Best Friend

Last week, I got on my soapbox to defend pit bulls after the uncle of a boy who was fatally mauled by his parent’s dog said that the breed was “sent by satan.”
Don’t expect me to always be on the pit bull’s side.
I am a reasonable person.
In Waterford Township, where a pit bull ban is in place, a man has been making headlines because he apparently can’t keep his pit bull under control.
First off, I am not in favor of breed bans. But all the same, the law is the law and this man is not following it.
Despite the fact that officials knew he had a pit bull, he was not ordered to get rid of it. That’s kind.
But instead of taking this opportunity to be a breed ambassador, to disprove stereotypes that all pit bulls are bad and all pit bull owners are irresponsible, he chose to reinforce the stereotype.
His pit bull obviously didn’t receive a proper upbringing, as its history of threatening the neighbors shows it has some aggression issues.
And, instead of trying to rehabilitate the aggression issues while keeping the dog safely restrained to its own yard, he let it continue to get loose.
The dog has bitten at least one person and threatened others. Most recently, one neighbor was threatened by the dog twice in one day.
To make a bad situation worse, the man earned himself disorderly conduct charges when he dealt with officers called by the neighbors.
Now it’s a horrible situation, but it gets worse.
This pit bull, who obviously doesn’t have a good temperament, was bred. She has nine puppies.
Why? Why would you breed a dog with a bad temperament?
I am saddened and disappointed by this man’s irresponsible actions.
I can only imagine how his neighbors must view pit bulls and their owners now.

A dog's breathing and heartbeat can suddenly stop after being in a traffic accident, drowning, poisoning, or from shock. When this happens, it is crucial to administer an immediate cardiac massage as well as artificial respiration in order to save his life. As soon as you notice that he has stopped breathing, have someone help you call the vet for advice while doing your best to resuscitate the dog. It is very important to get oxygen rich blood to the brain as quickly as possible to prevent brain damage. His heart needs to be restarted within a few minutes in order for him to survive.

If you are not sure whether or not the dog is breathing, press your ear firmly on his chest and listen for a heartbeat. Once you hear a heartbeat, you may go ahead and begin mouth-to-nose resuscitation. However, if you cannot hear the heartbeat, then you need to start administering cardiac arrest immediately.

When starting the mouth-to-nose resuscitation, have the dog lie down on its side, making sure that the neck is stretched forward. Clear any obstructions from the mouth and pull the tongue forward. If you see any damage to the nose, an unconscious dog will breathe through the mouth and the tongue may block its breathing.

While keeping his neck as straight as possible, cup his nose with your hands and breathe into the nostrils for about three seconds to inflate the lungs. Observe the chest to make sure that it has expanded. Pause for 2 seconds and then repeat the process.

Check to make sure that the heart is still beating by feeling behind the dog's elbow with your hand or by placing your ear on the dog's chest to listen for a heartbeat. As long as the heart is beating, keep on administering the mouth-to-nose resuscitation until the dog is able to breath on his own.

If the dog's heart stops beating, you need to start administering cardiac massage right away. Begin by placing the heel of your hand just behind the dog's elbow on the left side of his chest. Place your other hand on top then firmly press both hands down and forward toward the brain. By doing this, you are squeezing blood out of his heart and into the brain. Repeat the procedure 6 times at 1 second intervals.

After you have finished with the 6 cardiac massage, give 1 breath of mouth-to-nose resuscitation. Continue alternating until the heart starts beating, then you may start resuscitating.

It wasn't by accident that advertising for the company �RCA� once featured a dog cocking his head in front of a speaker horn. There's something about this position that most people find utterly adorable. Dogs know it, too, which is why they do it, even when they aren't trying to hear anything in particular. We give them a positive response, and they remember that. Also, dogs tilt their heads for very practical reasons as well. Tilting the head to the side puts one of the ears up and forward. By turning an ear in the direction of fuzzy or inaudible sounds, dogs are able to hear a little more clearly.

We often forget how confusing human speech is for dogs. Even though dogs understand some of what we're saying, most of our conversation is just a blur of sound to them. Usually, they just ignore it. They can tell from our body language and eye movements when we're saying things that concern them. Once something attracts their interest, they'll often perk up their ears and tilt their heads slightly in order to figure out what's going on.

