Lurchers badly treated
I AM somewhat disappointed in that when reading about lurchers there is little mention about the true lurcher - the whippet and/or the greyhound.
I find that these two breeds are treated like the rat or monkey - they seem only to be used for sport and/or testing. You talk about the good that dogs do for society and yet here are these animals that are being treated like excrement and are being dumped into the water as shark bait etc.
I find the dog fanciers of today use their pets as a jewel (an object for making money) and not as a companion. Please do not forget your friends - don't use them as toys. - Danny
The whippet and greyhound are acknowledged as in need of better care in many areas of the world. Many are being sold to unscrupulous dealers in dog meat, others are left abandoned to starve or worse. These are lovely dogs and they do make loyal pets although they need plenty of exercise so would not be suitable for a flat or apartment. I agree with you Danny, they need a fair deal. - Ed
Grapes question unsolved
Hello,
I have just been reading your magazine online, and have found it most interesting. However, as the owner of two dogs and hopefully with some idea of what is and what is not good for them, I must disagree most strongly with your recommendation of adding raisins as a natural food substance to their diet. Both raisins and grapes have been found to be toxic to dogs and I do not think you should be recommending them on such a casual basis. I look forward to receiving your comments. - RJ
Since receiving your letter I have been searching for the truth on the matter of raisins and grapes being toxic to dogs and have approached a small number of vets as well as researched a number of canine websites and I have to say that the subject is as confusing as when I began.
Vets will not give any definite answers as there is apparently no such thing, as yet! There is one website owner who claims her two dogs died when they ate grapes and another who claims her dog died when it ate a packet of raisins. However, there are so many factors that are unknown and the truth of the matter is that there has been little research done. One research project claimed that analysis of grapes revealed that there were no known toxic substances in grapes that could be found. Another reached the conclusion that it was possible there was a slightly harmful ingredient but that a dog would have to eat a huge amount for it to take effect (the suggested volume was over 2kg - about 5lb) and there have been claims that grapes caused the breakdown of dogs' kidneys leading to their deaths.
There are other possibilities too - perhaps it was not the grapes but instead was the highly toxic spray used on grapes that caused the deaths. Perhaps one or two of the dogs may have had undetected kidney disease to begin with or maybe diabetes - a whole box of raisins would certainly raise the sugar levels.
There could be hundreds of reasons for the deaths of those dogs who may still have died if they had eaten a meat pie or an apple.
The grapes my own dog ate each season were in a home garden and certainly not sprayed at all, which may have been significant ... or not!
I will throw this one out to the public and hope for some definite answers, but will keep searching too, as there must be a scientifically proved answer out there somewhere. Thanks for raising this interesting question. - Ed
Bull terriers misunderstood
Hello,
RE your article on the pit bull terrier and related breeds, I can easily tell you which is which although the breeds look very similiar. But this topic is an unfair one because ignorant people are left to decide what the laws are, when in all actuality they despise the breeds beforehand, so I think much of this talk is bulldung! I have had a total of two pit bull terriers, three Staffordshire bull terriers and two American Staffordshire bull terriers and no problems, not once. Furthermore, they are an animal just like us, making the issue of how they were raised the most important topic of conversation.
What they are taught when they are growing up will determine the attitude of the adult dog. I have seen people treat their dogs in an abhorrent manner in order to make them angry, ferocious animals. But from this I have determined that the owners are the sick ones and not the dogs ... PLEASE HOLD THESE OWNERS RESPONSIBLE!
I have also noticed that chihuahuas are mean dogs but instead of blaming it on their genes I looked other places and I found that they, like short men, have Napoleon's syndrome - they are scared and act on that much like people do. I know of one that became so scared of a man that it bit his nose off. There has been no banning of those dogs anywhere, yet to my knowledge (and don't tell me because of it's size it really doesn't matter, because you would then illustrate a complex) this is another example of man's fear of anything he cannot comprehend. You can't tell a student to throw away his maths books because he does not understand math and would rather rid himself of the responsibility.
I believe we have not understood this for so long because we are looking in all the wrong places. We are making up answers. But with not only the genetic strain of a dog being closer to man than a chimp (proven), it's obvious that to understand them we have to understand human instincts and behaviour because it's almost identical. If you are interested I have much more on the issue, defending those who cannot speak. - Justin
Yes, there is nothing that can train a dog as well as treating it with kindness, love, respect and absolute fairness. Too many dogs are treated badly in today's world - some intentionally and others because of ignorance. - Ed
Doorbell for your dog
Hello Sheri,
I enjoyed your doorbell bit. But you forgot to mention that when you let the dog out you can easily place the ribbon over the outside knob and let your dog tell you when he is ready to come inside! - Moses
