Lowyat.NET: Latest topics by Divas

Cascadia TTP V2.2

Divas — Sun, 06 May 2012 12:44:57 +0800

Cascadia Phase 1
1. hunnylim - Lower/staying
2. travis - upper/will be moving by end of 2012
3. Wongtai7-upper/investment
4. Apscen - Lower/investment
5. Squi - Lower/own stay
6. Tey - Lower/own stay
7. Diva - upper and lower/own stay
8. Jenniezs - Upper/will be moving in by end of 2012
9. xbox720 - upper/moving by end of 2012
10.drzoidberg - upper/moving by end of June
11. TJ lim (my own friend) - upper/moving by July
12. fishman - Lower/will be moving in by end of 2012
13. benwstan - Upper/will be moving in by end of 2012
14. Janicewpy - Upper/will be moving in by end of 2012
15.Red Color - Upper/will be moving in by end of 2012
16. lionglim11 - Upper/own stay
17. Joan CLC - Upper/TBA
18. ens - Lower/will be moving in by mid of July 2012
19. chongcp - : Lower/own stay
20. mumike - Upper/own stay
21. Helius - Upper / own
22. Ken77- Upper /own stay
23. Wayne - Upper / own stay

Cascadia Phase 2
1. teddie - lower/investment
2.jack - Upper/will be moving in by end of 2012
3. naz-upper/own stay
4. Ashleigh - upper+lower / will be moving in by end of Dec 2012
5. mentos512 - lower/investment
6. moskee78 - upper + lower corner / investment? own stay? don't know yet
7. Michwaka - upper/own stay
8. The Cube - upper/investment
9. bill11 - upper /investment
10.seoken - upper/investment
11. jenling - upper/own stay

Cascadia TTP V2

Divas — Sat, 05 May 2012 18:05:54 +0800

http://forum.lowyat.net/topic/1476311 (old thread- not sure why it was locked but it has been... guess we will carry on from here )

Hope everyone has had a good day. My husband is picking up our gate lights as i type .

Raspberry Leaf Tea...

Divas — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 22:31:45 +0800

I stumbled across something in one of my pregnancy books that says that Raspberry Leaf Tea is a great thing to drink during the last couple of months of pregnancy as well as during breast feeding.
Its supposed benefits include, helping give a faster and easier delivery, speed up healing of the uterus muscles (and therefore reduce post delivery bleeding) as well as encourage the initial production of milk.

Sadly i haven't been able to find any over here in Malaysia, does anyone have any clues where it might be hiding (i'm sure there must be someone in the country who sells it!!).

I'm already in my last month and have had no sucess in finding it, but really would like to have some before i pop. Any advice on where it might be found would be much appreciated.

2nd Mom & Baby Expo 2011

Divas — Sat, 30 Apr 2011 19:44:01 +0800

Anyone going?

Also, did anyone go to the one last year? was it any good? I'm planning on going over on the Friday (hopefully my shop won't be too busy so i can stay for a while and look around).

Very excited for my first baby expo

Garage Sale forum...

Divas — Sun, 17 Apr 2011 22:25:29 +0800

I'm currently settling myself up with everything i need to survive my pregnancy/early baby care, as i own a business and work all day, a lot of this includes hunting online for things i know i want as well as options for things i'm not sure about.

However, searching for products on Lowyat is pretty difficult as there is no dedicated forum for this category (i end up splitting my search between 'for the ladies' and 'home electronics&hardwares' which kicks up all sorts of random things that have nothing to do with pregnancy or babies).

Does anyone else think it would be useful to have a dedicated sub forum for selling parenting related stuffs, perhaps if enough people like the idea (it can also be used to trade things like was suggested in a thread here recently).

Portable cot/playstation

Divas — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 23:24:32 +0800

Hi all

So i am putting together a list of all the things i want/need for my baby at the moment. I'm around 17weeks in but want to have all my research done and stuff very early on. Also my parents travel and will be visiting UK and USA before my boy is due and are very happy to cart stuff back for me if i need/like. I have already ordered a car seat from USA and travel system from UK.

