Dog bites are a problem everywhere:

The Blue Dog.

Each year as many as 4.5 million Americans are bitten by dogs. Nearly one in five – about 885,000 people – suffer injuries severe enough to require medical attention, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Among children, the rate of dog-bite related injuries is highest for those ages 5-9.

[Via : Dog Bites Research: UAB Testing Software to Teach Kids, Dogs to Interact Safely.]

I’ve seen kids rush up to dogs, reach over them, thrust their hands straight into a dog’s face. When I help kids get to know our two small dogs I try to teach the child to let the dog sniff their hand first, then pat the dog on the back. They don’t always learn this in the few seconds of our meeting on the street or in the park though.

Now researchers are testing whether a computer game can help teach kids:

Researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham are hoping to save some little fingers by testing an educational computer game geared toward preventing dog bites in children. Called “The Blue Dog,” the game uses visual cues to teach young ones to recognize the warning signs associated with annoyed or aggressive dogs.

Schwebel and graduate student Aaron Davis have been meeting with kids ages 3 1/2 to 6 for the past several weeks, evaluating the risks they’re willing to take with a real dog after using the program. “It’s obvious the ones who’ve played the game because they make better choices,” Davis explains. “They’re more likely to tell their parents about what’s happening, or leave the room.”

[Via : Can a Computer Game Prevent Dog Bites? | Amazing | News | PEOPLE Pets.]

The software itself comes from The Blue Dog Trust in the UK. The goals of the project are to help teach the principles of dog bite prevention to 3 to 6 year old children and their parents.

In my opinion, any education programme that can help prevent dog bites is a good thing.

The boy was gathering firewood; the cougar was advancing:

Cougar (via Wikimedia Commons).

A family dog saved his eleven-year-old owner Saturday [in Boston Bar, B.C.] when he stepped between the boy and an advancing cougar, according to the RCMP.

[Via : Dog saves 11-year-old from cougar attack.]

The dog received some minor injuries; the cougar, unfortunately, was killed. The boy was fine.

I can only link to this 13 minute TVNZ video — Prison pups:

Mobility dogs in training. Still from TVNZ video.

Some of New Zealand’s worst criminals are finding unconditional
love behind bars: meet the prison puppies said to be helping both
society and cell mates.

A group of women in prison in Auckland, New Zealand, have been specially chosen to provide initial training for mobility dogs, as part of the work of the Mobility Assistance Dogs Trust:

The MISSION of the Trust is to “enhance the lives of people living with long term physical disabilities by providing trained mobility dogs to increase independence, confidence, self esteem and participation in New Zealand communities”

The women find friendship and purpose in their training work. With plenty of time at their disposal, they can provide a commitment that may be hard to find elsewhere.

It seems like a perfect partnership: training the puppies brings benefits for prison inmates; the trained dogs bring benefit for people with disabilities.

Helsbury Park in Camelford, Cornwall, UK, really welcomes dogs, and business is good:

Helsbury Park.

A holiday park owner in Cornwall [UK] has claimed being “dog friendly” has helped his business during the recession.

Dave Wilson, who runs Helsbury Park in Camelford, said dog owners have provided a large customer base.

The park has recently won a Kennel Club Open to Dogs award, coming top in the Somewhere to Holiday category. …

Helsbury Park was praised by visitors for providing throws and sofa covers for dogs as well as waste bags, doggy treats and portable drinks carriers.

[Via : BBC News - Dog-friendly status helps business.]

Dog resting. Photo by Miraz.

Meanwhile, the UK Kennel Club reports:

According to research conducted by the Kennel Club businesses are claiming that the key to business success comes in the unusual shape of our four-legged friends. A staggering four out of five businesses claim that their dog friendly policy has helped them to draw in more customers in difficult financial times.¹

The Kennel Club has also found that 95 percent of people think more businesses and locations should be Open for Dogs, and that dogs improve the atmosphere of a place², and 77 percent think that dogs help to reduce stress.³

[Via : Kennel Club Announces Open for Dogs Winners 2009 - The Kennel Club.]

In New Zealand it’s summer — a time when puppies and kittens proliferate, often only to end up in SPCA and other shelters.

Puppy. Photo by Miraz.

It’s also Christmas, and a puppy or kitten might seem a great idea as a gift:

Dogs and puppies are the most searched for item on TradeMe in the lead up to Christmas, and that’s brought a warning from the website’s spokesman.

Daniel Bridges says people should think carefully before giving a dog or cat as a gift – make sure the recipients really want one, and that they’re well equipped to look after it.

[Via : Dogs, puppies top pre Chirstmas TradeMe searches | ONE NEWS News.]

I’d go further than Bridges though and say: never give an animal as a gift. It’s not fair on the recipient or on the animal.

