Bet you didn’t know that a Great Dane can be a service dog!
These special needs dogs are ‘walker dogs’ – dogs to assist those people who have impairments to their mobility and balance. These people can be Parkinson’s or MS patients and, more recently, it has been servicemen and women who have returned home with inner ear and brain injury.
The Project has donated over 45 Great Danes to people with severe balance or mobility problems. They are located in Ipswich, Massachusetts on a 12-acre property. Founder Carlene White was inspired to start the project because her father had Parkinson’s and she had a friend with MS.
Said Carlene in a recent Boston Globe article, ‘You can’t really balance with a walker or a cane, because you go over backwards. You don’t go over backwards if you’ve got a 150-pound dog on handles.’
This YouTube video describe the Service Dog Project in more detail.
The month of October is National Pit Bull Awareness Month in the United States. October 27th, in particular, has been deemed National Pit Bull Awareness Day.
Pit Bulls are not killer dogs; they do need understanding and proper handling. Sadly, when a problem arises, it is usually the dog who is blamed. Not the handler or guardian or the living conditions of the dog. This month is about raising awareness that Pit Bulls can make loving and loveable pets. These dogs need homes – not a spot on death row.
In honour of National Pit Bull Awareness Month, I’d like you to meet Honey Bun. She’s a Pit Bull I met at the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary.
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Honey Bun came out to meet the people on my sanctuary tour. Her handler described her as a ‘typical little pitty’ who needed attention and lots of stimulation. For this reason, Honey Bun goes to the Sanctuary offices one day each week to work from the HR Department. Apparently, one of her favourite activities is to carry around a coffee mug in her mouth.
Contact your local shelter this month and see if there are lovely Pit Bulls like Honey Bun waiting for you there….it may be a life-changing event.
Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut is reportedly the first university in the United States to adopt a mascot, dating back to the 1890’s when a student from England started the tradition.
The official bulldog is named ‘Handsome Dan’ and the university’s current Handsome Dan is Number 17! (You can read about all of the Handsome Dans on this website.)
Handsome Dan will appear at games of the university’s football team – you guessed it – The Bulldogs.
Cole Porter (class of 1913) wrote the Bulldog Song, which is the Yale fight song. It’s played by the band whenever a touchdown is scored. The song goes like this:
Bulldog! Bulldog! Bow, wow, wow Eli Yale Bulldog! Bulldog! Bow, wow, wow Our team can never fail
When the sons of Eli Break through the line That is the sign we hail Bulldog! Bulldog! Bow, wow, wow Eli Yale!
Official merchandise of the Yale athletics teams is known as Bulldog Blue.
And like most university mascots, the image of Handsome Dan is replicated throughout merchandise, events and student life on the Yale campus.
I’ve just finished reading Oogy: the dog only a family could love by Larry Levin. This New York Times bestseller tells the story of Oogy, a puppy that had been used for bait in dog fighting, and the Levin family who adopted him.
In many ways, this is a story about fate. Fate in how a badly injured Oogy was brought to an animal hospital offering after-hours treatment. Fate because a woman who worked at the hospital (later called ‘Saint Diane’) recognised Oogy’s special character and intervened to ensure Oogy got life-saving treatment and care. Fate because the Levin family met him when they had brought their sick cat to be put to sleep and decided to adopt him.
Oogy lost his left ear and and a good portion of his jaw and face to dog fighting. It appears that he was used as bait because he wasn’t a good fighter and then left in an abandoned house to die without care or attention.
The Levins named him Oogy because it was a derivation of ‘Ugly.’ Mr Levin is the first to admit that when he first met Oogy, his appearance was grotesque. (The dog had a lot of scar tissue which was operated on later.) In fact, Oogy was so disfigured that, because of the connection to dog fighting, everyone assumed Oogy was a pit bull.
As he matured, it was agreed that Oogy was a Dogo Argentino, one of the breeds that is often discriminated against and termed ‘dangerous.’
