Category: Dogs and Society

Live in West London and Don’t Have a Microchip?

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chipHounslow Animal Warden is running a series of free microchipping events across the borough with free tag engraving.

All dogs in England will need to be microchipped from April 6th, 2016 and, most importantly, it will be compulsory to keep details up to date.

Monday 20 July | 11am – 4pm
Thornbury Playing Fields, Isleworth, TW7

Tuesday 21 July | 11am – 4pm
St Dunstans Recreation Ground, Feltham, TW13 4JY

Wednesday 22 July | 11am – 7pm
Hounslow Heath Park, Hounslow, TW4 5AB

Thursday 23 July | 11am – 4pm
Heston Park, Heston, TW5

Friday 24 July | 11am – 4pm
Brent Lea Recreation Ground, Brentford, TW8 8JQ

All dogs must be on leads.

For further information please contact Lisa Nugent on 020 7627 7875 or e-mail l.nugent@battersea.org.uk

One Law for All – Defending International Biosecurity

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illegal The news that Amber Heard has been charged with bringing dogs to Australia illegally should be greeted with approval. The comparative ease with which dogs can now be transported across international boundaries was always likely to bring problems with bio-security and increased ease of smuggling. Although the potential for dogs being smuggled in private aircraft is minimal, there can be no question that the law should apply to all, irrespective of wealth or status.

Ms Heard was recorded on Australian television as saying “I guess everyone tries to go for their 15 minutes, including some government officials”. Perhaps she is incapable of seeing anything outside of the bubble of her supposed celebrity. This is not a matter of being a ‘jobsworth’ but of protecting animals, including her own pets, against disease. Australia’s native fauna have been under threat since the early 19thC when ships’ cats devasated some wildlife.

Rabies remains a serious threat. A major outbreak could result in a widespread cull of vast numbers of animals, including pets. Not taking prophylactic precautions and proving it via the requisite paperwork is vital for all our sakes.

It will be interesting to see whether court action will rely on hitting Ms Heard in her pocket by imposing a fine or by setting an example and choosing a custodial sentence.

26% of Crufts Exhibits Obese

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26 pc obese The publication of another study looking at obesity in dogs (Such and German, Best in show but not best shape: a photographic assessment of show dog body condition, Veterinary Record, 2015 DOI: 10.1136/vr.103093) concludes that 26% of the dogs surveyed were overweight. This will not come as a surprise to anyone who walks in the park or on the high street and observes the number of overfed dogs, but some may be surprised to learn that this was a study of dogs shown at Crufts.

It makes a mockery of the Kennel Club’s injunctions to judges to report excessive weight and that is assuming that the judges actually notice. The KC are very keen to tell judges that they are not vets, which, although true, seems that it is more a reason for perpertuating poor health and welfare than any real attempt to root out fundamental problems in breeding and showing. When examining a dog, it is perfectly obvious if the body score is excessive and all owners should know how to tell that, never mind judges. With breeds such as the Pug, Labrador, Beagle and Basset that have a genetic tendency to weight gain, if the top show dogs are overweight, then it is likely that the dogs that the breeders sell on as pets are even more likely to become obese.

Such and German don’t even wait until their conclusion to state that “breed standards should be re-defined to be consistent with a dog in optimal body condition” – they put it in the abstract.

How shocking that something so obvious should need to be pointed out to breeders.

Grazia Magazine – No Thanks

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petitionThe news that Grazia Magazine has published an article advising its readers how to make money from back street breeding will not surprise many people. In a society that can even entertain the expression “handbag dog” and where a web site offers to put people in touch so that they can “borrow” a dog, it is just another consequence of the commodification of pretty much everything, living creatures included.

It is gratifying to know that a petition quickly garnered thousands of signatures in protest, but has not elicited a meaningful apology or retraction from Grazia magazine.

Although a weasel-worded statement from Grazia offered a sop for causing “offence”, it of course misses the point. Any “offence” that I may feel as a consequence of Grazia’s actions pales into insignificance at the societal offence of incompetent breeding, unwanted dogs and irresponsible, ignorant owners who form the chain of the backstreet dog trade, fuelled by this type of publicity.

Network Rail Take The Safety Lead

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Still from Take the Lead) Network Rail has teamed up with the Dogs Trust to produce a hard hitting video in an attempt to prevent injuries and fatalities on the rail network.

Those who thought that the infamous “Fenton” video was funny should learn a salutary lesson. Network Rail, the company that is responsible for track and rail infrastructure, state that between April 1st, 2010 and March 31st, 2015 there were 181 recorded near misses where train drivers have had to apply their brake and narrowly avoided a collision with a person and a dog.

181.

Think about it.

That’s the average attendance at a small dog show narrowly avoiding being injured or killed every five years.

In the same period, there were five fatalities of people who were with a dog at the time of the collision.

Imagine if the five people in line for Best in Show at the same event were killed every five years.

Full details are available here.

Take care, train and re-inforce recall and if in doubt, clip on a lead or a long line.

A Dog “Incident” Every 10 Minutes – Is This A Record?

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I was walking home from training class last night, a balmy summer evening stroll of about 30 minutes which should have been pleasant after a fun evening preparing for our KCGC Gold test next month.

About half way though the walk, I turned down a side road and noticed two cyclists at the top of the road chatting by the kerbside. What I didn’t see until it launched into a frenzied attack, was the little black Cocker spaniel that shot out on an extendable lead and attempted to sink its teeth into my dog’s face. I backed off to a safe distance. The cyclists continued chatting, unconcerned while the dog danced around at the end of the lead, desperate to scare us away. I called and asked the owner to get his dog under control which he eventually did with a struggle, and carried on chatting, totally unconcerned about the state of his dog and, it goes without saying, with barely an acknowledgment to me, never mind an apology.

I suspect that this poor, unsocialised dog is regularly hauled along while the owner rides his bicycle, no doubt congratulating himself on how much “exercise” he is giving it and oblivious to the effects and consequences for the dog – or other road users for that matter.

Ten minutes later, virtually within sight of home, our path was blocked by two people walking very slowly and deep in conversation. I asked politely for them to let me pass; the man flicked a glance at me and carried on talking. I asked again. He flicked another glance at me. I asked a third time and this time was treated to a glare, but still they carried on. When a gap eventually appeared, I stormed past, pavement rage welling up and overflowing, only to come face to face with an elderly JRT, loose outside a shop. Luckily neither my dog nor the JRT batted an eyelid. Of course, this owner was also oblivious to his dog, presumably convinced that it was fine left alone by a busy road with no lead whilst he did his shopping.

One minute away from home – surely nothing else could happen? – but no. Our path was blocked again by two men straddling the pavement, also deep in conversation. (Had I missed momentous news that had everyone buzzing while we struggled with emergency stops and perfecting off lead heelwork?) Before I could draw breath, I realised that they were being preceded by a Newfie who casually wandered into the road and proceeded to walk down the middle of the left hand lane. Perhaps they did not realise that dogs are red/green colour blind so it had no hope of interpreting the traffic lights as it headed towards the junction with the A road. They only retrieved it when they saw us coming, no doubt assuming that my on-lead dog was a canine pest that might threaten their bear-sized charge.

Not only are these owners a menace to other people and dogs, they are causing their pets untold distress and putting them in the way of causing real harm to themsleves and other people.

Until we start putting serious resources into addressing these issues and many others, a simple, half hour walk will continue to necessitate the utmost vigilence.