June Newsletter
Summer Time and the Living is Easy Dogs are jumping, as the balls are thrown high…
National Microchipping Month: Hopefully you are all set for the coming month with loads of stuff to enjoy with your dog. I know you will all do your utmost to keep your beasties happy, healthy and safe. This month I want to concentrate on June being National Microchipping Month. This link will take you to the Petlog web page promoting this event. http://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/item/578/ The rewards of being reunited with your dog speak for themselves. There is a competition though for people who have registered their pets chip:
Win a FlexiPlus Shortbreak Return Ticket with Eurotunnel! Upgrade your pet to Petlog Premium for only £10 (normally £15) during National Microchipping Month and you will automatically be entered into a prize draw to win a FlexiPlus Shortbreak Return Ticket with Eurotunnel! Click here to read the terms and conditions for this free prize draw.
Armchair Activism: You may be aware that earlier this year the responsibility for taking in stray dogs passed from the county council funded police over to the county council funded Dog Wardens. However, the wardens have not been given any additional resources in order to cope with this. Therefore they still only work during office hours. If a god is lost or found outside on office hours there is no where legally required to assist? Not everyone who is kind enough to try and get hold of a straying dog to report it will be kind enough or physically able to look after it and be available for a dog warden sometime during the next working day. The police in another county have been telling people to just let it loose again if they can’t keep it. Imagine if someone found your dog and couldn’t care for it over the weekend? Here is an account of a real life situation that happened just this week.
“We have just had an Akita bought in after he was found dumped on a golfcourse. Whoever had dumped him had tied him to a pole that was part of the golf round. The people who found him (golfers) were not animal people at all and were infuriated that this animal was in their way of playing golf, but were too scared of him (he is a big lad!) to go anywhere near him. They called the council who sent out FOUR of their workers! They each had a grasper and were dressed in a padded uniform (in case he bit them). This made them all look extremely frightening to the dog and he growled at one of them. This was enough to convince the council workers that he was aggressive and three of them attached the graspers to him (I have NO idea why they felt this situation needed 3 graspers). This totally freaked the dog out and sent him flying up in the air with fright and some aggression did come out. The dog handlers then grappled him along the golfcourse with these graspers and when they got him to the van forcibly threw him into a small cage. He sat in the cage growling at them whenever any of them poked their fingers through the bars. They asked advice as to where to send this dog and it was decided that he should be sent to Battersea and put into the dangerous dogs section. Luckily the temperary dog warden turned up and she is lovely! She argued the point that the dog was terrified and that when she went to the front of the cage that he licked her fingers. She went against advice and phoned me at the kennels and asked if we would take him in as a stray and try to assess him in a calm environment. I agreed straight away after hearing what the poor boy had been through (I am still in the opinion that dogs almost always bite for a good reason). When he turned up I walked into a discussion between the temp dog warden and the other kennel staff as to how they were going to remove him from the crate. When I looked at him sitting in the crate he seemed to be a very calm and relaxed boy. I told them that the way to remove him was to open the crate and put the slip lead on him. So, they handed me the lead and stepped back! The initial assessment was correct. I just opened the crate door and put the slip lead on him. We walked up to the paddock and let him have a wander around and he was very calm and relaxed. When his kennel was ready he walked straight up to me, let me put his lead on and walked straight into the kennel with me. I closed the door to assess his guarding issues and he happily accepted a good fuss inside the kennel. No growling, no nastiness and no problems. The dog handlers have him down as an aggressive dog because of their crap handling of him. I am unsure what will happen to him after his 7 days are up (these he has to do legally even though he was obviously dumped). They may insist that he still goes into the dangerous dogs section. But he is not a dangerous dog at all! He was scared and did react, but I know many dogs that would react in that way when you have three huge men tugging and yanking at them across a field with these stupid grasper things. I really need somewhere to send this dog. Ideally an Akita rescue who know how to handle and assess the breed properly. They are few and far between as far as I can tell and probably will have little space left. I have called him Plum because he has a bit a vacant look in his eye (not the brightest bulb bless him!) He is an entire male, hence will need castrating, vaccinating and microchipping.” Emma Semple on www.RescueHelpersUnite.co.uk
Now, how would your dog react if someone found him or stole him and then tied him up like this one? So Microchip your pets, all of them. But also, if like me you agree that our very stretched dog wardens need additional resources to cover out of hours work please go to Number10’s web site and sign this pettition!http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/straydogs/ Submitted by S Waller of Yorkshire Animal Ambulance – Deadline to sign up by: 29 July 2008
THE EVENT OF THE SUMMER
The main details have now been set for the annual summer event. The SYWELL SUMMER SAUNTER will be held at Sywell Country Park 10am 21st June 2008. It’s a ticket only event as we need to know what numbers we will be catering for. Tickets will be available from myself, Alison Shine and Nina Thomas. Adults £4 children under 14 £2.50p. Dogs free. For your money you get an informal dog walk around Sywell Country Park, a Pimms Number 1 Cup, snacks, competitions, activities and games. There are also Tshirts on sale to be worn on the walk. They are being sold for only £8.70 each. Samples will be available for viewing and size checking this coming week. I will need all orders and money by 12 noon on 9/6/08 so they can be delivered in time for the saunter!