Even passionate dog-lovers may have their reasons not to get a dog and a puppy can quickly become an unwelcome and expensive burden.

If you think an animal would be a perfect gift for a friend or family member then certainly make the offer, but don’t be offended if they decline. If they do want to accept the offer then go with them and let them pick out the puppy or kitten they want — the one they ‘click’ with.

The costs of a new puppy or kitten

There are lots of costs with any new puppy or kitten, apart from the cost of the animal itself.

Costs may include:

• bedding
• food
• fencing a property
• a crate or barriers for inside a room
• routine vet checks
• neutering or spaying, vaccinations, flea control
• licensing fees
• accessories such as a collar and leash
• grooming costs (or time for grooming)
• car harness
• training

Adding a new animal to a home is a huge commitment. Please don’t just give a pet for Christmas.

A chocolate Labrador is sniffing out endangered animals to help researchers:

Eastern Indigo snake. Photo bybsx.

Researchers are using a popular breed of dog to learn how rare indigo snakes are faring in the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge.

C.J., a 7-year-old chocolate Lab, has a nose for more than indigo snakes. He has sniffed for spider monkeys in Nicaragua, big cats in Brazil and bats in New Mexico. …

C.J., who was rescued from a shelter, is trained to track different animals, including individual species of snakes, without confusion, said Kara Ravenscroft,C.J.’s handler. …

The dog’s sense of smell is good enough to lead searchers to snake droppings and skin that has been shed.

[Via : Research dog sniffs out reptiles - Florida AP - MiamiHerald.com.]

We all love our dogs and want to take them with us to interesting places. We want them to roam free and enjoy the great outdoors with us. But the fact is, there are places that dogs don’t belong:

Fledgling Weka. Photo by angrysunbird.

The [New Zealand] Department of Conservation (DOC) says it has laid three charges against a Hauraki Gulf resident whose dogs killed 14 endangered weka at the Kawau Island Historic Reserve in May [2009].

The man is charged with allowing his dogs to enter a DOC reserve on two separate occasions, and with being the owner of dogs that attacked and killed protected wildlife — a charge that carries a maximum penalty of three years in jail and/or a $20,000 fine. …

The North Island weka is a nationally endangered sub-species.

[Via : Man charged after dog killed 14 weka | Stuff.co.nz.]

It’s easy folks: keep dogs out of places where they aren’t supposed to go. Take them to an approved beach or park for a run, and help protect our endangered wildlife.

Today’s feelgood moment:

A cross between a fox terrier and a chihuahua, Shyla, a New Zealand dog that has never had puppies mothers a litter of seven abandoned kittens.

[Via : Dog suckles kittens — Discourse & Data.]

A study at Loyola University Health System found that:

Painkillers. Photo by Yersinia.

Adults who use pet therapy while recovering from total joint-replacement surgery require 50 percent less pain medication than those who do not.

That’s a pretty amazing finding, but not entirely surprising news to a dog lover.

We know our pets can cheer us up, give us a smile or a laugh, make the world weigh a little less heavy.

The article goes on to describe 4 different classes of assistance dog:

Service dogs are trained to assist with physical tasks and provide social support to their partners. These dogs learn 40 commands to enhance the independence of people with ailments ranging from spinal cord injuries to multiple sclerosis.

Facility dogs are trained to work with a professional in a visitation, education or health-care setting. They can perform more than 40 commands designed to motivate, rehabilitate or soothe clients with special needs.

Skilled companion dogs are trained to work with an adult or child with a disability under the guidance of a facilitator. Disabilities served include cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, autism and Down’s syndrome. A skilled companion also can serve as a social bridge to people who are not used to relating to a person with disabilities.

Hearing dogs are trained to recognize and alert partners to various sounds, such as a doorbell, alarm clock or smoke alarm. The average service life of each dog is eight years. After that time, the dog retires to live out its golden years as a pet.

[Via : News Release Detail.]

Have you had any experience of dogs reducing pain — physical or emotional? It would be interesting to hear your experiences.

In India, Cocker Spaniels are taking on some jobs that Labradors are just too big for. The National Security Guard (NSG) in India need to search aircraft for explosives, but the big Labs they used were causing problems:

Lucy, A Cocker Spaniel. Photo by Paxie.

“Pilots would often complain about the controls of the aircraft being disturbed by the wagging tail and long extremities of the Labradors during search operations. …

“We have also designed a carrying device called “the dog handle” so that the [Cocker Spaniels] can be carried like an instrument inside the aircraft and raised to cabin baggage and other high reaching inaccessible areas where a Labrador could not reach.

[Via : The Hindu : Front Page : NSG dog unit to replace Labradors with Cocker Spaniels.]