In Singapore, only one person uses a guide dog to get around. Mr Kua Cheng Hock was born blind and his desire to own a guide dog was introduced at a young age when he read about it in the 1970s. When studying to teach the blind in Melbourne, Mr Kua started using his first guide dog. Now in Singapore, he has Kendra – the only guide dog on these shores.

Mr Kua is one of the founding directors of a newly formed charity – the Guide Dogs Association of the Blind Ltd (GDAB). The GDAB aims to promote the use of guide dogs in Singapore and help the visually impaired undergo training in orientation and mobility so they are well prepared to travel independently with guide dogs before owning them.

A guide dog is a service animal trained to provide assistance to an individual with visual impairment. Although Singapore accepted the use of guide dogs in September 2005, it has remained a rare occurance. The law currently states that guide dogs are allowed to accompany their handlers anywhere open to the general public such as in restaurants, public transport vehicles and public areas. Please see the advisory to food operators and establishments for more information.

Guide dogs are able to direct the blind in crowded places and help them navigate faster and more efficiently. They are also trained to alert their handlers to oncoming obstacles including those overhead, and more importantly, they are trained in the concept of “intelligent disobedience”, and will disobey their owners in the event of potential danger.

As such, guide dogs are invaluable to the visually impaired and we can all do our part for these people by donating to the GDAB.

Kindly make cheque donations payable to “Guide Dogs Association of the Blind Ltd” and send it to Blk 123 Tampines Street 11, #10-382 Tampines Court S(521123) or visit www.guidedogs.org.sg.

A SINGAPOREAN lawyer who gave up her career to pursue a veterinary degree in Australia was killed in a car crash in Perth last Friday, just short of her graduation.

Ms Celina Chua, 30, would have been able to fulfil her lifelong dream of becoming a vet in just five weeks, after completing her second degree in veterinary medicine at Murdoch University.

But her life was cut short when the car she was driving careened off a three-lane highway and crashed headlong into an oncoming vehicle.

Western Australian police said she was behind the wheel when she lost control of her Hyundai Excel. She was pronounced dead by paramedics at the scene. Her mother and a younger sister were also injured in the accident and were admitted to the Royal Perth Hospital. Another younger sister, who was also in the car, sustained minor injuries.

The driver of the other car suffered punctured lungs, multiple fractures and cuts, and was also taken to hospital. Police are still investigating the accident.

Media reports on the accident said Ms Chua’s family members were in Perth for a short visit when it happened.

PETS offers her family our condolences.

It’s not often you find a lawyer prepared to leave her profession to follow her heart. We found Ms Chua’s dedication to animals really admirable and we’re sad to lose an avid animal lover like her.

Q: My dog barks excessively. How do I train him to stop barking excessively?

A: Dogs bark for several reasons – they may be bored or want your attention. What you can do is give him a lot of exercise; take him on walks or let him run freely in a fenced area. It would be great if you could give him a purpose – dogs enjoy being tasked with jobs to do.

Dogs need a leader and you have to be firm while training him to be quiet when he barks. Reinforce positive behaviours, like when he stops barking when you say “Quiet”, then give him a treat or a hug as a reward. Dogs seek approval from their owners and when you give him more attention when he is quiet, he will soon stop barking for attention.

However, remember that it is natural for dogs to bark. When they notice things and want to inform you, let them bark. But if he barks for too long or after you have come to his attention, reinforce the “Quiet” command. Keep doing it, be firm but never hit your dog.

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Lance Tan, Dog behaviourist

Q: My cat scratches his scratching post just to show off. Why?

A: Cats scratch their claws on various items and locations for some of these reasons:

1. Territorial marking to reduce anxiety and increase confidence
2. To sharpen their claws
3. To exercise and stretch

Cats are the most territorial of creatures and some are more so than others; they could be highly anxious or more reactive to their environment which results in clawing and marking behaviours. Your cat could be making sure that everyone knows that the scratching post is his and his only.

