Baark! On: Are you Paw-lingual? Part I.

How to be Paw-lingual: Understanding your dog’s body language.

Just what is your dog is trying to tell you? A dog uses body language as his primary form of communication. This week’s column will take a brief look at the body language of dogs. Consider a dog’s eyes, ears, teeth, tail and head position they all play a big part in the overall nonverbal communication of your dog.

Let’s start from the top.

Ears: A relaxed dog has ears sitting in their natural position. Ears flattened to the side of the dog’s head usually indicate a frightened or submissive dog. When your dog is feeling interested in things his ears will perk up and point toward the sound or object that interests him.  If your dog is feeling aggressive his ears will be very pointed up and focused forward. When your dog’s ears are slightly pulled back, this indicates he is feeling sociable.

Eyes: Staring with narrowed eyes usually indicates aggression in a dog. A dog that is feeling anxious will have slightly narrowed eyes, while a dog that is ready for a chase will have wide open  and alert eyes.

An excited and alert dog ready to play

Mouth and teeth: A relaxed dog will let his tongue slightly hang out of his mouth. An aggressive dog will bear his teeth and wrinkle his nose.  Excitement in a dog is often seen with a wide open mouth and perhaps even some panting.

Body Positioning: Dogs will try to appear smaller if they are in a submissive mode by crouching low to the ground or lowering their head. If the dog is in a relaxed state his body will appear as normal size. If feeling aggressive your dog will try to appear larger, by tensing his muscles and leaning slightly forward ready to lunge.

Tail: When your dog is happy and ready to play their tail is in an upright position, wagging with energy. If your dog is feeling submissive he tucks his tail between his legs. An aggressive dog has a tail that is held rigidly behind him ready to spring if needed.

Learning to interpret dog’s body language will enhance the bond between yourself and your dog and in the end make your home a happier and healthier place for all involved.

Please spay and neuter your animals.

By ensuring your animal cannot produce more litters you are saving lives and decreasing the suffering of unwanted animals.  Please consider donating or helping with Baark!’s efforts to improve animal welfare in the Bahamas.

For more information contact us at info@baarkbahamas.org or (427-SPAY) or visit our website www.baarkbahamas.com

Baark! On : Healthy Puppies.

Everybody loves puppies, don’t they? Cute, wriggly bundles of fun! But they do need a lot more care than an adult dog and a few visits to the vet in the early stages to ensure they stay healthy through to adulthood. You may have recently adopted a puppy from the Humane Society or maybe your neighbor gave you one from a recently born litter. Perhaps you found a litter with a stray momma dog or your dog recently gave birth, However you have obtained a puppy, here is some tips to keep them healthy.

Picture used with permission

• Ensure the momma dog is well fed and watered when she is nursing the pups, so she is healthy enough to take good care of them
• Create a clean, dry area for her to nurse if possible.
•  Puppies need their first worming at 2 weeks. This is very important and could save their lives
•  Puppies need to have vaccinations at 6 weeks, 8 weeks and 10 weeks. There are serious diseases which could kill your puppy within days. Better to vaccinate than to have an expensive vets bill when they get sick.
•  Mange is a very common condition in puppies. It is caused by mites in the skin. There are different types of mange, so it is important to consult a vet before you treat the condition as you may be wasting your time. If left untreated, mange can develop into a secondary skin infection through scratching, which is very painful. Healthy puppies are less likely to suffer from mange, so it’s important to make sure they always have access to food and clean water.
•   If you find orphaned puppies you can bottle feed them puppy formula or goats milk (which is the closest to their mother’s milk) Puppies can start to eat puppy kibble softened with water or milk from 4 - 5 weeks onwards.
•  Contact the Humane Society if you need help with orphaned puppies. They will be able to advise you.
•  Involve your children in taking care of them. The experience will teach them responsibility and the bonds formed between a child and a pet can help their empathy skills later in life.
•  Older puppies have lots of energy and just want to play, play, play. If you do not provide toys for them, their play will become destructive and they will turn to household objects and your prized possessions, especially if they have your scent on them! Although it might sound crazy, if you have an outdoor dog, two are usually better than one as they will play together and keep each other company, thus staying out of trouble.

If you would like to get your dog neutered (male) or spayed (female) please contact 427-SPAY (7729) or send us a message via email to:info@baarkbahamas.org or find us on Facebook.

