Is your Dog Crazy ?

Paul | blog | January 3, 2012

Firstly, let me start by wishing everybody a happy and healthy 2012, and let’s hope that we and our dogs get all we wish for this year.

I am sure we are all sick of over eating and being stuck in front of the TV over the holiday, and it’s time to get right back out there, and shake the cobwebs off.

Having said that there were some good films on TV, and it amazes me the amount of dogs that are used in the making of these films, mostly portrayed as man’s best friend.

One film I watched, and really enjoyed, wasn’t about a Dog but a Beaver, starring Mel Gibson, and titled, no prizes for guessing this one…..The Beaver

In this film the main character is suffering from a breakdown, states that “Crazy is pretending to be happy” and if this is the case, then I suppose we are all a little bit crazy.

That’s one thing then that our dogs can never be called, as they never pretend to be anything but themselves. The human equivalent would be the not too common person that speaks their mind, stands on their own two feet, doesn’t go along with the crowd and stands up for the values they uphold.

You often hear people say that such and such a dog is crazy, but most of us know that in fact it’s the person on the other end of the lead that is responsible for any one dogs actions through lack of socialisation, training, correct diet, and not fulfilling the dogs needs by way of exercise requirements for the breed.

Maybe one of our New Years Resolutions should be to become more like our dogs, as pretending to be anything different from who you really are, surely is Crazy !

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The Seven Deadly Sins (Of Dog Showing)

Paul | blog | May 3, 2011

Does showing your dog bring out the Angel or Demon in you ?

Wrath also known as “rage”, may be described as inordinate and uncontrolled feelings of hatred and anger

I’m sure we have all felt this at some stage when showing our dogs, most times directed at the appointed judge for down garding our prize exhibit, and then other times at fellow competitors, in instances when the run up behind you etc, or fail to congratualte you when you have a deserved win

Greed also known as avarice or covetousness, is, like lust and gluttony, a sin of excess

This can be directed at the exhibitor who continually shows their champion dog at every Championship Dog Show in the country not giving the upcoming dogs any chance of getting a foot on the green star ladder. It can also apply to some of the exhibitors that choose to camp at the show grounds and party on until the early hours of the night, keeping us and or dogs from a well deserved rest.

Sloth - The sin of laziness

This can apply to the exhibitor that arrives at the dog show with little or no preparation work done, They can be seen grooming their dog at the last minute and desperately trying to de-scale any plaque from the dogs teeth. The same exhibitor has also not spent much time on their own appearance, and when asked to do a couple of circuits of the ring, raise their eyes to the heavens.

Pride – It is identified as a desire to be more important or attractive than others, failing to acknowledge the good work of others, and excessive love of self

I’m sure we all know people in our respective dog breeds that are full of bullsh…..I mean pride. Some of these people are on every breed club committee that they can possibly be on, attending every breed seminar, open show or event that is remotely to do with dogs. As per my blog yesterday, and in relation to failing to acknowledge the good work of others,some of these exhibitors storm out of the ring when given a grade that obviously couldn’t be correct, and can be heard muttering things like “The judge should have gone to spec savers”

Lust - lechery is usually thought of as excessive thoughts or desires of a sexual nature

This of course can be applied to a lot of Dog Show exhibitors, not only in regards to ogling the handlers in the tight fitting and sometimes inappropriate attire, instead of the dogs on show, but also in regards to show titles like Champion, Annual Champion and International Champion. Some exhibitors lust after these titles so much that they loose sight of everything else, and will do anything legal, or sometimes not, to make sure they obtain the same.

Envy – As described in the bible “Neither shall you desire… anything that belongs to your neighbor”.

Now in the world of dog showing this mainly applies to another exhibitors dog, even though when asked about the same dog, this same exhibitor would run it into the ground no end. It doesn’t stop just at the dog in question though. It could be the mode of transport that the other exhibitor arrives in, the equipment that they have to groom and kennel their dogs in, and of course the titles and achievements achieved by this kennel over the years of hard work and commitment to their breed and showing dogs.

Gluttony – Derived from the Latin gluttire, meaning to gulp down or swallow

Making up your dog into an Irish or International Champion is of course a perfectly good reason to celebrate. Where better to hold this celebration than at the next dog show. The main ingredients for this celebration is of course a humungous cake, with the obligatory picture of the dog centre stage, and excessive amounts of fizzy alcohol. Normally an open invitation is sent out on one of the social networks, which possibly is the first and biggest mistake. Some people prey on these celebrations, and manage to put away more cake and fizz than the intended recipients put together. There is no end to these peoples gluttony, as sometimes they will attend two or sometimes three celebrations at the same dog show. Don’t be fooled though, their cards have been marked, and soon they will become outcasts in Irish Dogdom, and maybe move on to miniature pony exhibitions in the future!

