
DogMillion.com would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a happy and prosperous new year ahead 2011.
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KUANTAN: The Kuantan Animal Rescue & Education (KARE) group will be organising the 4th Doggie Open Day on Nov 14 in Taman Gelora with more exciting activities awaiting pet owners.
Organising chairperson Joyce Mah said the annual charity event from 8am onwards, would provide an opportunity particularly for dog lovers in Kuantan to bring their pets out for a fun-filled day.
Mah said there would be a dogathon, doggie games, a children colouring contest and stalls selling recycled items, food, drinks, pet products, cakes, souvenirs and others.
“Entry fee for the dogathon is RM35 and the participants will be given a KARE T-shirt and some goodies for their pets.
“Each doggie games and children colouring contest are also priced at RM10 each,” she said, adding that proceeds from the event would be used for the spaying and neutering programme of stray dogs and cats.
Mah said the aims of the event were to reduce the rising population of strays and abandoned dogs and cats in Kuantan and to create awareness of dog ownership responsibilities.
“As pet owners, we must take care of our dogs and cats but we must also ensure that their offsprings are well taken care of.
“If we are not prepared to look after them, spaying and neutering is the best solution,” she said, adding that KARE would continue to organise programmes from time to time to raise funds for the welfare of strays.
Mah said public and corporate citizen’s support is essential for the event to be successful.
She said KARE was a voluntary organisation formed under the Association of Sustainable Kuantan to educate the younger generations on proper caring of animals.
For more information, contact Dr Lean V Lee 09-517 2233, Dr Bhajan Singh 013-927 6292, Erlinda Yap 09-513 5141 or Mah 09-568 0759.
Source: www.thestar.com.my
Dorothy
www.DogMillion.com
LOS ANGELES: A German shepherd hoisted to safety from the storm-swollen Los Angeles river Friday is fine, authorities said, but the firefighter who splashed down in the daring helicopter rescue was hospitalised after being bitten by the dog.
Los Angeles fire officials said 50-year-old Joe St. Georges, who suffered severe hand and arm injuries, was taken to County USC Medical Center.
“He has significant injuries, bites and punctures, to his hand and arm and is being seen by a specialist,” Los Angeles fire Capt Steve Ruda said. The 25-year department veteran was in good condition, Ruda said.
The dog, nicknamed Vernon after the Southern California town where he was found, did not have a name tag or computer chip, said Sgt. Charles Miller of the Southeast Area Animal Control Authority in Downey.
It was quarantined to be monitored for rabies, but “appears to be well-maintained and cared for,” Miller said.
At least 50 firefighters responded to reports that the dog was in the river. For an hour, firefighters stood at the top of the steep, concrete banks, throwing life vest and float rings, hoping the dog would grab on.
Most of the time, the canine walked along a pipe or ledge in the centre of the river, sometimes slipping. One firefighter got into the river and tried to catch him, but the dog took off. Soon the pipe was submerged.
When the helicopter hovered overhead, the dog scrambled to the side of the river and tried to climb the slippery sides, only to slip each time.
St. Georges finally splashed down from the helicopter, wrestled with the frightened canine and lifted it to safety, using the dog’s collar and a rope to hoist him up. Despite St. Georges’ injuries, he didn’t fail the dog.
At a late afternoon news conference, helicopter pilot Scott Bowman said St. Georges took a muzzle with him but he wasn’t able to get it on, “so he decided to go for the capture.”
Miller said the dog had some scrapes and worn nails, but was otherwise fine. “He was fearful when he first got here, understandably. He went through a big ordeal,” Miller said.
The dog will be quarantined for 10 days, unless the owner shows up with proof of rabies vaccination, Miller said. Then, the dog could be monitored at home. If the owner doesn’t show up, officials will try to find the dog a new home.
Dorothy
www.DogMillion.com
This articles is a Press Release by Garmin.
OLATHE, Kan., Jun 11, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Garmin International Inc., a unit of Garmin Ltd. (GRMN 31.97, -0.28, -0.87%) , the global leader in satellite navigation, announced today the DC(TM) 40 tracking collar, improving upon the very popular Astro GPS Dog Tracking System.
The new DC 40 is mounted on a durable one-inch orange polyurethane coated collar strap, and the small black GPS puck that used to ride on the top of the collar is now integrated into the unit's main housing. As a result, owners can combine the DC 40 with most standard e-collar receivers -- eliminating the need to put two separate collars on a dog. The charging connection has been completely redesigned as well, with the charger clamping around a housing that has no recessed areas for mud to accumulate. Even the LED charging light on the collar has been reconfigured to flash while charging, and glow solid when fully charged.
