Pugs are cruelty?

You hear this one every so often - that pugs are cruel, that they (and dogs like them) should not be bred. The argument goes that it is cruel to breed these dogs, as they suffer because of their appearance. Pedigree Dogs Exposed is a big factor of what lead to this argument being as popular as it is, but the general feeling of distrust we have at the moment for our governing bodies surely cannot have left the dog world untouched, and a great many have begun criticising bodies like the UK Kennel Club, or the American Kennel Club, and a great wash of critique has also come over breeders, especially those who breed dogs that have exceptional features.

 I want to make a good, logical, dispassionate argument. But I am woefully biased. Full disclosure: there is a pug on my lap as I write this. I am smitten with my Talos, I was smitten with my Zakkie. The first pug I ever met smote me, like cupid of old, with an arrow right to the left ventrical.

Seriously, though, can you resist this face?

With that in mind, let us start looking at why people argue that it is cruel to breed pugs. The primary point that is pushed is that the physical attributes of the dog are entirely designed by humans, but that they come at a potentially enormous cost to the dog health-wise. I wish I could whip out the evidence that conclusively proves that the adorable flat face of the pug comes at no cost - but the truth is that it does make them prone to overheat, prone to breathing problems (sometimes severe enough to require surgery), prone to eye injuries, prone to wrinkle infections and it is likely that the little curly tail, and the requisite oddly-shaped backbones, relates to spinal malformations and lameness. Their small size often comes with bad knees (luxating patella - a small breed problem). Then there's pug dog encephalitis (PDE), a really nasty one that kills pugs before they are two.

 These attributes - a short muzzle, a tightly curled tail, facial wrinkles - can all be classed as exceptional doggy features. It generally seems that there is a preference for dogs that are 'moderate' in all things. A mesocephalic face (muzzle neither particularly long nor particularly short, so neither Basenji nor Boston Terrier, think Labrador Retriever here). Moderately long legs (move over Whippet! For shame, Valhund). Moderate build, neither heavy nor light (bye bye, Bulldog). In a sense, what they are after is a dog that is wolf-like in appearance. The argument goes that these dogs are the soundest dogs, the least likely to have medical problems due to their appearance - they are the least likely to suffer. Well, that is only partly true.

Dwelling on the health problems, especially in the manner that Pedigree Dogs Exposed did, makes it seem like we have a clear cut idea of what causes these problems - and that clear cause is bad breeding (or, if you will, overly selective breeding to create these more exceptional features). The argument goes that these problems are caused by genetic factors, and all we need to do to eradicate them is to not breed dogs with those genetics anymore, and they'll disappear. But of course, we people being as we supposedly are, we care more about how they look than how much they need to suffer for those looks. The truth of the matter is considerably more complicated than this. We have very little idea which genetics link up with which diseases, and we have very little way of predicting which mating will produce perfectly healthy puppies, and which will not.

This, of course, is not to say that we don't have serious health problems in far too many of our breeds. This is not limited to 'non-wolfy' dogs either, like pugs, bulldogs or shar-pei. The toy Spaniels are tragically compromised with heart problems, the Dalmatians with urinary problems, the Great Danes with their incredibly short lives, Golden Retrievers with cancer, most large breeds with hip dysplasia (but here I always think of the German Shepherds - oh, and as an added bonus, wild wolves too! They just tend to die before they get old and stiff enough for us to notice). Blindness/deafness in blue puppies of many breeds, back problems in achondroplastic dwarfs (Basset hounds, Corgis, Dachshunds), stomach problems in white dogs... the list goes on and on. Every single type of dog is affected by some or another severe ailment with some regularity. I think a lot more can be done to study and understand what causes these diseases, and a lot more can be done to help reduce the incidence in our dog population.

That said, however, a lot of these problems are inherently part of what it means to be a dog, even if that dog is extremely wolf-like in appearance and conformation.  We also need a great big helping of reality here - we get old, all of us, dogs and humans. As we age, our bodies deteriorate. The shape of our bodies (and our lifestyles) affect how this deterioration happens to an extent... this is how things work. When we started selecting dogs for certain traits, we chose to breed dogs that exhibited certain behaviours and had a certain appearance. What mattered, health wise, were things that would impede the dog from performing its job. So corgis came to be, with their short little legs, partly because it lets them turn on a dime, partly because it keeps them low enough to work with cattle, partly because we liked the appearance. Yes, they have bad hips. Yes, they are likely to have back problems in their old age. The question is - is this cruelty? The answer to this hinges on suffering. The essential question is: "Is the dog suffering?"

Let us return to pugs. Historically, their function is to be the companion of human beings. It is a fairly old breed (some saying they go back well over a thousand years) and one of a very few breeds that have never had another purpose. There's no denying it, their faces, selectively bred over many years to resemble that of a human child, tends to melt our hearts.They are lovable to a fault, cuddly, and they want companionship, human companionship, as much as they want food (pug people already know, but food is very, very high on a pug's priority list). Taking this into account - that we will find them pleasant to have around, and that they want to be around us, interacting with us, at our speed - which is downright slow by dog standards, they fulfill their bred for purpose very, very well. As well as a Bloodhound sniffs, or a Collie herds. To quote a friend, they don't just sit on laps - they SIT ON LAPS. It's the same difference between a dog that chases sheep and a dog that herds them. A pug without human companionship must suffer, as much as a Greyhound that never gets a chance to run (and then nap somewhere soft and sunny afterwards) must suffer, or a Bloodhound that is somehow forbidden from using its nose must suffer. Their purpose is bred into them as strongly as their appearance.

Does a pug suffer from its short nose? I'd say in most cases, no. Yes, it makes it more likely that they'll get heat stroke, but then, you'd get heatstroke too if you ran around in temperatures that affect pugs. Yes, it makes it that breathing is different for them than it is for other dogs - they won't ever be athletes by Husky standards... but then, neither are you. Considering that they are made to spend time with you, it seems that their physical attributes are a boon, not a hindrance.

It is absolutely a case of human preference to breed dogs that look, and act, like pugs. This is true of every kind of dog. Is a wolf like dog the healthiest type of dog? Only by one, very narrow set of measurements. A wolfy dog, for example, a Malamute, would never sit on my lap happily, curled into my elbow, as little Talos is now - it simply would not fit, or its energy levels and exercise needs would push it to want to move in stead of staying with me for hours on end as I work on my computer. A Terrier would never be content with life in our apartment, with a few short, and one longer walks a day. I can't imagine a Belgian Malinois calmly using a litter tray, like my puggy does, or subsisting on the little food that my puggy subsists on.

