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Dog and club news
Annual General Meeting The AGM was held on 17th February 2010. The puppy class was held as normal, but no other classes were held on that night. We have the same chairman, secretary, treasurer and trainers, and a few new committee members (replacing those who have stepped down.)
Dinner Dance The annual inter-club dinner dance will be held on Saturday 27th February at the Newforge Country Club, Newforge Lane, Belfast. Tickets cost £22 and are in aid of the Northern Ireland Crufts Obedience Team (to help with their expenses in getting to, and competing at Crufts.) Tickets can be purchased at the club, or ordered from our club secretary, Susan, 028 9096 1424
Bronze Test, November 2009 A Bronze test was held on Wednesday 25th November 2009, and of the 19 dogs and handlers entered on the night, 18 were successful with only Edna failing to hold her stay - naughty Edna, better luck next time!
A very special “Well Done” to Kirsty Millen and Rosie. Kirsty is 8 years old and is our youngest Bronze award winner.  Natasha Anderson & JoeyNeil Anderson & Heston Heather Arrell & Kenzo Jim Coyle & Archer Cheryl Donaldson & Otto Sheila Elliott & Barney Rhona Hancock & Archie Lorraine Lynas & Dougal Kirsty Millen & Rosie Nicola Montgomery-Shields & Ebony Gillian McLees & Blue Jenny Nixon & Daisy Donna Shields & Darcy Ian Smyth & Holly Anne Stitt & Chelsea Katrina Wallace & PK James Watson & Page Christine Wilson & Zoe
Dog Licences Did you know that Northern Ireland is now the only part of the UK that still issues dog licences? They were abandoned in 1987 in the rest of the UK. “The dog licence was abolished in 1987. In 1989 the Department of the Environment issued the consultation paper Action on Dogs. This acknowledged that despite the Dangerous Dogs Act 1989 which had increased the power of the courts to deal with dangerous dogs there were still problems with high numbers of straying dogs, dog fouling in public places, and a recent increase in the numbers of reported attacks by dogs. The Government rejected the possibility of reintroducing a dog registration scheme.” http://www.parliament.uk/commons/lib/research/rp98/rp98-006.pdf
Ballymena Results Several club members competed successfully at the Ballymena Show on 22nd August:
Silver Test on 5th August 2009. In the Silver test on 5th August, all 16 applicants were successful - an excellent result. Well done everyone!
Ready for the Gold then?
Annual Dog Show Our 20th Annual Open Obedience and Open Agility Show was held on 4th July 2009 at the Billy Neill Soccer Centre of Excellence, Comber Road, Dundonald, Belfast. The weather was better than it has been in recent years and a fine day was had, neither wet nor too hot, suiting competitors and dogs. More than 100 owners with over 150 dogs competed in more than 400 entries on the day, and special thanks must go to our three judges and their ring stewards for their tireless work. British Red Cross (Lisburn) were present to take care of any emergencies; thankfully their services were not called upon. Red Mills (dog food) provided the main prizes for the competition, with other prizes provided by Mackle Petfoods (Brandy dogfood.)
After three bulldogs were reported stolen in May, two more were stolen on 22nd June from a house within a stone’s throw from the club. Some low-life broke into the house and took both bulldogs (6 year-old Red and her 1 year-old daughter Purdy.) Their details have been logged on the DogLost website. Both dogs have been micro-chipped. Update: 27th June: Red & Purdy re-united with owner. No other details.
If you see or hear of adult bulldogs or pups for sale in suspicious circumstances, contact the DogLost site or phone 0844 800 3220.
Brandy Dogfood
What a bright dog! According to New Scientist, a cloned beagle named Ruppy (Ruby Puppy) is the world's first transgenic dog, producing a fluorescent protein that glows red under ultraviolet light. Ruppy was created “by first infecting dog fibroblast cells with a virus that inserted the fluorescent gene into a cell's nucleus … then transferred the fibroblast's nucleus to another dog's egg cell, with its nucleus removed … dividing in a Petri dish … implanted … into a surrogate mother.” Of 344 embryos implanted into 20 dogs, 5 dogs survived to produce their own puppies. Why do this? Apparently dogs already serve as models for diseases such as narcolepsy, certain cancers and blindness, and now that the dog genome sequence has been completed they are an even more useful model for disease research. Might also be useful for finding the dog in the dark. http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn17003-fluorescent-puppy-is-worlds-first-transgenic-dog.html
Update to puppy classes (April 09) Well, we have tried the new times and format for a number of weeks, and guess what, the numbers have fallen so that a single class is again feasible. We propose to return to our old ways from 22nd April 2009. Puppy class will again be 45 minutes starting at 7.30pm for all puppies.
Latest Bronze Test A Bronze test was held on Wednesday 15th April. 16 dogs and handlers took part, and after a few shaky stays and recalls all were successful. Well done everyone, but especially well done to the dogs - Dash, Axel, Cain, Seve, Nelson, Cooper, Verner, Poppy, Samson, Jazz, Ollie, Tinkerbelle, Zappa, Austin, Skye and Milo.
Easter Eggs & Dogs Let them eat Easter Eggs and they might not rise again, not matter how many days you wait. Chocolate is poisonous to dogs, and other pets too. In fact it’s even more poisonous to cats and kittens, but as they don’t have a sweet tooth they are less likely to be poisoned by too much chocolate.
