Dog Bite Prevention Challenge in Liberia

By Morris Darbo

The Liberia Animal Welfare and Conservation Society (LAWCS) is a locally based animal welfare organization established in 2000 and legally registered with the government of Liberia in 2004. LAWCS renewed its legal status with the government of Liberia on January 3, 2012.

The vision of LAWCS is to create a society where the welfare of all forms of nature matter. As Mahatma Gandhi said, “the greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated”.

Liberia is one of the countries that do not provide rabies vaccine to dogs and anti-rabies vaccine to humans. Dogs are the main carriers and transmitters of rabies in Liberia. Children have been the main victims of dog bite. In partnership with a Canadian based organization, Doggone safe, LAWCS has been actively involved in dog bite prevention education in various schools in Lofa County using ``Be a Tree`` dog bite prevention program. From April to May, 2013, LAWCS` volunteers visited and inspired 10,076 school children in 19 schools.

See the details in the chart below:

No.	Name of School	# of female	# of male	Total
1	Kormah Shepherd hood Day Care	221	232	453
2	Japan Day Care	120	146	266
3	Kids Connection Day Care	241	255	496
4	William A. Brown School	224	200	424
5	Voinjama Central Academy	100	115	215
6	Voinjama Public School	250	305	555
7	St. Joseph Catholic School	235	140	375
8	New Life Community School	188	148	336
9	Answeru English & Arabic School	375	298	673
10	Kintorma Community School	412	421	833
11	Yandasu Public School	210	200	410
12	Selega Public School	200	231	431
13	Lawalazu Public School	220	245	465
14	Voinjama Free Pentecostal School	1007	994	2001
15	Malamai Public School	134	119	253
16	Koiyama Public School	254	201	455
17	Mamai Public School	213	65	278
18	Kabata Public School	247	241	488
19	Vezala Public School	376	291	667
	Grand Total	5,227	4,847	10,074

We want to extend our thanks and appreciation to Doggone Safe for their support. In particular, we want to thank Joan Orr of Doggone Safe, and all LAWCS` volunteers who worked with LAWCS to implement the activity.

Click  here to donate to LAWCS and help them to spread their messages against animal cruelty, to provide vet care and rabies vaccinations, and to provide dog bite prevention for school children.

Budget Raw Food Diet For Your Dogs (+Video)

As pet owners, we should be concerned of the news reports about dangerous processed pet foods. And the fact is, making our own pet food is an easy way to ensure your dog is getting the best and the safest.

A raw diet for dogs consists only of uncooked fruits, vegetables, legumes, and meat. And it can be made right at home in your own kitchen, without spending a fortune, and often for less than you are currently spending on dog food.

Preparing Your Raw Diet Dog Meal

The thing to remember when preparing your raw diet is that like humans, dogs are omnivores. They need a balanced diet of meat, fiber, fruits, and vegetables. Other than that, it's simple to do.

Prepare a mixture of fruits and veggies. Since most dogs don't fancy these stuffs, the easiest way to ensure your dog eats them is to mix them into a base of ground beef. Any ground meat will do.
In this meat base meal, mix a variety of vegetables. Get the cheapest you can find e.g. the damaged bin at your grocery store. Some great veggies to include are green beans, peas, carrots, tomatoes, kale, squashes, turnips and etc.

Just like veggies, go for the cheap one when buying meat, meaning getting the meat with the highest fat content. This is good, as dogs get their energy from fats, not from carbohydrates like humans. "Low fat" diet for humans don't work for your pets because dogs need LOTS of fats to stay active and healthy.

This mixture can then be made into individual "patty" servings which you can freeze and serve as needed. The patty mixtures should be at least 25%-40% meat. For a medium-sized dog, give about the size of a large hamburger patty.

How To Serve Raw Diet

Give your dogs a two-part or a three-part diet. This helps to make your dog gets what it needs.
Feed bone-in meat in the mornings and a special mixed patty in the evenings. The meat does not need to be expensive. The cheapest you can find will do e.g. turkey wings, pig feet, turkey necks, and other cheap cuts are great.

Give according to your pet's size and age. More if he's s large/older, lesser if he's smaller/young.  Raw bones are softer and easier for your dog to chew, and the calcium in the bones is good for them.

Also keep your eye on your pet if it's the first time you're giving him bone-in-meat food. Some dogs may get so excited that they may just gobble the whole thing and choke. Once he is used to getting meat regularly, he will take his time to enjoy it.

Feed the specially mixed patty daily in the evenings. Use the size guideline mentioned above on how much to give.

There are many different ways of preparing raw diet for your pets. What we've talked about here is only a sample of what you can do. You can get creative by doing it differently and have fun doing it at the same time.