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ISPCA & Dog Rescues play Tit for Tat ?

Paul | blog | April 28, 2011

Last week I blogged about comments made by ISPCA Chief Executive Noel Griffin

A lot of smaller dog rescues in the country were up in arms over the comments, due to the fact they thought that the ISPCA was trying to shift the emphasis from them re their high PTS rate, to these rescues that send dogs to locations in the UK, if a suitable home can’t be found for the dogs in Ireland

The ISPCA alleged that the conditions of the vehicles etc that these dogs were sent from Ireland in were far from perfect.

Now we have the following situation

“After a period of investigation, last week ISPCA Inspector Lisa O’Donovan and the Gardai closed in on a self-styled animal rescue centre in County Cork. Twenty seven dogs of various breeds were removed from the property while three dead dogs were also found on site.”

We are all aware of the proposed Dog Breeding Establishment Bill, where dog “Breeders” in Ireland, were eventually going to be regulated, even if the proposed, and yet to be enacted bill, did not go far enough, in a lot of peoples opinion

Surely it would be in everyone’s interest if dog rescues / shelters were regulated / monitored on a more frequent basis.

A lot of people are of the opinion that there are far too many shelters / rescues in Ireland, and that if there were just a few main ones like the Dogs Trusts etc, things would run a lot more smoothly.

When anything is run on a voluntary basis, it’s hard to keep things on an even keel. I remember talking to a well respected man in the world of Dogs in Ireland, about his time spent working with a rescue in Cork, where he advised that in the end he left due to personal conflicts with some of the other members. He also advised that he had been advised that some of the dogs that were sent to the UK to be re homed sometimes found there way from the UK to some animal testing plants in Europe.

I’m sure we all think that the welfare of these dogs is paramount and that we are all singing from the same hymn sheet, but I’m sure we have all had friends in the world of dogs, that we eventually fell out with due to an un known belief or that persons actions.

I recall my time spent on a breed club committee, where it was often very difficut to get 12 members, all of whom adored the dog breed in question, to agree on certain issues pertaining to the breed.

As I’ve said on forum posts before, there is an awful lot of extremely good work carried out by some of the dog rescues around the country, but sometimes maybe the human element takes over, and it’s poor dogs like these that end up suffering.

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A Dog For Max – Please Share This Blog

Paul | blog | April 18, 2011

By Rachael Gordon – Animals First Veterinary Hospital

I just received an email from my cousin, Pamela, in Florida asking me for help. I am extending this plea to all of you around the globe. Her son, Max, has a rare disease called Ataxia Telangiectasia. I have attached a description of his disease below.

We are looking for someone to donate a large or giant breed puppy to be trained as an assistance dog to help Max. There is an organization that will train the puppy for free as an assistance dog. A few days ago, the puppy that was donated for Max was diagnosed with a leg deformity, so he is not suitable to help Max. As you can imagine, everyone is upset about this setback, and Max is heartbroken because he had already met and fallen in love with the puppy. Assistance dogs give people with disabilities a great sense of security and freedom.

Max is 21 years old, 5’10″ tall and 125 pounds. He is very independent and lives on his own. He gets around on a motorized wheelchair. When Max walks, he is very unstable and has a tendency to fall, so the dog will have to be big enough to support his weight to help him get up.

I would really appreciate it if you could pass this around to as many people as possible, and hopefully someone has a puppy that they would be willing to donate to be trained as an assistance dog for Max. If you are interested in knowing more or have a puppy that you are able to donate, please contact my cousin, Pamela Stitzer at adogformax@gmail.com

Description of Max’s condition:
Ataxia telangiectasia (A-T) Boder-Sedgwick syndrome or Louisâ Bar syndrome is a rare, neurodegenerative, inherited disease that affects many parts of the body and causes severe disability. Ataxia refers to poor coordination and telangiectasia to small dilated blood vessels, both of which are hallmarks of the disease.
A-T affects the cerebellum (the body’s motor coordination control center) and also weakens the immune system in about 70% of the cases, leading to respiratory disorders and increased risk of cancer. It first appears in early childhood (the toddler stage) with symptoms such as lack of balance, slurred speech, and increased infections. Because all children at this age take time to develop good walking skills, coherent speech, and an effective immune system, it may be some years before A-T is properly diagnosed.
AT is caused by a defect in the ATM gene, which is responsible for recognizing and correcting errors in duplicating DNA when cells divide, and in destroying the cells when the errors can’t be corrected. The protein normally repairs double-stranded DNA breaks

Ataxia-telangiectasia like disorder (ATLD) is an extremely rare condition that could be considered in the differential diagnosis of A-T. ATLD patients are very similar to A-T patients in showing a progressive cerebellar ataxia, hypersensitivity to ionising radiation and genomic instability.

