Jack's 11th Birthday

Hi,

We celebrated Jack's 11th birthday on Mon 27th April with some special treats for him.

Here is a slide show of the photos taken of the occasion :

Well, we are glad to say that Jack is still looking good though greying but still fit and strong so we look forward to many good years ahead with Jack.

Happy 11th Birthday, Jack our Beagle!

Mummy, Daddy and Jason Poh

Jack Broke His Dog Chain

Hi,

I have a dog chain hooked to a heavy duty hook screwed into a wall of my car porch for many years.

2 nights ago, Jack was tied to it as we have some visitors that evening.

As usual, there are many residents walking their dogs around that time and Jack like to bark at them and lunge forward since he was tied up else he would have rush to the gate and bark at them instead.

The heavy duty hook broke!

Now we know how strong Jack is despite his aging and coming to 12 this coming Monday.

Jack's Great Escape

Hi,

I was opening the gate outwards to talk to a neighbour yesterday morning and did not notice that Jack was nearby.

Jack ran out of the gate immediately and my dear wife was screaming at Jack to come back and started to go after him. I told her not to run after Jack as he would ran even faster.

I went to take some dog biscuits and his leach before I started to go after Jack too.

My wife managed to get Jack's attention by shouting his name and biscuit. Jack stopped and made a U-turn and ran back towards the house, passing her. Jack was running quite fast and passed me too but I threw a biscuit towards him on the road.

Jack again stopped running and came for the biscuit, I went to grab Jack's collar and guess what happened?

The collar came off as I tried to grapple to leach him.

My immediate thought was that there was no way I can catch Jack as I have no way of holding on to him.

However, I threw another biscuit and called out to Jack out of desperation!

My greedy Jack ran back again for the biscuit and this time he was so eager to have his treat again that he did not mind my climbing over him with legs holding on to his body and at the same time, putting the collar back on him and then leach him.

I must say that I was lucky and got him this time......sigh

Lesson learned :

- I should not have opened my gate outwards but inwards.

- Arm yourself with biscuit or dog treats to lure Jack back especially if your dog does not respond to the Come command unlike Ruby.

- Stay calm and not run after the dog as it will run even faster and away from you,

Wow...... if Jack has ran away and beyond our catching him back, I would be lost myself today, my family too!

We really need to be watchful and weary of our dogs.

Take care!

David

Attacked by Dog - What You Should Do

Hi,

So you know what to do when face with an attack by a dog?

There was this article published in My Paper on 31 March 2009:

There is a very low probability of a dog attacking a human, except in cases of outright provocation, like throwing stones at the animal, kicking it or taunting it; according to a veterinarian.

So be smart and just leave them alone when you see them on the streets, according to one dog owner.

Still, what should you do in the event of a dog attack?

One expert suggested that you should stand as still and upright as possible, and don't stare down on the dog. Running away is a definite no-no, too.

In the dog world, the size of their prey matters. By standing upright, you are towering over them, which is a sign of dominance and , thus, intimidation.

He further claimed that while standing still, though difficult, is the only way of telling the dog that you mean no harm.

If the dog persists, the most important area to protect is the face.

The vet said that you should cover your face and press your elbows to your sides. This way, if the dog bites you, your ears, eyes, rib cage and vital organs are protected.

Well, I still remember cycling to school when I was young and sometimes passed by a few houses that have not closed their gates and their dogs would rushed out barking at me. I would cycle very fast to get away as far as possible and the dogs would only run a short distance and then stopped. I do not think I have really out ran them but they have left their territory instead, I think!

I think it is important to remain calm and not panic; the above advice should be applicable but at times it also depends on the type of dog attacking you.

Anyway, take care and watch out for stray dogs as my brother was bitten by one many years ago and it took him a long time to get over it. But I am glad to say that he is now a dog owner, partly because of his kids though.

Take care!

David