(Still) Pet Shop Boys News (on 9th April) reports that the Pet Shop Boys have turned down a request from PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) that they change their name to Rescue Shelter Boys. It sounded comical, but what might be expected from what one hopes is a well intentioned organisation seeking a little news exposure. Well intentioned maybe, but a bit over the top, so I went looking for more information on PETA. Fanatical and fundamentalist outfits often have another side ... “PETA kills thousands of defenseless pets at its Norfolk, Virginia headquarters. PETA’s “Animal Record” report for 2008, filed with the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, shows that the animal rights group killed 95 percent of the dogs and cats in its care last year.” During 2008, PETA found adoptive homes for just 7 pets out of the 2,216 it took in. “PETA rakes in nearly $30 million (tax free!) each year in income, much of it raised from pet owners who think their donations actually help animals. Instead, the group spends huge sums on programs equating people who eat chicken with Nazis, scaring young children away from drinking milk, recruiting children into the radical animal-rights lifestyle, and intimidating businessmen and their families in their own neighborhoods. PETA has also spent tens of thousands of dollars defending arsonists and other violent extremists.” Though it’s hard to argue with the figures, and PETA is a bit “lunatic fringe”, some of the sources that are critical of it have their own agenda too. Do your own probing and use the thing at the top of your neck. Think for yourself !
(Later) I found the following link, http://www.care2.com/c2c/share/detail/1041376 , that claims to connect a lot of the sites critical of PETA to Rick Berman “a right-wing lobbyist who has built a lucrative career establishing industry-funded front groups ... Berman specializes in personal attacks, smear tactics and playing loose with the facts. He has raised millions of dollars from tobacco, booze, biotech, fast food, grocery and other businesses eager to pay (him) to do their dirty work.” http://www.bermanexposed.org/ The bottom line:
Dog savages 76 year-old owner The former French president Jacques Chirac was rushed to hospital this week after his dog "Sumo" viciously attacked him. According to Chirac’s wife, the dog “Sumo” had become increasingly violent in the past few years, becoming unpredictable and prone to making vicious unprovoked attacks. Sumo’s breed? No, not a German Shepherd or Rottweiler. Sumo is a cute little Maltese/Poodle mix. While unfortunate, it does bring up a few points.
The lessons?
Don't Get Sold A Pup Helen Davies from the Rainbow Rehoming Sanctuary in Eglinton expressed concern after a number of adverts for puppies appeared in UK papers bearing the promise “can deliver”. (7th Jan 2009.) It has emerged that some ads where the seller promises delivery are a front for a scam, in which the buyer sends money so that the dog can be delivered from a remote area in Ireland or Scotland; however the seller then keeps the money and no dog is delivered. She says that anyone wishing to buy a puppy or dog should see it in its home surroundings and get proof of health checks and vaccinations as well as papers for dogs described as pedigree before handing over any money. “Most people who say they will deliver a dog and do not want people to come and collect it don't want people to see the dog in their normal surroundings, which speaks for itself. A good breeder won't mind you coming to see the pup, its mother, father and where it has been raised and socialised.” "No one should ever buy a dog unseen, especially if they are inexperienced around dogs.” http://www.londonderrysentinel.co.uk/news/Don39t-get-sold-a-pup.4853422.jp http://www.rainbowrehoming.com/ Dog saves abandoned baby “An eight-year-old dog has touched the hearts of Argentines by saving the life of an abandoned baby, placing him safely alongside her own new puppies. The country's media are calling him "the miracle baby". He was born prematurely to a 14-year-old girl in a shanty town outside the capital, Buenos Aires. She is said to have panicked and abandoned the boy in a field, surrounded by wooden boxes and rubbish. Then along came La China, reports say, the dog which somehow picked up the baby and carried her 50m to place him alongside her own puppies. The dog's owner reported hearing the child crying and finding him covered with a rag. The baby, weighing 4kg (8lb 13oz), had some slight injuries, but no bite marks. The Argentine media has descended on the shanty town, talking of "the Argentine Romulus and Remus", the founders of Rome, abandoned as babies and rescued by a wolf, nearly 3,000 years ago.” http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/7577275.stm China Dogs The Summer 2008 leaflet from Care For The Wild International gives a number of dog related facts: Dog meat is a delicacy in China. ... In the run up to the (Olympic) games residents in and around Beijing were supplied with leaflets offering guidance on conduct. Refraining from cruelty to animals in public was one of its instructions. Similarly, Beijing restaurants serving dog meat were ordered to close temporarily for fear of upsetting foreign visitors. Several years ago the favourite breed to eat was the St. Bernard, but now Alsatians (German Shepherds) are top dog on Chinese menus. China is the world’s largest fur producer and processor. Millions of Artic and red foxes, raccoon dogs, mink and rabbits suffer on China’s fur farms before being violently killed. Cat fur is widely available and popular, and two million dogs are skinned alive, hanged, bludgeoned or bled to death each year for their fur. Dog fur from Alsatians is most common. Further confusion is deliberately added by labelling dog and cat fur products as Mongolia Dog Fur, Gae-wolf, Gou-pee, China Wolf, Corsac Fox, Katzenfelle, Goyangi, Mountain Cat and many more. Although the trade is widespread in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan have banned dog consumption. An EU ban on production, import and sale of cat and dog fur will take effect on 1st January 2009. China - not a good place for German Shepherds! http://www.careforthewild.org/
Popular Breeds According to registrations at the Kennel Club for 2006 the most popular breeds in the UK are:
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