Archive for April 14th, 2012

Fri 13th April: A dog’s potential

April 14th, 2012 | Uncategorized | 2 Comments

A strange thing happened today, maybe because it was Friday 13th, or because it was my birthday and I’d received so many greetings (thank you) on my Facebook page that it resulted in overload.  In either case I was unable to access Facebook on my Blackberry or the office computer so I couldn’t see either personal messages or comments about my blog and the lost dog story, and thanks to a birthday dinner and a long wait for a sampan back to Lamma it was midnight before I got home.  I’d made an error of judgement in posting the adoption photo of Sasha and Merry, or rather a hasty decision when I had to get a move on and couldn’t find another photo.  It was supposed to be for indentification of Sasha, not the person or even Merry, but I was told that there were a lot of personal comments being made so the whole entry was removed.  It was my mistake and I sent myself to the naughty corner (of the bed) for the night and will say no more other than Sasha is still missing and I hope she comes back.

This beautiful 4-year old German Shepherd girl is being given up, but she has not been on any heartworm prevention

Although banned from Facebook today, I was able to read my emails and too many of them were surrender requests, out of which only one had what I’d call a genuine reason for asking for help.  Apart from the ease at which people seem to be able to give up their dogs, it’s upsetting to see how many dogs aren’t licensed, have never been vaccinated and aren’t on any heartworm prevention.  Forget the desexing, that’s almost unheard of.  It’s probably true to say that any dog living in the New Territories, and who isn’t kept inside for its entire life, will be infected with heartworm if not given any prevention.  Like the breeder dogs I have been talking about, almost all of whom need (expensive and risky) treatment, many of those that we take from the Sheung Shui AFCD Kennels are heartworm positive (we got one today). Apart from the cost of the treatment and the discomfort for the dog (two injections in the spine),  there is the potential of a bad reaction which can be fatal in itself, and even if that doesn’t happen there needs a be a month of restricted exercise while the dead worms break down and eventually disappear from the body.  So with all of these surrender cases I insist that the dog is tested for heartworm before we will even consider accepting it for re-homing, and sadly for the dogs themselves most owners aren’t prepared to do that.  Heartworm prevention is so easy – a tablet once a month or a yearly injection – so please don’t put your dog at risk by thinking it’s not necessary.

One of the birthday messages posted included this link to a wonderful story about a man and his dog, and it being the weekend and a new day I wanted to share it.  For all the those people – and I know there are many – who either don’t like dogs at all and/or think they are dumb animals, I wish they would watch this:

www.youtube.com

The Amazing Skidboot is the smartest dog you’ll ever see. He gained worldwide fame with his tricks, but had to give up performing once he started going blind…

Margaret as a shy puppy (with big ears)

I could write pages on all of the dogs I have know or who are living with me – hopefully most of them temporarily – who have the potential to be Skidboots (although I have to say Skidboot is probably one of a kind).   Margaret is one of them, a very special dog who was taken from AFCD as a shy puppy and a substitute for a senior rottweiler that I’d called Margaret, but who was found dead in her kennel the day I was due to take her out.  The puppy Margaret was Cheung Chau Sharpei, a “breed” that has developed over generations and is quite distinctive in looks, the nose being long and pointy as opposed to the more stubby nose of the Shek O Sharpei.  It took a while for Margaret to overcome her mistrust of me but now (at around a year old) she is an amazingly devoted dog.  She took over Sandy’s spot on top of the large refrigerator which stands in front of the spiral staircase, and from that vantage point she can watch everything that goes on, both inside the house and in the garden (sometimes she and Sandy share the space but it gets a bit crowded for Sandy’s liking).  Gradually more of Margaret’s unique personality has been emerging, and while she’s not a dog that likes being cuddled she does appreciate me gently stroking her face.  She sleeps under my bed, directly beneath where I’m lying and with just her nose visible, ever vigilant, and I have no doubt that she would be the best guard dog if anyone dared approach (which wouldn’t happen in a million years, but still).  I know that Margaret is not a dog that I would ever be able to find a home for although she is very easy and undemanding.  One of the characteristics of the sharpei, whichever variety it is, is their loyalty to their owner and it takes a long time for them to shift those feelings to another human.
(Nearly) every dog has the potential to be remarkable given the chance.  The lifestyle of most pets these day doesn’t give them the opportunity to develop into a Skidboot, but I’m sure there a lots of dog stories like his.  I suspect there’s a lot of dog talent that goes unnoticed and wasted which is a huge shame, but having a loving home for life is good enough.