Read this book and enjoy the Levin’s journey with Oogy. Read about how his charm wins over residents who were scared of him; read about the care the Levins provided for Oogy, seeing him through corrective surgeries as well as rehabilitation from cruciate ligament ruptures.
Finally, I think one of the best parts of this book is how Levin describes the responsibility of the pet owner:
‘It has always been my belief that a pet owner has a special responsibility to do everything that can be done to make the pet’s life as fulfilling and peaceful as possible. That responsibility is yours the moment you make the choice to take an animal into your life.’
In this, the 2nd in my ongoing series about canine university mascots, I cover the University of Georgia Bulldog.
Official bulldogs have been given the name Uga (derived from the University of GeorgiA) and their lineage is traced like royalty (imagine the Bulldog equivalent of Queen Elizabeth II). In fact, the Seiler family has, through its breeding programme, supplied every University of Georgia bulldog for the last 56 years.
Russ, the current ‘temporary’ University of Georgia bulldog mascot will be promoted to the official title of Uga IX on September 15, 2012.
Later this month, Uga IX will officially take up his reign as the University’s mascot. He is currently known as Russ and he’s the half-brother of Uga VII, who died in 2009. Russ has served as an interim mascot for 23 football games and has worked hard enough to officially be promoted into the role of the University’s mascot.
The Bulldog is the icon of the University and appears on other parts of the campus beyond athletics.
Fans of the University can join the Bulldog Club for special promotions and ticket discounts. Students can deposit into their Bulldog Bucks accounts and use their funds to purchase meals and other merchandise from shops and dining halls at the campus. The alumni association also recognises the top 100 Bulldog Businesses – that’s the top 100 businesses created by University of Georgia graduates.
The genetics research group at the University of Helsinki has published its findings into a study of tail chasing in dogs. The study involved 400 dogs and questionnaires to the owners about their dog’s behaviour. Samples of each dog’s blood were also taken.
The questionnaires covered behaviours, aspects of the dog’s puppyhood and daily routines. Owners were also asked to evaluate their dog’s personality.
Compulsive tail chasing can occur in any dog but is common in breeds such as the Bull Terrier and German Shepherd. These breeds were included in the research, as were the Miniature Bull Terrier and the Staffordshire Bull Terrier.
The study aimed to describe the characteristics of tail chasing in dogs and to ascertain the environmental risk factors for the disorder. The researchers also wanted to know if a previously identified gene that has been associated with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) had a role to play.
What they found
The OCD gene that had been linked to other compulsive disorders in dogs was not associated with the tail chasing disorder
Dogs responded with less tail chasing when fed supplements of vitamins and minerals, although the researchers feel that more study is warranted to prove this link
Early separation from their mothers and/or poor care from their mother also predisposed dogs to compulsive tail chasing
Dogs may be a good model for studying OCD in humans because they are physiologically similar and share our environment. Consequently, this research has wider implications.
The research paper is available in the 27 July 2012 edition of PloS ONE
Kathleen Crisley, Fear-Free certified professional and specialist in dog massage, rehabilitation and nutrition/food therapy, The Balanced Dog, Christchurch, New Zealand
Many institutes of higher learning have adopted a dog as their official mascot. In this, what I hope will be my first profile of such dogs, I’d like to introduce you to the Northeastern University Husky.
In a prominent foyer of the main campus, a bronze sculpture of the Husky has been on display for decades in homage of the dog’s role as the official mascot.
It’s a common meeting place for students and faculty, particularly as the foyer provides a haven from what can be rainy or snowy weather in Boston.
The statue’s muzzle has been worn smooth from the amount of petting it has had over the years.
In addition, the sports teams of Northeastern are referred to as the Huskies, the newsletter of the university is The Husky Nation, and the on-campus card for purchasing is The Husky Card.
Visit the official university bookstore and you can buy t-shirts, sweatshirts and other items bearing the Husky image. If you are lucky, a real Husky will attend a special sport or other event being held at the University!