We also provide the same service for cats. A lot of the above information applies to kittens too. We will be posting future articles for cat lovers! If you have any questions regarding your animal’s health you should always contact your veterinarian.

A huge thank you to Shelley Hardman for contributing this amazing article to our column and blog!

Baark On Guard Dog wanted.

Dear Baark!

I want my new pit-bull puppy to protect me. I was told to pinch it a lot, feed it pepper, tease it with food, kick it and yell at it. Will this make my dog protect me once it knows to be angry?

Signed- family guard dog wanted

Dear Family guard dog wanted

We are so glad you asked, asking the right questions gets you started as a responsible pet owner. Sadly you have been given the wrong information. Kicking at a dog is abusive and is not tolerated. Pinching and teasing a dog will not make it more protective of you; it will make it more afraid of you.  A good guard dog will protect because he is loyal to his caring owners, not bark and bite at anyone who happens to come near.

A guard dog should be able to alert you to things around you that are potential threats, but a good guard dog will also be able to stop its reaction by your command. You want a confident, highly socialized dog that can interact in a friendly way with many people but when they sense danger or a threat can turn on the guard dog attitude. Learning the basics skills of obedience will be your first step in helping create a smart, confident guard dog. We recommend trying out some of the dog training courses offered around Bahamas and getting their opinion if your dog would be suited to being a guard dog.

Thanks for asking!

Baark!

Please spay and neuter your animals.

By ensuring your animal cannot produce more litters you are saving lives and decreasing the suffering of unwanted animals.  Please consider donating or helping with Baark!’s efforts to improve animal welfare in the Bahamas. For more information contact us at info@baarkbahamas.org or (558-3039)

Baark! On Cat herders

Cat Herders

Paradise Island is a little more like paradise for animals these days, thanks to some awesome Baark! volunteers who form an amazing team referred to  as "The Cat Herders!". They have tirelessly dedicated time and energy to helping to control the stray cat problem on PI. So far, they have trapped, neutered and released (TNR) a total of 102 cats, remember that is just on Paradise Island.

The team of cat herders moves slowly over the island, trying to focus on pregnant females and big males whenever possible. The cats are safely trapped and transported to a vet. At the vet a quick procedure is done to spay or neuter the cat. After a recovery overnight at the veterinarian’s office, the cat is transported back to the location it was trapped and set free to live out the rest of their lives in peace without interfering with the human population. 

Some people ask why we use TNR and not simply remove or euthanize the cats. Many people think this is a better solution whereas it is proven not to be. If cats are taken out of their territory, others will move in to replace them as there is a food source and the cycle continues again. "Trapping and killing teaches young and old that it is okay to create unwanted offspring and then kill the surplus - leaving no room for education or compassion for life."¹

What is amazing is that despite the fact that they have been able to do this for over 102 cats, the cat herders feel this is just the beginning of making an impact on the actual size of the cat colonies on Paradise Island. Translation, we still have a ways to go. Cat herders, thank you, we love your heart and your dedication to helping all the PI cats, your team is one of a kind!

There is also talk of doing this project in other over populated areas in Nassau as well but the cat herding team would need some dedicated volunteers to help them to take on this task. Please contact Baark! if you are interested.

1.www.feralcats.com/TNR.html

Please spay and neuter your animals.

By ensuring your animal cannot produce more litters you are saving lives and decreasing the suffering of unwanted animals.  Please consider donating or helping with Baark!’s efforts to improve animal welfare in the Bahamas. For more information contact us at info@baarkbahamas.org or (558-3039)

Baark! On.. I am afraid.

Dear Baark!

I am so pleased you are doing such great work for our Bahamian animals I often leave my spare change in your donations boxes wherever I see them. But I have a confession, I am really afraid of the dogs out there. I was raised in a neighborhood where every yard had two or three dogs that really seem scary. Do all those really cute puppies you help grow into mean dogs like the ones on my street? Also, is there a way for me to learn to interact with the animals so I am not afraid anymore?

Sincerely, “Want to learn”

Dear “Want to learn”.

First of all, thank you for donating your change to Baark! we truly appreciate all we receive, every little bit helps.

Secondly, in response to your fear, you are not alone. Many Bahamians confide in us that they are afraid of dogs as well.

