Puppy love
New research has found that the bond between pets and their owners is comparable to the bond between parent and child. Japanese researchers discovered that the levels of oxytocin, a hormone associated with nurturing and attachment, increase in both dogs and their owners when they gaze at each other.
This proves what Dogs Life readers already know to be true: your pooch is really just part of the family.
Protect against parasites
The Australian Veterinary Association is reminding owners to protect their dogs against heartworm. Heartworm is passed on via mosquitoes, so owners are urged to take action as Australia approaches the heat and humidity of summer.
Heartworm can have serious consequences for dogs, including heart failure and damage to other organs. Prevention is easy with once-yearly injections or monthly tablets and spot-on treatments. Watch out for signs of heartworm including lethargy, tiring easily with exercise, coughing, weight loss, loss of appetite and an enlarged or swollen abdomen. Visit your vet to find out about testing and which treatment will best suit your dog’s needs.
Putting a tight leash on the spread of rabies
Over 20 million dogs are killed inhumanely worldwide due to overpopulation and rabies outbreaks. Manfred&Co is working to stop the spread of rabies by raising money to support animal welfare organisations that work to minimise the global stray-dog crisis through rabies vaccinations, humane dog population management and education in responsible pet ownership.
With each purchase of a high quality dog collar or leash from Manfred&Co, they aim to vaccinate a dog in a developing country against rabies, with the aid of their partners in animal welfare. To find out more or make a purchase, visit manfredandco.com.
Lap of luxury
Gold Coast local Sean Longhurst has built a luxury, multistorey house for his dogs! The project started out as a small structure to keep his three dogs warm in winter but he ‘got a bit carried away’. It took two months to build and includes sensor lights, auto-refilling water bowls and ¬insulated walls. The construction was a labour of love for Sean, who now wants to start a business building dog mansions for other pampered pooches.
Mad for mushing
Fed up with the lack of safety and steering control in traditional mushing apparatus, Mark Schuette came up with his own system. He has developed the Dog Powered Scooter and Trike to make dog powered mobility easier, safer and more accessible to everyone. His design puts the dogs behind the steering wheel and limits them to forward motion, so the rider has complete control over the dog and the vehicle. This control also allows for deaf, blind and aggressive dogs to safely exercise and be part of the sport of mushing. To find out more, visit dogpoweredscooter.com.
Wild dog woes in Western Australia
The increasing numbers of wild dogs in Western Australia are causing problems for the pastoral industry. Wild dog attacks on livestock are costing millions of dollars annually and leading some smaller sheep and goat stations to destock. Members of the pastoral industry are calling for the construction of a fence or ‘vermin cell’ to keep wild dogs away from livestock. Efforts are being made to secure funding from the state government. For more information, visit
https://www.agric.wa.gov.au/state-barrier-fence/wild-dog-control.
Did you know?
Dogs can tell the difference between a happy face and an angry face. According to a 2015 study undertaken at the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna’s Messerli Research Institute, They are the only animal, apart from humans, proven to be able to discriminate between human expressions.
New study on poo pick-up habits
A recent paper in Environmental Sociology explores the poo cleanup habits of dog owners. The investigator Matthias Gross observed dog walkers at different times of day and recorded their excrement removal techniques. He found that people who walked their dogs in the morning when less people were around were more lax in their clean up. However, people who walked their dogs later in the day, when parks and public paths were more crowded, were more likely to pick up after their pooches.
Piece of mind for pets on planes
An American airline has started offering pet tracking for passengers with pets on their planes. Delta airlines has debuted a new GPS-based gadget that will allow owners to monitor their pet’s location, ambient temperature and how their pet’s crate is positioned. However, due to restrictions on mobile phone usage on planes, the device will only send alerts before and after the flight takes off. It is yet to be seen whether this new technology will take off in Australia.
Disco dog
A New York based company has created the world’s first smart phone-controlled LED dog vest. Using the Disco Dog app, users can choose to display an animated pattern or custom-scrolling text in thousands of colours. It’s a very groovy way to keep dogs visible and safe when it’s dark out. Plus, they’ve come up with a clever solution if your dog runs away while wearing the vest. If the connection is lost, the vest will automatically display a “LOST DOG” message, prompting bystanders to help your dog get home. They reached their target funding through a Kickstarter campaign earlier in the year, so keep your eyes peeled for when the Disco Dog hits the market.