My next order of business that i have been researching today (i do one item a day) is a cot. We have a new house being built as i type where baby will have his own room which my husband will be building a cot for. However for the moment (probably about the first 6months-1year) we have very limited space so he will be staying in our room. My parents live in Philippines so we also visit them quite often. Once it is safe i will also be taking baby to my shop where he will stay in my office area during the day with me.
For these reasons i thought it would be best to get a portable playpen/cot/bassinet/changing table set. However there are so many varieties and so many opinions that i have got myself all twisted around and confused (even with huge lists of brands, pros, cons and measurements).

To summarize my needs are:
Usable as a bed up to at least 1year old.
Easily portable and as light as possible.
Preferably with a bassinet attachment for the first few months (i read this is safer than using a regular infant bed/mattress until he can move more easily).
Preferably with a changing station to give us 1 extra thing we don't need (taking up extra space that for the moment we just don't have).

From the research i have done it seems that the Graco Contour Electra Pack n Play is more than enough for my needs (it has everything on my list and then some) but it is also RM700. Then there is the Graco Pack n Play on the run Playpen but i'm not sure how old 35" tall is (that is their size limit for that one, i haven't found anywhere that gives an age range), however that doesn't include a changing station.

There are a few other models that i have found (not necessarily Graco, i'm not so particular about that as long as it is a reputable brand that isn't likely to collapse in the middle of the night) that seem to cover everything however what i am really writing all this for is to see if anyone else has been using a portable playpen thing like this for their baby? If you have, I would really appreciate hearing your experience with it (pros and cons) as well as what you have and about how much it cost you.
Thanks in advance for any advice you can give.

Need some opinions

Divas — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 00:00:52 +0800

My husband just came home with this little one in tow. He saw her/him (i'm useless at sexing kittens but for now i will go with she/her) trying to get across a main road and went to get her out of harms way when he saw what you can see in the pictures below and decided she needed some help.

The bulge seems to be affecting her movement a little (obviously). She still has feeling and mobility in her legs but seems to have not so much control over the left leg (where the bulge is), i would guess because her nerves/muscles are being constricted a little.

The obvious things that you can't see in the picture so well are that her tail is totally missing and she has a quite large patch that looks like a healed wound on the lower end of one of her thighs (right at the back of her knee joint).
My issue is with the large bulge on her inner thigh. My husband thought it was a really really REALLY swollen muscles (from an injury) but to me it feels exactly like a kitten's stomach, just pushed out of place. Also to back up my theory, where a kitten would usually have a round belly bulge, there is nothing.

Here is a close up of the mysterious bulge. It looks all lumpy and bumpy, but when you touch it it feels just like a tummy, but in the wrong place.

Either way we are off to the vet first thing in the morning to have her checked out as she is very lucid, extremely loving and truly beautiful. She is eating, drinking, peeing and pooing and although she was pretty dehydrated when he got her back and she is skin and bones, she seems to be in considerably good shape overall (knock-on-wood and all that).
Just wanted to see if anyone had seen anything like this before and had any idea about her chances so i can hopefully rest more easily tonight.

Will let you know how everything goes with the vet tomorrow and hopefully it is good news (she is a really beautiful solid black with eyes that make your heart melt, but then which kitten doesn't).

Quick Tip

Divas — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 15:24:37 +0800

Was just cleaning my dogs' ears and thought i would share this quick tip with you all.

With the weather being so crazy at the moment, raining one minute and burning hot the next (at lest around Subang it is), it is ideal for ear infections to develop due to the ear canal very quickly and easily becoming moist and warm. At the shop i have seen an increase in the number of ear infections so have started to take this precaution with my customer dogs as well.

One way to fend off the evil ear infections when cleaning your dogs ears at home:

Clean them out as normal, using cleanser and cotton wool balls to remove any wax and debris.
Once the ears are clean and dry, pour a small amount of ear powder (usually used to help remove ear hairs) into the canal and leave it there. This will help keep your dog's ears drier for longer and help prevent the dreaded ear infections.

(If your dog is a breed that grows hair in their ears, also make sure as much of the hair covering the ear canal is cleared as possible as leaving the hair helps trap moisture and increases the likelihood of ear infection.)