Perhaps you have also reinforced this behaviour by petting him while he scratches the post – this gives him affirmation. On the flipside, by observing him, you may have given him prolonged eye contact that triggers stress in cats – eye contact with cats is tantamount to a threat. So if you want this behaviour to stop, you should limit eye contact with him and stop petting him while he is scratching his post. An alternative is to provide him with different types of scratching posts.

If you feel that his scratching is excessive or that he might be a slightly higher anxiety cat, there are some products that help to simulate a cat’s facial marking pheromone. They trigger a chemical reaction in cats’ brains mimicking emotions of peace, calm and tranquillity. This may help reduce clawing, urine spraying, and inappropriate defecation around the home.

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Mieshelle Nagelschneider, Cat Behaviourist

Canine Influenza otherwise known as dog flu is a new disease threatening dogs.

Here are some things you should know about:

1. Dogs of all breeds and ages can get it.

2. Dog flu is highly contagious and social dogs are most at risk.
If your dog goes to a dog run, park, or doggie daycare regularly, your dog is at higher risk for contracting the flu. The virus spreads rapidly through sneezing, coughing, and through contaminated clothing and objects such as food bowls or toys.

3. Some signs of dog flu are:
- Bad coughing
- Runny nose
- Sneezing
- Watery eyes
- Loss of appetite
- Lethargy

4. Dog flu must be treated quickly or it can be fatal.
While canine influenza is usually mild, severe respiratory infections and pneumonia are serious complications that can arise if the flu is not treated promptly. There’s no way to predict which dogs will have mild disease and which dogs will have severe disease.

5. Vaccinate your dog.
Prevention is always better than cure; so vaccinate your dogs as soon as you can. However, like human flu shots, the vaccine for dog flu cannot completely prevent the illness but it will help in lowering the chances of it occuring. Other benefits include making the cough and other symptoms milder should your dog become infected. By vaccinating your dog, you can help protect it from the disease as well as prevent the spread of the disease to other dogs in your community.

For a proud pet owner, it’s not unusual to compare the domesticated furballs to children. After all, you put a roof over their head, food in their bowls and teach them how to behave properly in exchange for love and respect. Exactly like childrearing, right? Wrong. When it comes to the battle between Team Pet and Team Kid, just 10 reasons should be more than enough to convince you to go for the former.

1. Luxury of choice. Looking for a tawny beagle with bottomless eyes and the can-do attitude of Lassie? No problem! With pets, you can get exactly what you’re looking for without relying on the limitations of your gene pool.

2. No stretch marks. Adopting an animal has a minimal effect on a woman’s waistline.

3. Uninterrupted social life. Go on, have fun. The dog can take care of himself tonight.

4. No talking. A stray bark or meow is music to the ears compared to the ramblings of an energetic toddler.

5. Modest budget. Dogs and cats won’t ask for designer clothing or the new iPhone.

6. Remote control. They’ll also never ask to watch Barney or a Justin Bieber video.

7. Limited education. No need to filter half your salary into a college fund.

8. Effective birth control. Teaching a hormonal teenager about safe sex is a precarious combination of wise words, a few condoms, and a prayer. Over on Team Pet, a couple of snips is enough to keep your pet safe and chaste.

9. Instant heat source. Who needs a significant other when you can just cuddle up to your buddy on a chilly night?

10. Loyalty. Bottom line, your pet will never question your authority, call you to bail him out of jail, or run off and get married. What more could you ask for?

For more animal insight, visit AnimalFair.com.

[Article extracted from: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/wendy-diamond/kid-scratch-fever-are-you_b_686236.html]

A Purina survey done in New Zealand found that 31 per cent of female dog owners believe their pets have better listening skills than their partners, and 14 per cent of men say their dog gives them more love than their partner.

After interviewing 250 dog owners and 250 cat owners nationwide, the survey also concluded nearly 50 per cent of female cat owners share their problems with their feline friend.