A more wolfy dog would suffer, and suffer badly, if put into my pug's life.

Does my dog suffer because of her appearance? If I am correct in stating that appearance and behaviour (and health) are linked with genetics, and that she is especially suited to her life given her appearance and behaviour, it seems logical that the answer must be no. In fact, because she is made for the life she is living, she flourishes.

Are pugs cruelty, then?
I'd say no.

Outsmarted

Last night we made 'lifesaver', a type of tuna noodle casserole that makes in twenty minutes, dirties only two dishes (and one is a noodle pot - hardly the most labour intensive to clean), and is super tasty to boot!

We dished up and sat down at the table. We were watching a movie on the computer screen about 2 meters away on the computer desk. After a brief period of reminding us that we never feed her and that she is starving, Talos gave up and seemed to settle down to snuffling around the house.

About two minutes into dinner, she hopped up on to the computer desk, looked at us, strolled over the keyboard, jumped off and disappeared into the background. This is not too unusual, and while she's not encouraged to do it, she's not forbidden from the top of the computer desk either. Justin sweetly got up to fix the movie that had stopped and closed due to the buttons Talos pressed as she walked along. I turned to focus on what he was doing.

We shifted our attention back to the table just in time to see the last cheesy noodle disappear into the smuggest pug you have ever laid eyes on.

I've seen Talos outsmart other dogs, distracting them to take their bones only to sneak in behind them and take it. I never realised that we might just as well be the other dog!

Who's training who?

Hi everyone on the internet!

How are you?

I'm just super.

I finally taught my human the 'pull hard when asked' command. How did I do that, you ask?

Well, to get this right, you first need to teach them to hold on to, but not take away, whatever you're offering them. This is quite hard! For some reason, they feel the need to take so many things away, and then throw them once they have them. But don't despair! This is actually a great place to start - it's always easier when you can mold natural behaviour. Just keep bringing it back at first. Don't push your human too hard, they lose interest easily.

Once they're reliable in taking things from you, the really hard bit comes in. Your part in this is to hold on to it while they put their hand on it. If you start slowly, and hold on to it a little bit longer each time, soon your human will happily hold whatever you offer them. Remember to reward them appropriately. A lick to the nose, or if it suits you better, a good sit on their laps is a great way to tell them that they did well*.

The hard part done, the next bit is to teach them to pull back when you pull. If you're a big bang in a petite package, like me, or just need some handling finesse, those graspers of theirs can really help you get that niggling thing torn apart. If you've been keeping your human fit and mentally healthy (as you should, we are responsible dogs here!) you've been playing tug with them - this is excellent for this command. It means that when you pull back slightly, your human should recognise what's going on as a type of tug game, and pull back too.

Tugging with your human should look like this.
Don't mind the taking pictures, they can't help it.

If your human is not used to tug, you'll have to take a step back and teach them that first - it's not hard, honestly. The fastest way is to wait for them to be putting on socks. Grab one just before they can put it on, but be quite slow about it, so that they have time to grab it and try to get it back from you. Don't let go! As they pull, pull back. Give them brief pauses to rest, especially at first. Later, get a good rhythm going.

So, your human is happy to tug back at whatever you've offered to them - now we just need to put it on a cue. A vocal cue is not great here, since your mouth is full at point where you would like to cue. I use a quick nod. Nod, then jerk. Nod, then jerk. Even the slowest human catches on eventually, and will learn to not only expect pulling from you after a nod, but will hopefully pull back too!

This worked so well tonight! I finally got to tear off one whole ligament off my beef Achilles heel. All that remains is to settle down and chew to my heart's content.

Remember my friends, chew on their laps - that way they are rewarded without you having to do any extra effort. Great for paws with a busy schedule.

Yours furfully,

Talos

Adventure pug, Queen of all she surveys and Human tamer extraordinaire.

*I know how tempting it is to leave them a token of your appreciation on their favourite rug. I still cannot understand why this does not seem to please them. Perhaps my tokens are too small? An inconvenient limitation - let me know if you have a different experience. Regardless, I would not recommend this as a reward. ...deep sigh...

Leash walking

How on earth do you get your dog to not pull?

This question plagues many people, and keeps many, all too many dogs from being walked. There are techniques and tools that are very worth trying, but before we get to that, a note on dog training in general:

Behaviour has three parts. The thing that happens before, the behaviour itself, and what happens afterwards. So, looking at a pulling dog, often, what happens is the collar is applied, the dog begins to pull like a loon, and this leads to forward motion. This forward motion is something the dog likes a lot. Sometimes, the pleasure of pulling as an act in itself is what the dog likes a lot. Either way, if you want to decrease a behaviour, you can tackle it in two ways - change what happens before the behaviour, thus preventing the behaviour entirely (this would include not walking your dog, ever, but that's not what we're after here!).

The other way is to change what happens after the behaviour - if what comes after a behaviour is nice, odds are that behaviour will happen more frequently. If what happens after is not very nice, odds are it will decrease.

All training effectively works on this principle - either make the result you want super nice, so it will happen more, or make the result you don't want not very nice, so it will happen less. To make good training plans out of this you need to know a bit more about dogs than just that, but this is where it all starts.

Without further ado - on to techniques:

1. Wait it out. 
The leash or harness is on the dog, you're ready to set off, and Fido is pulling with all their might. Stand still. Dead still. Don't move at all. Let Fido pull, pull, pull. Eventually (sometimes 30 seconds, sometimes ten minutes or more) Fido will realise this is not working so well, and will calm down, stop pulling, maybe even sit. This is what you're waiting for. The moment you get no more pulling, take a step. Be ready, the pulling is likely to resume. Stand still again. Wait for no more pulling. Take a deep breath, keep calm. Repeat until your dog figures out that pulling gets it nowhere, but walking near you gets it in motion. This may well mean that you walk only ten steps for the first couple of walks, but it will get there. Depending on your dog (and how riled up praise gets it), it would be fantastic if you could praise, perhaps even feed a small treat, if your dog does not pull. 

Do not do this if your dog is too strong for you to control. Do not do this with a head halter, a prong collar or a choke chain, especially if the head halter/chain/prong does not change the amount your dog pulls at all - it's a good way to injure your dog. Do not do this if you cannot stay calm, patient and content during the initial part of training.