Another thing to remember is to make sure no water gets in your dog's ears while bathing. If you are not so confident you can put big balls of cotton covering your dog's ear canal while bathing and then treat with ear powder after your dog is fully dried.

My favorite brand of ear powder is Gold Medal, but there are many others. try to find one that doesn't clump in the bottle and doesn't have a strong fragrance.

Dog Abuse. Copied over from Petfinder.

Divas — Sat, 23 Oct 2010 16:44:30 +0800

I usually don't like to put up 'abuse' threads as they affect me (and i'm sure a lot of other people as well) very badly. However as this one appears to be in Malaysia. I think it is important for us to keep up to date. I would be interesting to see how much effort is actually spent to bring justice in this case so here is the story (as copied from petfinder .

Malaysian police probe 'puppy torture' pictures on Twitter

Topics:Economy Government and Policy
On Sunday 17 October 2010, 15:46 SGT

Malaysian police said Sunday they had launched an investigation after pictures of a puppy apparently being tortured appeared on micro-blogging website Twitter.

"We are looking into the report filed by several animal lovers regarding a dog being abused in a photo on an Internet website," a Malaysian police official, who declined to be identified, told AFP.

"Investigations are being carried out but we cannot release any other details so far," he added.

Malaysian Animal Rights Society president N.Surendren said he and five other civil society groups filed a police report over the photograph, which he said appeared on the Twitter page of a popular Malaysian actress.

"The photo on Twitter shows two men in the process of hanging a small black and white puppy and both men are showing an obscene gesture while posing with the puppy, which is hanging by its neck," he told AFP.

"It is quite outrageous because the fact that they allowed the photo to be taken meant they felt they could get away with it and the police wouldn't take action," he added.

Surendran said the photograph came to the society's attention when it was mailed to them from a person who had seen it on the actress' Twitter account, which is blocked from public access.

"We know the actress uploaded the picture in her tweet and we tried to contact her but she has refused to cooperate."

Malaysian Animal Welfare Society president Shenaaz Khan called the act "barbaric" and said the only positive thing was that the men's faces were clearly identifiable in the picture, thereby aiding the police investigation.

Animal abuse cases are common in Malaysia, with critics saying punishment of a small fine and six months in jail fails to deter culprits.

Activists in May protested at a wildlife park over a clip posted on video-sharing website YouTube showing a tiger being manhandled for the amusement of visitors.

http://sg.finance.yahoo.com/news/Mal...27222.html?x=0

[addedon]October 23, 2010, 5:08 pm[/addedon]After some more digging, some people are saying this is actually in Mexico. I can't find anything to confirm this though, would be good to find out.

Cheaper, Cheaper, Cheaper

Divas — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 22:59:01 +0800

I’m writing this today to (hopefully) spark a discussion on an issue that i encounter everywhere i look in the Malaysian pet industry. I know there are a lot of people who know better, but there still seems to be more who don't or really just don't care.
Although it holds true for most animals, i am focusing on dogs as I deal with them every day and generally owners of more exotic pets know better (in a lot of cases).

When people buy a pet... they want it CHEAP
When people feed their pet... they want it CHEAP
When people’s pets are sick... they want it fixed CHEAP
When people have their pet groomed... they want it CHEAP

Now, if you were talking about a bed sheet or a loaf of bread i would totally understand this and support you in your quest for the ultimate bargain (if you can handle scratchy sheets and tasteless bread that is your choice). But when it comes to live animals, do you really want the cheapest you can find? And when it comes to taking care of this animal that you have grown to love, is price the most important thing?
In my mind the answer is 100% NO. I chose to have my pets and i am responsible for their well being.
I could rant on for a long time about where puppies come from and the common issues in lines for irresponsible breeders, as well as how bad grooming can hurt your dog, but i know that a lot of people get scared by long posts, so for now i will keep it short and simple and instead ask you all what you think.
I would love to get the opinion of responsible breeders, other groomers, vets and really any pet professional on this matter. But anyone is welcome to share their experiences, opinions and feelings. When i am in a slightly more stable mood perhaps i will share some of my opinions from the side of a groomer but would like to see if people are actually interested in this topic first .

A plea from your groomer:

Divas — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 12:59:37 +0800

... and if you don’t care about your groomer’s sanity... do it for your dog. (summary at bottom for those who don't like reading!!)

Did you know mats (tangles that have become extra bad) in your dogs coat are actually painful for your dog? In the eloquent words of my husband; “imagine the hair on your head is attached to your armpit, and then all that is tied to your balls... now try and walk”. That is how your dog feels every day he has mats. If your dogs coat is regularly tangled and matted, it will also become dry and the ends will split, dry, damaged coat then mats more easily causing a cycle of never ending unhealthy, tangles rather than the beautifully smooth and soft coat we love to stroke.

(Shaving down a matted dog - http://dogcarebasics.com) (Quite bad mats - http://blog.k9cuisine.com)

If you still need more reasons to brush your dog, here are all the extra benefits that daily brushing gives (apart from keeping the dreaded mats away):
1. Improved blood circulation to the skin, aiding in skin renewal and overall skin health.
2. Dislodge dirt and debris from the coat keeping your dog cleaner and therefore you happier.
3. Helps deter external parasites such as ticks and fleas, as well as helps you keep an eye on your dog’s skin to see if there are any around.
4. Helps prevent funguses and other skin problems through healthy skin and early detection.
5. Improved coat condition due to the essential oils that you are helping to spread to all parts of the coat.
6. Creates a closer bond between you and your dog. Grooming is an excellent way to help your dog earn your trust and will give you a deeper bond than most pet owners can only hope to experience.

What should I use?
The best tool you can use for a long coated breed is called a slicker brush (all pet shops, grooming salons and vets have a range of slickers for you to choose from and should be able to advise you on which is most appropriate). You want to find one that is not to hard (which will make it easy to cause slicker burn), but also one that is not too soft (making it very difficult to brush all the way through the coat). You also need to make sure that the bristles are firmly attached to the pad and that the brush is comfortable for you to hold.
It is also handy to keep a comb around to help ensure there are no mats or tangles forming in the inside layers of coat (when you pull the comb through the coat, if it gets stuck you know there is a tangle forming and can pay extra attention while brushing)
For short coated (of flat coated) breeds, you can also use a slicker brush, alternatively find a curry brush or terrier brush which looks more like a shoe polishing brush. A terrier brush will help keep your short coated dog’s coat beautifully shiny and polished as well as all the benefits mentioned above.

When is the best time to brush my dog?
Brushing is best done at a time when your dog is less active to give you the best possible chance of a stress free, calm session. Perhaps in the evening, just before bed time or any other time they generally settle down. No matter when you choose, try to brush at the same time each day. Dogs are creatures of habit and work best when there is a set schedule, if they know they get brushed every day just after their dinner while you are watching tv, they will eventually start to anticipate this fun bonding activity and come to you asking for it if you forget one night (some dogs have even been known to bring the brush to their owner if the brushing doesn’t start on schedule). At least to begin with, you should also try and do your brushing in the same place each day, that way your dog won’t be distracted by new sounds or sights during the brushing after he is used to the things that go on in that area at that time of day.

Getting started...
The best place to brush your dog is sitting on the floor with him sideways in front of you. I like to do my brushing while watching tv or a movie as it makes the whole experience part of your recreation rather than a chore that needs to be completed before you can relax. Once you get used to brushing your dog it will become almost an automatic practice and you will be able to divert some of your attention to something else (like a tv show, I wouldn’t suggest trying to cook or build model aircraft while brushing your dog :S ).
It is also useful to let your dog know it is grooming time, this way when he is used to being brushed he will understand the command to mean that it is time to settle down and stay still for a while, you can use any word you want, I like either “brush time” (which I use at home for my brushing sessions) or “grooming” (which I use for dogs on the grooming table). Remember to always use the same word in the same tone of voice so your dog learns to recognise the command easily.

If your dog will already stay still for you to scratch his belly, you are already one step in. It is often easier to brush most of your dog while he is on his back (or on one side) as this allows you easy access to his legs and armpits as well as his chest and neck. You can then flip him over and brush over his back and the top of his head. If your dog will not stay on his back for you, it is worth while spending some extra time to teach him to do this, it will not only make brushing easier, but also strengthen your position as pack leader (the most submissive position a dog can be in is on his back with his belly and chest exposed). Make sure there are no other pets or small children in the immediate area while you are doing this or your dog might feel threatened and try to defend himself, or at the very least not stay still. Having your dog lie down from brushing is more necessary for long coated breeds as short coats will not develop mats (for breeds with featherings such as golden retrievers you should use a slicker brush as they will develop mats in the longer areas of coat).

If you have a large breed dog it would probably be best to ask him to lie down and then help ease him onto his side. To begin with he will most likely struggle to get back up as he is not used to being moved in this way, however with patience and lots of reassurance he will soon lie down with very little help from you at a simple command. You can help keep him in the sideways position by placing one hand in his armpit on top, gently pushing his arm away from the ground and (of necessary) gently rest your body over his chest to both help tell him you want him to stay down as well as reassure him by allowing him to feel your breathing and heartbeat (of course you yourself need to be calm and relaxed for this to help).
If you have a smaller breed (such as a shih-tzu or poodle) you can put your dog in the brushing position by taking hold of their front and back legs, at the point they reach the body) furthest away from you, move your body down so their chest rests on you and then gently flip them onto their side. Make sure to keep them on the floor firmly to ensure they don’t bump their head. After a while you will feel your dog relax. Then you can let go of their back leg and start brushing. Some dogs will try to stand up a few times before getting the idea that you want them to stay down however once you have got them to stay for a while a couple of times it will become easier and easier.

Brushing...
When brushing with a slicker brush you need to use short strokes going outwards from the skin. For very long coats, start at the tip of the hair and work back along the coat (still brushing in an outward direction). Make sure you brush right down to the skin in each section of the coat. It also helps to brush ‘against the lay’ of the coat (the opposite direction to the way it grows), so you will be brushing away from the feet down towards the base of the leg, and then towards the floor for the sides and stomach.

The most common places for mats to form are also the hardest places to brush, these are generally behind the ears, in the armpits and along the inside of the legs. Pay close attention to any area that your dog generally uses to move (where the coat will be rubbed together a lot, causing tangles to form), and areas where they scratch. Work all through the body methodically, it helps to start at one foot, work your way up the leg, then up the next leg, along the body stomach and sides of the body and then move on to the other 2 feet. Then you can flip your dog back onto their front and work from the tail forwards to the top of the head, passing behind the ears by lifting the ears upwards and forwards making it easier to get behind them (especially important for drop eared dogs).

Don’t be afraid to move your dogs legs around (in the directions they naturally move) in order to reach area’s that would otherwise be difficult to get to (such as armpits), if your dog is settled on the floor and fully relaxed, they will allow you to do this without any resistance. Remember brushing should be relaxing for your dog so if he is fidgeting or seems uncomfortable, check how you are brushing and make sure you aren’t brushing to roughly or holding him in an unnatural position.

CAUTION: A slicker brush used incorrectly can cause ‘slicker burn’, this is where the sharp bristles of the brush have scraped too roughly on the skin causing a sore red patch which the coat falls out of. To avoid causing slicker burn, brush slowly while you are still getting the technique right and pay attention to how rough you are against the skin. If you are not sure how hard to press, test on the inside of your forearm. Give a few brush strokes in the same way you are brushing your own dog, if it is painful or your skin goes red, you are brushing too hard. Also pay attention to the skin in places you have already brushed on your dog, if they look pinker than normal you are brushing too hard, leave that area and go back the next session being careful to brush more gently next session.

If you do accidentally cause slicker burn, keep the area clean and dry. Wash it with saline solution once a day and use a disinfecting product such as iodine or a pet specific wound cleanser (I like Chris Christensen’s Peace and Kindness). Don’t panic and keep brushing the rest of the coat carefully, you won’t cause any permanent damage, although your dog might be less willing to submit for brushing sessions until you have regained their trust in this area.
When using a curry brush on short coats, you can use longer strokes going in the same direction as the coat. You can use quite firm strokes in order to loosen dirt and debris as a curry brush should have soft bristles that won’t damage the coat or skin of used roughly. Of course take into account the size of your dog and adjust you brush strokes and firmness to suit them, you shouldn’t be nearly pushing your pug over (or all around the floor if they are lying down) but you do need to get the bristles down to the skin. You can also use a coat polish while brushing in order to add extra shine and health to your dogs coat, although quite hard to find, some coat polishing products are starting to show up in Malaysian pet shops and grooming salons. Remember to always check the label and make sure the product is suitable for your dog and also read the instructions to make sure you use the right amount of the product correctly.

And that's it...
With persistence and practice you will find it takes no time at all to brush your dog. What started out as an hour long deeply concentrated and technical process will turn into a 5 minute natural part of your schedule. For long coated breeds it is best to brush every day, in order to ensure there are no tangles and mats, remember, the less frequent your brushing sessions, the longer they will take. If you already have tangles or mats in the coat, you should remove them by hand rather than simply cutting them out as this will cause the coat to become uneven which will not only make your groomer pull out their own hair (its very hard to get a neat finishing on a groom if the dog already has chunks of missing hair) but will also actually make that area tangle faster as the shorter hairs pull the longer hairs around them more than coat that is all the same length. Instead gently pull the mat apart starting from the edges and working into the center, brushing the loose coat out of the way as you go. If the mat is too tight to pull apart (which it will never be with daily brushing), you can make one cut through the center away from the skin, upwards through the mat. Then you will be able to easily pull the mat apart as described above.

With just 5 minutes a day you can make your dog more comfortable and your groomer happier. Once mats have been left to fully tighten (and washed in, which makes them shrink and become even tighter) they take a long time to pull apart which gives your groomer a lot of extra work. Although a lot of professional groomers charge you extra to do dematting, we would still rather you brush daily and allow us to give your dog a beautiful finishing, for us the best reward is seeing you and your dog happy after a grooming session.

(Very severe skin problem found under mats - http://www.theanswervet.com)

A note from me: Why did I decide to write this – as a groomer I often see dogs that are beautiful (or handsome for the boys), but they don’t get brushed at home so when they come in for grooming they just have to be shaved down. After a few months of being constantly matted I also see the skin condition deteriorate, sores and hot spots starting to appear and fungal infections developing and worsening.

When you shave off a badly matted coat that stays in one piece when removed (imagine a carpet), the look of relief and thanks in the dogs eyes is truly a sight to make you shed a tear. A badly matted dog could be fidgeting all over the table at the beginning of a session, but as soon as you start to get some of the mats off and they feel the relief of their skin not being tugged around any more, they sit down and stay still while you slowly peel away their furry prison. As much joy as it gives me to see the relief and know i have helped out... i would rather never see this face again as it means the dog has gone through weeks or even months of torture before they are brought to me.

[addedon]July 29, 2010, 1:01 pm[/addedon]SUMMARY (for those who don’t like reading)[U]

Brushing your dog will prevent mats and tangles.

Other benefits are: Healthier skin and blood flow
Less external Parasites (ticks, fleas)
Cleaner coat and skin
Deters skin problems and fungus
Ceates a closer bond between you and your dog

Use: Slicker brush for medium/long/thick coats. Curry Brush for flat/short coats.

To start: Get your dog calm (best after some exercise)
Sit with them on the floor/your lap

Brushing: Brush the coat out all over being gentle to not hurt the skin but enough to reach bottom layers of coat.
Remember the tough to reach spots (behind ears, tummy, inside legs and armpits).
Don’t give up, with time your dog will be calmer and used to being brushed and you will be more confident and faster in your brushing.

Caution: Using a bad slicker brush or doing it incorrectly can cause slicker burn.
If in doubt, ask your groomer to help you learn.

LYN Street Market - Pet Shop

Divas — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 16:33:55 +0800

I just had a look through the 'Pet Shop' on LYN and was shocked at the number of blatant Puppy Mills and unethical breeders/stud services i saw posted up. As an avid dog lover and (sometimes very) outspoken person when it comes to the welfare of dogs my fingers are itching to write exactly what i think about such open and unethical behavior on each and every post i find.
Just looking through the first few posts i found:

Inappropriate dog being advertised for stud service.
Obvious Puppy Mill advertising a number of different breeds.
"Bargain" puppies being advertised at "clearance prices".
Severe lack of MKA certification or health checks from most sellers.

However what i never found were any rules and regulations on posting responses to the threads educating people on why these type of people should not be bought from/dealt with/tolerated or encouraged. I don't want my account to be banned/suspended for "flaming" which i am sure i would be accused of if i randomly started telling people to "not buy ZZZ's puppies because they are a puppy mill/backyard breeder who doesn't certify their dog or test their breed conformation" or "not to use YYY's stud services because their dog is not appropriate to breed and there are far to many unwanted and unloved puppies with far too many genetic problems in Malaysia already".

So the point of this post is to ask anyone who knows what the rules are regarding criticizing unethical sellers in the 'Pet Shop' to please enlighten me. Of course i am talking about using facts to give a real argument discussing the real life problems with the seller and asking them to supply relevant info proving they are not unethical (if this is the case), NOT spam their topics with flaming remarks such "your stupid, don't buy from this *****, bad person bla bla bla".

Breaking the Chain

Divas — Sun, 04 Apr 2010 14:00:40 +0800

BREAKING THE CHAIN
Advocating for anti-tethering legislation
An article by Alyce Miller (‘The Bark’ Nov/Dec 2008 – pg43-45)

Who hasn't spotted a dog chained to his dog house and wondered with a pang if he's ever moved more than 10 or 15 feet from that spot? Well, if he's like thousands of dogs in this country [USA although it applies to Malaysia as well] who live chained, day in and day out, regardless of weather or season, he probably hasn’t. What about the dog in your neighbor back yard, tethered to a tree or a clothesline or a shed, barking until someone remembers to dump kibble in her dish? This is her life. What can you do?

In many communities, so long as food and water are available, continuous tethering hasn’t been prohibited- until now. “Continuous tethering” refers to the practice of attaching an animal with a restraint, usually a rope or chain, to a stationary object, like a porch, dog house, fence post or clothesline. As more and more people begin to understand how this practice damages the very active and social creature we call “friend”, communities across the nation [USA] are passing anti-tethering ordinances.

Two reasons for doing so stand out: the mental and physical welfare of dogs and the safety of human beings. “Dogs are naturally social animals,” explains Adam Goldfarb, a spokesperson and animal issues specialist for the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) in Washington, D.C, “and the isolation they endure when continuously tethered creates dogs who are lonely, bored and anxious, and who eventually become territorial and aggressive. Studies have shown that chained dogs are at a greater risk of biting people than dogs who don’t live chained, so ordinances that restrict chaining can benefit both people and animals.”

According to an oft-cited statistic, a chained dog is 280% more likely to bite.* Frequently, the victims are children. In 2007, the organization Mothers Against Dog Chaining logged 81 serious attacks on children by chained dogs (for specific cases, see their website).

In the last few years, groups of concerned individuals eager to address the urgency of the chained-dg problem have formed across the country [USA] . One of them, Unchain Your Dog, whose motto is Doesn’t man’s best friend deserve more than life on a chain?, offers important facts and great links to other sites. Another, Dogs Deserve Better, is the brain child of founder Tammy Grimes, who describes her own journey in recognizing that continuous tethering of a dog is cruel:
“As a child on the farm, we kept a chained Beagle names Maggie and a black Lab, who, although rarely chained, was not allowed in the home. The latent desire to stand up for the family dogs of my youth, coupled with later in life living near a dog the owners had named Worthless, was impetus for me to start Dogs Deserve Better. Worthless, another black Lab, had spent his entire life at the end of the chain- cold, snow, heat, and rain- until I started Dogs Deserve Better, approached the owners, as a representative of the organization, and was able to bring him in to rescue. That was indeed a glorious day!”
Thanks to better education, more and more people understand that their dogs are pack animals, social creatures who want and need to spend as much time as possible with their human companions. So why do so many dogs still end up on the end of a chain? The reasons run the gamut, and often cast light not just on the individuals but also on broader community and social values related to the treatment of animals.

Animals are still considered property in the eyes of the law, and some owners view their dogs as “possessions”, not unlike furniture or vehicles, to do with as they please. Others cite “tradition” or “custom,” or that people have always kept dogs that way (dogs used in herding and hunting were typically not regarded as family pets). Some simply don’t want an animal in the house and resort to a chain to prevent the dog from running loose (jumping the fence or doffing his way under). Some believe that a chained dog in the yard is “guarding” the house, despite the fact that a dog inside the house is more likely to be effective in deterring an intruder. Others have wearied of the responsibilities of owning a dog or are not willing to deal with a behaviour problem, and so have relegated the dog to the outdoors- tied, they say, because fences are expensive.

When communities consider anti-tethering legislation, it is important that those involved in creating it understand why people tether dogs and how to talk with them about this choice. Education is key, and information about the importance of properly socializing dogs is crucial.

What exactly is an anti-tethering ordinance? As you might imagine, they vary. Some, like the one in Ft. Worth, Texas ban tethering altogether, except for very temporary moments when the owner is present (a dog sitting at an outdoor cafe with his person, for example). Others simply limit the number of hours in a24-hour period that a dog can be tethered (in Bloomington, Ind., a dog cannot be tethered for longer than 10 continuous hours and no more than 12 in a 24 hour period). Others specify exact times of day; for example, Ft Lauderdale, Fla., focuses on the dangers of extreme temperatures and the vulnerability of particularly young animals, and prohibits “the tethering of cats, dogs who are under the age of six months, and any dog during periods of extreme weather or for longer than 15 minutes between the hours of 10am and 5pm.”

Many ordinances specify acceptable types of collars and tethers (e.g., a buckle type collar or a body harness made of nylon or leather, and not less than one inch in width), and the tether must be, for example, at least five times the length of the dog’s body, or at least 10 feet long. Some stipulate that the restraint cannot weigh more than a certain percentage of the dog’s weight and others require the tether to terminate at both ends with a swivel.** Leashes on dogs while they are being walked are, of course, exempt.

Naturally, an ordinance is only as good as its enforcement. The more specifically and carefully as ordinance is written, the more effective the enforcement can be. According to Sarah Hayes, CEO of the Monroe County, Ind., Humane Association, “After passing the anti-tethering laws in Bloomington, not only were we able to take immediate action to stop the tethering, but the ordinance also served as an opportunity to talk to owners about the root cause of resorting to chaining dogs. Officers now have the weight of the ordinance behind them and the opportunity to work with individuals to help rectify training and other issues, building a better understanding and bond between owner and dog.”

The successful creation and passage of anti-tethering laws involves establishing the reasons they’re needed, articulating a clear purpose and providing specific guidelines. A good reason to develop an anti-tethering ordinance is that a community wants not only to promote compassionate and humane treatment of companion animals, but also to acknowledge the ways in which the welfare of animals is inextricably connected to the welfare of people. Chained dogs are not only dangerous, they are vulnerable to predators, strangulation and theft as well. As Anne Sterling, Indiana State Director of the HSUS, reminds us, “Working to pass anti-tethering ordinances in your community is an incredibly effective way to help dogs.”

If you live in a community that has yet to pass an anti-tethering ordinance, here’s your opportunity to take some positive action. Begin by reviewing the ordinances of other communities, taking into account the particular needs and challenges of your own. The HSUS has developed a free, user friendly and downloadable packet of material that offers helpful suggestions on how to write and propose a good anti-tethering ordinance that is appropriate for your community.
The goal is to develop legislation that will not only serve animals, but will also be accepted and actively enforced. And that’s something we can all get behind.

*Gershman, Sacks and Wright “Which dogs bite? A case-control study of risk factors” Pediatrics 93 (1994):913-917.
** See www.helpinganimals.com/ga_tetherlegislation.asp for a list of ordinances and specific texts, as well as communities that have passed them.

RESOURCES:
Dogs Deserve Better
Humane Society of the United States (enter “chaining” in the search box)
Mothers Against Dog Chaining
Unchain Your Dog

PUBLISHED IN 'The Bark' Nov/Dec 2008 pg43-45