"The refinements that are found in the new DC 40 are the result of feedback from hunters and trainers," said Dan Bartel, Garmin's vice president of worldwide sales. "The new collar is more convenient and more durable than ever. Whether purchasing an Astro for the first time or upgrading from an older model, sporting dog owners will love the refinements that are packed into the new DC 40."
Another new feature of the DC 40 is Collar Lock -- an option that lets users create a four-digit PIN number that helps prevent others from seeing their dog's whereabouts. That's a feature that field trial judges will find useful to ensure that an Astro is used only as a recovery tool when a dog in competition becomes lost.
Used in conjunction with the Astro 220 receiver, the system pinpoints exactly where your dog is and what he's doing -- running, pointing, or treeing -- even in dense cover, up to seven miles away, depending on terrain.
The Astro GPS Dog Tracking System requires very little configuration straight out of the box, and is extremely simple to use. Once the transmitter and receiver acquire a GPS signal, the receiver automatically lets users know the location of their dog. There are no subscriptions or setup fees required to use the device.
Astro can track up to 10 dogs per receiver at once, and the collar gives location updates every five, 10, 30 or 120 seconds (user selectable). Battery life is 17-48 hours (based on update rate) on the rechargeable DC 40 collar and 24 hours on the Astro 220 receiver, which is powered by two AA batteries. Both the DC 40 collar and the Astro 220 receiver are waterproof.
The Astro also has a map page to illustrate where a dog is and where it has been -- in relation to the hunter -- and allows hunters to determine if they have covered nearby ground. Garmin's unique Covey Counter(TM) lets hunters mark the precise location, time of day, and elevation where they encountered their quarry -- and users can easily note the number of birds flushed and how many were taken.
The Astro has a microSD card slot that allows users to insert optional pre-programmed topo maps or road maps, which can be invaluable in an unfamiliar area. Highly-detailed 24K topo maps give hunters an idea of the most productive areas to hunt, while road maps feature the same basic functions as an automotive GPS navigation unit -- even in rural areas. The optional road map data can also give turn-by-turn directions to motels, gas stations, restaurants, and even veterinarians.
The new DC 40 collar is included as part of the Astro GPS Dog Tracking system. For those wishing to upgrade from a previous generation of collar, the DC 40 can be purchased separately. Visit www.garmin.com for more information and pricing.
About Garmin
Garmin International Inc. is a subsidiary of Garmin Ltd. (GRMN 31.97, -0.28, -0.87%) , the global leader in satellite navigation. Since 1989, this group of companies has designed, manufactured, marketed and sold navigation, communication and information devices and applications -- most of which are enabled by GPS technology. Garmin's products serve automotive, mobile, wireless, outdoor recreation, marine, aviation, and OEM applications. Garmin Ltd. is incorporated in the Cayman Islands, and its principal subsidiaries are located in the United States, Taiwan and the United Kingdom. For more information, visit Garmin's virtual pressroom at www.garmin.com/pressroom or contact the Media Relations department at 913-397-8200. Garmin and Astro are registered trademarks of Garmin Ltd. or its subsidiaries.
Notice on Forward-Looking Statements:
This release includes forward-looking statements regarding Garmin Ltd. and its business. Such statements are based on management's current expectations. The forward-looking events and circumstances discussed in this release may not occur and actual results could differ materially as a result of known and unknown risk factors and uncertainties affecting Garmin, including, but not limited to, the risk factors listed in the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 26, 2009, filed by Garmin with the Securities and Exchange Commission (Commission file number 0-31983). Copies of these filings are available at www.garmin.com/aboutGarmin/invRelations/finReports.html . No forward-looking statement can be guaranteed. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made and Garmin undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.
MORE people are giving up their pets due to the ecomonic downturn, said Selangor’s Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) manager Jacinta Johnson-Chan.
Johnson said based on figures for the past two years, the surrender rate of household pets had increased compared with the numbers adopted.
“The total number of animals surrendered in 2009 was 8,499 compared with 5,000 in 2008. However, only 1,790 were adopted,” she said, adding that the rest had to be put to sleep.
“Apart from the slowdown in the economy, more and more pet owners are also opting to move into condominiums and apartments, and there are the irresponsible ones who don’t see their pet as a member of the family but just an animal,’’ she said.
According to Johnson, there is also a new trend developing whereby pet shops are allowing animals to be bought on instalment.
“It’s not illegal but unhealthy. People can now afford pedigrees but what they are not ready for is that pure breed dogs need high maintenance and need a lot of care.