Watch the 5-minute below by Dr Andrew Jones and get more ideas on raw food diet for your pets;

Once your dog on the raw diet for a while, you will notice that he is healthier and more active. Best of all, you can get all this done at only a dollar or two per day depending on your frugality. That's a lot of savings in year compared to the usual processed dog food you spend on.

You get to save money and your furry friend stays healthy! I'd say that's a real good double-deal, don't you think?

Dr Jones recommends the following'

 

 Ultimate Canine Health Formula

 Ultimate Feline Health Formula

The Veterinary Secrets Revealed

Complete Home Study Course

Seminar! Kids & Dogs: Pitfalls and Potentials

Join Doggone Safe VP Jennifer Shryock and author Colleen Pelar for a weekend of learning about managing and enhancing the child/dog relationship.

Date: Sept 21-22, 2013
Location: Boston/Cambridge MA

This seminar is for trainers, shelter staff, vets, vet techs, parents and expectant parents.

CEUS: CCPDT 12, IAABC 12

Click here for more details or to register

Download seminar flyer

Seminar Agenda

DAY 1 - SATURDAY: 

TIME: 9-9:30am - WELCOME: JENNIFER SHYROCK & COLLEEN PELAR

TIME: 9:30A-12:00P - WHAT DOGS WISH PEOPLE KNEW

PRESENTER: COLLEEN PELAR

• The “Good Dog Myth”, impossible standard and unrealistic expectations
• No “One size fits all” solution to rough toddler handling of dog
• Tolerance vs Enjoyment: when does kid behavior reach “enough already!”
• Teaching how to supervise and read body language & stress signals
• Setting Rules & Boundaries: what to look for & when to intervene
• Teens can be as tough as Toddlers!

TIME: 1PM-4:15PM - INCLUSION, REALISTIC EXPECTATIONS FOR BOTH CHILDREN AND DOGS IN THE HOME

PRESENTER: JENNIFER SHRYOCK

• Strategies to Decrease Bite Incidents (1:00PM-2:30PM) Learn proactive planning for dog & child safety zones before baby’s arrival; We will go over increase in problems due to unpredictable baby/toddler body movements; Inclusion of dog in daily activities with baby/toddler always requiring SUPERVISION; Learning/teaching canine body language and stress signals; Resident vs family dog; What we know about “inclusion”
• Essential Tips For In Home Consultations (2:45PM-4:15PM)

DAY 2 - SUNDAY: 

TIME: 9-10:15AM CAPTURING THEIR ATTENTION: Activities for Kids

PRESENTERS: Jennifer Shryock & Colleen Pelar

• Kids learn best with active involvement. You’ll learn specific ideas for capturing kids attention and teaching them about dogs, either in private lessons or when teaching a roomful of kids basic safety like “Be a Tree”

TIME: 10:30-12PM – SPATIAL ISSUES: THINGS GET TOO CLOSE

PRESENTER: Jennifer Shryock

• Toddlers & dogs can clash if things get too close and parents miss a signal of discomfort from the dog. You’ll learn about age characteristics and behaviors that often lead to tense moments; Grumble & Growl Zones and how to prevent or handle them; age related behaviors and dog/children interactions; how and when to intervene. You will learn solutions for doing “things” differently & talking to clients without causing fear or shut down.

TIME: 1:00PM-2:30PM – COMMUNITY OUTREACH: SPEAK ABOUT KIDS &  DOGS WHILE PROMOTING YOUR BUSINESS

PRESENTER: Colleen Pelar

• Sharing what you know about kids and dogs can improve safety and understanding. You’ll learn strategies to teach people and promote your business in your community, from fun fairs to library visits to school career days.. Be A Tree; The 3 Steps For Meeting Dog; Pros & Cons of bringing a demo dog; Activities to teach kids about dog body language.

TIME: 2:45P-4:15PM – DOGS & STORKS COMMUNITY EVENT (open to expecting parents in the community)

PRESENTER: Jennifer Shryock

• A live presentation of a Dogs & Storks program. You’ll hear actual questions & answers learn tips to share with clients who want to help prepare their dog for life with a baby!

We Met our Goal to Educate 30,000 Children in May 2013 - Thanks to Our Fantastic Presenters!

Presenters around the world from non-profit Doggone Safe educated more than 30,000 children about safety around during the month of May in celebration of Dog Bite Prevention Week. Events took place in ten countries, six Canadian provinces and seventeen US states.

Half of all children are bitten by a dog and most of the time the biter is the family dog or another dog known to the child. Dog bites can be emotionally and physically scarring for a child and can cost the dog his life. “Dog bites are preventable and we are very proud of the efforts of all our presenters as they work hard during Dog Bite Prevention Week and all year doing community education to help reduce the risk of dog bites to children”, said Joan Orr, president and cofounder of Doggone Safe.

