Dog Blog

According to Times Dispatch.com, in 2008, more than 3,000 postal employees across the U.S. were bitten by dogs. Canada Post Delivery Personnel reported over 500 dog bite incidents in 2007 (Canadian Union of Postal Workers).

The statistics are pretty scary (especially if you include the general public), and if you spend a little time reading the stories submitted to www.postalworkersonline.com/dogsattack.htm then the picture is even more terrifying. If you have ever been bitten by a dog then you can certainly appreciate the kind of pain those big and small can inflict.

With this in mind, and in support of National Dog Prevention week in the U.S., here then, are some useful tips by those in the line of fire on a daily basis – postal workers.
•Don't run past a dog. Its instinct is to chase and catch prey.
•If a dog threatens you, don't scream; avoid eye contact. Stand still until it leaves or back away slowly until it is out of sight.
•If you think the dog is about to attack, put something between you and the dog, such as a backpack or bike.
•Don't approach a strange dog, especially one that is tied up or confined.

One other piece of advice that I would include in this list is to make sure that when you do approach a dog make sure that your petting hand comes up under the dog’s nose and not over as it can otherwise frighten the dog.

These postal workers also provide great tips to owners on how to properly care for their pets in a way that protects them while doing their job.

How to be a responsible dog owner
•Get obedience training for your dog to teach it proper behavior and help you control it.
•Keep your dog inside and away from the door when the mail carrier comes.
•Spay or neuter your dog. Neutered dogs are less likely to bite.

This information not only helps owners like you and me in preventing potentially dangerous situations but also serves to reduce the statistics reported each year.

We are always looking for sites that will provide useful information to help us live with our loved dog. One such site I came across is put out by American Dog Trainers Network in which they outline twelve tips for a well behaved dog.

In the first tip they discuss the importance of starting early in your dogs life.

Second suggestion is how to treat your dog gently and humanely, make this more of a “play training” event.

On the third tip they discuss how a dog sees you, are you hired help?

On the fourth they talk about are commands optional?

Fifth do not give more than one command at a time.

In this one they talk about multiple commands.

Seventh, tone of voice is important.

Eight how to use your dogs name positively, remember the days when your parents used your full name?

On the ninth its important not to punish your dog.

Timing is essential when training.

How do you handle attention from him good or bad behaviour.

And finally in their twelfth tip they discuss your anger.

There is a lot of common sense in their article, but due to lack of time or over anxiousness we tend to overlook the basics, this is an interesting article and should be read by all, whether you are a new dog owner or an experienced one.

Read more …………

“Police arrested a west Florida woman on charges of animal cruelty after finding her dog locked in a car on a hot day”. This owner was 19 and not her first offence. In this instance, she had left her three month old puppy locked in a car (while shopping) with a temperature of approximately 120 degrees and the windows open only a crack. Her first offence was in December 2007 where she left her Chihuahua in a car overnight.

I don’t know where to begin here. Amy Chantarak the 19 year old owner definitely should shoulder most of the blame as she is old enough to know better. In addition to penalizing her she should also be slapped with a ban on any kind of pet ownership. Having said that, I think a ball was dropped in other areas as well.

This article was posted on May 8, 2009 which means that in all likelihood Amy was living at home during her first offence. Therefore, part of the blame should fall on the parents who would have to share the responsibility of caring for the animal. The first offence should have been enough of a lesson to educate Amy on the type of commitment necessary when you become an owner. This education should have already come from the parents, but sadly it didn’t and here we are with another charge of animal cruelty reminding her that this kind of behaviour is unacceptable.

This begs the question of where are the role models in this girl’s life. Someone should have given her advice that reminded her of the mistakes made in the past and how a second dog is even more responsibility. What about the person or business that she bought the dog from. There should be some effort on their end to qualify the potential owner. Handing over a dog to a young girl without knowing anything about her situation is irresponsible.
Parents and Breeder/Pet store owner should also be held accountable in this situation. I think further investigation into how these types of abusive owners manage to obtain pets is in order. Maybe by digging a little deeper we can gain a better understanding of how these problems evolve and therefore establish preventive measures through law.

Should we start placing responsibility for a dog’s behaviour on the owner? In South London U.K., city council has legislation in place that targets dog owners who use their dogs “for intimidation, causing a nuisance, fighting with dogs or using them as a weapon”. My opinion is YES, if we make the decision to own a dog then we accept responsibility for its actions. If a dog has violent behavioural issues then it is up to the owner to make sure that public safety is considered at all times when the dog is out. Ultimately, it will require a combination of complimentary approaches to control for these issues but sometimes preventative measures such as using a muzzle or a head collar to gain better control over your animal is often all that is needed. I believe that as owners we should be aware of the impact our loved ones might have on society and if we become careless then we should be held accountable. I think legislation like the one set up in South London U.K. should be adopted here as it would not only curb the amount of instances where dogs are used for these purposes but it will also force existing owners to become better parents to their pets.