Despicable pet owners. What to do, what to do?

      

 Back on my trusty steed again.

Time to tilt at windmills once more.

Currently pet owners who abandon/discard their animals are irking me!

Take a look at this image...

Take a good long look...

This is the face of a dog whose owner NO LONGER WANTS HIM!

(The animal is in the care of a local vet at present).

The owner, if you can call him that, is tired of taking care of him

and has threatened to SHOOT the dog should it be returned to him!

In the greater scheme of things, this might not seem

like an issue that would warrant a mention in a newspaper,

or even a fine/jail time for this despicable human should the dog be killed.

Yet, it now awaits its fate in a kennel at a veterinary clinic,

where the kind vet/owner has been looking after it for almost two weeks.

Interestingly, as humans ,we need officially sanctioned documentation
 to prove that we are competent

to undertake certain tasks and activities.

We need a drivers license to get behind the wheel of a car.

And, legally, we have to wait until we are 17 to do that.
And it has to be renewed every 5 years.
It can be revoked for a variety of reasons.

In order to possess a firearm, we need to pass a proficiency test.

And there are age and legal restrictions on who can and cannot own a gun.
It can be revoked under certain circumstances

You cannot drive a vehicle that does not have a valid license.

That has to be renewed on an annual basis.

And, although age might not be enforced,

you do need one of these to legally be betrothed to someone.

Today, with our Democratic Constitution, same sex marriages are allowed.

BUT NONE OF THE ABOVE CONSTRAINTS APPLY TO OWING A PET!

Anyone can walk into a pet shop and buy a pet of any description,

without having to prove that they can actually look after the animal.

WHY?

Certain of the rescue shelters will do a home inspection,

but these are superficial to say the least.

They would rather have the animal in a home(of almost any description)

that having it at a shelter where it has to be housed and fed.

At this particular stage competency tests should be conducted

 on all potential owners, and if they fail, they need to be placed on a register

so that they are unable to buy from any reputable shop or breeder.

Years ago, there were dog licenses, but these seem to have vanished.

Cats never had to be licensed.

Some owners will not even buy their pet a collar with a tag for contact details.

Surely that should be compulsory?

A minimum standard in order to return the pet should it stray.

But perhaps there are owners who figure that id a pet gets lost,

it can be easily replaced!

How would they feel if it was their child that was missing?

If it was just a simple "click"

would YOU do it?

Many would not

Yes, there is a cost involved...

But if you are a conscientious pet owner, this would be an option.

Often the "my pets are like my children" only apply 

when they are healthy and not costing money.

When that happens, often the mantra becomes

"I had them put down because their quality of life was compromised"...

So what kind of pet owner are you?

Only YOU can answer that...

Not all owners are guilty of these travesties and they DO take care of their animals.

But there are those, who seem to make decisions about their pets 

based solely on financial circumstances.

Get rid of the pet that we have currently because we cannot afford to keep it,

we can always get another!

                 

                       Once again I ask you to take a good look into these eyes...

Can YOU offer him a second chance?

He has been neutered.

                    He is very comfortable around both children and adults,

                    but he needs to be the only pet in the household.

But time is running out for this unloved animal.

We can complain about its owner all we like,

but if we cannot help him find a new home SOON,

then his fate will certainly be a lethal injection and an unceremonious "burial"

on a designated landfill.

  

And that is all I have to say...

Until the next time.

Hello 2017...and we are off again

      

 Back on my trusty steed again

In this particular case...

When do you STOP wishing people "Happy New Year"?

I asked a waitress at a restaurant where I was having lunch recently,

and her answer was "At the end of January".

Is there any etiquette surrounding the offering of that salutation?

(The on-line research I did was unable to give me a definitive date)

For years I have dreaded the beginning of a New Year.

An empty diary, for a freelancer like myself, can be very daunting.

This year, 2017, I decided to see each of those blank pages

 as Opportunities,rather than Challenges.

Although much of my work is on-line, I still use an "old fashioned" hard copy diary

that can be found on my desk next to my laptop.

I have used the same type of diary for the past several years

and although I have seen quotations at the foot of each page,

I have never paid much attention to them.

But I have decided that that will change THIS year...

How long does it take to read...

"Any fool can criticize, condemn and complain,

but it takes character and self-control 

to be understanding and forgiving"

Dale Carnegie

6 seconds...that is how long!

And if you consider that there are 86,400 seconds in a day,

you will realize what a minuscule amount of time that actually is!