2. Enhance the mistake
Start walking. As soon as Fido pulls, head off in the opposite direction as quickly and as deliberately as you can. If Fido dashes ahead and pulls again, just turn once more. Is Fido pulling off to one side? Head off in the opposite direction. Praise, treat, sing, dance, whatever makes your dog happy when they're walking with you, not pulling. If Fido is walking too quickly for you, slow down massively. If Fido is too slow, speed up. This can be a great game if done happily and energetically. It is a good 'next step' if waiting it out did not work for you after a week of good, honest trying. It can be a good starting point if you don't have the patience for waiting it out.
Do not do this if you are using a head halter, choke chain or a prong collar. The jerking of the collar when you change direction can sometimes be rather violent, with a prong/choke chain you need a different approach.

3. Back to basics
If you have a puppy, or a large yard, it is also possible to learn leash walking by starting with getting the puppy/dog to follow you. Puppies are naturally inclined to follow, dogs are very likely to follow a potential treat. Call them to you as you go. If they run ahead, change direction. If they stay near you (for one step, then two steps, and so on, gradually increase), toss a treat on to the ground to reset the exercise, walk away calling them, and if they stay near you for x number of steps, treat and repeat. Keep sessions short - 5 minutes to 15 minutes is good. Increase slowly! Also, don't increase until your previous goal has been met. If your puppy/dog is failing, go a few steps shorter for a bit, then build up again.
Once the puppy/dog stays near you, and immediately comes to your side after a treat toss, add in a leash. Don't pick it up, let it drag (keep an eye on it for safety). Mentally remind yourself, nothing has changed, and keep at it. A few sessions after the leash has been introduced, pick it up. Again, nothing has changed. If you feel yourself getting tense, tie it to your pants. That way, no tension can do down the lead. Resume as before. If the previous steps were done right, the puppy/dog stayed right with you even with the dragging lead, and now stays with you even though you're holding the lead. It's time to hit the road! Pick a quiet time for the first walk or two, start in the yard like all the previous times, just head outside like it's all part of the session, and head right back in. Increase the distance gradually.

Then, in addition to these techniques, there are tools that you can use that can help:

1. Specialised collars
Choke chains and prong collars and perhaps even electric collars can help to teach your dog to walk, but I would strongly discourage you from using these without the guidance of a trainer. If used correctly, each can be humane, but it is all too easy to use them wrongly. Find a trainer that emphasises positive training techniques - these are learnt skills for which some guidance is very, very helpful!

2. No-pull harnesses
These harnesses have a back part made of rope. If your dog should pull, it will tighten around their chest giving an uncomfortable sensation. This very often stops them from pulling. This is a great option for brachycephalic dogs where collars and tension are a bad, bad mix. Remember that a tool is a means to an end - you still need to praise, treat, play or otherwise reward your dog when they're doing the right thing - the idea is that eventually, you'd be able to put your dog in anything, harness, collar, dainty diamante chain or even ribbon, and there won't be pulling.

3. Head halters
There are a selection of head halters out there. They look a bit like bridles, with the idea that if the dog should pull, the head will be turned towards the person. Since the body is likely to follow where the head goes, this stops pulling. Use with care, they can injure a dog's neck and spine if the dog still pulls. Again, see it as a means to an end. These also have the downside of looking a bit like muzzles, which may cause trouble should someone decide you have a dangerous dog.

4. The Suitcase leash
A DIY no-pull setup, you take your dog's leash along their back, once around their tummy, as close to their back legs as you can get it, and underneath itself. Here's a picture:

From http://www.pugvillage.com/forum/pug-training/108805-how-do-suitcase-leash-kind-way-correct-pulling-dog-pics.html, where a much better description of how to do it can be found as well.

Again, a temporary measure. Praise, play and/or treat when the dog is doing the right thing.

This is by no means an exhaustive list of techniques or tools to help with this. But, I hope this inspires you to get out there and get walking.

Barking mad

In the realm of dog behaviour, I know very little. I'm learning, but at this point it feels the more I learn the less I know. Most dog behaviour, especially when it comes to communication, is very nuanced. One turn of the head, shift of the ears, slight paw lift, arching of spine and dropping of tail, all in a millisecond, all so subtle that only the luckiest photo catches even half of it, is a whole conversation about access to resources, threat level, pack rank, mood and sociability that we, as a rule, miss almost completely.

So, let's set that aside and work on an easier one. Barking.

This is probably one of the most problematic things for dog-people interactions. For one thing, aside from toilet habits, this is perhaps the most vilified of harmless things that dogs do. This is downright weird, though.

If we accept that our dogs are domesticated wolves, it helps to contrast dogs and adult wolves to see what is 'nature' and what is selectively cultivated by humans. Adult wolves don't bark. Adolescent wolves bark - this is another wolf puppy trait, like attention seeking, playfulness and a greater dependency on others that we chose to keep in the formation of dogs.

We wanted barking. It's easy to see why. Sheep-herding dogs need to be very alert to small movements and change - and guess what? They're typically your worst barkers. Flock guards are pretty high on the list too, with a low tolerance for things being 'out of order'  -like a wolf bothering the sheep is out of order, or, in our more typical modern context, the garbage van collecting the garbage is out of order. It is because of this, on the one hand, the very sensible reasons for having dogs that bark, and on the other, the deliberate selection of puppies that will keep on barking their whole lives, that I get saddened by people punishing dogs for barking.

But let's take a step back. We now know why our dogs are capable of barking, but this tells us very little about why dogs bark.

It seems that barking comes when a current situation boils over a certain point. If you want to anthropomorphise, this is when a situation gets to a certain point of stressfulness - good or bad stress. When excitement becomes a lot of excitement, there is barking. When there is tension, and the tension does not alleviate, the dog begins barking. When there is something to be aware of, and turning your head, pricking your ears and generally calling attention to it in a normal way completely fails to alert your human (or the other dogs), barking is what happens. When there is fear, a moderate amount, many dogs will bark (a lot of fear often leads back to silence). Different breeds, and different individuals within breeds will have different tolerance levels, different points where they will start barking.

When you're yelling at your dog to stop barking, you're actually yelling at it to feel differently about a situation. This does not seem vary fair, honestly. It also explains why distraction often is the best way to end a barking session, and why bark collars only sometimes work.

With this in mind, I think barking is one of the less nuanced behaviours of a dog. This does not mean barking cannot, or does not convey a wealth of information, it simply means that it's more of a one sentence thing than most other dog communication. There seems to be five types of bark:

1. An informational one, "something is going on over there"
This most often sounds like the Hollywood bark. A clean, clear 'woof' that does not rise or fall in pitch.

2. An aggressive/threatening bark, "come closer and I'll do more than make noise"
This bark is often low in pitch, can be quite slow and is sometimes punctuated with growls. 'Grrrrruf!'