Please check out the website for picture and further details. http://thedogmother.moonfruit.com/#/eventsdiary/4524960237
Are You A Dog Person?
You have a kiddy paddling pool in the yard, but no small children.
Lintwheels are on your shopping list every week.
You have baby gates permanently installed at strategic places around the house, but no babies.
The kitchen bin is more or less permanently installed in the kitchen sink, to keep the dog out of it while you're at work.
You can't see out the passenger side of the windshield because there are nose-prints all over the inside.
Poop has become a source of conversation for you and your significant other.
You refer to yourselves as Mummy and Daddy.
Your dog sleeps with you.
You have 32 different names for your dog. Most make no sense, but she understands.
Your dog eats cat poop, but you still let her kiss you (but not immediately afterward, of course).
You like people who like your dog. You despise people who don't.
You carry dog biscuits in your purse or pocket at all times.
You talk about your dog the way other people talk about their kid.
You sign and send birthday/anniversary/Christmas cards from your dog.
You put an extra blanket on the bed so your dog can be comfortable.
You'd rather stay home on Saturday night and cuddle your dog than go to the movies with your sweetie.
You go to the pet shop every Saturday because it's one of the very few places that lets you bring your dog inside, and your dog loves to go with you.
You open your purse, and that big bunch of baggies you use for pick-ups pops out.
You get an extra-long hose on your shower head just so you can use it to wash your dog in the tub, without making the dog sit hip-deep in water.
You and the dog come down with something like flu on the same day. Your dog sees the vet while you settle for an over-the-counter remedy from the chemist. Your dog is getting old and arthritic, so you go buy wood and build her a small staircase so she can climb onto the bed by herself.
Your license plate or license plate frame mentions your dog.
You match your furniture/carpet/clothes to your dog.
You have your dog's picture on your office desk (but no one else's)
You lecture people on responsible dog ownership every chance you get.
You hang around the dog section of your local bookstore.
You skip breakfast so you can walk your dog in the morning before work.
You are the only idiot walking in the pouring rain because your dog needs her walk.
You don't go to happy hours with co-workers any more because you need to go home and see your dog.
Your parents refer to your pet as their granddog.
Your friend's dog acts as Best Dog at your wedding.
Your weekend activities are planned around taking your dog for a hike (both days).
You keep an extra water dish in your second-floor bedroom, in case your dog gets thirsty at night (after all, her other dish is way down on the first floor).
You never completely finish a piece of food (so your dog gets a taste, too).
You shovel a zig-zag path in the back yard snow so your dog can reach all her favourite spots.
You avoid vacuuming the house as long as possible because your dog is afraid of the vacuum cleaner.
You keep eating even after finding a dog hair in your pasta.
You make popcorn just to play catch with your dog.
You carry pictures of your dog in your wallet instead of pictures of your parents, siblings, significant other, or anyone else remotely human.
First Aid Advice for your dog
Bee sting
remove sting urgently
Rinse with soap and water
Prevent scratching and therefore prevent infection
Wasp Sting
Pour vinegar solution on it as soon as you can
Prevent scratching and therefore prevent infection
Apply antihistamine when you can
Ticks
The danger is from the tick pushing its virus ridden contents into the hosts blood. So first and foremost get the tick off NOW while trying not to push its contents into your dog. If you happen to have a tick remover or a pair of tweezers handy please use them. Do not leave the thing there while you spend precious time going to buy one. By that time the infection could have already happened. If you have long fingernails unscrew the thing anticlockwise as close to the body of your dog as you can get. If you haven’t got nails use what ever is handy that will do the best job you can. Just unscrew it anticlockwise. A recent study by vets in the states has proven that there is no difference in healing time and likelihood between pulling it off and scratching it off.
Get it off fast. Unscrew anticlockwise without squeezing liquids into the dog
Do your best to get any bit’s of head and legs off, scratching with your nail will do.
Prevent scratching and therefore prevent infection
Apply antisceptic when you can such as neat Tea tree oil which the dog doesn’t want to lick
I haven’t finished the pricing restructure yet, but I will forward it all to you as soon as I have.
Caption Competition
There was only one entry last month: Thank you Duncan. This month is just for fun. No cost and no prize. Please email your caption for the following photo…
If you do not wish to receive these newsletters please email me with REMOVE in the subject line
The Dogmother
