaps even eating it at the time. The dog wanted the food, and wanted to grab the food, instead found his face. 

Ben and his mother were making their way through tables on the footpath outside a cafe when Mrs Oliver noticed the bull mastiff-great dane cross sitting next to its owner, who was at a table.

The owner should have been a lot more aware of what her dog was doing at the time... 

Mrs Oliver said the owner smiled so she asked the lady what kind of dog it was. Then it lunged at Ben.

"It happened so quickly. The dog snarled and then leaped at his face like he was prey or something - with a lot of intent and a lot of aggression."

Kids and dogs... the problem is that kids do look like prey for some dogs. Just like a little fluffy dog looks like a rabbit (prey) to other dogs. 

Sad when another family has to go through worrying about their next encounter with a dog... 

(...)

Ben's parents say there was no warning or indication something was about to happen before the attack

Ben was not provoking the dog or standing too close.

"Ben knows never to touch dogs. He was standing two metres away ... I was standing closer," said Mrs Oliver.

The Auckland Council will complete its investigation into the attack before deciding what will happen to the dog, which was registered.

I hope that they question the owner about the dog's history... 

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Dogs' new best friend buries wolf pack theory

...
He, Bradshaw, is a scientist - founder and director of the Anthrozoology Institute at the University of Bristol - who has devoted the last 25 years to studying the domestic dog and has just written the most fantastic book, In Defence of the Dog, which is already on United States bestseller lists and is about to become required reading for dog lovers everywhere.
Bradshaw is not interested in canine hearsay. He does not peddle opinions. His style is tolerant, clear and benign and he is interested only in what science can support. His book is a revelation - a major rethink about the way we understand our dogs, an overturning of what one might call traditional dogma.
(...)
The first idea to bite the dust is so huge and entrenched that some owners will struggle to adjust. We have had it drummed into us by trainers such as Cesar Millan that because dogs are descended from wolves (their DNA is almost identical), they behave like wolves and can be understood as "pack" animals. The received thinking has been that dogs seek to "dominate" and that our task is to assert ourselves as pack leaders - alpha males and females - and not allow dogs to get the upper paw.

Bradshaw has no quarrel about DNA. His argument is that scientists have been studying the wrong wolves and jumping to the wrong conclusions. He says: "People have been studying American timber wolves because the European wolf is virtually extinct. And the American timber wolf is not related at all closely to the ancestry of the domestic dog." Great read... MORE>>

Neighbours at odds over dogs

Relations between a prominent greyhound trainer and his neighbours have disintegrated into fenceline shouting matches, after they complained about the incessant barking of his kennel of racing dogs.

Steve Clark keeps 16 greyhounds at his rural home in Dairy Flat, north of Auckland. Among the sleek canines is one of the nation's best, 2010 Duke of Edinburgh Silver Collar winner Swift Fantasy.

Last year Clark was made to shut the dogs up by the Rodney District Council. In October last year, he was issued an abatement notice, telling him a nuisance was being created by persistent howling or barking from the dogs and he was to stop the nuisance by any means possible.MORE>>

Dogs at a discount to clear SPCA's cages

The SPCA is holding a dog sale this week to deal with the largest overflow of unwanted animals in 27 years.
The Mangere Animal Village is overflowing with dogs, and had had to turn away many in the past month. The shelter has 59 dogs ready for adoption, where it would normally only hold 45 to 50.

Chief executive Bob Kerridge said there was a further glut in the back wings. The shelter had 161 dogs that were recovering from injuries or were waiting until they were old enough to be sold, and a further 30 in foster care.

"We're at over-capacity. Five to six times in the last month we have had to stop dogs coming in which we hate to do. If we can't take the dog then we worry about what will happen to it."MORE>>

Banning dog breeds 'no answer'

Educating humans, not banning breeds, is the key to cutting dog-bite rates.

Didn't they just repeal the law in the UK?!

That is the message Middlemore Hospital paediatric emergency charge nurse and dog behaviourist Donelle Whiu has given Auckland Council and the SPCA, which have sought her advice after her dog-bite study.

Her study found that not one of the 65 bitten children recalled getting education about dog safety. "The council - their jaws dropped over this," Whiu said.

