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.  

How is this possible?

I read this tragic story in the papers.  How is this possible?  It is obviously a tragic accident but dog owners know about dogs in cars.  Every dog owner does.  This makes me so mad.  We have had the coldest winter in decades and the first rays of sun come out and this is what happens.  Just think everybody out there.  Just think!  Be mindful.

“A school's 'therapy' dog has died after being left in a hot car for six hours because of a 'staff mix-up'. Ruby,  the Labrador was used to help lower-ability pupils at Sittingbourne Community College in Kent.

Owner Dave Carden, 53, a PE teacher, routinely took her in each day and left her in his car for another teacher to collect and take into class.
But on Tuesday - one of the hottest days of the year so far - she was not collected and remained in the car from 8am to 2.35pm.
Outside temperatures rose to the 20C mark and by the time Carden returned to his car, five year-old Ruby was dead.
He rushed her to the vets but there was nothing they could do to save her.”

RIP Ruby.

Challenges of meeting female dog on heat

Ozzy is fine. His poops are normal and so is his behaviour. Back to normal and stress over.

Yesterday in the forest, we had another interesting experience. We were throwing sticks for Ozzy. This now is his favourite game. The tennis balls do not have the same allure anymore.
We were just walking along Mr Eurodog and myself when we saw a dog walker with her pack of dogs. There were two Border Collies, an Australian Shepherd ( colour: bleu merle with bleu eyes ), two Alsatians. Ozzy caught sight of them and sped over to them. He seemed particularly attracted to one Alsatian. We were too far away to make out whether this was a female or a castrated male ( Ozzy finds them attractive too! ). The pack came nearer and the dog walker started shouting at us. “She’s on heat. Keep your dog away from her.” She became quite hysterical when she realised Ozzy was keen. “Put him on a lead. Quick, put him on a lead.” We were shell shocked by this dog walker’s behaviour. The other pack members were getting quite agitated. I noticed she had no leads for her dogs. I managed to pull Ozzy off the Alsatian and put him on a lead and walked away. When we thought we were a safe distance away, I let Ozzy off the lead and like a bullet he ran off to find the Alsatian. It must have been a good kilometre. I went after him and found the pack. “I told you to keep him on the lead. Don’t you realise this dog already has had 24 puppies. What’s more she needs exercise. I cannot just leave her locked up when she is on heat.” I put Ozzy on the lead again and decided not to enter into an argument. I did not let him off until we got to the car.

What conclusions are we to draw from all this?

1. If you are the owner or carer of a female dog that is in, or coming into season, it's your responsibility to keep her away from intact males.
2. Of course, dogs on heat need to be taken out and to be exercised but it is a challenging task. A responsible owner picks his route carefully, goes to an area where there are not too many dogs. An area where it is quiet. This person should be mindful of his environment.
3. The dog should be on a lead. It is totally irresponsible to have a female on heat running loose. It is asking for trouble. She will attract the male to come to her and the male is attracted by her hormones. If a male mounts her, it is very difficult to separate them. Also if they are in a pack, fights can break out.
4. The owner should inform other dog owners that the dog is on heat so that he can put his own dog on a lead if he running loose or come and get his dog if necessary.
5. If you really want to walk your dog off the lead but you know there is a female on heat about, break the trail. The easiest way to do it, is to put your dog in the car, and drive to another area, a distant area, where you may walk your dog without problems.

My take on this:

People have said to me that it is all about training. Well-trained males will have learned to ignore females on heat. I do not agree. Female dogs are extremely attractive to males when in heat, and even, if you think you have perfect recall, it is very difficult, near impossible to provide something better in exchange. Calling: “come here, come here, cookies” will not help. The instinct is too strong.
I will give you the following example to highlight this. The dog club were I used to work had certain rules. Females on heat were not allowed on or near the premises. One day however, someone, stupidly came with a female on heat. Within seconds males flocked to her and fought over her. The female was taken away by its owner and the other dogs returned to their respective classes but the havoc was such that we ended up suspending the classes for the day.

I know the person we encountered with the pack of dogs is a professional dog trainer. I find her totally irresponsible. My advice to people who have to have their dogs walked or looked after is: look around, ask around. Enquire and get references. Find out how they work. Don’t be too trusting and fooled by appearances ( snazzy van, diplomas, qualifications ). Remember it is your dog and you know what is best for him/her. Trust your instinct.

Not again!

