Wednesday 26 June 2013

Heat stroke

Ozzy suffers terribly in the heat but mercifully we don't have heat at the moment.

Monday 24 June 2013

Plastic surgery for dogs.


 

 

How about cosmetic surgery to make a dog look better? More like a perfect specimen of the breed? This is what Dr. Edgard Brito of São Paulo, Brazil, does.  He is the world’s pre-eminent cosmetic surgeon for dogs.
He told Businessweek that his career took its "cosmetic turn" after he began breeding Doberman Pinschers as a hobby.
“I started to play with plastic surgery and began to look for the correct ears,” he says. “It’s important for us as show-dog breeders that dogs have the right expression, the correct proportions.”
How does one "play around" with plastic surgery on dogs? Take Brutus, Brito's first big success.
“One of his ears was in a peculiar place, and wrong, so that was the first time I used Botox to put less tension in the muscle of that ear,” he says. “I use Botox and Restylane to fix some broken cartilage. It’s a very good technique, you don’t need to cut the animal, only injections.”
And it worked. It worked so well that Brutus went on to be a dog-show champion, and today he lives the life of a stud, breeding.
As for Brito, he went on to do plastic surgery on "thousands of other animals, usually costing $500 to $1,000 each time."

Wednesday 19 June 2013

Dogs do attack humans


The caption says : «  Not dangerous if properly trained ».  

I am not so sure.  A dog is a dog and remains an animal which means it follows an instinctual behaviour.  Yes, we can train dogs to do all sorts of things and we train them so that they become good companions but according to data more than 4.5 million people are attacked by dogs every year mostly by their domestic pet.  

Monday 17 June 2013

Dogs in tights



The Sharp Daily, a Hong Kong news site, reports on an odd trend sweeping China.  Recently, dog owners in China have been posting pictures of their dogs wearing tights on popular social media sites.  “Pet owners have long been dressing up their pooches in anything from skirts to suits and elaborate Halloween costumes, so why not tights and high heels?” says the report.
I’m sorry, folks, but I think this is sick.
 

Friday 14 June 2013

Russian subway


Each morning, like clockwork, they board the subway. They're off to begin their daily routine amidst the hustle and bustle of the city.
But these aren't just any daily commuters.
They are stray dogs who live on the outskirts of Moscow and commute on the underground to and from the city centre in search of food scraps.
Then after a hard day scavenging and begging on the streets, they hop back on the train and return to the suburbs where they spend the night.

Thursday 13 June 2013

Dog heroes


The monks stationed at Great St. Bernard Pass near the Swiss-Italian border originally bred the massive St. Bernard. They hoped to create a breed capable of locating and saving lost travellers as they made their way through the dangerous mountain pass. And a fine job they did to. St. Bernards are capable of picking up a human scent from over 2 miles and can locate a body beneath ten feet of snow. Their most famous specimen was Barry, said to save over 40 lives. Renowned for his bravery and compassion, a statue of Barry stills stands at the Cimetière des Chiens, the pet cemetery in Paris, and his body is preserved at the Natural History Museum in Berne, Switzerland.

Monday 10 June 2013

Canine measles


Some of the world's rarest big cat species are facing a potentially deadly threat from a virus carried by domestic dogs.
John Lewis, director of Wildlife Vets International, said there was evidence that Indonesian tigers were at risk.
Canine distemper virus has evolved and changed its pattern of animals it can infect to include marine mammals (such as seals) and big cats.
Dr Lewis plans to work with Indonesian vets to develop a strategy to protect the nation's tigers from the virus.