Well my blog title may be a little misleading as the Olympic committee hasn't just come up with a new canine sport for the upcoming games in China....though dog training could certainly qualify as a sport!
If you are heading for Beijing either participating or spectating, you may be glad to know that China's rescue dogs have been undergoing some Olympic training of their own.
A 17-strong squad, including German Shepherds, Labrador retrievers and Springer Spaniels, has been training in case a disaster should hit the Beijing games. The tasks include search and rescue, alarm barking (in chinese!) and field rescue.
After the devastating earthquake in China's Sichuan province, the vitally important role of dogs in search and rescue operations is fresh in our minds.
Let's hope these dogs take away medals for their training but that their undoubted talents are not required during the Olympics.
If you were ever in doubt that celebrities such as Paris Hilton could influence the market in puppy trading look at this story featured on Sky News today June 10th.
According to the report by Sky's Europe correspondant Greg Milam, rogue breeders are exploiting the demand for lapdogs or so-called 'handbag dogs' fashionable amongst celebrities such as Paris H and Britney Spears. The puppies or 'pint sized' dogs have often been paraded before the picture hungry press, by so called celebrity pet lovers, as fashionable accessories fitting neatly in or alongside their designer handbags.
These dogs may be small but they command a bigger price and as Milam reports "People are getting more inventive when searching for a bargain." The Sky news investigation has found evidence that new-borns are often transported hundreds of miles in cramped conditions and sold at cut price. Worse still dogs are bread in poor conditions and die when they are weeks old.
I saw the report on Sky News and feel compelled to give you the full transcript of Greg Milam's report in my blog: more dog lovers need to know about this to help put a stop to this sad and ugly trade.
To give you a puppy price comparison " A Mexican hairless puppy, which would cost £1,500 in the UK (aprox. $3,000) can be bought for less than £200 (aprox $400) at a market in Hungary. Breeds like Chihuahuas, Yorkshire terriers and golden retrievers are among the most popular.
The end of border checks on mainland Europe has made the trade more easy.
Investigators say the dogs are often bred in poor conditions, many have no vaccinations and some are inbred.
One animal rights campaigner, who regularly visits the markets, told Sky News: "The dogs are mentally disturbed because these are baby dogs, puppies taken away from their mothers after five or six weeks which is too early. The result is heavy physical and psychological diseases.
"If there is no consumer buying dogs like this, the market will dry up but when people are willing to pay money for a life, the disaster is clear."
Campainers say the rogue traders often use professional-looking websites and regularly change company names to stay ahead of animal welfare groups.
Vet Antonius Mensdorff-Pouilly regularly sees dogs bought from the markets at his surgery in Vienna. He says people are being duped but the trade is being driven by fashion trends.
Marie Claire Macintosh, head of programmes for the charity Four Paws, said "Their background would really turn people off even considering buying a puppy in such awful conditions. We encourage people to go and adopt animals from rescue centres, and reputable shelters.
"If people are buying from car boot sales and markets, they are supporting the trade."
If you want to watch the video report please go to :
Puppies from these unscrupulous traders are even being taken to the U.S, probably to be sold on to unsuspecting buyers... so please don't be tempted by a cheap puppy deal. It will end up costing you more in vet fees and heartache, but the real victims are undoubtedly the helpless puppies themselves.
The reality is, I am well behaved most of the time. At home I am an angel compared to the kids, all I ask for (at least 5 times a day) is a walk...but I don't moan, that's not allowed in our house, so occasionally i grunt or yawn just to make sure I don't get overlooked...after all I don't get to play tennis or soccer with the boys after school...something to do with holding the ball?!
There are a couple of tricks I have learned though...accept a bribe from the boss in the park in the form of a biscuit...I don't seem very welcome at anyones picnic and being a fit labrador that never stops running, I do need to refuel every so often! Why is it people leave empty cartons with tantalising smells and traces of red stuff on the grass...very thoughtless I say because once I am on the scent of these yummy exotic forbidden foods, I become a little one track minded! Then I just hear "Leave it" from the boss...how dull is that?
