Episode 3 - Working dogs, puppy farms, scouts and more

The Dog News Show

The third episode of The Dog News Show is packed with the latest news stories, and Debbie and Julie give their take on them. What do you make of the story that over 800 retiring army dogs have been put down as they were judged too fierce to spend their remaining years as a pet? Debbie Connolly has helped many ex-working dogs live happily as pets, and believes working dogs deserve as much help and rehabilitation as possible. While she acknowledges that not every ex-army dog will be able to adapt to civilian life, he subject is so close to her heart that is launching Bravo Working Dog Rescue in an effort to support even more ex-working dogs when they leave service. For more information watch this space!
Have you heard of the Dog Scouts of America? Their motto is, "Our dog's lives are much shorted than ours - let's help them enjoy their time with us as much as we can." This is an attitude which coincides with Julie Hill's own, which is to make each day as good as possible for your dog and to make memories with them. The Dog Scouts of America have been in the news recently, and they encourage owners to get active with their dog and try out as many different activities as possible. Participants earn badges, much like regular scouts, and the organisation raises money for charity and has a lot of useful resources on their website. Do you think the UK could benefit from a similar movement?
Debbie highlights a sad story of a Labrador who died after being treated with carprofen. However, she stresses that there is no need for owners to panic. One of Debbie's own German Shepherds had a bad reaction to the drug, but she has seen countless others who have benefited from it. So how do you make sure your dog is getting the best and safest treatment from your vet? What should you do if your dog does have a bad reaction? Debbie and Julie discuss this and more.
When Russ Berkman's dog ate his tickets to a practice round of the Masters tournament, Russ gave the dog hydrogen peroxide to make him sick. Russ then pieced the mangled remains together and went off to watch the golf. Neither Debbie or Julie think this is a wise course of action, and wonder if there was anything their dog could eat that they would even wish to get back in such a manner. What would your dog have to eat to make you want to make him sick. Please note that if your dog does swallow anything unusual you should seek veterinary advice as soon as possible and not administer chemicals more usually found in hair dye.
Puppy farms are a plague on the the dog world, but it is plain that more and more people are trying to make money out of breeding dogs with no concern for the welfare of the dogs involved. Puppy Love campaigns passionately against the farming of dogs, and C.A.R.I.A.D. is a coalition of many concerned dog organisations who work together to try to stamp out this vile practice. One of the issues that complicates the problem is that while pet shops carry on buying from puppy farms - and so while people choose to give their money to a pet shop rather than to a reputable breeder or rescue, puppy farming remains lucrative. What is the answer? - legislation? education?
This month is National Pet Month in the UK, so visit the website and find how to get involved and celebrate being a responsible owner. And if you fancy treating your dog to a new bed, toy or anything else, visit new website My Dog World where you can find a price comparison feature and know that a proportion of each purchase is donated to dog charities.
To warm the cockles of your heart (whatever they are) episode 3 rounds off with the story of Alice, a deaf dog who was dumped by her breeder when her disability emerged. Luckily for Alice she was rescued by The Blue Cross and adopted by a couple who are deaf themslves. Alice has been trained using sign language and there are several videos on the Internet demonstrating what a clever dog she is and how well she has taken to training. If you would like more information about training a deaf dog visit the Deaf Dog Network website.