Dogs rarely cock their heads when sounds are coming from the sides, since their ears are
already in prime hearing position. They mainly do it when people are in front of them, since the sound waves aren't traveling directly toward the ears. You'll see this more in puppies than older dogs. It's not that puppies have more trouble hearing. They just haven't been around us long enough to figure out what's important and what isn't. So they respond to almost any sound with a little head-cock, especially when we're looking at them at the same time. They know something interesting is happening, and they don't want to miss a thing. They often cock their heads to make sense out of the babble of noise. The movement allows them to capture every bit of sound.

The way a dog's ears are designed may play some role in how much he cocks his head.
Pricked-up ears may be slightly more efficient than other ear shapes, since sound waves are able to go right in. Floppy ears present a problem. The sound waves have to pass through a big, heavy ear flap before reaching the eardrum. This probably doesn't make a big difference, but dogs with heavy, hanging ears may have to work a little harder in order to hear what's being said. The inside of a dog's ear is shaped like a cup. This design allows the ears to scoop in sound waves - but only when the opening is unencumbered.

HQ/05082011/34 PRESS RELEASE

MIJ THE POLICE DOG HAS HIS DAY

Friday 5 August 2011

Mij the sniffer dog is now the most decorated member of the Nottinghamshire Police dog squad after taking home six rosettes at a dog show last weekend (30 to 31 July 2011).

The Springer Spaniel attended the Ged Walker Memorial Dog Show, held at West Park in Long Eaton.

His handler PC Stuart Hazard said: “We already knew Mij was a special dog with some very special skills, but it was great to be able to show him off, as well as raise money for a cause that resonated so keenly with us within the dog section.

“He’s got more decorations than all of us put together now!”

The dog show has been staged for the past nine years in tribute to PC Ged Walker, a Nottinghamshire Police dog handler who died in the line of duty on 9 January 2003 after being fatally injured by a stolen taxi in Bulwell. He died in hospital two days later of serious head injuries.

In December 2003, 26-year-old David Parfitt was convicted of PC Walker’s manslaughter and was sentenced to thirteen years in prison.

Six-year-old Mij, a Specialist Search Dog trained in the detection and the location of narcotics, firearms, and component parts of firearms and ammunition, was proudly led out into the arena for each class by his best friend Robson, the eight-year-old son of PC Hazard.

The pair received rosettes in the following categories: Best Gun Dog, Best Condition, Agility, Junior Handler, Best Six Legs, The Dog the Judge Would Most Like to Take Home and the Waggiest Tail.

Dog handler PC Andy Pickersgill’s daughter Daisy, 11, also won a Junior Handler rosette with seven-year-old operational and firearm support German Shepherd, Blade.

PC Hazard with Mij and PC Pickersgill with Blade also gave the four hundred attendees a demonstration of the dogs’ skills in searching out drugs and weapons, and capturing fleeing offenders

Organiser Jan Wesley, from The Old Park Farm Dog Training School based in Bilborough, said: “The Notts Police dog section always put on a good show for us, but the added novelty of the kids with the two dogs entering the competitions made it a little bit special this year.

“They loved it. They both had lovely smiles on their faces and were very excited before each class. Considering some of the classes had 30 to 40 entrants they did exceptionally well.

“I think we have recruited two more dog lovers and I fully expect them to be at next year’s show.”

In attendance at this year’s show was PC Walker’s wife Tracy, who took home her own rosette in the gun dog category with Cocker Spaniel Tilly.

More than £1,000 was raised during the show, with proceeds split between the Care of Police Survivors (COPS) Foundation, and military charity Help for Heroes.

The mother and sisters of Lance Corporal Liam Tasker, from the Royal Army Veterinary Corps, were also at the show. Twenty-six-year-old LCpl Tasker was killed in Afghanistan on 1 March 2011. His sniffer dog Theo died of a seizure shortly after.

The parents of Lance Corporal Kenneth Rowe were also in attendance. The 24-year-old dog handler, with the Royal Army Veterinary Corps, was killed in Afghanistan on 24 July 2008 alongside his ammunitions and explosives sniffer dog Sasha.

NOTES TO EDITORS

Supplementary to this release is a photo of Robson Hazard, Mij and PC Stuart Hazard at Ged Walker’s Memorial Bench, which is situated outside the Dogs Section at Nottinghamshire Police Headquarters in Arnold.

Mij’s performance in each class is detailed below:

• First place in the Dog the Judge Would Most Like to Take Home class
• Second place in the Junior Handler class
• Third place in the Waggiest Tail class
• Fourth place in the Best Condition class
• Fifth place in the Best Gun Dog class.