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Grieving for your dog

Paul | blog | April 10, 2011

As per my blog on the 19-01-11 we had to say good bye to Dempsey, our Dachshund who was only 8.5 years old.

This is the frist time that my wife and I have had to go through this harrowing ordeal.

Family & friends were great as they knew what a huge part of our lives, that the dogs are.

Outside of that though, you do feel like you have to explain to people why you might not be in the best possible form, and when talking about it say that in the light of what is happening in the world it might seem small, so that they don’t think you are off your rocker

There are lot’s of articles available in print and online re how to deal with the passing of a dog or a family pet, like the one on our blog 08-05-2010 (Page 18)

We did look at these, and books like Over the rainbow bridge by Wendy M Tugby, and found that they did help us.

One big thing for us, was that we had the opportunity to write about Demspey and what he meant to us on our blog. That piece is out there, and is a forever tribute to a true friend. As you also know from last Sundays blog, we got a painting done that is a small tribute to the impact that Demspey our Dog had on our lives.

A piece dealing with this subject was in the Independent on the 28th March this year, and profiles a counselling service in Dublin that actually offers direct support to people trying to come to terms with the death of a dog / pet

Some of the information in the piece is detailed hereunder, and I am sure that anybody that has gone through it can relate to the same

We should ignore any ‘embarrassment’ attached to mourning our dogs / pets, as the pain can linger for years

Losing a dog / pet is no less heartbreaking than losing a close friend,

Western society doesn’t really recognise human-animal friendships in the same way it recognises human friendships

Research suggests grieving for a dog / pet lasts an average of 10 months, but some people can carry around unresolved grief for years — particularly if they had to make the decision to euthanise the dog / pet.

It’s something that has affected us in huge way and Josephine has come up with an idea that we are toying with to do with this whole subject, that we may roll out on the pedigree dogs site. Stay tuned…

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Dog Show Kennel Links on Pedigree Dogs

Paul | blog | April 7, 2011

As per our post on Facebook yesterday, “If anyone is interested in having a link to their show kennel linked on the pedigreedogs.ie Blog, in return for a link from your site to mine, please advise..It’s a great opportunity to promote your breed / kennel and show the general public what a healthy well bred dog looks like” we are delighted that the following Show Kennels have taken us up on the offer, and are now added to the many other Show Dog Kennels that can be found to the right hand side of our blog.

Rottsworth – American Akita and Rottweilers

Zaralee – Shar Pei

Vorzeigen – Rottweilers

Belwood Bullmastiff – Bullmastiff and Irish Glen of Imaal Terrier

Colenso – Dobermann & Rottweilers

If you would like your Kennel to be listed, just drop us a line.

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Dogs on Film

Paul | blog | April 6, 2011

I went to the cinema the other day and in the front row was an old man and with him was his dog. It was a sad funny kind of film, you know the type. In the sad part, the dog cried his eyes out, and in the funny part, the dog laughed its head off. This happened all the way through the film. After the film had ended, I decided to go and speak to the man.

“That’s the most amazing thing I’ve seen,” I said. “That dog really seemed to enjoy the film.”

The man turned to me and said, “Yeah, it is, because he hated the book.”

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The Art Of Racing In The Rain

Paul | blog | March 30, 2011

The above book by Garth Stein was recommended recently by Crufts Dog Show host Claire Balding.

I have just finished reading it, and would heartily recommend it to anyone, especially us dog lovers.

It’s about a family in Seattle USA, Denny,Eve, Zoë and Enzo their Dog, his Mother a Lab, and his Father a Shepherd-Poodle mix.

The book is entirely written through the eyes of Enzo – the dog

At the start he (Enzo – the Dog) says that his tongue was designed long,flat and loose, and therefore very ineffective for making sounds that can be linked together to make sentences, and he therefore has to rely on gestures.

He also reckons that a dogs dew claw is evidence of a pre emergent thumb, and that man has systematically bred the thumb out of certain breeds by selective breeding to prevent dogs from evolving into dexterous, and therefore dangerous animals

Enzo – the dog believes that man’s domestication of dog is motivated by fear, as if dogs were left to evolve on their own, they would develop thumbs and smaller tongues and would then be far superior to man, who is slow and cumbersome, and that is why dogs must live under constant supervision of people, and are immediately put to death when found living on their own!