3. An excited one, "oh, my gosh, greatest thing ever!"
Here is often where you hear the high pitched 'yip-yip-yip'. Excitement has gotten so much that he doggy cannot hold it inside anymore, and it bubbles out in rapid, high pitched barks. Watch dogs doing agility, barking all the way - that is a typical excited bark.

4. A fearful one, "help! Scared!"
This bark goes up in tone at the end and is often half whine. It starts off as a bark but ends in an 'eee' sound, or an 'ooo' sound.

5. An attention seeking one "look at me, play with me!"
This is a bit trickier to describe, since it will differ from dog to dog, and I would argue that this is more common with companion breeds than others. It is a bark that starts or ends with a 'm' or an 'n' sound. It can be soft, but it can also be quite loud. Talos makes a soft, almost muffled "nuff".

 "Nuff" says little Talos, who is not impressed with me fiddling
with the camera in stead of playing. 

Of course, a list of types like this is idealised. The barks are often used in combination, or change halfway through from one to another. I'm also pretty sure this is not exhaustive - but, it does give me a starting point when listening to dogs going at it.

As my very last word - if your dog is barking too much for your liking, please, don't de-bark it, or use a shock collar, or a spray collar. If I (and other people who are actually dog behaviourists and scientists) are correct about why dogs bark, you need to address the underlying emotional state if you want less barking. Usually, a good distraction works (oh, you mean 'keep your dog busy with mentally and physically stimulating activities'? No way!). Also, we all need to let go of barking as a 'bad dog' behaviour. They're just letting their feelings be known - even if it sometimes makes us barking mad!

Pap en sous

I think we'd all agree that feeding your dog mielie pap with a bit of fat from the pan is not a good diet. Our SPCA tells people not to feed their dogs only pap, and we can all easily see this is not a well balanced diet, especially not for mostly carnivorous creatures that have limited ability to process grains of any kind, nevermind mielies. I mean, even we humans can't do mielies easily, as anyone peeking in the loo after a nice braaimielie can attest to, and we're omnivores in the true sense of the word!

Despite this, do you really know what's in your dog's kibble?

Most supermarket food is pretty much exactly that, mostly maize, with a sprinkling of meat, fat, flavourants, colourants and a host of preservatives. But, luckily, many pet owners have seen the benefits of feeding a higher quality kibble (smaller poop, less gas, better fur, more energy, brighter eyes, it goes on for some length, this list). This is partly on recommendation from your vet, which is normally a fairly good place to get some advice on your dog's health and care. If you're still feeding Purina, Bobtail, Pedigree or the like, I strongly suggest googling around a bit. None of these are really things a dog should be eating, the health benefits (and fewer vet visits) plus the smaller portions of a better quality food means the price is not that much higher.

I want to take a quick look at four of the most commonly fed higher end kibbles available to us, the thought being that now that we've moved our pets to a better food, we've gotten rid of the pap and sous, and gotten to the good stuff. The price surely should indicate this, especially on the first four of the five I will be looking at - Hill's Sience Plan, Eukanuba, Royal Canin, Montego and Vet's choice.

To be able to read ingredient labels you need to know a few things. Firstly, the ingredients are listed in order of the weightiest component to the component with the least volume. The first five ingredients are often taken as a good way of knowing what's mostly in the product. Secondly, the ingredients are listed before processing, which means meats that lose up to 70% of their mass during the kibble making process are still at the top of the list, despite actually being a fairly minor part of the kibble in the end. Thirdly, a lot of fairly commonly used ingredients in dog food are hotly contested, so any info needs double, triple and quadruple checking before you make up your mind as to what you find convincing.

Because reproducing the whole ingredient list is really not fun reading, I'll stick to the first five ingredients myself of the above kibbles - they are all certified 'nutritionally balanced' by many different organisations, so none of them need to be checked for whether your dog will develop nutrient deficiencies on them.

Let's start with the Science Plan, Adult Dry food (lamb flavour, because why not?).

First things first, this food is pricy. Due to the high price, we want the very best here. And the bags sure do claim that they are the best thing ever...

But:
Lamb meal, brewers rice, brown rice, corn gluten meal, whole grain wheat...
Well, well, well. So the largest ingredient is lamb meal, but that's truly about all the meat in this. The rest is all starches. Rice is sometimes considered better than corn, because it is more easily digestible, but it may also contain arsenic, so the jury is out. Corn gluten meal is a source of protein that your dog cannot really digest - it's bioavailability is rather low. Overwhelmingly, this is (expensive) pap en sous.

Next up, Eukanuba dry dog food. Also expensive, and like the Science Direct, it comes in so many types it's overwhelming.

The first five ingredients are:
Chicken, chicken by-product meal, corn meal, ground whole grain sorghum, brewers rice...
Hey, two proteins at the start - the chicken will be mostly lost during kibble making, but we're already a step ahead of Hill's. The rest is back to pap, though. In general, I'd say this is a slightly better food... but really, that's partly a reaction to how Hill's markets itself.

Right, Royal Canin. Since I'm a puggy person, we'll look at the mini adult type.

In here, we have:
maize, maize flour, dehydrated poultry meat, animal fats, maize gluten...
Am I seeing a trend here? Pap en sous indeed! At least this one is a little less expensive in most cases, but those are a horrible set of five ingredients.

Then, Montego. A good ol' South African brand, specifically the Montego Classic Adult dog formula.

On this menu:
cereals (4% rice), meat & animal derivatives (includes ostrich), cereal derivatives, fats & oils, natural flavouring agents...
A much more ambiguous list of ingredients, but much cudos to them for being honest, and clumping cereals into one category, so it goes where it should, at the front of the list. Of course, we'd need to know a bit more about what on earth meat & animal derivatives are to really judge anything here, especially with the recent inclusion of feather meal as a potential dog food ingredient. But, this is a much more affordable option, and is still a much, much better choice than anything in a supermarket!

Lastly, Vet's choice. Also a bit less pricey than the first three, inside this kibble you will find:
Cereals, meat and animal by-products, vegetable protein extract, oils and fats, minerals, vegetable derivatives, vitamins, amino acids...

We fed this for quite some time, in fact, after discovering how truly horrid the Pedigree and Purina puppy food was that we started out on. At the time their recipe read a bit differently, including more meat.

That said, though, while this is (was?) a more meaty pap, it's still not really getting away from the problem - lots of stuff in this food that the dog cannot easily digest. Now, grains aren't bad, per se (there is a case to be made for the immediately available energy they can provide), but I don't think they should be the majority of what a dog eats, with vitamin supplements to make up the rest. I am one of those cooks that thinks maybe dogs should eat healthy food, not just healthy supplements.

