Fostering a Dog

What do you know about fostering dogs program? And what do foster home need to do? A foster home needs to house dog/s for a temporary basis for dog rescue and shelter. The foster home will have to take care of the basic house training, health care for the placed dog.

What are the expenses involved? It all depends on the program you are in. Some program will cover the veterinary cost only. Food, grooming, toys and all other the foster home will have to take care.

Most program will not allow you to choose the dog you would like to foster. How long you have to foster the dog will depend on when the dog will be adopted. Sometimes it will take as long as a year or two. Sometimes you will get to foster for two to three weeks only.

What it takes to be a foster carer? First you must be a dog lover. Experience in looking after a dog is also a must. Inexperience in dog handling will have difficulties in dog behaviour. You will certainly need to have patient and be totally committed than only fostering a dog will be very enjoyable and rewarding.

Million Paw March

RSPCA Million Paws walk is an annual event and all breed of dog lovers was there to show their support for this annual national fund-raising day. This event aims to raise money to help care for 144,000 animals that find shelter with the RSPCA every year.

Guided Dogs

There is this guided dogs that guides a person with vision impairment. With the assistant of a guided dog the people with vision impairment is able to move about safetly and confidently. They serve as the eyes for their owner getting them through traffic, holes, sidewalks, stairs and avoiding danger and obstacles that could cause injuries.

These dogs are trained from pupies. Some are donated whereas some are from sheltered homes.

As a guided dog owner puts it "it make going places so much fun! Everywhere you go is an adventure." To most vision impaired person, they always dream of travelling independently.

To another guided dog owner "Guide Dogs are even more than dear pets. Guide Dogs are our ultimate partners. When you and your beloved dog rely on each other for nearly everything, your love is multiplied to epic proportions. Your life is different. Better. Freer. Getting around safely is only the beginning."

Hearing dogs and Service Dogs click here

Man seen in the Cold Icy Lake

What is this man doing on New Year's Day? Going for a swim on the cold icy pond? Or trying to catch a duck for New Year's Day dinner?

Well this man is Marc Greenhalgh and he is wadding in the icy cold lake to saves his pal Jarvis a cocker spaniel (his pet dog) who has fell into the freezing water trying to chase after the ducks.

He certainly is a devoted dog owner. Wadding in the icy lake when you do not know how deep is the lake is extremely dangerously. Not to mentioned the cold weather on a New Year's Day.

At last, the rescued dog and the devoted dog owner is fine. The rescued dog gets more sympathy than the dog owner.

Shelter asks Obama to adopt a poi dog

A local pet shelter is lobbying President-elect Barack Obama to adopt a pooch from Hawaii when he visits the Islands in December.

In a letter to Obama, the Hawaii Island Humane Society penned a message from a dog looking for a home.

"I am a pound puppy, a pretty pooch, a poi dog extraordinaire.

"So maybe when you're in Hawaii in December, you could come by and visit me?" said the letter from a dog named Makana.

April Erenberg, the owner of a dog rescue program called Pug Rescue of Hawaii, said pugs are loyal and protective.

"Call me," she said. "I have a million."

— Robert Shikina
source: starbulletin.com

Dog racing: Is it cruel?

Among the central arguments made by the group opposing dog racing has been that greyhound racing is “cruel and inhumane,” even though, according to state animal-cruelty laws, it isn’t.

Massachusetts Voters Weigh Ban On Dog Racing
Voters in Massachusetts are considering a ban on greyhound racing that would shut down the state's two tracks. Supporters of the ban say the industry abuses dogs.

These are some of the comments:-

"While racing greyhounds incur a different daily routine than most people's pets, such doesn't mean they are being mistreated."

"Dog racing is a dying sport. Stop and think why it is ILLEGAL in 34 states."

"Animal Rights activists continue to distort the facts in a shameless appeal to people's emotion. The irony is that the Animal Rights folks are the heartless ones. Trainers care for their dogs and treat them well, while Animal Rights activists have nothing but utter contempt for their fellow human beings. The Animal Rights crowd is made up of arrogant, cold individuals (many of whom appear to be highly medicated). They profess to love dogs, which in and of itself is questionable."

What is your opinion?

Citizens cry over high dog population

The District Environmental Health Officer for Tain, Mr. R.E. Appiah Sam, has raised concerns over the growing number of dogs at Nsawkaw, the district capital, describing it as a threat to good environmental sanitation.

In an interview with The Mirror at Nsawkaw, Mr Appiah-Sam expressed concern about how these dogs defecate on the streets, thereby causing an unhealthy scene for the inhabitants.

"Our staff who sweep the streets every morning suffer so much because the dogs always defecate at clean and dry places," he stated.

He, therefore, appealed to the Tain District Assembly to enact bye-laws to limit the number of dogs expected to be kept per household.

When contacted, the District Veterinary Officer, Mr. Alfred Dery also shared similar sentiments and called for legislation against the control of the population of dogs in the district.

Mr. Dery expressed concern about the reluctance of dog owners to avail their dogs for anti-rabbis vaccination.

“Out of over 200 dogs at Nsawkaw, only 30 have been brought for vaccination," he lamented.

When The Mirror tried to find out why people kept large numbers of dogs at Nsawkaw and the Banda areas, it was revealed that various households kept them for economic reasons.

Apart from offering security, dogs kept in the district are highly demanded during the dry season for hunting purposes.

Similarly, the growing number of settlers from northern Ghana in the district has also accounted for the demand for dog meat.

The Source: The Mirror