“When they fall sick, people just discard them like rubbish because they can’t afford the time and money to keep them,’’ Johnson said, adding that the animal shelter receives a large number of pedigrees, too.
To encourage people to adopt, the SPCA and advertising agency Y&R and sponsors Purina and 1 Utama Shopping Centre embarked on an adoption campaign called “Take A Leash, Give A Life” via a big billboard to encourage people to adopt at the shopping centre during the weekend.
The first-of-its-kind campaign by SPCA Selangor aims to create awareness on the importance of adoption from the animal shelter, as they struggle to find a home for more than 700 animals surrendered at their doorstep each month.
“It is an idea to get people to adopt pets from the shelter homes instead of buying them at pet shops. What happens is people who visit the booth are encouraged to take home a leash which is given free and it is okay if they want to adopt a dog at the end of the day -- we just want them to start thinking about it,’’ said Y&R regional head Edward Ong.
The adoption campaign was held from 10am to 7pm at LG Floor, Rainforest area, 1 Utama. Apart from the free limited edition leashes, visitors also bought merchandise, signed the “Animals Matter To Me” petition, and took part in some interesting animal-welfare themed games to raise funds for the animals.
Peiople who are considering adopting a pet should also drop by the SPCA Selangor. The next adoption drive would be held in Bangsar Shopping Centre.
For enquiries, contact SPCA’s team at 03-42535312 or e-mail enquiries@spca.org.my
By BAVANI M, The Star Newspaper.
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Dorothy Loong
www.DogMillion.com
It isn’t just the hotels on the island that are packed for the holidays – even boarding houses for our furry four-legged friends are fully booked.
One of the few pet shops that provide boarding service, Sugar Rae Pet Village in Tanjung Bungah, has been fully occupied for most of the holiday season.
Its owner, who wished to be known only as Aunty Kim, said most of her customers were regulars.
“I have kennels of different sizes and the pets are kept here for a few days to a few months.
“The holiday season is always busier as pet owners go on long holidays.
“We are even fully booked for Chinese New Year. We’ll be closed for a week during the time, but owners can pick up their pets,” she said.
Aunty Kim lets out the dogs separately three times a day to run around the compound or swim in the mini pool.
She said some owners did not mind bringing their own cage when all kennels were taken.
Another pet shop owner, Celyn Chuah of Wonderland II in Tanjung Tokong, said her boarding service was mostly booked for the holiday season, too.
“Other than dogs, we take in cats. We have nine kennels and 30 stainless steel cages,” she said.
Chuah said her customers have also started to make bookings for Chinese New Year.
Source:www.thestar.com.my by Winnie Yeoh
Happy New Year!
Cheers!
Dorothy Loong
www.DogMillion.com
Giving your dog consistent exercise, and training him often are very crucial. Consistent exercise will help use up your dog's energy, which will make training him a much easier. Training will help your dog understand impulse control, which in turn will keep you in control.
For specific situations, such as when they are excited or anxious, you can teach them alternative behaviors. Alternate behaviors would include making him sit, lay down, or go to his bed. Any time they are in a situation where they would bark, have treats on hand and make them do an alternate behavior. This will keep them distracted from what they would be barking at and will replace the barking with a more pleasing behavior. It is important to give positive feedback, especially when they give up what they want to do and listen to you. The barking will eventually be replaced with the alternate behavior you have been teaching him. Teaching your dog an alternate behavior takes time and a lot of persistence, but it's certainly worth the effort in the end.
When dealing with territorial barking it's more challenging, but not impossible to fix. In this case you are going against his natural behavior. A dog’s territory is sacred to them – it's their space and it's their job to protect it! If your dog sees an animal or a person that he doesn't recognize close to his yard, he will automatically see them as an impostor and will bark at them as a way of informing them that this is his territory, and to stay way. In this circumstance, the best way to quiet them is to give them a signal of some sort that tells them that “it's all clear”. You can select any command you desire. By issuing this command you will essentially be telling him that the “intruder” is not an intruder after all, and he can settle down. Before giving the “all clear” command, you want to validate that they saw something that doesn’t look right to them. You can go outside, to the window, front door, or wherever they sensed a disturbance. After you are done checking it out, praise him for doing a great job.Then with absolute confidence in voice and body language, give the “all clear” command and walk away, taking them with you. It's vital that you don't try to physically make him leave – walking away is all you should do. Make sure that you do not look at them if they don't follow you, just continue walking away and call them. This will show them that it really is okay!
