The race to protect greyhounds

Every year at least 10,000 greyhounds are retired from racing. The fate of many of these greyhounds is unknown and huge numbers simply ‘disappear’.

We believe that the health and happiness of thousands of racing greyhounds is very poor. Welfare issues can occur at any life stage, so we believe that all aspects of the greyhound industry, from breeding to kennelling, racing, transportation, management and final retirement need to be improved. We want to see greyhounds protected from cradle to grave.
An opportunity to protect racing greyhounds
The Government has launched a public consultation on the regulation of the greyhound racing industry in England with a deadline for submissions on the 22nd July 2009.

Please take action today!
We really need your help to demonstrate the rising tide of public unease about this important welfare issue. We want to get at least 20,000 people responding to the government consultation, to call for the protection of racing greyhounds from cradle to grave.

You can respond to the government consultation using this link. Please feel free to insert your own comments within the email as a personal response will always be stronger.

Thank you for your ongoing support.

Some people think that looks funny… I don’t mind. I’m not vain. I just know that I’m beautiful, so what.

Sometimes, Alpha Su throws us some bottles to retrieve from the sea. I tend to do her that favour, although I’d rather sniff and bumble around instead of constantly exercising.

My daughter however is much keener to jump in – well she’s 4 years younger than me and does not yet know about ageing gracefully.

Anyway, hope we’ll go today again!

However, which are our K9’s ancesters? This is what I found on a BBC website:

22 November, 2002, 05:03 GMT

Even puppies seem to have an innate understanding of humans

By Christine McGourty BBC science correspondent

Dogs today come in all shapes and sizes, but scientists believe they evolved from just a handful of wolves tamed by humans living in or near China less than 15,000 years ago.

It looks as if 95% of current dogs come from just three original founding females

Matthew Binns, Animal Health Trust

Three research teams have attempted to solve some long-standing puzzles in the evolution and social history of dogs.

Their findings, reported in the journal Science, point to the existence of probably three founding females – the so-called “Eves” of the dog world.

They conclude that intensive breeding by humans over the last 500 years – not different genetic origins – is responsible for the dramatic differences in appearance among modern dogs.

One team studied Old World dogs to try to pin down their origins, previously thought to be in the Middle East.

The other team studied dogs of the New World and found they are not New World dogs at all, but also have their origins in East Asia.

Carles Vila, of Uppsala University, Sweden, one of the team studying the New World dogs, told BBC News Online: “We found that dogs originating in the Old World arrived to the New World with immigrating humans.

“Thus, even before the development of trade as we know it now, humans had to be exchanging dogs.”

A pet now but an integral part of the story of human development

He added that exactly how or why humans domesticated dogs was not known, but the speed at which they seem to have multiplied and diversified indicates they played an important role in human life.

“I can imagine that if dogs were, for example, improving the quality of hunting, that would be a very great advantage for humans. It could even have made the colonisation of the New World easier.

“There must have been something advantageous about those dogs that made them extremely successful and allowed them to spread all over the world.”

Peter Savolainen, of the Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, led the study of Old World dogs, analysing DNA samples taken from dogs in Asia, Europe, Africa and arctic America.

‘Bit of a surprise’

His team found that, though most dogs shared a common gene pool, genetic diversity was highest in East Asia, suggesting that dogs have been domesticated there the longest.

“Most earlier guesses have focused on the Middle East as the place of origin for dogs, based on the few known facts – a small amount of archaeological evidence from the region, and the fact that several other animals were domesticated there,” he says.

Genetic evidence shows chimps are our closest relatives

The researchers studied gene sequences from the dogs’ mitochondrial DNA, which is inherited directly from the mother. The findings indicated that the major present-day dog populations at some point had a common origin from a single gene pool.

Matthew Binns, head of genetics at the Animal Health Trust in Newmarket, UK, said the findings were significant.

He told BBC News Online: “For the first time, there’s relatively convincing evidence actually pinpointing the date at which the dog was domesticated and also the location of that domestication, which is a bit of a surprise.

“People have previously thought that a lot of species were domesticated in the Middle East and this data clearly shows domestication took place in East Asia.”

He added: “It looks as if 95% of current dogs come from just three original founding females and I guess these are the Eves of the dog world.”

Human evolution

In a separate study, researchers at Harvard University and the Wolf Hollow Wolf Sanctuary, both US, studied social cognition in dogs and were surprised by the findings.

In a simple experiment designed to compare their behaviour to those of wolves and our closest relative, the chimpanzee, the findings clearly showed that dogs – even young puppies – were far better at interpreting social cues from humans.

The food was hidden in little buckets

The dogs had to choose which bucket had food hidden underneath it, and the experiment was designed so they could not rely on their superb sense of smell. The scientists helped by pointing or looking in the direction of the hidden food.