Go ahead, have a look in YOUR diary...

perhaps today's quote will be pertinent or meaningful to you.

What are your goals for 2017?

Did you go to bed on the night of 31/12/2016 will any unfulfilled ones...

and then just rolled them over into 01/01/2017?

Did you write any of them down?

As humans we all have foibles and faults.

We have great intentions of making the year the OUR BEST ONE EVER...

but do we actually do anything constructive towards changing ourselves,

either in word or deed?

Do we set ourselves achievable targets?

Or do we set limitations to our success by not being specific 

about what we want to attain during this year?

"I want to..." is an open ended statement and will almost certainly guarantee failure.

On the other hand,

"I will achieve(whatever your goal is)...by( set yourself a specific date)"

and that WILL bring success.

Remember the completion date and the goal can be altered. 

Nothing, except death, is final.

I have set and changed one goal already...

I thought that I would be able to lift my own bodyweight (87kg)

within the first half of this year.

However, having spoke to several personal trainers

who have said that this is an unreasonable goal

I have revised this to give me a similar, but more achievable task

in the same time frame.

I have also decided that 2017 WILL be the year 

in which I FINALLY(after 57 years of trying)

get to touch my toes!

Due to REALLY tight hamstrings, I have never achieved this.

I started my quest on 05/01/2017

and I have gone from 18cm to 13cm (fingertips to toe) already.

I have set myself 35 days to achieve this.

It is the same with weight goals...

Especially post the festive season, when we all overindulged to some extent.

And neglected our training regimes.

DO NOT get sucked in my "fad diets" and "lose weight quick" schemes.

This is a marathon, not a sprint.

Get rid of the weight too quickly and it WILL return,

bring more with it.

The object of losing weight is to keep in off ,

not to yo-yo up and down as that can affect your overall health.

And on that note...

When last have you had a full physical?

Not feeling well, don't turn to Facebook for advice,

seek qualified medical advice.

And guys, going to the Dr is NOT a sign of weakness.

Do everything in moderation.

Don't deny yourself a slice of cake...but have one and not several

Binge eating is brought about by denial,

and unless it is an excess of alcohol or drugs

their is no reason to deny yourself.

You will be happier, less stressed and certainly a more rounded person

if you do not berate yourself for having a chocolate.

Take time to mourn.

It could be a family member, a friend or perhaps

a celebrity who was meaningful to you.

By the same token it could be a lost opportunity, 

a failed relationship or a phone call that you never made.

Allow yourself to go through the grief and the hurt

and despite what people may say, 

there is no time limit on this process.

But learn from the experience

and come out stronger and filled with understanding.

My wish for YOU in 2017?

That you find fulfilment, joy, passion, hope and adventure.

May you have new and joyous experiences with those that you love.

And, more importantly,

may whatever you do with the days left in 2017,

you do in order to make your heart soar.

May you and those you love a wonderful and safe year

  

And that is all I have to say...

Until the next time.

Using tattoos as a marketing tool?

Time to get back on my horse.

But this time I am merely posing a question.

We live in a time of mass media marketing that has seen billboards
springing up on every corner and buildings under construction
wrapped in enormous advertising drapes.
Is it any wonder then that the last bastion of free space,
our own bodies, are beginning to fall prey to the clutches
of the advertising companies and the brands that they represent?

And how do you (or they) determine the going rate for this prime mobile advertising service?

Recently a woman in the USA accepted $10000 (around R13000)
to place a tattoo on her forehead to promote a particular product.
And this was not a henna tattoo that would eventually fade after a few weeks.
No, this was there for the life of the woman who allowed her “head space”
to be commandeered by this particular brand.

So would you do it for that amount of money? 

I posed that question to tattoo artist Ryan “Busta” Bolton recently 

and his response did not surprise me

“Personally”, he told me, “ I have nothing against doing a tattoo for
someone who is being paid to have their skin inked with their favourite product or service. 

HOWEVER...I would closely question the prospective client before going ahead with the tattoo”.

He has done club logos (usually Man U), national flags and even local rugby clubs,
but he has never tattooed a brand onto someone’s forehead!

He has done a Coca Cola tattoo on the leg of a friend who needed to fill
a space and thought that that particular logo would work
 (he did not approach the soft drink company for any sort of payment)

 But back to my original question that was “Would I do it”?
The answer for me is a definite “NO” UNLESS there are large sums of money
ALREADY deposited into my bank account.

If the money was sufficient what sort of brands would I be likely to allow onto my skin...
and where would I place them?

