I could not resist putting this picture on my blog.  I was listening to the Today program on BBC Radio4 this morning and so much rubbish was talked about these newly released pictures of the royal baby, I turned the radio off.  They were critising "the amateurish quality of the pictures.  Mr Middleton should not harbour ambitions of becoming a photographer.   Why is the dog in the picture?  Too much sunlight in the background."
Ozzy is in all our family phtographs.  He is very much part of the family. 
Is it not nice to have a natural, non photoshopped snap?
A normal family with a baby and the family dog.
I think they are great and we should have more.

    

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Im not sure what a "blog" is, but since I learn best by doing, here goes everything. As you can tell by my dedication, Im a dog lover.

My breed is the Curly-Coated Retriever and Ive loved them since 1995. My first Curly, Hunter, was 3 years old when he joined our family (which included a well loved pound puppy of the Husky persuasion). Hunter was such a delight and had a temperament that matched what I thought of when I thought of "Dog" such that he converted me to the breed. Im sure everyone loves their favored breed for a similar reason. Should you ever have the opportunity to adopt an adult dog, I say "Go for it". They can enrich your life in so many ways.

Now, for todays Q & A:

After a myriad of other questions including what kind of "mix" are they, a typical question is "Do Curlies shed?" In answer, I say "Yes they do but Im glad. Because their hair grows to a certain length then falls out, there is no need to do the constant grooming that Poodle owners do. It is a trade off. Now to put the shedding into perspective, Niki, the Husky shed more than all 3 of my Curlies combined."

This got a bit lengthy so Ill talk to you later.

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A dog’s ancestral diet looked very different from the diet that has been made popular by pet-food manufacturers.

The composition of a Dog’s Ancestral Diet looked like this…

• 56% Protein   
• 25% to 30% Fat          
• 14% Carbohydrates    

Carbohydrates are NOT nutritionally necessary in a dog’s diet. Protein and fat ARE essential components for a healthy canine diet.

Carbohydrates are NOT bad for dogs – in fact, when provided in appropriate quantity and from an appropriate source carbs can provide a useful source of energy and nutrients.

Grains are, however NOT an appropriate source of carbohydrates for multiple reasons as you will see further below.

Why Are Grains Included in Dog Kibble?

In the 1950’s dog food manufactures began a love affair with carbohydrates because carbs are:

• Easily obtainable;
• Have a long shelf-life;
• Enable the formation of hard/compact kibble;
• Are cheap to buy compared to the cost of good-source protein.

The inclusion of grains in dog food is not for the benefit of a dog’s health.

Highly processed grains are a good way for the manufacturer to bulk-up food but the resulting product provides poor quality nutrition and is species inappropriate.  A very bad situation if you consider that the major ingredient in a lot of dog kibble is grain or grain by-products of one sort or another.  For example:

• Barley (pearled barley etc.);
• Brewers rice;
• Cereal food fines (leftovers from human grade cereal production)
• Corn, Corn Bran, Corn Gluten Meal, Corn Germ Meal;
• Corn Middlings;
• Grain fermentation soluble;
• Oats or Oatmeal;
• Oat Hulls;
• Rice;
• Soy, Soy Flour or Soy (Soybean) Meal;
• Wheat Flour, Meal or Middlings (wheat mill run)

Negative Impacts on Your Dogs Health

I will cover some of the impacts on your dogs health just below. The negative impacts of grains in your dogs diet are many, some are complicated. I will not cover all impacts here but will cover enough for you to see just how serious this issue is.

 

Unwanted Weight Gain and Obesity 

Many of the grains used in commercially manufactured dog kibble are processed grain (cereal) carbohydrates.  These are highly digestible, low nutrient, high bulk ingredients which the dog’s digestive system quickly converts to sugar, which in-turn spikes the amount of insulin in the dog’s system – over working the pancreas and resulting in a feeling of constant hunger.  

As the dog is constantly hungry (due to high-insulin levels) the dog’s human may continue to feed the dog more of the grain-heavy food which then results in excessive weight gain – a condition on its own that can cause massive health issues…stress on joints, diabetes, inflammation leading to cancer, etc. Unfortunately all too often a veterinarian will then recommend a low calorie high fibre kibble (invariably grain based but expensive i.e. Royal Canine or Hill’s Science Diet) which further exacerbates the problem.

Carcinogens and Toxins in Grain and Grain By-Products

The Proof is In The Numbers
Statistics recorded by veterinary organizations from the 1950s up to present day are very telling. 

• The life-span of a companion dog in North America is now half of what it was in the 1950s;
• In the 1950s the average life-span of a golden retriever was 15 to 16 years, today the average is in the range of 8 to12 years;
• In 2005, 50% of older dogs dies from cancer, and the number is on the rise.
  