Researcher Brian Hare said the dogs outperformed even the chimpanzees, and the puppies were as good as the older dogs, proving the skill was innate and not learned.

“During domestication there was some kind of change in their cognitive ability that allowed them to figure out what other individuals wanted using social cues. The biggest surprise was the puppies – even as young as nine weeks old, they’re better than an adult chimpanzee at finding food.”

He said the research might ultimately provide some clues as to how social skills evolved in humans.”

I want a pig! They seem to be a real competition for us K9s, and they are smart, cute and clean!

now here’s the latest: the BBC reports about a pig able to perform agility tricks. Pig Sue (a boy, mind you!) is a bit slow, but he knows what to do, if he gets a treat.

Have a look yourself…

“A farm owner in Herefordshire has attracted comparisons with the film Babe after teaching her pig to perform agility tasks like a dog.

Unlike the character in Babe, Sue the boar can not round-up sheep, but he can respond to commands like a well trained border collie, his owner said.

Wendy Scudamore, of Barton Hill Animal Centre in Hereford said Sue began copying her dog in agility training.

She said he would “never be a sheep-pig” but hoped he entertained people.

Mocking name

Mrs Scudamore said Sue was reared to be a breeding pig but was named after the Johnny Cash song “A Boy Named Sue” owing to an unfortunate incident at the vets aged two months when he was accidentally castrated.

She said: “I don’t usually name my pigs until they grow a bit older and develop a character but I thought it would be funny to call him Sue after that.”

Mrs Scudamore breeds New Zealand Kuni Kuni pigs and said she hoped Sue would be an amusing attraction to draw people to her stand at country shows.

She trains him for up to 15 minutes at a time in the back garden and rewards him with little pieces of apple and occasionally, his favourite treats, custard creams.”

The dog who can sniff out a diabetic attack

A helping paw – Elizabeth Wilkinson with her alert dog which can sniff out a diabetic attack

RICHARD PARR

19 March 2009 05:12

Devoted dog Chushla potentially saves her owner’s life every week – by smelling the onset of a diabetic attack.

The Bedlington-whippet cross detects a scent when Elizabeth Wilkinson’s blood sugar levels drop dangerously low – up to three times a week – and nibbles her hand to alert her.

Elizabeth, 54, of Southery, near Downham Market, a Type-1 diabetic for over 40 years, has one of just six registered hypoalert dogs in Britain which can smell an oncoming hypoglycaemic attack.

When Chushla showed that she was able to sense and alert Elizabeth to an oncoming hypo attack she contacted the charity Cancer & Bio detection Dogs which specialises in training diabetic assistance dogs.

With support of the charity’s co-founder, Claire Guest, who was able to fine-tune Chushla’s alerting procedure, the pet is now a fully-fledged hypo alert dog .

She now accompanies Elizabeth everywhere she goes as her “guardian angel”.

Chushla first showed off her talent when she was just 10-weeks-old. One night when Elizabeth was asleep, Chushla jumped on her bed and started frantically nibbling at her neck to wake her up.

Elizabeth realised that her dog had alerted her to a oncoming hypo attack.

Two days later Chushla repeated this nibbling behaviour during the day and when Elizabeth checked her blood sugar levels she found they had dropped massively.

She said : “When I first got Chushla I had a very bad hypo attack during which I felt the need for live comfort and I cuddled up with her until I felt better. This was only a few days before she first alerted me to a hypo. May be it was something she picked up on as not being good and it set her mothering instinct in motion.”

Elizabeth started to reward Chushla each time she gave an alert and so her dog was trained to be a reliable hypo alert dog.

Because Elizabeth has suffered from diabetes for so long, she has become desensitised to the warning signs of hypos which is why Churchla is so important to her. It means she now has the courage to lead a normal independent life.

“She has given me my freedom to go out when I wish and Chushla wears her working jacket with pride,” she said.

Elizabeth explained that her dog has been reliably alerting her for 18 months for hypos (low blood sugar) and 12 months for hyperglycaemia (high blood sugar), in effect acting as an assistance dog.

Churchla gives Elizabeth about 10 to 15 minutes warning of an attack which gives her enough time to eat something to raise her blood sugar levels.

“In an exclusive interview with People magazine hitting stands Friday, First Lady Michelle Obama opened up about her marriage, life in the White House and, most importantly, the upcoming arrival of the First Dog. Obama said she favors Portuguese Water Dogs, although, as of last month, a Labradoodle was still considered a possibility. The pup’s target arrival date is April, after the family’s spring break trip, Obama said.” (source: US News)

I found this about the breed:

“The Portuguese Water Dog was originally a hunting dog introduced to the Iberian Peninsula by Moors from North Africa; it is as a fishermens dog that he excels.  Loving water, and accomplished diver, he would accompany them on voyages, retrieving nets or tackle that had fallen overboard and taking messages from ship to shore by carrying them in waterproof cylinders.

