Episode 23 - Leptospirosis, DCOs, empathy and more

The Dog News Show

Vaccination - or lack of it - is the subject that starts Episode 23 of The Dog News Show. Debbie has a story of a young puppy who apparently went to his new home having already come into contact with Weils Disease. Weils Disease in usually caught from rats' urine and can prove fatal, but dogs can be vaccinated against it - the disease is referred to as Leptospirosis in dogs. Sadly, when young Labrador Max went to his new home he became ill very quickly and nearly died, although thanks to his owners promptly taking him to the vet he survived. It's unclear how old Max was at the time of becoming ill, but the case highlights the need to have a sufficient vaccination program in place as soon as possible. Vaccinating our dogs has become a controversial issue - how do you approach it, and do you vaccinate your dogs? Has your dog suffered from a disease it could have been vaccinated against?
Nineteen areas in North Somerset will have Dog Control Orders (DCOs) coming into effect, despite the fact that the majority of the public who responded during public consultation being against the orders. In some areas the DCOs mean dogs will have to be kept on a lead, or not allowed into ponds, but seven council owned areas will be completely off limits to dogs. When similar DCOs were threatened in Ottery St. Mary in Devon, UK, a group called Ottery Dogs responded, and are a good example of how to tackle the proposed banning of dogs from certain areas. You can find out more about Ottery Dogs at their website, and you can also follow @OtteryDogs on Twitter.
In Plymouth in the UK, a 60 year old woman stopped to fuss a dog who to her resembled a teddy bear only to be bitten very badly on the arm. The incident happened at 9:00a.m. in Mutley Park, off Thorn Park, in Mannamead, and the man who owned the dog picked it up and ran away. The woman will be left with a nasty scar, and anyone who saw the attack, or who may be able to identify the dog or the man, is asked to contact police on 101, or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111, quoting crime reference number EC/12/8459. The attack raises the question of whether more education is needed about the best way to approach strange dogs - do you let strangers touch your dog?
Meanwhile, it's been weeks since we featured a good empathy story on the show, and Julie's come up trumps with a story from the Department of Psychology at Goldsmiths University in London. Researchers observed dogs approaching strangers and known people who were exhibiting one of three different behaviours - humming, crying, or talking. The findings - according to the researchers - indicate that dogs do indeed empathise with us. For those of you who enjoy it when Debbie goes a-stomping, you're in for a treat - and it all kicks off before Julie even gets to the meat of the story. Do you think dogs empathise with us?
In Grimsby Percy the cat must surely have lost one of his fabled nine lives, after he was attacked viscously by two Staffordshire Bull Terrier type dogs in Grimsby. Fortunately for Percy Sarah Kemp heard the noise of the attack and went to his rescue. But in order to get the dog to drop the cat, she had to punch him and press her finger in his eye. Poor Percy suffered internal bleeding, broken ribs and a dislocated leg, and is recuperating at the vet's surgery. The dogs' owner has apparently made attempts to fortify his garden and prevent the dogs escaping, but is this the answer? Wouldn't training be good idea too?
This week's Schmaltz Corner features Wensley the Shetland Sheepdog, who escaped from his owner, and nearly ended up in an incinerator. After an eagle-eyed crane operator spotted poor Wensley in the hopper at Eastcroft incinerator in Nottingham in with all the refuse. Two fire-fighters rescued Wensley and his microchip - hurrah for microchips! - ensured he was reunited with his owners. But what lessons can be learned from this experience?