The “Be a Tree” program is a dog bite prevention presentation for school children. Children learn that a happy dog pants and wags his tail loosely, while an anxious dog may show a half moon of white in his eye, yawn, lick his lips or turn away. A dog that does not want to meet them has his mouth closed and may hold his tail and body stiff, or wag his tail slowly. They learn how to let a dog approach them and how to pet it safely, after asking permission. They learn to avoid dangerous situations with dogs and how to Be a Tree if a strange dog approaches them or any dog is bothering them. To Be a Tree they stop, fold their branches (hands clasped in front), watch their roots grow (look at their feet) and count their breaths in their head until help comes or the dog goes away. The Be a Tree program is fun and interactive with a goal to empower and not to frighten children.

Diane Kamitakahara, principal of Earl Grey School in Calgary Alberta said, “Thanks so much for the presentations. They were great and very well received. One of our teacher’s daughters who is in grade 1 here had an encounter with an excited pit bull at the dog park the weekend after your presentation. She did exactly like you instructed and the dog backed off and went away. Her mom was amazed.”

For more information about Doggone Safe, to become a sponsor, to book a presentation for your school or to become a presenter please visit the Doggone Safe website at www.doggonesafe.com.

Dog Lover's Tip On Building A Dog House

Most pet owners let their dogs to stay indoors, sleep on the couch or in their owner’s bed. However, for those of you who would rather have your pet sleep outside and want to have a dog house instead, here are some simple rules on the type of shelter to provide.

The first thing to do is make a simple layout plan of how the dog house is going to look like when it's finished. Take into account the following tips as you go about planning your doggie's home.
Materials
 
You can purchase a pre-assembled doghouse, but if you enjoy doing it yourself, consider building your own using a mix of new and salvaged materials if you want to stay within your budget.
Many of the materials used to construct the doghouse can be found around your own home. 

Use scraps of plywood and leftover concrete from your last big project to construct your doghouse. If you are getting rid of existing carpeting in your home, save a scrap for your dog’s door.

Location

As a guideline, before you build your dog’s home, consider the layout and size of your backyard and where the winds travel. Have the door facing away from the bitter winter winds. Most dog house plans suggest that the dog house door faces east.

Make The Size Comfortable

Make sure the dog house is big enough to accommodate your pet’s potential maximum size. Your dog should be able to look out the front entrance while both standing and sitting. Make sure that entrance is high enough and the inside is spacious enough for him to turn around freely.
 

Make it easily moveable

During the winter, the doghouse should be in direct sunlight. In the summer, it should be in a shaded area of your yard. If the doghouse is light and portable, it's easy to re-locate the home during the appropriate seasons to ensure your dog stays cool in the summer but warm in the winter.
 

Consider installing flap-style doors

The flaps allow easy access while preventing rain, snow and wind from entering. While plastic flaps are lighter and easier for a dog to use, a heavy scrap of carpet can also be used as an effective barrier from cold winds. You just remove it in the summer so the doghouse doesn’t get too warm inside.

Ensure that the dog house is raised

It should be several inches from the ground to allow air and water to flow underneath. Ventilation within the dog house is also important. Put in a few small-sized holes in the walls. Install a wind block inside the house so the dog can use the heat of its own body to warm up the area if it is really cold or windy outside.
 

Have A Partial wall

The purpose is to allow your dog to escape the bad weather. That way your pet can either just sleep in entry or go further in. To keep your dog cool in the hot summer, you might want to consider using a concrete floor, which can hold the cool air and moisture from the ground during that period and keep the doghouse a bit cooler on the inside.
 
Another option is to get a mat. If you're up to it, a more fashionable accessory can be used to cool the doghouse too. You could use cooling pet mats on the floor of the doghouse. The mats, which looks like those used for yoga, are pressure-activated and work without refrigeration, water or electricity.
 

Keep the house warm

Keeping the doghouse warm during winter is another challenge. It's recommended using a heat light bulb to keep the doghouse warm, as well as using insulation.
 

Make a slanted roof

Like a home for humans, you will want your dog’s house to have a slanted roof to keep rain and snow from accumulating on top. The roof should also be easily opened to make it easier for you to clean out your dog’s home. Cleaning of the dog’s house should be done regularly for health reasons.

If your dog lives outside then he deserves to have a comfortable place to sleep and get out of harsh weather. Hopefully these easy tips on building a dog house will help you get started.

Heal Your Pets At Home. Click Below

Dr Jones Ultimate Canine Formula

Dr Jones Ultimate Feline Formula

 

Dr Jones The Veterinary Secrets Manual