What do we feed nowadays? Earthborn Holistic grain free. It's hard to find at times, and it's expensive (I doubt this will be possible for people with many, or large dogs). We're looking at finding us some premade raw (doing it myself is beyond me and my kitchen at the moment - yet it is very affordable, and in many ways really the very best you can do for your dog).

Honestly, tough, it's tough finding dog food that sounds like it's actually food.
I do know though that pap en sous is not it.

Walking with Talos

One of my great pleasures is walking, specifically walking in places that make me forget I'm in a city. By some great stroke of luck, walking, especially in 'wild' places, happens to be one of a little puggy-lady's favourite things as well. Neither of us are super energetic, athletic beings, but neither of us are true couch potatoes either. Long walks suit us perfectly, and so, last week, to celebrate the removal of her stitches, we took to a smallish nature reserve in the city of Pretoria.

The walk starts off amongst long, dry grasses. It's winter now, so everything is a dusty brown, with a blue sky overhead.

The hill shows off the natural foliage of the Pretoria region very nicely. Grassland on the flatter areas, switching out for shrubs and small, stubby trees (not even up to my shoulder) as you climb. The rocks, for those interested, are volcanic in nature, mostly granite (pinkish in colour, often seen in kitchens), with some quarts seams as you climb higher.

It does not go up the hill in the background immediately, but in stead winds through a small shaded area along a stream.

The stream is the Moreletta Spruit, nearly unique in still having water even in the middle of winter. It will keep getting drier until about mid September, when we expect our first rain again.
The water is so polluted that no frogs can survive in it any more, and no insects hang around either. No swimming for dogs or people. Sadly, a great many people rely on this stream as their only source of water, more and more so as publicly accessible taps become a thing of the past. The counterpoint to this is that you are warned to not walk alone or with any valuables, as the park can easily be entered by hopping a fence (to avoid paying the nominal entrance fee). As a teenager, a friend and I did this often.

The park is well used, especially on weekends, which leads to erosion.




This is especially troublesome so near the stream, but it makes for a happy puggy who can bounce and climb as we go along.
My pictures show nothing of the foliage, but it is mostly an invasive creeper heavily covering wild fig, black wattle (another invasive species) and bushwillows.

 Soon enough the path winds us up the hill, or perhaps I should call it by it's proper name, one outcropping of the Magaliesberg (Magalies mountains). They hardly warrant that name, being but a hundred meters or so of steep uphill to the top. The city center is nestled between two rows of these 'mountains', and both of these rows are mostly nature reserve. The suburbs and slums have swallowed the surrounding area for many kilometers, but here, near the city, wildness remains.

Talos and I climb upwards. She enjoys the loose footing quite a bit more than I do...
 

... I, in turn, enjoy the scenery more than she does.

The imposed sit on a bench allows me to catch my breath, I am hardly the fittest I've ever been, and admire the view. The little Empress tolerates the bench with the poise of one of her station. She has such a proud bearing.

The granite here is old. These are fold mountains, creases in the earth from when the continents separated. Even such a very durable stone shows its age.

Talos here has climbed a chunk of quarts. It is important to me that these walks are communal. She cannot choose to come here, but she can choose which way we turn, and which rock to climb if she is so inclined.

The path walks you along the crest of the hill, and here, an old friend sits and waits for us in a red bushwillow bush:




A female grey hornbill, birds that have been in gardens, in wild places, everywhere throughout my life. Zazu, from Lion King fame, is a yellow-billed hornbill.

Talos must be the only dog to know a 'shush' command that means stop making panty snorty noises, not stop barking. I often need her still and quiet, to observe a bird or small creature near me, and if luck is with me, to take a picture. It is a hobby and a vain ambition to one day have my own picture of every species of bird in South Africa.

On the way down, in the shade of a bush, we take a last break before the three odd mile path concludes its roundabout trip and lands us back at the gate. I can confide anything to my dog, and she listens, patiently and attentively. I often don't even have to speak to her to manage to feel like I've shared my innermost thoughts with her. We found ourselves in such a meaningful silence in our patchy shade.

What is she listening to? Could it be my thoughts? No, I'm exaggerating, it's likely the surrounds. Still, the feeling of a very deep companionship is there.

As I've said, winter is brown. But in it's own way, this is quite beautiful. The brown has such varied textures, and everywhere there are flowers. Yellow ones, nearly the same colour as the dry grass, and tiny purple flowers.

It feels like this dog and I have been together for many years, but the calendar tells me it's just a few months, approaching half a year. It's amazing how they creep into your soul.

I love walking with Talos :)

Getting your pet 'fixed'

As a child, we called getting our pets spayed or neutered getting them 'fixed'. When we decided to get a dog, it was in the back of my mind right from the get go that we'd need to get him or her fixed.

Let's quickly define fixing - to put in order or in good condition (thanks online dictionary!).

Talos was spayed on Monday. She came through A-ok, and a day after her surgery, when I got home from work and my relief at seeing her just fine (bouncy happy puppy) overwhelmed me a little, she held my hand.

Yes, I'm holding her chewy stick, but still... 'holding my hand' is totally legitimate interpretation of what she was doing. It was a long day, ok?

Before her spay, I believed what everyone believed, and what you read on almost every website out there on the topic of spaying and neutering. 

In short, you should spay because:

• Spaying leads to a happier, healthier, longer life.
• Reduces hyperactivity.
• Prevents constant crying and pacing of a dog in heat.
• You never have to deal with messy heat cycles. 
• Increases affectionate behaviour to owners.
• If you spay before the first heat, you eliminate the risk of breast cancer.
• No chance ever for uterine infections or cancers.
• No chance ever for ovarian cancers.
• Decreases aggressive tendencies..
• Decreases bad behaviours related to trying to escape.

My sources include the American Humane Association and the Humane Society, and the South African Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. They also include numerous vet's websites, and the procedure was recommended to me by our own vet at a routine vaccination appointment. I dare say that I, and anyone else finding this info, has/have every reason to trust these sources, since these are our usual sources for best practice regarding our animals.

 A very big feature of the discussions around spaying and neutering also center around responsibility, specifically our responsibility to help decrease the number of unwanted pets. By spaying and neutering our pets before they ever have a chance to breed, we may just get to a point where they don't have to put down millions of dogs and cats a year. I feel obligated to add here that I really wish this weren't the case. I really wish for a world where every pet has a happy home from birth to death, after a long, healthy life. I feel very emotionally invested in trying to change the fact that millions of furry creatures are killed simply because we have nothing else to offer them. 