One thing I still manage to do on a regular basis, is head for the pond or the fountains...not to chase the swans...I gave that up, far too tiring, and apparently the boss would have to pay a hefty fine if ever I caught one...fat chance, but a duck, now that's another matter! All the fun is in the chase and I just love to swim! Well the boss puts me on the lead when nearing temptation points, but I have learned that if she is on that mobile phone of hers, I can sieze the moment and run for my life, no call or bribe will stop me then! What's wrong with a quick dip to cool down and a slurp of lovely green pond water? Can't think why she gets so upset...and by the way I would rather have the quick dip than the biscuit any day!
Labradors ought to have their own ponds or lakes in parks...would anyone like to sign my petition?
We are still waiting for real summer to begin here in the UK, but even without a heat wave, I was reminded how quickly a car can warm up when I parked on the sunny side of the street for just half an hour and the exterior temperature felt just pleasantly warm.
Each year the RSPCA receives around 6,000 calls, (for the UK alone) from members of the public concerned about an animal in a car, on the street, in a car park or at a public event.
Mark Evans the RSPCA's chief veterinary adviser says " A car left in direct sunlight quickly becomes an oven. Everyone knows that, but even on an average warm, even cloudy summer day a car may become unbearably hot and stifling. Imagine how terrifying it would be if you were locked inside, unable to escape the oppressive heat and humidity. Don't let your dog be the one to find out the hard way. It may end up being the last thing he or she ever does.
It's not just cars that can be a risk to pets, caravans and conservatories, or any enclosed space above ground pariculary with glass and no ventilation would of course be a problem.
These are the dangers outlined by the RSPCA:
-- Dogs can suffer from heatstroke, which can be fatal
-- Even when it is just 22` C (72`F) outside the temperature in the car can soar to 47`C (117`F) within 60 minutes.
-- Cloud cover can disappear quickly
-- All dogs will suffer but some dogs are more prone to heatsroke. For example, dogs that are old, young, short nosed, long-haired, overweight or heavily muscled are more at risk. As well as dogs with certain diseases.
-- Temperatures in air conditioned cars can reach the same temperature as outside within just five minutes of being turned off.
SIGNS OF HEAT STROKE:
The most obvious warning signs of heat stroke are excessive panting and profuse salivation. Other signs inlcude:
-- a rapid pulse
-- overly red purple gums
-- lack of coordination, reluctance or inability to rise after collapsing, seizures, vomiting or diarrhhoea.
-- coma or death in extreme cases
TREATIING HEAT STROKE:
--heat stroke can be fatal so speed is essential: move your pet to a cooler spot and call your vet for advice immediately
-- douse your dog with cool (NOT cold) water. Never cool your dog so much that he/she begins to shiver
-- let your dog drink small avounts of cool water
-- Continue to douse your dog with cool water until his /her breathing starts to settle and then take him/her straight to the vet.
Pet ID in the form of a microchip, slightly larger than a grain of rice and inserted under the skin at the back of the animal's neck is probably the first and most important step to making sure that your beloved pet can be properly identified and returned to you should he stray,get lost, or worse be stolen and perhaps sold on. The chip has a unique identification number for your dog, and is registered on a central database that can be updated at any time during the animal's life. If you haven't already done this please ask your vet about this simple procedure which causes little or no pain to your pet but could save you both a lot of pain if you were to be separated through misadventure. I once lost my first labrador Jazz for two desperate days and it was only thanks to the chip scanned by the police that she was identified and traced to me, the eternally grateful parent!
If you want a second increasingly popular method of keeping track of your pet, particulary if he has a tendency to stray, then GPS (Global Positioning System) technology could be the answer. This is the same system used in car satellite navigation systems. In the case of dogs, an ordinary looking collar contains the satnav unit into which the dog's'home run' details are inputted. If the dog moves beyond the geographic boundaries programmed into the collar, the owner is allerted by a telephone, text, or email message. The dog can then be traced to wherever he is using the GPS technology.
Two companies you might want to look at for further inforomation if this clever idea appeals to you are:
