Episode 35 - guilty owners punished, wolf cub research and more

The Dog News Show

Listen to this week's show for an honest and humorous take on what's going on in the dog world around the world. Despite the snow there's been lots of dog news and Debbie and Julie discus and debate their chosen stories in the podcast where dogs meet news. Don't forget you can send us any interesting, controversial or heartwarming dog news story you spot for inclusion in the show - and we love to hear your comments too.
When Derek Brady was delivering parcels to a house in Yorkshire, U.K., he decided to enter a garden where an Akita was chained up, even though the owners were not at home. While he tried to put the parcels into a shed, the Akita bit Derek. Now the delivery man is calling for the breed to be covered by the Dangerous Dogs Act, and claims the dog could have killed him. However Debbie believes that adding dogs to the Act makes no difference at all, pointing out there are thousands of Pitbulls and Pitbull mixes for sale in the U.K. Derek received a five figure payout for his injuries - do you think this is fair? The dog involved was put to sleep. What do you think is the way to avoid incidents of this nature?
In Melbourne, Australia, when Jan Morrey's small dog was chased out of the park and into the road by a larger dog and nearly hit by a car, she demanded that the council set aside different times for different sized dogs to visit the park. Other locals have posted responses to her request, and opinions vary. Some dog owners point out that irrespective of the size of dog, it's the control the owner has over it that matters. One owner welcomes the fact that her larger dogs would be free from the "terrorism" of smaller breeds running up and harassing them. However, as Julie points out owners with a pack of mixed sized dogs might have to arrange two visits to the park which would be inconvenient. And do dogs have any concept of their own size anyway?
Symieon Robinson Pierre is the incredibly irresponsible and heartless owner who let his dog out into the street and stayed inside while the dog attacked police officers, leading to the dog being shot dead, leaving the street splattered with both human and canine blood. The dog was a Pitbull-Doberman cross and thanks to Symioen's actions not only did the dog lose his life, but he gained several headlines of the "devil dog" variety, and attracted further bad publicity for Pitbulls. Symioen has been sentenced to 22 months in prison and banned from owning a dog for 5 years. Debbie congratulates Judge Bishop in his handling of this case.
Evolutionary biologist Kathryn Lord from the University of Massachusetts, U.S.A. has been investigating the differences between wolves and dogs and their sensory development as pups. Kathryn studied 11 wolves and 43 dogs and found that while dog puppies don't start exploring the world until they can see and hear, wolves are able to walk and are up and about before their hearing and sight kicks in. She found intriguing differences between the way the two subspecies discover the world around them, and how they react to new stimuli - but has she found an answer to the question of why wolves remain wild at heart while dogs become man's best friend?
In Leeds, U.K., Caroline O’Connor has been fined £200 plus a £15 victim surcharge and also ordered to pay costs of £398.44 after being found guilty of letting her dog wander unsupervised around the streets. Despite a Leeds City Council dog warden spotting the dog roaming free, and trying to explain to Caroline that this broke the local Dog Control Order, she ignored this and refused to pay a fixed penalty notice, which resulted in the much harsher punishment when the case was sent to court.
And after a show dealing with some heavy issues, Schmaltz Corner aims to send you away with a smile on your face. Jenny Spence's Doberman, Uber, jumped out of her car in Bristol, was hit by a car and ran off. Uber was missing for 4 days, during which time Jenny was impressed and touched by the way the local community supported her search for her beloved dog. So how was Uber finally found, and how did Jenny say thank you? And what will Debbie find to complain about in Julie's latest heart-warming offering? Listen and find out!