Canine Partner Endal has now taken on a new role in the Parton household. He is training his successor, EJ (Endal Junior), who has recently become a member of the family. Story Page 10.

K9 Perspective

The magazine your dog would want you to read

Editorial: August-September 2008

Dogs need love and respect

HAVE you ever seen a dog who obviously lives in the area out walking on the street or playing in a nearby field without anyone accompanying it?

I have seen this many times with dogs that live near my house and it really makes me wonder how uncaring their owners can be. The strange thing is that these dogs usually have owners that feed them well, take them to the vet when they are sick, have their pet living inside the house and indoors at night – but when it comes to dealing with doggy-doo their answer is to just let their pet out the gate in the mornings (those homes that do have fences and gates) and evenings so that it can go and do its business on the footpath or the local playing field.

I have seen such dogs wandering up to a mile from their home and given the right circumstances they could wander a whole lot further than that. But such owners don’t seem to care – they let the dog back in the house when it gets home again but would never think of trying to find it and bring it home.

But out of their home boundaries can be a very dangerous place for dogs. A pet can be teased by children to the point of biting (and destruction is then its destiny); it can be chased and hurt by unthinking children; it can be easily stolen; it can be picked up by dogfighters looking either for ‘bait’ dogs or potential fighting dogs; it can be given poisoned food; it can end up in a city pound; or it can be injured or killed on the road. All these dangers are totally preventable simply by keeping the dog in its own home and taking it out for its walk, rather than sending it out to walk by itself!

I wonder often how owners of such dogs can be so uncaring about their safety and health yet still care for them in other ways, and I realise the answer is that such owners just don’t think about the consequences of their actions. Perhaps there is lack of knowledge about how to pick up and dispose of dog poo, or maybe a disability so that the owner is unable to take the dog for a walk, or even a bad case of total laziness. Whatever the answer, it is not just to let the dog out and hope it comes back soon.

Owners such as these really need to be taught the right way to give their pet the safe and secure home that it deserves. But who will do that? Neighbours and friends usually don’t like to interfere (unless it is their garden that the dog chooses to use as a toilet) but one suggestion would be to get together and buy a book for the owner – one that offered solutions to that problem and practical suggestions on doggy-doo disposal as well as tips on getting a responsible person to take the dog for a walk a few times a week if the owner is disabled. The owner just may take the hint and follow the book’s instructions. Preferably it would list things that could happen to an unaccompanied dog out on the street.

Or perhaps the owner’s vet is the best one to explain how unsafe the dog is when walking on its own. That is, if the vet realises what is going on. But information on the dog’s home life is not usually passed on to the vet unless the dog has been hit by a car or come to some similar accident. Perhaps the best way to get the message through would be for breeders, owners, rescue centres and anyone else selling or giving a dog away to include a list or booklet of ‘instructions’ on how to keep your dog or puppy safe, secure, happy and healthy within its own yard or home. - Elezabeth