The Portuguese Water Dog is described in the Breed Standard as being “self-willed” and as a puppy he needs to be challenged to reduce his tendency to stubbornness.  Very intelligent and energetic he is obedient to his owner but needs the opportunity to use his energy constructively.

Medium sized at up at 22½” and weighing about 25kg, his coat is, unusually of two types.  It is either long, loosely waved with a slight sheen, or short, harsh and dense with compact curls.  Both types of coat are clipped over the hindquarters, leaving a long plume on the tail. He can be black, white, shades of brown or black with white and brown with white.  Not a numerically large breed in the UK, he needs ample exercise and a fair bit of attention to grooming if he is to look typical.  It is thought that the Portuguese Water Dog could have played a part in the development of the Kerry Blue when Portuguese ships were wrecked off the coast of Southern Ireland.”

Mamma Mia! We Labradors sound like pussycats, compared to this piece of hard work… No, I’m not jealous! And I wouldn’t certainly like my bottom part and tail been shaved like a spaghetti!

Anyway – this is what I found on Wikipedia:

Labradoodle

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A brown Labradoodle with a fleece type coat. The appearance of Labradoodles may vary.
Not recognized by any major kennel club

A Labradoodle is a crossbred or hybrid dog created by crossing the Labrador Retriever and the Standard or Miniature Poodle.

History

The Labradoodle was first deliberately bred in 1989, when Australian breeder Wally Conron first crossed the Labrador Retriever and Standard Poodle for Guide Dogs Victoria. His aim was to combine the low-shedding coat of the Poodle with the gentleness and trainability of the Labrador, and to provide a Guide Dog suitable for people with allergies to fur and dander. Guide Dogs Victoria continue to breed Labradoodles today and Labradoodles are now often used around the world as Guide, Assistance, and Therapy Dogs as well as being popular family dogs.

Appearance and temperament

The Labradoodle as a dog breed is still developing, and does not yet “breed true,” i.e., puppies do not have consistently predictable characteristics. While many Labradoodles display desired traits, their appearance and behavioral characteristics remain, from an overall breed standpoint, unpredictable.

As such, Labradoodles’ hair can be anywhere from wiry to soft, and may be straight, wavy, or curly. Some Labradoodles do shed, although the coat usually sheds less and has less dog odor than that of a Labrador Retriever.

Like most Labrador Retrievers and Poodles, Labradoodles are generally friendly, energetic and good with families and children (although as with any dog the temperament may vary between individuals). Labradoodles also often display an affinity for water and the strong swimming ability present in both their parent breeds.

Like their parent breeds, both of which are amongst the world’s most intelligent dog breeds,Labradoodles are very intelligent and quite trainable. Labradoodles can be taught to obey verbal or sign language commands, or both, and remain commonly used as guide dogs for disabled or handicapped persons around the world.

Types of Labradoodle

A group of Labradoodle Assistance Dogs.

A three-month old Labradoodle

There is no universal consensus as to whether breeders should aim to have Labradoodles recognized as a breed . Some breeders prefer to restrict breeding to early generation dogs (i.e. bred from a Poodle and Labrador rather than from two Labradoodles) to maximise genetic diversity, in order to avoid the inherited health problems that have plagued some dog breeds.

Others are breeding Labradoodle to Labradoodle over successive generations, and trying to establish a new dog breed. These dogs are usually referred to as Multigenerational (abr. Multigen) or Australian Labradoodles. Australian Labradoodles also differ from early generation and Multigenerational Labradoodles in that they may also have other breeds in their ancestry. English and American Cocker Spaniel/Poodle crosses (ie Cockapoos), Two Irish Water Spaniels and Soft-Coated Wheaten Terriers have variously been used in some Australian Labradoodle lines. The Curly Coated Retriever were used too, but these lines did not work out and they were discontinued.

Labradoodle coats are generally divided into 3 categories: Wool (with tight curls, and similar in appearance to that of a Poodle, but with a softer texture); Fleece (soft and free-flowing, with a kinked or wavy appearance); or Hair (which can be curly, straight or wavy, but is more similar in texture to a Labrador’s coat) . Labradoodles come in a wide variety of colours, including chocolate, cafe, parchment, cream, gold, apricot, red, black, silver, chalk, parti colours, and generally all the colours that can be found in Poodles. They also can be different sizes, depending on the size of poodle (i.e. toy, miniature or standard) used.

One of my favourites is Rebecca of Art Paw. She creates the most amazing portraits of K9s from photographs. Here some examples:

Aren’t they beautiful?? I hope one day my Alphas will give me my Rebecca- portrait for my birthday!