We realize a lot of Bahamians mistreat their dogs thinking that it will help make their dogs meaner and more effective at guarding their homes. Sadly, this creates neighborhoods of mean sounding dogs which continue the myth that dogs should be feared.  Mistreating a dog only makes a sad, angry dog that can even turn on his owner. Dogs that are well treated make the best guard dogs, they guard out of loyalty for their owners.

We think that what is most likely the truth is that you are afraid of mistreated dogs that while sounding angry are actually afraid themselves. You have yet to encounter a dog that is loved and affectionate with his owners. Seek out a friend who has a dog that is treated well; ask if you can learn to interact with it slowly. Soon your perception that all dogs are to be feared will disappear

If you would like a chance to learn how to be around dogs with experienced dog handlers please be sure to come to our Baark! Dog walk every Sunday at 3:30pm at the Bahamas Humane Society. Just make yourself known and we would love to help!

Thanks for asking!

Please spay and neuter your animals, this simple procedure saves lives and decreases the suffering of unwanted animals.

This column is proudly brought to you by BAARK! the Bahamas Alliance for Animal Rights and Kindness.

For more information contact us at info@baarkbahamas.org, (558-3039) or visit our website www.baarkbahamas.com

Baark On! Potcake Math

Potcake Math

Thanks to the amazing success of Operation Potcake; a coalition of all the animal welfare groups (including Baark), the Bahamas Humane Society, the Vet Association and the Ministry of agriculture spayed and neutered a total of 2315 dogs, our city of Nassau is talking big time about the importance of spaying and neutering our animals.

Nassau has a stray cat and dog problem; that is a fact. Everyone knows it and everyone sees it. Some people have gone as far as to say just kill the animals and our problem will be solved. That solution is neither humane nor effective. Killing the animals temporarily reduces the population, but what about the animals that remain behind? They are still capable of reproducing and increasing the population, in fact due to the less competition for food the remaining animals will be healthier and therefore more fertile, meaning, the population will be able to increase at a faster rate than that of an unhealthy population.

The sheer number of homeless dogs and cats wandering our Bahamian streets creates doubt that spaying and neutering will make a difference.  We are here to tell you it does. We at Baark! aim to educate and create a  better understanding of the reasoning behind the spay and neutering programs, but we still have a long ways to go.

Let us introduce you to Potcake math. These staggering numbers that will help you better understand that our spay and neuter campaign is the not only the most humane method but also most effective method to obtain a healthier dog population in the Bahamas.
 

1 unaltered female dog and her subsequent offspring can produce 67,000 puppies in only 6 years.*

Operation Potcake altered over 2000 dogs here in the Bahamas during 10 days. Even taking a modest estimate, potcake math would suggest that we helped save over 250,000 unwanted puppies from being added to our roaming dog population.

That is amazing.

Those numbers speak for themselves; please continue to help support us at Baark! as we endeavor to make our Bahamas a more humane Bahamas.

* Stats taken from www.peta.org

Please spay and neuter your animals.

By ensuring your animal cannot produce more litters you are saving lives and decreasing the suffering of unwanted animals.  Please consider donating or helping with Baark!’s efforts to improve animal welfare in the Bahamas. For more information contact us at info@baarkbahamas.org or (558-3039)

Baark Bake Sale!

Baark! Bale Sale!

February 9^th 2013

11am-3pm

Windermere Harbour Bay

Super Value Cable Beach

Please come and support Baark and their efforts to create a more Humane Bahamas.

Doesn't seem that there is always someone asking you for donations?  You might be tempted to let these requests go by, but Baark wants you to pay attention. We are proud to claim that we are a volunteer run agency which means that 100% of our monies raised goes straight to the amazing work we are doing in the Bahamas. Our primary focus of spaying and neutering campaigns requires money to run; we cannot do this good work without you. We are making a difference, thanks to people like you who support our work. Please, join us this Saturday February 9^th,  at one of our two locations for one of the best bake sales this Island has ever has seen!

please contact us info@baarkabahamas.org if you can volunteer or can donate baked goods.

Please spay and neuter your animals, this simple procedure saves lives and decreases the suffering of unwanted animals.

This column is proudly brought to you by BAARK! the Bahamas Alliance for Animal Rights and Kindness.

For more information contact us at info@baarkbahamas.org, (558-3039) or visit our website www.baarkbahamas.com