I already have several tattoos, but none are product related...
although the one design was adapted from a banking advert.

Would I allow a supermarket chain to appear above my eyebrows?
I don’t think so. But, by the same token I would allow an energy drink to use the back of my legs especially if their brand gave my bank account wings!

If I lived in a country where there was a culture of facial tattooing
 then I might consider incorporating a logo into such a design...
as long as it did not offend the culture of that particular people.

But what if I was to have a particular brand, that was acceptable here in South Africa,
applied to my forehead only to find that it was unacceptable in a foreign country!

Try explaining your particular forehead message to a non-English speaking
customs official (think Midnight Express)

Should the tattoo, or product be age appropriate?
If I got a tattoo aimed at the 16-24 market, what happens years later
when I am seeing walking the halls of my retirement village?
Will I be labeled as some sort of deviant? Or could be changed to be more suitable?

Several years ago there was an advert for Volkswagen, where the lead character had the name of his current girlfriend tattooed on his arm. Every time a relationship ended he went back to the tattoo parlour, had the offending named canceled out and the new name put underneath. Eventually seeing that his relationships never seemed to last he had the VW badge  applied as it was the only constant in his life.

But that brings me back to the earlier question
“How to you choose a brand and where would you put it?”

From a product placement perspective the company would want
the most exposure they could get at the same time maintaining the dignity
 of the person who will be carrying their brand.

There was a local company that was wrapping vehicles in order to promote
certain brands given what type of car and for what purpose it was usually used.

Could there be casting agencies that would spring up locally
to promote their clients with a particular brand?

    

The bottom line, no pun intended, is that beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

 If you want a puppy with a toilet roll on your face forever then who am I to judge.

And that is all I have to say...

Until the next time.

I visit Paramount Specialized K9 Solutions...where Cortac train their dog teams.

      

 Back on my trusty steed again

In this particular case,
I visited  Paramount Specialized K9 Solutions,
under the watchful eye of Henry Holsthyzen
where Cortac (together with other companies)
 train their dog teams.

This company is one of the two proactive
security firms tasked with keeping our suburb free of crime


The next generation of guard dog?
This puppy got tired and bored(?) very quickly
and had to be carried around by its owner for most of the morning!


The training school is off the beaten track in the mountains near Johannesburg.


I was here to watch the Cortac team being put through its paces.
Aside from being utilized in the urban environment,
the Cortac dog teams are also deployed to various mines.

I had witnessed this dog agility training before.
It is usually what the public get to see at the Rand Show
and similar events.


Using their highly trained sense of smell,'
the dogs were able to find the "hidden" items with ease.
Good for tracking skills, when scent is all they have to rely on


They get a reward, in this case a ball,
after every exercise completed satisfactorily


Some of the dogs are being trained to find Rhino horn.
In this instance a small bottle of horn shavings was hidden
in the engine compartment of the car.
It was discovered within seconds.


As for poachers...
The dogs and their handlers to ambush exercises.
In this instance, both are wearing camouflage
and I was unable to spot them before they broke cover
and arrested this "suspect".


Another way of detaining poachers, long line tracking.
One again, the dog gets his suspect.


This is the part of the Cortac team that Linden might get to see a lot of.
Viper with handler Laurence.


I actually thought of donning this bite suit,
until I saw what the dogs did to it...
And then I changed my mind REALLY quickly.
Leave it to the professionals...


Viper gets his man.


Even if you are hiding in a car,
that does not deter the dog from jumping through an open window.


The Cortac team...


Vicky, with handler Nkosi showing how it is done.
And before I hear complaints about "animal cruelty",
the stick being wielded is soft plastic pipe.
From what I observed, it caused NO harm to the dog.


This is Sukela with Siphiso...
We just could not get the dog to bare his teeth.
Quiet but deadly is how he was described.


Vicky showing her fangs...
Nkosi is careful to stay behind.


And last, but by no means least...
Laurence and Viper.
At no stage was I allowed to interact with the dogs.
In fact they are actively discouraged from becoming too friendly.
They do not even get to play with each other,
as they are NOT pets, but are working animals.


My time was up and I left as Viper was chasing a ball.
I was very impressed with what I saw.
It is a professionally run organization
that uses dogs( mainly Belgian Malinois)
that have a "passion" for this type of work.
To find out more about what Cortac can offer its unban clients,
visit their website:
www.cortac.co.za

  

And that is all I have to say...

Until the next time.