In light of this looming mass euthanasia of dogs (and cats too), many humane societies and vets have started advocating what they call a pediatric spay, this is a spay that you do as early as 8 weeks. That means that this little belly:

Talos on her second day with us, 8 weeks old

That little belly can be given an ovario-hysterectomy.

In technical, surgical terms, that is what a spay entails. They cut the dog open from the belly button down, between four and seven cms is typical. The cut happens in stages, first the skin, then the subcutaneous layer, then the sac that holds the internal and reproductive organs. They dig out her ovaries, pulling them out one by one, clamping them and cutting them off. Then they pull the uterus through the incision, clamp it, and remove it. Everything is sutured off, leaving a 'stump' of tissue where the uterus used to be. Then, everything is sewn closed, the internal-most suture often being stainless steel and present forever more. 

Here is a video that shows a spay being done, for those who want more graphic info (warning - actual surgery footage, it's not blood spurting everywhere, jack the ripper style, but it's not for the very squeamish either):

Part 1:

Part 2:

Pediatric spays are said to be a good thing because of how quickly such young dogs heal after the procedure, and how simple the procedure is for vets - there is not very much abdominal muscle or fat yet. At the very least, we hear, you should spay your dog before the first heat cycle to eliminate the chance of pregnancy. 

The main reason for pediatric spay is to prevent irresponsible pet owners from ever even having the temptation of breeding - this is why it's done at many humane associations. Again, - if I had to kill pets day in and day out, I would also be on a crusade to prevent this from continuing.  

What these websites don't tell you, though, is the negative effects of early spaying and neutering - nevermind pediatric spay, we're now simply talking about spaying before your pet reaches complete maturity.

Research has shown that spaying does not, in fact, reduce the risk for mammary tumours. It substantially increases the risk for cardiac tumours. In large breeds especially, early spaying/neutering pretty much doubles the risk for bone cancer. Spaying early makes dogs grow taller and leaner than non-spayed dogs (or dogs spayed later), due to a lack of hormonal regulation of their growth plates. It leads to a much increased incidence of knee injuries (specifically canine anterior cruciate ligament tears). It increases the risk of hip displasia. The remaining stump after a spay can develop stump granuloma, which needs surgery. It may lead to incontinence in female dogs, an increased risk for hypothyroidism, an increased risk of adverse reactions to vaccines and if you spay really young, a greater chance for your pet to get a variety of infectious diseases. Oh, and just to add to this list, early spaying increases certain behavioural problems, like noise phobias, fearful behaviour, aggression and it may even lead to a dog that humps more, not less. The behavioural benefits attributed to a spay can all be achieved through training.

In short, this procedure can shorten a pet's lifespan by 30%!

If you look at that list again of positives again, all you're left with are the benefits of the stuff you've removed not being able to get cancer or infection, no messy heat cycles, and, the big one, no puppies.

Surely, though, there is a better way to prevent puppies?

There is, you can either just remove the ovaries (this eliminates the risk of uterine infections too, by the way, since they're caused by cysts forming due to hormones released by the ovaries). You can even go for a tubal ligation, like they do for humans (you'd still have heat cycles in this case). Both of these are considerably less invasive surgeries, with considerably better outcomes. 

Not in South Africa just yet, though. Perhaps at veterinary schools. If you find out, let me know. We NEED this info to get out there.

This has been an astonishingly difficult post to write. I've tried being lighthearted, stunned and angry, naive ... nothing seemed to work. In the end, factual and grimly resigned is where I've ended up - and that's how I feel about spaying as well. Talos is sleeping on my lap, having had the procedure that may well have cost us 30% of our time with her.

Why did I do it, knowing the above? 

My little pup lives near unneutered males, and will live near them her whole life. Not my dogs, but dogs near her. There will always be some fool who didn't want his dog to lose his balls (because his dog is a projection of his own masculinity?), that is both off lead, with zero training, and in my face. (I don't mind intact males with sensible owners, and it is never the dog's fault in this case). Probably even in my yard, or in my house, while I'm harbouring a female in heat. While I am a responsible person, I cannot absolutely guarantee that I can keep her safe from these other dogs, all the time, 100%. I can keep her indoors for the two months and a bit out of a year her two heat cycles would make her able to breed, but I cannot keep my doors permanently closed (I need in and out), nor can I absolutely guarantee that my little girl won't escape. Now, never mind the 'too many puppies already' spiel, a little pug like Talos is not a good candidate for random matings with almost definitely larger males. It could well kill her. Either in his attempts, or in her birthing. 

Spring is coming, which would have brought her first heat cycle. We waited as long as I (and our vet) felt was reasonable, but that said, we could probably have stretched it by a few weeks.

And that would be my advice to others. Consider your own situation. Maybe you can absolutely guarantee the safety of your female. If you can, please, for her health, for her wellbeing, for her happiness in general, let her mature fully. Let her reach one and a half, two years old, maybe more if she is a large breed  -  a lot of the above mentioned problems are not an issue if she is given a chance to fully mature. 

Also, if you can, find a vet, demand a vet, campaign for a vet that will do either a tubal ligation or an ovariectomy.

Seriously, though, don't breed more puppies because you couldn't be bothered. Of course, that's not who will read this, and be troubled by this, and despite all the dreadful things you're causing, still spay your puppy. I need to say this again  -  go and volunteer at an SPCA. Lead a few hundred dogs to the euthanasia room, then come back here and tell me how you didn't spay (or take measures to prevent any puppies ever).

(I'm not talking to you responsible breeders out there. Please, keep fighting the good fight.)

At the very least, it's high time we stop saying that we should spay/neuter all pets because it's the best thing for them. It isn't. It may well be the best thing for us, but we need to own up to the fact that that is the real reason. I want to say that again - spaying and neutering is something we're doing to accomplish a human end, not something we're doing for the good of our pets.

We are not 'fixing' them. 

Here are a list of references:

Vet Practice News Columns: is early neutering hurting pets

Hypothyroidism in Golden Retrievers

Spay-Neuter considerations for the canine athelete

Dogster on spay/neuter

Spay/neuter adverse effects

When to spay/Neuter

Spay, neuter and cancer

Dr Karin Becker on Spaying or Neutering

And academic articles:

Stöcklin-Gautschi N. M., Hässig M., Reichler I. M., Hubler M., Arnold S., The relationship of urinary incontinence to early spaying in bitches.  Journal of Reproduction and Fertility, Supplement  2001 (57) Pp. 233-6.

