Shih Tzu strangled at grooming salon A Shih Tzu was strangled while staff at a Shropshire grooming parlour battled to keep him under control during a routine trim, a court heard today (30th March). Pamela White, 63, and Rebecca Haire, 20, were attempting to groom a Shih Tzu dog belonging to Alison King at Clippers and Dippers salon in Donnington Wood, Telford, when the tragedy occurred. Telford magistrates heard the pair were “deeply remorseful”. Both were animal lovers with extensive experience grooming dogs. The court heard the dog, called Rosco, became aggressive, started flipping over on the table and was “panting excessively” as the pair used two harnesses and their hands to try and hold him down. Mr Roger Price, prosecuting for the RSPCA, said the dog suddenly collapsed and attempts to revive him proved futile. He said: “This is a case where the offence involves unnecessary suffering. It is more unnecessary when very early on in the process this dog was showing clear signs of distress but they persevered for a significant amount of time. “It should have been obvious to any humane person that to have persevered would cause the dog unnecessary suffering.” Two post-mortems revealed the dog died from a cardiac arrest after being strangled on August 18 last year. White, of Queens Road, Donnington, Telford, and Haire, of Southfield, Sutton Hill, Telford, both admitted causing unnecessary suffering by unreasonably restraining the dog and blocking its airway. Mr Julian Tutchener-Ellis, for White and Haire, said it was a “tragic case”, adding: “Miss Haire is deeply remorseful and Mrs White has worked for 19 years as a volunteer at the Telford dog pound.” Presiding magistrate Mrs Sue Roberts sentenced the pair to 18-month conditional discharges. White and Haire were also ordered to pay £198 each in compensation to Mrs King and £500 each to the RSPCA as a contribution to costs. After the case, Mrs King, of Little Dawley, said: “I’m glad they can go home and give their dogs a hug, because I can’t. My family is just devastated.” By Jason Lavan, the Shropshire Star

Crufts on alert for dogs in make-up

Organisers of Crufts have warned dog owners not to break competition rules
amid concerns some are resorting to using make-up and beauty treatments such
as coat dye and hair removal creams on their animals.

By Alastair Jamieson Daily Telegraph

The Kennel Club has warned that it will be introducing extra checks at this week's event in addition to its usual random tests. It has also written to some breed clubs for dogs where there is particular concern about the use of beauty products.

Although competition rules do not specifically ban the use of cosmetics and other beauty treatments on dogs, they do forbid anything that alters an animal's appearance during dog shows, to gain extra marks from judges, who award prizes for entries that best match the "ideal" characteristics of each
breed.

The Kennel Club said it was aware some owners were exploiting this grey area to circumvent the rules and said it would not hesitate to disqualify anyone caught cheating.

The warning comes days before Britain's biggest dog show gets under way at the NEC in Birmingham, and is the latest controversy to hit the event, after rows about the health dangers of pedigree breeding.

The use of cosmetics is becoming increasingly common among non-competition dogs.
One British company, HUB International, based near Reading, now offers nose paint, black and white dyes to change the colour of the dog's coat, as well as hairspray and make-up. The firm warns customers that these products should not be used in competitions.

A recent article in the magazine Dog World even gave advice about using the acne cream Clearasil, to treat spots on animals.
Lipstick and eyeliner is also used on some dogs. Some owners are even using female depilatory cream to neaten the appearance of hairless breeds such as the Chinese Crested dogs.

The growing use of such treatments has led to the new crackdown on all breeds by the Kennel Club.
It has written to the two clubs responsible for Chinese Crested dogs in Britain to stress their opposition to the use of hair removal products. Both organisations insisted their members would not be breaking the rules.

Caroline Kisko, a spokeswoman for the Kennel Club, said: "Anything that gives a dog an unfair advantage in its appearance is not allowed. We certainly would not allow the use of hair removal creams. "We do carry out spot checks, including hair samples, but while it is easy to find colour dye it can be very hard to prove that removal cream has been used on a hairless dog. "However, we will be particularly vigilant this year and we have written to the Chinese Crested clubs to remind their members about the rules."

Cathy Urquhart, co-owner of the HUB Internation, denied that their cosmetics were being used in competitions.

However, Beverley Cuddy, editor of Dogs Today magazine, said: "Ordinary pet owners simply do not put make-up on their pets or chemicals on their dog's nose. "This sort of trade is becoming more commercial and the demand must surely be coming from people entering shows. "Dog shows shouldn't be about winning at all costs. The whole world of dog shows needs a deep clean and until now the Kennel Club has just been looking the other way."
Stuart Payne, secretary of the Chinese Crested Club of Great Britain, said: "I do not believe that any exhibitor of the breed would do anything to cause
any discomfort to their pets."Anyone coming to see the breed at a dog show can see they are healthy, happy and in excellent condition. "It is very easy to abide by the rules, as there is absolutely no need to break them in order to prepare a dog for the show ring."

The cosmetics controversy is the latest to overshadow Crufts. Last year, the BBC decided not to cover the event in the wake of a 2008 television documentary that exposed breeding techniques it was claimed led to genetic illnesses affecting pedigree dogs.

The RSPCA also pulled out of the show. Last year, The Sunday Telegraph also revealed some 'size zero' dogs were being starved in order to meet strict
weight limits at shows.

Animal campaign group PETA, which believes pedigree inbreeding is "morally unjustifiable", will target this year's Crufts with a poster featuring a
white Maltese with a black comb on his upper lip to look like Adolf Hitler. The caption reads: "Master Race? Wrong for People. Wrong for Dogs. Boycott
Breeders".

In response to welfare concerns, the Kennel Club has promised a 'doggy dating' website to help breeders find a healthier match between pedigrees
using the organisation's unrivalled database of genetics. It hopes the Mate Select site, which seeks to reduce instances of pedigrees mating with close relatives, will be running by the end of the year.However critics have said the project is unlikely to work because it is not compulsory.
 

Gilbert Kahn, Charing Cross Shih Tzus, died on Monday night (22nd Feb).

A resident of Rhode Island USA (you can see where he lived here) he was well known to exhibitors and often judged here in the UK including judging the Shih Tzus at Crufts 2005.

He was the son of Janet Annenberg Hooker, sister of Walter Annenberg an American billionaire publisher, philanthropist, and diplomat.

Gilbert Kahn was chairman of the American Museum of the Dog

Proportion of litters of purebred dogs born by caesarean section

An interesting paper just published by BSAVA (British Small Animal Veterinary Association) lists the number of c-sections for 151 breeds. Out of 171 litters of Shih Tzu 36, 21.2%, were born by c-section.
Read the paper here

Sue Thatcher Copyright © 1998,99,2000,01,02 Bakalo. All rights reserved. Revised: 04/08/10