The public needed to be better educated about keeping kids safe around dogs, including keeping them away from animals that were eating, avoiding sudden movements, and teaching them never to approach a stranger's dog without getting permission first.

Rosemary Hagg, the council's northern licensing and compliance manager, said that dog-control officers visited school classrooms with safety messages, but would launch an extra initiative next term to reach more kids in more schools.

The council was spending tens of thousands of dollars contracting the Kids 4 Drama company to deliver 30-minute educational shows at primary school assemblies. The shows featured songs and catchy safety slogans and 130 of the 400 primary schools in the wider Auckland area were to get the talks by the end of the year, beginning in West Auckland.

"I think this is critical," said Hagg. "We're very concerned about the prevention of dog bites and attacks on children."

Yes, yes yes... but it's more than catchy phrases... It's good to have Be a Tree, but also good to have 'what to look for in a dog that is feeling a bit uneasy" Check out DoggoneSafe.com

Dog attack family wants $50,000 reparation

The owner of a dog that attacked a 3-year-old boy on an Auckland shopping street is to face dangerous dog charges.

The family of Oracle Brampton, bitten when he tried to pat the dog outside a Video Ezy store, wants $50,000 reparation for the "trauma".

Difficult one because it was the boy who went to pat the dog, and got in its face. But then, if you leave a dog outside, you should make certain that it tolerates kids pushing their hands near their face!

The Herald on Sunday reported the attack in March, publishing security camera footage that showed how the dog lunged at the toddler, delivering a single bite that caused facial injuries.

The Brampton family has called for the Staffordshire terrier cross to be put down, but owner Toby Conway pleaded for his "best friend" Stan's life. The dog remains with Conway until a judge decides his sentence, according to the Brampton family.

An Auckland Council spokeswoman said charges would be laid in Waitakere District Court this month. The lead charge - a dog causing serious injury - carried a maximum penalty of three years' jail, $20,000 fine, or both. A secondary charge carried a $3000 fine.

Moana Wepiha-Reo, Oracle's grandmother, said the family was asked how much reparation they wanted, and had asked for $50,000.

She was angry that Conway had not apologised directly, and she wanted him to understand the "trauma" he had put the family through.

Not even an apology, but then..  Perhaps something in writing would have been nice-- a nice card, chocolates-- 

That's what someone did when their dog attacked our dog, and he had to get vet care. This family paid for the vet care, and came over to apologies, and give Holmes a Get Well card. 

Poko to take to the stage as Toto

Furry hopefuls from far and wide lined up at Western Park in Auckland today, to audition for the role of Dorothy's pet pooch, Toto.

The Peach Theatre Company is casting for its production Wizard of Oz, with actor Olivia Tennet, who will be playing Dorothy, checking out the tailed talent.

Tennet told ONE News she was sad she could only choose one dog to be her onstage side-kick.

"They've really just kind of melted my heart."

The dogs were put through their paces, being tested for obedience and personality and how well they reacted to live chickens. MORE>>

Dog attack on baby one of the worst

An 18-month-old baby has been savaged by the family pitbull, in one of the worst dog attacks seen by hospital emergency staff.

Research by a Middlemore Hospital emergency nurse has revealed 65 children were so seriously injured by dog bites in the past year that they were brought from around New Zealand to the hospital, which specialises in plastic surgery for serious facial injuries.

Donelle Whiu, a charge nurse and dog behaviourist, measured the injuries on the internationally recognised Dunbar Dog Bite Scale, on which level 1 indicates a minor injury and 6 a fatality.

(...read full text via NZ Herald)

Whiu said the baby's case highlighted a finding from her research that 63 per cent of dogs that bit children were known to the family.

In one case in five the dog concerned was the family pet. Only 9 per cent of attacks were by strange animals.

She said: "People are more at risk at home than on the streets."

IMPORTANT reading for those who think that their dog can't bite their family member! 

Great to see that the Dr Dunbar's dog bite scale is getting some media because this is EXACTLY what we need to keep track of... in our statistics. Thank you Donelle for bringing this to the media.