Slauterbeck J. R., Pankratz K., Xu K. T., Bozeman S. C., Hardy D. M.,  Canine ovariohysterectomy and orchiectomy increases the prevalence of ACL injury. Clinical Orthopeadics and Related Research 2004 (429) Pp. 301-5.

Grumbach M. M., Estrogen, bone, growth and sex: a sea change in conventional wisdom. Journal of Pediatric Endocrinology and Metabolism. 2000 (13) Supplement 6, Pp. 1439-55.

 Ru G., Terracini B., Glickman L. T., Host related risk factors for canine osteosarcoma. Veterinary Journal 1998 (156: 1) Pp. 31-9.

 Ware W. A., Hopper D. L., Cardiac tumors in dogs: 1982-1995. Journal of Veterinary Internal Medecine 1999 (13:2) Pp. 95-103.

For the boys:

Cooley D. M., Beranek B. C., Schlittler D. L., Glickman N. W., Glickman L. T., Waters D. J., Endogenous gonadal hormone exposure and bone sarcoma risk. Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention 2002 (11:11) Pp. 1434-40.

Obradovich J., Walshaw R., Goullaud E. The influence of castration on the development of prostatic carcinoma in the dog. 43 cases (1978-1985). Journal of Veterinary Internal Medecine 1987 (1:4) Pp. 183-7.

 Howe, L. M., Slater, M., Boothe, H. W., Hobson, P., Holcom, J. L., Spann, A. C., Long-term outcome of gonadectomy performed at an early age or traditional age in dogs. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association  2001 ( 218: 2 ) Pp. 217-221 

 Spain, C. V., Scarlett, J. M., Houpt, K. A., Long-term risks and benefits of early-age gonadectomy in dogs. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association 2004 (224: 3) Pp. 380-387

And lastly, a link to alternatives:

Alternatives to Spay/Neuter

Squeak!

Last week, I went to the pet shop to deliver some fish. Talos came with me, she likes the outing, and I like the company. It was a lovely visit, the assistant was friendly, the fish were handled professionally, and I left feeling pretty ok with the world.

About half way home, I hear it.

"Squeak!"

and again...

"Squeak squeak!"

I know the squeaks of Talos's toys pretty well. This was not a familiar squeak. But ... I didn't buy any toys either.

Turns out, Talos is now not only mangy, but a thief as well!

...shake my head...

Serves me right for taking my eyes off her!

(I went back the next day and paid for it)

Here's the little thief enjoying her spoils.

Living with a dog

Talos's blog post, intended to be cute and amusing, does touch on a more serious matter - living with a dog.

I don't mean what the kids promise to mom and dad when begging for a puppy - picking up poop, taking for walks, feeding. I mean the rest of the time - playing with your dog, working around the house, just being home.

Many dogs are outside dogs, living in the yard most of the time, happily going about their business there. But many dogs would benefit from being included in the family's every day activities a bit more. I've found that, since we don't have a secure yard, either I work with the pug, or she gets in the way.

So, I'd just like to encourage people to remember you have a dog. Teach them to hand you clothes pegs at the washing line, in stead of chasing them off. Get them to pick up a dropped cloth, or to carry your broom (size taken into account - a little yorkie may do better with your duster). Get them to fetch the plunger. Sure, it's not glamorous, but it makes the dog part of every day life, in stead of an outsider to it.

My favourite day!

Hi people in the glowy box,

It's me, Talos. I want to tell you all about my most favourite day!

My Nina-human calls it 'cleaning day'. Actually, it's code for me and her getting to fight monsters all day long. There are two main monsters. The first one is the Morbid Opressor of Pugs - or the mop, for short.

I make sure to chase it as it searches systematically for pugs to opress. It seems to move back and forth a lot, I don't think it sees too well. Probably trying to make sure it doesn't miss any potential puggy!

But, I have a secret! What you do is, you wait for your human to lift it up off the floor, then you grab the edge of the soft and moist bit underneath. If you pull hard enough, it comes right off, with a very satisfying rrrrriiiIIIIIIiiiipppp!

Make sure to kill it properly once you've ripped it apart!

The other monster is red, and roars at you as it sits there. It doesn't move as much as the mop, but it has a long arm that comes for you, runs away, and comes right back for you! I think it's trying to swallow up our whole house, so I've called it the Voracious Appetite Contraption, or vac, for short. It's very dangerous. This one is best dealt with with a death stare.

Of course, running rapidly in circles confuses it, so definitely do that too!

We always win, of course. They go into hiding until the next 'cleaning day'. I think my Nina-human has secret senses that warn her they're coming, so she prepares for them.

I also get to carry all sorts of weapons to fight these guys.
Look at the size of this club!

Then there's the soft flail.

Believe me, this black thing is harder to keep under control than you think. It's clearly only with my help that it works out. It really makes the mop run, this one!

I love cleaning day :) I run and play and fight monsters all day long.Then, I nap.

What's your favourite day?

Weekly Wicket: Tank Size

The Thicknee

Allow me to introduce Buhrinus capensis, or the spotted thicknee:

These nocturnal birds have been hanging around our yard a lot this past while, this picture was taken moments after Talos had disturbed this lovely specimen from rest.

These birds are not rare, if you live in South Africa, chances are you've been closer to one of these than you realise. They're not small either, standing well over 40 cms tall. Much taller than the very startled little pug that hid behind me as I took the picture.

They're quite splendid, though. Interesting, too, look at the huge eye for finding food hidden even better than the thicknee itself in the grass. At night, no less!

This is but one of a myriad of local species of birds, some quite rare (wattled plovers, for instance), but most, really common, that you can find in your back garden. In the case of the thicknee, it has camouflage on its side - if this guy was sitting still I wouldn't have noticed it. The pug, with her much keener senses, definitely did not. In many cases, though, our birds are riotously colourful.

Why is it then, that our landlord felt the need to point out a perfectly ordinary, yet somehow freed from the cage it should be occupying, parakeet? No other bird seems to arouse his curiosity, in fact, he seemed not to notice them at all. But this man made creation was worth waking us up at seven on a Saturday.  I can't help but be convinced that this is the case for most of my fellow South Africans.

I'm a keen bird watcher, as you may have figured out. It seems to me such a pity that so few people notice our natural feathered splendour. I mean, have you seen a thicknee?

Neatness

This, dear readers, is our dining table:

We only have a dining table because of me, I wanted one. I have a desk too (currently covered with things).

I am not generally a neat person. Organised, mostly (I know where everything is - the oldest excuse of the messy), but not neat.

My dear husband tolerates this as best he can. His admonishments are gentle.