More than 80 per cent of female and male dog or cat owners admit to “cherishing pets”, with more than 50 per cent considering themselves a mum or dad to their pets.

Purina’s pet-care expert Shivaun Statham said the results mean that pets can become as endearing as a child or a close friend to many owners.

“When people find strong companionship and affection in their pets, it is quite normal for them to begin treating their animals as important family members.”

Does it apply to us Singaporeans too?
Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

No. 1: Don’t fail to contain your cats. Even if your cat is the sweetest thing on record, some other animals may not agree. The last thing we want is to see in our lobbies is an altercation in which one animal dies. Cat carriers are cheap and widely available. Use them.

No. 2: Don’t give dogs free reign. The business end of the leash should be in your hands, not at your dog’s head. If you can’t keep him close and controlled then it’s time to ask the receptionist if there’s a better place for your pet to wait.

And here’s an important corollary: Don’t use retractable leashes! These tools have their place, but it’s not in a veterinary hospital. If you must use one at the vet’s, make sure you know how it works and keep your pet perma-locked on the shortest setting.

No. 3: Don’t bring in animals you cannot personally control. Not unless you’ve made arrangements for direct assistance. It may seem convenient to bring all of your pets in at once for basic care but that’s NOT what’s safest.

No. 4: Don’t do the puppy park meet-and-greet thing. The vet’s is not the dog park. It’s a strange environment in which pets don’t always act the way you expect them to. Moreover, in a veterinary hospital the onus is on us to keep your dogs safe. Legally, we’re liable if your dogs fight. Please keep all pets apart. After all, no matter how well you know your pet, can you honestly say you know someone else’s?

No. 5: Don’t pet other pets without asking first. Again, the vet’s place is a strange and stressful environment. And yes, if you get bit it’s on our dime––not to mention our conscience.

No. 6: Give the cellphone a rest. In a place as potentially anxiety provoking as the vet hospital, cellphones can be a hazard. Even if you don’t feel the anxiety your pet certainly does. She deserves the comfort of your undivided attention for her safety and her stress level. And those around you don’t want to hear your life’s details, anyhow.

No. 7: Don’t walk a dog into a packed waiting room. If the lobby is crammed wall-to-wall with pets, don’t chance it. Ask someone to let the receptionist know you’re waiting outside. Or use your cellphone for something really useful, for once.

No. 8: Don’t fail to tell the receptionist ahead of time if your pet is severely anxious or aggressive. All hospitals appreciate the warning when you make your appointment. It gives us a chance to offer you back-door alternatives or other concessions to your pet’s unique behavior issues.

No. 9: Don’t bring small children unless you can’t help it. A busy animal hospital is tough on small kids. They’re not old enough to benefit enough from the educational experience relative to their risk of getting hurt.

No. 10: Don’t be rude. Courtesy is king. Kill them with kindness. Etc. I shouldn’t have to offer you so many versions of the same cliché, but the fact that they all exist is fine testament to their utility … or perhaps to their futility.

By Patty Khuly, a small-animal veterinarian in Miami, is author of FullyVetted, a blog on pet health at PetMD.com.

A Labrador that ate a beehive containing pesticides and thousands of dead bees won an award on Monday that recognized the most unusual pet health insurance claim in the United States.

Ellie, who fully recovered from her encounter with the beehive in southern California, beat a border collie that ran through a window to get at a mailman, and a terrier that bit a chainsaw.

She won a bronze trophy in the shape of a ham, and basket of toys and doggie treats.

The winner was announced on Monday by the Veterinary Pet Insurance Co (VPI) and selected from a dozen pets nationwide.

“Ellie may be a young dog, but she’s already managed to eat everything from wooden toy train tracks to laptop computer keys,” said the VPI. “So the beehive in the backyard was just another culinary adventure for this insatiable pooch.

All three hungry dogs have recovered after receiving care from a vet.

Has your dog eaten anything as crazy as that?