Town has killer dog roaming loose

Te Aroha's Barbara Perkins stood helpless as a roaming dog snatched her toy poodle by the neck and shook it to death.

She was left to carry the torn body of six-year-old Bobo to her neighbour's house after the horrific attack last month.

In another incident an Australian woman's guide dog was left with an eye injury after being attacked by an unregistered dog at The Base in Te Rapa on Thursday.

The dog, described as a labrador-pitbull cross, was immediately detained by Hamilton dog control staff and is at the city dog pound. MORE>>

Gee.. I really feel for her! Not sure what I'd do if it happened to my dog!

Aussie guide dog attacked in NZ

A veterinary report in Australia will determine what charges are laid against the owners of a pitbull terrier which attacked a guide dog in New Zealand.

Perry, an eight year-old golden labrador, was set upon by the bull terrier at a shopping centre in Hamilton on Thursday while accompanying its owner Anne Ferguson, a visiting blind Australian PHD student.

Police said it appeared the bull terrier leapt from a parked car's open door after noticing the guide dog.

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Ferguson and her husband were also attacked after trying to pull the dog off Perry.

Hamilton City Council said this afternoon Perry had been given a clearance to fly home on Friday and police would await a veterinary report when the dog was further assessed in Australia before deciding what charges to lay.

The unregistered pit bull was seized by animal control officers after the attack and it remained impounded.

© 2011 NZPA

Wellington super-city fails to excite

Super-city plans may be a hot topic in Hawke's Bay, but they appear to have excited little interest in the Wellington region.

Just 178 submissions had been received on the structure of the Wellington region's nine councils by the closing date of June 30.

That was similar to the amount most councils received for the change of a local dog bylaw, Wellington Mayoral Forum chairman Wayne Guppy said. "[It's] a very low submission rate – no question about that."  MORE>>

Thief takes the car... and the dogs

A woman whose car was stolen with her two dogs inside is appealing to the public for help.

Angela Lewis' black Audi A4 was stolen from a Remuera street on Monday night with a pair of Manchester terriers sitting in the back seat.

After walking the dogs, the designer parked in Ngapuhi Rd and left her car unattended for 45 minutes while she and her partner visited her brother. MORE>>

Kidnapped dog back home

Owners Angela Lewis and Grant Brown spent the next three days frantically following leads, texting a clairvoyant, organising four searching cars in areas of sightings, emailing, calling, Facebooking and asking people on the street.

Bella was found "shaking" in Puhinui Park by Ms Lewis, around 4pm on Thursday but Dexter was still missing.

The Weekend Herald received a call from a member of the public around 9.30am yesterday, saying they had seen Dexter and the stolen car.

Mr Brown was searching close to the tip-off location, and quickly flagged down a passing police vehicle. After three cars arrived as back-up, police entered a Papatoetoe house, near where Bella was found. MORE>>

Retired racing sled dogs adapt to sunny Nelson

Alaskan huskies Joseph and Helene have raced in the world's toughest endurance events through some of the planet's most hostile environments, but are a little freaked out by hedgehogs scuttling around the backyard of their new home in Mapua.

The former world-class sled racing dogs arrived from Norway last year with owner Mark Chin. His partner, Stephanie Lawlor, said while the dogs seemed happy in their new environment – retired and living by the sea – they appeared to be a bit confused by the hedgehogs.

"I don't think they've seen them before, but they pick the hedgehogs up in their mouths and bring them into the house," she said.

For these well-travelled dogs, who have competed in the world's most extreme endurance races for sled dogs, the 30-hour flight to New Zealand via Frankfurt and Hong Kong was a doddle – the marathon was the paperwork for their owner. MORE>>

Swamped SPCA urges more action on de-sexing dogs

The SPCA is calling for councils to take a more proactive role in controlling dog populations in their areas, as animal shelters struggle to keep up with the deluge of unwanted animals.

One weekend last month, Kaitaia SPCA received 30 puppies. Nelson is full with 29, Taupo got 17 on Thursday and Auckland is overloaded.

It is uncertain what has caused this influx, but many SPCA centres are underwhelmed by the incentives offered by their local councils to encourage owners to de-sex their dogs. MORE>>