But, the results of this mess are often quite nice, if you ask me. Because this mess, the general clutter I surround myself while busy, is the mess of me getting things done. My desk is in chaos - but it's a productive chaos. My field notes, papers I referenced, the book I just finished (open at the place where I found a killer quote) and, sadly, the laundry basket lid, form the strata of the progression of my masters degree.

Our dinner table is a place of fun, however (even though I've been writing there - the clutter is getting a tad oppressive - join me in laughing at myself for a minute). The latest creation from there is this splendid collar, for my sweet Talos.

Yep, she's a beauty :) The collar is pretty nice also.

Alright, so tonight I'll de-clutter my desk. The dining room table, though, has to wait for a trip to a good craft/fabric store. Need me some buckles and other metal accessories. :D

(with greatest apologies and appreciation to the wonderful husband. Thank you for seeing the pretty, and ignoring the mess. You are much loved)

The Weekly Wicket

Disclaimer: This may not actually happen weekly... Wicket can't tell which day of the week it is, and so loses track of time.

(Wicket and friends are fine, I will keep a close eye on them)

Dear person who breeds puppies

Dear Person who breeds puppies

I came across your advertisement recently where you indicate that you have puppies for sale. I am a supporter of a group known as Pug Rescue South Africa, and it is with that in mind that I feel compelled to write to you.

I am sure you only want the best for your puppies. Happy family pets who live out their lives appreciated and loved. I want to help you do that. There are a few things you can do to help prevent your puppies from ending up in the SPCA, where it's almost definite that they will be put down, or in the hands of people that will mistreat them. Many purebred dogs end up in shelters, many of those are pugs. This is a sad part of our society, it cannot be ignored, especially not by people who are breeding.

Please don't sell your puppies before they're at least 8 weeks old (12 is better). During this time with their mom and siblings, they learn a lot about not biting too hard and about playing nicely with others. A lot of dogs end up at the pound because they bite people or other dogs, so this will go a long way to keeping them in their homes.

Many people who breed dogs sell them through pet shops. At a pet shop, the puppies spend long hours in a fairly boring enclosure, but, more importantly, at a pet shop, they're likely to be bought by people on impulse. Puppies are hard work, very many puppies bought on impulse end up at the SPCA between six and eight months of age. This is so sad, and you can help prevent this by selling from your own home. The little bit of extra effort people have to do to come to you and view the pups help eliminate true impulse buys. I'm quite sure the pet shop would let you put your advertisement up at the shop, especially if you promise to refer people back to the shop for collars, bowls and food.

Get to know the people you're selling your puppy to. Do they have some idea of what it will mean to care for a puppy? Can they take care of vaccines, deworming and so on? I am sure that you already won't sell your puppies to an obvious scumbag, but a lot of people seem nice enough on the surface yet plan to lock the poor dog in a room and breed him or her constantly, until they die.

Many people who breed for shows have people sign a contract when they buy a puppy to make sure that puppy is neutered or spayed. This helps keep dogs out of shelters by simply making sure there are less of them out there. It would be a good idea to do the same with your dogs, to make sure irresponsible people don't use your puppies to simply make money.

It is also definitely a good idea to keep in touch with people. In this way, you can see how your puppies grow, and often, you can get lovely pictures, perhaps over a facebook group. This way, if people ever cannot keep a puppy you would know, and ideally, that puppy would come back to you. Breeding dogs, in an ideal world, places the responsibility for those puppies with you, forever more. If this is not possible, it may be possible for you to assist them in finding another good home for the dog. Another way to make sure your puppies don't end up put to death in shelters (or unloved or even abused) is to make sure that everyone has the contact details of our local pug rescue. Pug Rescue South Africa does fantastic work to make sure pugs that don't have a home finds both a good home, and gets the health care they might need.

I've included links below to that will hopefully help, firstly, to a spay/neuter contract sample. Then, to Pug Rescue South Africa's contact details. I hope you will consider what I said above - far too many dogs end up unwanted and unloved, in small, bare cages, their lives cut short before their time. Let's be part of the solution, not the problem!

Kind regards,
Nina Worthe

Sample spay/neuter contract:
http://curioussniffle.blogspot.com/2013/06/spayneuter-contract.html
Pug rescue contact details:
http://www.pugrescue.co.za/index.php/contact-pug-rescue.html

Spay/neuter contract

Spay/Neuter Contract

_________________ agrees to sell the following puppy to _______________ for the sum of _______   

BREED: ___________________     
SEX:  M / F
SIRE: _________________ 
DAM: _________________
DATE OF BIRTH: _______/_______/______
COLOUR/MARKINGS: _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Spaying/neutering by a licensed, reputable Veterinarian is required on above puppy by ___ months of age. Proof of this, in the form of a Certificate of Spay/Neuter from the Veterinarian, must be forwarded to (breeder's name/kennel name) by the time the puppy reaches the age of 9 months old. If this is not received by (breeder's name/kennel name) within this time frame, (breeder's name/kennel name) has the full legal right to come take the puppy from your person or property with law enforcement officers and you must turn the puppy over at that time, without any refund of purchase price for said puppy. Buyer will be responsible for all costs incurred for the return of said puppy, including, but not limited to distance traveled, fuel, tolls, lodging, food, and all court and legal fees incurred for the safe return of said puppy.  

It is understood at the time of sale that this puppy is not considered to be for show or breeding, it is a representative of its breed and is structurally and temperamentally suited as a companion and/or sport dog, and is being sold as a pet, without show or breeding rights.  

If at any time, the above dog must leave permanent ownership of the buyer, the seller must be notified and said puppy must be return to the seller without any refund given, or surrendered to an appropriate rescue organisation.

Failure to follow this contract will entitle the seller to the return of said puppy as a result of breach of contract and any legal fees associated with legal actions or collection of fees. Including all expenses incurred for safe return of said puppy.

Buyer has received a copy of this contract. Buyer has read, understands, and accepts the terms of this contract. Buyer understands that by signing this contract it is legal and binding by the laws of South Africa and shall be resolved under South African law. Buyer also understands that by signing this contract the buyer is surrendering certain rights under South African law.  

Seller 1:_____________________________________________________ Date:______________

Seller 2:_____________________________________________________ Date:______________

Buyer 1:_____________________________________________________ Date:______________

Buyer 2:_____________________________________________________ Date:______________

If any provision of this Agreement shall be held to be invalid or unenforceable for any reason, the remaining provisions shall continue to be valid and enforceable. If a court finds that any provision of this Agreement is invalid or unenforceable, but that by limiting such provision it would become valid and enforceable, then such provision shall be deemed to be written, construed, and enforced as so limited.