That’s all I’m giving away at this stage, but if you are into books, and like dogs, then this is a must

Enjoy

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Dogs’ lives are too short. Their only fault, really

Paul | blog | March 28, 2011

I read an article last week in relation to a 15 year old Jack Russell Terrier that is blind, deaf, and diabetic

In the article by Cindy Bruckart the owner, she said that they have to carry him out to the garden to pee, and compared him to his early days when toilet training and therefore called him a 15 year old puppy.

One of paragraph’s reads as follows – We sometimes feel frustrated by the amount of time it takes. We then feel very guilty for feeling frustrated! We have argued about who is doing more of the work and who needs a break. Travel plans have been difficult, delayed or simply cancelled because it’s too hard to arrange for alternative care. We’ve secretly wished that it would come to an end and hated ourselves for it.

On most days, however, we are simply grateful to have another day with our beloved little dog.

We have a very good friend in West Cork who has an 18 year old Jack Russell Terrier, who at 15 years old had her front left leg amputated, and is still going strong.

Tilly, grew up with all the children, and has been a constant in that household since she arrived, and is still battling on

I think that sums up what dog ownership is like, as Dogs don’t live as long as us unfortunately, but they make such a huge impact on our lives

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Daffodil Day West Cork

Paul | blog | March 27, 2011

I know I missed it by a couple of days, but I only got to our West Cork bolt hole over the W/E

This litte Haven, just the far side of Clonakilty is of course Dog Friendly and available for short term lettings

The picture was taken today out the back garden and is of Josephine, and our eldest Standard Smooth Dachshund “Doris”

Please support the great work being done by the Irish Cancer Society

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It’s the way you tell ‘em

Paul | blog | March 24, 2011

A little girl asks her Mom, “Mom, may I take the dog for a walk around the block?”
Mom says, “The dog is in heat, go ask Daddy.”

The little girl goes to her Father,
“Dad, can I take Susie for a walk around the block? Mom said the dog is in heat and that I should ask you.”
“Hm.” He answers, takes a rag, soaks it with petrol, and scrubs the dog’s rear end with it.

“OK, you can go now but keep Susie on the leash.”

Little girl goes and returns a few minutes later with no dog on the leash.
Dad asks, “Where is Susie?”

Little girl says, “Susie ran out of gas about halfway down the block. But another dog is pushing her home.”

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Dog for sale in China

Paul | blog | March 18, 2011

Hong Dong – Big Splash Sold For $1.5 million

Got this snippet from a fellow dog lover who is travelling in Australia at the moment

An 11 month old red Tibetan Mastiff was bought for the above sum

The high price paid for the dog is a sign that the red Tibetan mastiff has become a status symbol in China, replacing jewellery and cars as a way for the super-rich to show off their wealth

Red is considered a lucky color, but Tibetan mastiffs are thought to be holy animals, blessing their owners’ health and security

My blog he other day was in relation to new laws being brought into China restricting one dog per household, so the new owner probably thought well if I can only have one dog, I’ll try and make sure it is the Best dog!

Another item of dog news that relates to China is the recent announcement that the greyhound industry in Ireland are assisting the Chinese authorities in establishing greyhound tracks in China.

If things go ahead, there is the possibility of Irish Dogs being sent to China on an ongoing basis.

Dog welfare groups in Ireland are totally apposed to the plans, as they are concerned with the track record of Chinese regarding dog welfare etc.

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Any Dog Fathers out there ?

Paul | blog | March 2, 2011

As your know we recently had to say goodbye to our beloved Dempsey (Blog 19-01-11)

Whilst talking to a friend yesterday, the topic of have we made some kind of provision to take care of our loyal pets, should we not outlive them, came up.

I think Pete Wedderburn talked about the same recently.

To be honest, it’s not something that I had given a lot of thought to, but now will make definite plans for sure.

Over 6 years ago my sister made me God Father to her first child, and I think that most of us take on this responsibility very lightly, and it’s the usual annual Birthday / Christmas gift, but really one of the things we are signing up to is take care of the child, should anything happen to the parents

Maybe our Dogs should have “Dog Fathers / Mother’s”

I recall an instance a few years ago in the UK, where a couple were travelling home from a Championship Dog Show and were involved in a very nasty road traffic accident. Lot’s of friends came to the rescue, and took care of the dogs whilst the people involved were recovering. I also remember at the time that due to the quality of the dogs involved, it was rumoured that there may have been some double agenda’s !!

I’m sure having dogs, we all know, like minded people that would step up to the mark should anything, god forbid happen to us, their carers, but I think it would make sense that we put plans in place, to make sure that our dogs , whom we think the world of, would continue to be looked after by responsible and caring people in the comfort that they have been accustomed to.

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