Before you read on:  this is my 400th post since starting this blog. 
Sgt Craven left two dogs, a working Belgian Malinois and a German Shepherd puppy, in an unventilated car at the Met's dog training centre in Keston, Kent, on Sunday. He went to a meeting off-site and called colleagues to alert them when he realised the animals were trapped. The dogs were taken to an emergency veterinary surgery but they both died of heat exhaustion. This happened on Sunday when temperatures in the South East reached 30° which means 50° in an unventilated car parked in full sun.
Sgt Craven is an experienced police dog handler.
How is this possible?

German Shepherd Puppy

Belgian Malinois

Unfortunately this is not a rare occurrence. There was an identical incident last year in the Police Force in Nottingham.

This is 2011. Or is it?

A Jewish rabbinical court condemned to death by stoning a stray dog it feared was the reincarnation of a lawyer who insulted its judges, reports say.
The dog entered the Jerusalem financial court several weeks ago and would not leave, reports Israeli website Ynet.
It reminded a judge of a curse passed on a now deceased secular lawyer about 20 years ago, when judges bid his spirit to enter the body of a dog.
The animal is said to have escaped before the sentence was carried out.
One of the judges at the court in the city's ultra-Orthodox Mea Shearim neighbourhood had reportedly asked local children to carry out the sentence.
An animal welfare organisation filed a complaint with the police against a court official, who denied reports that judges had ordered the dog's stoning but a court manager told Israeli daily Yediot Aharonot the stoning had been ordered as "as an appropriate way to 'get back at' the spirit which entered the poor dog".  according to Ynet.
Dogs are considered impure animals in traditional Judaism.

Electric shock

Today when I took Ozzy out for a walk in a wooded park, we came across a Malinois. He was off the lead and went for Ozzy. He tackled Ozzy into a submissive position and started biting him in the neck whilst growling furiously. Quite impressive. I remain calm in situations like these and walk on and call Ozzy to me. This usually diffuses the confrontation. Not this time. I managed to call Ozzy to me without showing any distress but by asserting control. The owner started sreaming at his dog and said "you'll get it in the neck, mate". This is exactly what happened. The poor dog was wearing an electric shock collar and his owner was so angry, he pushed the button for such a long time the dog started shaking and frothing at the mouth. This was obviously not enough for him. He took the lead and started beating his dog with the end with the buckle. The dog whelped. By this time Ozzy and I were at a safe distance. Luckily Ozzy is very sweet natured and trusts me so he was not affected by the scene. I did not think it was wise to make a comment to the man but I was upset for the poor dog and very angry with his owner. Poor Malinois, obviously in the wrong hands.

A dog for life

A dog is for life, not just for Christmas. This slogan was created in 1978 by the Dog Trust and is still relevant today. At this time of the year people involved with dogs should raise awareness of the consequences of treating dogs as gifts or toys. Every year hundreds of thousands of children plead to receive a dog for Christmas and every year thousands of parents yield to their children’s whim. And yes, dogs make perfect gifts because they come up to everyone’s expectation. They are affectionate, cuddly, responsive, playful, receptive, easy to please, the latest fad, the coolest toy, the fashion statement par excellence but what happens when the novelty wears off? When the toy becomes a burden?

Dogs need structure and leadership. Rough games, shrill cries and cheers from children too young to take on the role of pack leader make training difficult. A young dog should be introduced in his new family with a calm and assertive energy so that he can get used to the new family hierarchy. Affection should be saved until the dog has settled. Cesar Millan says that it is sometimes a good idea to hold that affection until several days into your new relationship with your puppy; as much as a week is recommended. Now this sounds harsh when you want to take your new puppy to bed with you, to carry it in yours arms wherever you go or to cuddle it constantly.

Remember: a dog cannot be taken back to the shop and exchanged if the size does not fit. The new owner must be prepared to make a commitment for the dog’s entire lifetime and be prepared to accept the responsibilities that come with their new family member. There are many factors to consider. Can the vet’s bills be met? Can dog food be bought? Is the house dog friendly? Can the dog have his own space? Can the dog go on family holidays? Can the dog have regular exercise? Can the dog be properly trained? Can the dog receive sufficient attention? Will the dog have to spend long periods on his own because his new owners work out of the house all day? Is the chosen breed suitable as a family pet? Many questions which often remain unanswered and lead to dogs being discarded and abandoned and ending up in shelters. And then what?

Why? Oh why?

Look at the picture - of poor quality I agrre - and the dog at the right.  Why?  Oh why? Why do you take your dog to hot spots like the one on The Economist's cover? Why put the dog's life at risk for something the poor thing knows nothing about.