Cereal By-Products
The cereal by products used in the manufacturing of many dog foods are derived from the leftovers of human food processing.  It is important to understand that these are remaindered end of the line substances and as such, they can be full of chemicals.

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It’s widely assumed that pets add quality to our lives. We hear all the time that they can lower blood pressure, encourage us to get more exercise, and provide comfort if we are sad. There’s some truth to this – but is it always the case? A new study of people aged 65 and over investigates whether pet ownership is linked to higher satisfaction with life.

The study analyzes data from the Canadian Community Health Survey – Healthy Aging conducted by Statistics Canada. The survey collected data from more than 30,000 Canadians aged over 45 in 2008 and 2009. Chelsea Himsworth and Melanie Rock (Universities of BC and Calgary, respectively) looked at the data for those sixty-five or over, to see what effect pet ownership had. In total, 11,973 people had answered the questions that were needed for this study.

The majority of the seniors lived with someone else and most of these were married or co-habiting. Over 90% of them were white, and just over half were female. Over 90% reported having a chronic health condition. The average family income was less than 40,000 dollars a year. 

The survey asked if people had a household pet that provided them with companionship, and 27% said yes to this.

A set of questions called the Satisfaction with Life Scale was used. Previous studies with pets have tended to use a measure of quality of life; this is the first time the Satisfaction with Life Scale was used instead. It was chosen because it is a broad measure of satisfaction, that accounts for any medium-term changes that may be taking place without being affected by the mood of the moment. There are five questions in total and the results are added together. Then, people are divided into those who are satisfied and those who are not.

Himsworth and Rock analyzed the data to take account of variables including whether or not seniors lived alone, their marital status, and so on.  Education level and income were not linked to aspects related to pet ownership.

The results show that amongst older people who are married, co-habiting or living with someone else, those who own a pet are less satisfied with life. Amongst those who live alone but are not divorced, pet ownership was not related to life satisfaction. However, for seniors who are divorced and live alone, owning a pet was linked to greater satisfaction.

This is a very interesting set of results because it suggests that pet ownership in seniors should be seen in the context of broader family life. Amongst those who own pets, seniors’ relationships with other people affect the likelihood of them being satisfied with life.

The study is very large in scale and the sample is representative of the nation as a whole. However, because it is a one-off survey it raises many questions. For example, we don’t know about the timing of the acquisition of pets; had people who got divorced acquired a pet after the divorce, for example, as a way of helping them adjust? Amongst married seniors, is the one who acquired the pet also the one who takes responsibility for looking after it? Are some seniors more concerned than others about veterinary bills and what might happen to their pet if they could no longer look after it?

The question about pets was worded to ask about pets that provide companionship. It would be interesting for future research to ask seniors about attachment to their pet, to see what effect the quality of that relationship has.

The results of this study are fascinating, but also hard to interpret. Since sharing our lives with pets can add to our satisfaction with life, further research is needed to investigate the factors that affect this, and the way our relationships with other people also play a role. 

Does your pet get along with other members of your family?

Reference

Himsworth, C., & Rock, M. (2013). Pet Ownership, Other Domestic Relationships, and Satisfaction with Life among Seniors: Results from a Canadian National Survey Anthrozoos: A Multidisciplinary Journal of The Interactions of People & Animals, 26 (2), 295-305 DOI: 10.2752/175303713X13636846944448

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If you’ve ever been to Bangkok, you will have noticed stray dogs and cats loitering on the street corners. Some are well fed, but many are scrawny, flea-ridden, and have old injuries. While many sleep away the day, others are tricky for pedestrians to navigate. New research by Nikki Savvides investigates the relationship between people and street dogs in the capital of Thailand.

Photo: Krisdayod / Shutterstock

Thai people’s attitudes to animals are shaped by Theravada Buddhism, including a belief that killing animals is wrong. Although most Thai people eat meat and fish, there is a vegetarian festival in the month of October, when for ten days people ‘gin jeh’ (eat vegetarian). There are spirit housesoutside most buildings, where Thai people light incense and make offerings of flowers, food and other items. Acts of kindness towards animals, such as feeding strays or releasing birds from cages, are a way to ‘make merit’ (tam bon) for the next life. Stray dogs and cats are sometimes taken to Buddhist temples where the monks will feed them.

Estimates of the number of stray dogs in Bangkok range from 100,000 to 300,000. In 2007, the Bangkok Metropolitan Authority brought in regulations requiring pet dogs to be registered, micro-chipped and vaccinated against rabies. Clinics offer free chips and vaccinations, although it is not clear what effect this has had on strays. Some stray dogs are sent to a facility in Uthai Thani, which has space for 8,000 dogs and is always full.  