For fear barkers you can typically use the same “all clear” command you utilize for territorial barkers. It is crucial that you don't console them by hugging them, petting them, talking to them in a high pitched voice, etc. They want a leader that is in charge when they are scared. He is looking to you for safety. In a soothing but firm voice, give the “all clear” command, while keeping your body language confident.
For some dog breeds barking is in their nature. Terriers and hounds are a wonderful example of dogs that are notorious for being barkers. Again, you are going against nature here! For this kind of dog I recommend having a “quiet” command. To teach them this, it's best to be in a controlled setting, away from too many distractions. Wait until your dog barks and then tell him to be “quiet”. If they stop barking, tell them how good of a dog they are and give them a treat. At times, they will be too caught up in what they are barking at and they won't hear you. If this happens don't repeat yourself or raise your voice. They will just assume you’re joining in. Fill a container full of beans or coins as a substitute. You can then squirt them or shake your noise maker to get their attention. Once they stop and look at you, tell them to be silent.
A good amount of exercise can help when your dog is barking out of boredom.
source:http://mediachannel.org/
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Dorothy
www.DogMillion.com
A mixed breed named Stephen Colbert El Dos is a semifinalist in a dog competition that turned into a dogfight over the weekend.
The winner of the Cutest Dog Competition walks away with $1 million, and that's a lot of kibble no matter how you wine and dine your pup. Turns out more than 400 votes for one of the dogs in the lead Saturday were taken away when judges decided they appeared to be fraudulent. Four more weeks remain. What next in this drama?
Stephen Colbert El Dos, a Chihuahua and Pomeranian mix, was named after the Comedy Central host, but is unrelated, according to All American Pet Brands, the sponsors of the competitition.
Source: USA Today
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Dorothy
www.DogMillion.com
It’s a doggone pity that what may have been a more humane alternative to stray dog culling backfired when the canines starved to death on two islands, creating waves of anger all over the world.
IT happened about 10 years ago but the dog-shooting event left a scarring memory on teenager Vivien. Only five or six years old then, she witnessed the shooting of stray dogs on her island of Pulau Ketam by a team from the Klang Municipal Council (MPK).
“They shot all the stray dogs on the island, including a young dog that I liked and had been feeding,” she recalls.
The experience not only frightened Vivien, as she wants to be known, but also the rest of the islanders who were mostly small scale fishermen and traders then. Pulau Ketam headman Cha Keng Lee too recalls the incident and says that the MPK dog-catching unit visits the island once in two years.
“They do not shoot dogs anymore but we still do not like how they exterminate the dogs. They hang them to death before loading the carcasses into boats to be taken to the mainland,” claims Cha.
As the village headman, he is concerned that such an inhumane action would put off tourists to the island, which is one of Selangor’s tourist attractions.
“That is why we decided to trap the strays on the island and transport them to the nearby islands of Pulau Tengah and Pulau Selat Kering so that they would not have to be killed,” says Cha.
However, he adds, he was not aware that the islands would not have food or water to sustain the canines.
Clarence Chua, spokesman for canine welfare project Malaysian Dogs Deserve Better, scoffs at Cha’s claims, saying it is difficult to believe that Pulau Ketam residents didn’t know about the islands’ physical condition.
“It is ridiculous for someone from the Pulau Ketam fishing and trading community to make such a claim,” says Chua.
Ironically, what the villagers believed was a better solution than MPK’s has blown up in their faces and Pulau Ketam is now regarded with disdain by not only the locals but also the international community.
Media reports about 400 strays trapped and dumped on the uninhabited islands surrounding Pulau Ketam have resulted in an international outcry.
Many of the unfortunate dogs died and those surviving have resorted to eating the carcasses of the ones that had died.
Animal activists have been racing to both islands to rescue the dogs but geographical obstacles such as the mangrove swamp surrounding the location have made the rescue operations difficult.
So far, Furry Friends Farm has managed to rescue five dogs while the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) has rescued two.
The catastrophe which has been extensively covered by the local media had also found its way into ABC News, CNBC, Fox News and newspapers in the United States, Britain and the Philippines.
Local animal welfare activists are also up in arms not only against the folk of Pulau Ketam but also the local authorities.
This is not the first time that the local authorities have come under fire from animal welfare groups for their alleged inhumane methods of handling stray dogs.
In February this year, Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) garnered negative publicity when allegations surfaced that its staff were breaking the necks of dogs in their pound before dumping the carcasses in an open grave. Animal activists gathered outside the DBKL pound and held a peaceful vigil in protest. DBKL was also taken to task by animal welfare groups for allegedly feeding stray dogs poisoned chicken meat to cull them.
DBKL denied both allegations even though there was a video footage of the first incident and witnesses’ account for the second.