A research team led by the University of Durham has published a study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (USA). This study shows that today’s modern breeds of dog have little in common genetically with their ancient ancestors.
Dog domestication occurred over 15,000 years ago – and there is still much to learn!
Years of cross-breeding are the major influence on the genetic differences, although the researchers are quick to add that other effects on genetic diversity will include patterns of human movement and the impact on dog population sizes caused by major events such as World War I and World War II.
The research team analysed genetic data from 1,375 dogs representing 35 breeds. They also looked at data showing genetic samples of wolves because other research studies have concluded that the dog descended directly from the gray wolf.
Lead author Dr Greger Larson, an evolutionary biologist, says the study demonstrated just how much there is still to understand about the early history of dog domestication. “We really love our dogs and they have accompanied us across every continent. Ironically, the ubiquity of dogs combined with their deep history has obscured their origins and made it difficult for us to know how dogs became man’s best friend.”
The study also refutes claims of previous researchers that genetic differences in breeds such as the Basenji, Saluki and Dingo were evidence of an ancient heritage. The Durham team’s study shows that these dogs are genetically different because they were geographically isolated and were not part of the 19th Century Victorian-initiated kennel clubs that blended lineages to create most of today’s breeds.
‘Agreeableness’ means being less concerned with the needs or well-being of others. Such people may be suspicious, unfriendly and competitive as well.
Participants were given personality tests and indicated their preference for different types of dogs . The dogs were independently rated according to how aggressive people perceived them to be. Bull terriers were rated as most aggressive, followed by boxers; retrievers and cocker spaniels were seen as least aggressive.
The study’s results also show a small effect suggesting that those who liked aggressive dogs showed signs of conscientiousness – being careful, reliable and thoughtful about their actions.
Whilst this finding (about conscientiousness) contradicts a long-held perception that owners of aggressive dogs are always irresponsible, Dr Vincent Egan, the study’s lead researcher suggests caution before reading too much into the conclusion:
“These results with Conscientiousness were unexpected, but the effect is a small one, and needs to be repeated in a different group of people. Studies of this kind tend to only look at a restricted age ranges, which may exaggerate findings which do not occur across the entire lifespan, so we believe a stereotype is always true, whereas it may only be true under certain conditions. Our study employed a broader age range.”
Dr Egan’s study has been published in the journal Anthrozoos.
Since I have Beagles in my massage practice, I thought it would be useful to profile this medium-sized breed.
Teddy
Beagles regularly feature on the most popular breed list in the United States. Using American Kennel Club registrations from 2011, the Beagle is the third most popular dog.
The Beagle originated in the United Kingdom where they were used as hunting dogs for rabbits and other prey animals because of their keen sense of smell and ability to track. As a pet, owners have to watch their Beagle because he/she will easily follow its nose to track interesting smells – potentially wandering far from home.
Beagles are classified as being tri-colour (black, white and tan) or lemon (yellow) and sometimes even red or white. An average life span is 15 years.
This breed is prone to hip dysplasia, intervertebral disc disease, and allergies. Some develop seizure disorders and hypothyroidism. Regular ear cleaning is recommended because their long, floppy ears (which are very appealing) help to create an ideal environment to hold moisture and bacteria in the ear canal.
The Beagle is a hound and can be extremely vocal, so good training is needed. Beagles are also known for their appetites and so to keep the weight off, a balanced and healthy diet is needed with careful attention paid to how much the dog is eating during the day (treats, ‘finds’ on walks, etc.) Plenty of exercise is also needed.
Owners of Beagles tell me that since they were bred as pack dogs (for hunting), they don’t do well as a solo dog in a household. They need companionship and can become depressed if left alone for long periods of time. (This depression can lead to problem barking problems, too.)
Beagles are often spotted at airports, cruise ship terminals and postal depots because they are widely used as agriculture and drug detector dogs. That’s because they can be trained to put their keen noses to good use! I even came across this YouTube clip from the television show The Doctors where Beagles and Dachshunds are being used as detector dogs for bed bug infestations:
DoggyMom.com 