Savvides’ research is based on two weeks as a volunteer for Soi Cats and Dogs in 2008, and three subsequent visits to Thailand. SCAD was a Western-run organization that aimed to improve the welfare of soi dogs and cats. Savvides reports that it ceased operations in 2012 due to a lack of funding (in fact it became part of the Soi Dog Foundation, see later). Some of the dogs that SCAD cared for were adopted into new homes, mainly by Westerners, but the vast majority were treated for veterinary ailments, spayed/neutered and returned to the streets.

Savvides says the descriptions of dogs that might be adopted were anthropocentric, giving them names and writing about their history and personality so they were no longer anonymous soi [street] dogs. Before and after photographs show “the transformation of soi dogs from monstrous-looking creatures devoid of hair and muscle tone to sleek, well-cared for animals.”

The paper says that although 20% of people in Bangkok own pet dogs, they do not seem to want to adopt soi dogs. She gives several reasons for this, including their generally poor state of health, lack of training, and sometimes fearsome behaviour on the streets. In addition there is a fear of rabies. Although rabies is not as common in Bangkok as in some other parts of Thailand, it does occur. For example, in 2010 the owner of a pet stall at Chatuchak Market died of rabies after contracting it from one of the puppies she had for sale  and in 2012, a rabid rabbit was sold at the same market.
 

As part of her volunteer work, Savvides helped with a stall for the charity at a pet show at an expensive shopping centre. As well as pet food and basic accessories, many luxuries were for sale including Swarovski crystal jewellery for dogs, designer haircuts and pet portraits. In this place of conspicuous consumption, the soi dogs seemed out of context.

Savvides also writes about what she calls ‘community dogs’, stray dogs that are looked after to a greater or lesser extent by people who live in the neighbourhood. Working people eat at street stalls on their way home, and often give some of their food to the dogs. Many people buy food specifically for the dogs that live on their soi. This might be because they feel sorry for or fond of the animals, but is also a way to ‘make merit’. Savvides says that at Siriraj Hospital, visitors will feed the stray dogs in the hope that if they make merit like this, their family member’s health will improve.

She says, “On each trip I ate dinner most nights at one of Bangkok’s many food markets, which were always home to a number of soi dogs. I observed market stall owners feeding dogs scraps, mainly rice but sometimes fish heads and off-cuts of meat. Women and men selling noodles, soups, and fried chicken at the markets put out bowls full of food on the streets every evening. Some hand fed the animals. I saw people tending to soi puppies, ensuring that they could eat without being bothered by larger dogs.”

Although Savvides believes these cultural practices are specific to Bangkok, I have seen similar interactions with soi dogs in other parts of Thailand.

The Soi Dog Foundation has sterilized over 60,000 cats and dogs since it was founded on Phuket in 2003.   Although some dogs live at the shelter and can be sponsored or adopted, most are spayed/neutered, treated for veterinary conditions and returned to the street. The SDF says that “killing animals or rounding them up and placing them in dog pounds has no effect whatsoever on the overall population, as the fertile remainder will always rapidly breed to fill the void. It has been scientifically proven that spaying and neutering 75% to 80% of a population of a species will see a reduction in numbers.”

This reasoning is similar to that used by Trap, Neuter and Return groups for feral cats in Western countries, but here is applied to dogs as well as cats.

Savvides believes that scholars have been too focussed on the relationship between people and dogs that live in the home. She says, “Western theory on human-dog relationships has shaped a narrative for dog-keeping practices in which the animal lives in an individualised, pseudo-familial relationship with the human in the home.” This seems to ignore research on working dogs and shelter dogs, as well as the interest in domestication, and the street dogs of Moscow, for example, although it is certainly true there is still much to learn about the human-animal bond.  

She also says, “No doubt there are a myriad of practices currently in existence in different cultures that defy any current understandings of human-dog relationships. Those between humans and soi dogs in Bangkok are one such example.”

Photo copyright Graeme Oldham

I was especially interested to read this paper since I used to live in Bangkok. The photograph shows a dog called Judy in the Sathorn area. As you can tell from the collar, she is an owned dog. During the day, she would wander out of her property to visit the street stalls set up on the sidewalk. She was unperturbed by the crush of children coming out of the nearby school in the afternoon. I often saw her being given bits of hot dog and other food by the vendors.

Thinking about the community where you live, do you notice differences in the ways people live and interact with dogs?

Reference

Savvides, N. (2013). Living with Dogs: Alternative animal practices in Bangkok,, Thailand Animal Studies Journal, 2 (2), 28-50. Available with open access at http://ro.uow.edu.au/asj/vol2/iss2/3/

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