Bounty hunters
The Selangor Government has also been criticised for allowing local councils to spend hundreds of thousands of ringgit to hire two canine bounty hunting companies to round up stray dogs.
The companies were paid about RM30 per dog caught and it was common to see many of the dogs in the pound wearing collars, indicating that they belonged to someone.
Some of the local councils, such as MPK which does not have pounds to hold caught strays, have also been lambasted for keeping the dogs in lorries for days before they are euthanised.
Independent Pet Rescuers founder Sherrina Krishnan says the money should instead be used to create a humane method of dealing with the stray dog population.
“Why not give the independent animal welfare groups land to collectively build a sanctuary for these dogs and the money could be used to neuter all the rescued dogs as well as to manage the place?” says Sherrina.
James Hogan, vice-chairman of the London-based Mayhew Animal Home and Humane Education Centre, says in an e-mail interview that he was shocked and disturbed by what had transpired in Pulau Ketam.
Sadly, it is one more example of what happens when there is inadequate regulatory framework to govern the way people relate to the animals. He adds that the review of existing animal protection legislation currently being carried by the Malaysian Department of Veterinary Services (DVS) must be accompanied by pro-active enforcement measures.
He says it would be interesting to make statistical comparisons between the way enforcement is effected in England and in Malaysia.
In 2007, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA), investigated 137,245 complaints of cruelty, issued thousands of verbal warnings, spent £6mil on prosecutions and secured 2,026 convictions in court hearings for cruelty, he shares.
Hogan adds that convictions resulted in jail sentences, bans from keeping animals, community service orders, conditional discharges and fines ranging from hundreds to thousands of pounds.
“It would be interesting to compare these statistics with the number of court hearings, convictions, bans, fines, etc, that were effected by the DVS during the same period in Malaysia,” he says.
In Malaysia, people are hardly brought to court over animal cruelty cases and those prosecuted are let off with merely a slap on the wrist.
Seeking a lasting solution
Hogan says his organisation regularly plays host to delegations from overseas city governments who want to find a lasting solution to the issue of animal over-population in their city.
“For the record, I have personally made several approaches to the Malaysian High Commission in London, inviting them to send someone to visit us so we could at least have some exploratory discussions about this issue but they have shown no interest in engaging with us,” says Hogan.
Meanwhile, Selangor exco member in charge of local councils Ronnie Liu has called for all independent rescuers and rescue groups to come forward and work with the state government on matters pertaining to animal welfare.
“Please take the initiative to come forward so that all of us can work together with the local councils to bring positive changes to the methods currently in use to counter the problems of strays in the state,” he says.
Liu adds that he is open to suggestions and wants more groups to participate in the rescue of the abandoned dogs.
There are two common reasons why people should their dogs need a DNA breed test. These reasons have to be completely understood by dog owners before they start any of these dog breed identification process.
1. The ability to identify and record the breed composition
You are annoyed by people asking that common question, “What are they?” DNA collections via cheek swabbing and mailing this sample to lab for DNA breed analysis able to learn more about your dog’s ancestral heritage.
It is easy as this particular breed testing kit comes as a package that contains one K9CheekSwab DNA collection brush, sample submission form, customer reference sheet, DNA sample instructions and pre-paid return mailer.
The sample will be analyzed via advanced SNP-based DNA technology process in MMI Genomics, Inc. (MMIG) in which is a highly experienced laboratory. At the initial process of the sample analysis, your dog’s DNA profile will be obtained and compared it with other purebred dogs’ DNA profile in the database.
The primary breed is identified when your dog’s DNA profile strongly matches the profiles of the purebred dogs in the database and it represents a very large portion of your dog’s breed composition. Therefore, it is displayed in the “primary” results category in the Certificate of DNA Breed Analysis. In this certificate, you will find other related breed information of your dog in “secondary” and “in the mix” category. The results will be completed within 4-6 weeks period of time.
2. Understand predisposed breed health risks and diseases
If you are able to identify your dog’s breed, you can work out a better health and wellness management for your dog. You will be able to deal with your dog misbehaviors and personalities by training and playing with them in the ways that will appeal to their natural talents and temperaments. Hence, you can discuss with your veterinarian to plan a diet and exercise customized to your dog’s needs.
Finding out what breeds are in your dog’s genetic makeup has not only satisfied your curiosity, but given it has given you both invaluable health and behavioral information.
or more information about dog DNA testing as a dog breed identification tool for mixed breed dogs, visit http://dogdnabasics.com
Source:http://getacitydog.com
Cheers!
Dorothy Loong
www.DogMillion.com