THE HINDU on July 30, 2012
Five youth who chose to take the responsibility of saving stray dogs, that has become a matter of concern for citizens and the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) alike, on Sunday, launched “Youth Canine Welfare Association”, on the sidelines of a dog show at the Basavanagudi National College Grounds here.
They said the association will rescue dogs with the help of the BBMP and other shelter houses, train them and ready them for adoption.
They will be assisted by Amrut S. Hiranya, dog “behaviourist” and trainer.
Pranav Dinakar, president of the association, said that they have tied up with the Great Indian Dog Project Association (TGIDPA) which will help them with information on stray dogs.
Manasi Jaysal, Chief Coordinator, TGIDPA, said that there was lack of differentiation between the terms, “stray dogs” and “Indian breeds”, among the people.
Dog Guru
Dog psychologist Amrut Sridhara Hiranya fell in love with dogs soon after he started selling them for pocket money through a breeder he knew when he was at Bishop Cotton’s Boys School back in ’98. As a teenager, he kept a stray dog in his balcony for three weeks without his mum’s consent. “She got so upset, I left my house and spent a night at a nearby park. Later, we gave it to People For Animals,” he recalls. Hiranya now owns a company called Dog Guru, a name he is also known by, given to him by a city-based news channel. “They created a show similar to the Dog Whisperer hosted by Cesar Millan,” he tells us about the series that started in January, 2012.
The Process
Hiranya’s style is unique. Unlike Vishwanath, Hiranya trains newbies with the help of his pack of dogs. A method similar to that of Dog Whisperer Millan, he uses calm, assertive energy and teaches dog owners to establish their role as pack leaders. He introduces the trainee dog to his English mastiff Shiney, who in turn, places the trainee correctly in the pack hierarchy. “This method is unlike reward-based training, where the behaviour of the dog is directly related to the treat,” he says. Apart from things like obedience, behaviour and owner training, Hiranya also does dog therapy and trains pets for security and narcotics and explosive detection.
Rs. 15,000 per month with food and accommodation.
Sruthy Susan Ullas, TNN on July 29, 2012
BANGALORE : If you happen to see a mongrel at the end of a leash sniffing for bombs next time you visit a mall, don’t be taken aback. Even as the city is debating the ethics of culling stray dogs, a group of animal lovers plans to train dogs for various purposes.
The Youth Canine Welfare Association, a group of 30 college students, and Great Indian Dog Project Association, a group of working professionals, have given a proposal to the BBMP to allow them to rehabilitate dogs in its shelters.
The plan to train these dogs for bomb detection, therapy, seizure warning and guard duty. “We like to believe that stray dogs are inferior. We need to prove it’s wrong. Instead of letting these dogs die, we can give them a better life where they can earn for themselves,” said Pranav Dinakar, a final-year BCom student, Jain University.
“We don’t need Labradors to trace bombs. We can use strays too. Stray dogs have additional advantages — they have greater resistance. Having lived on the streets they can withstand extreme weather, hunger, pollution and tough situations,” said canine behaviourist Amrut Sridhara Hiranya.
Training strays is like training other breeds, say experts. “If Labrador is for sniffing and Doberman for guarding, stray dogs have a bit of everything. The selection process would be tedious but training them would be easy,” he said.
“We met with BBMP and gave this suggestion. We’re yet to get a concrete answer,” said Jaysal Jagadish, who runs a web-designing company. “Once dogs are trained for specific purposes, we can give them for adoption appropriately. For example, there can be malls or old age homes which can adopt them as per their needs,” he added.
“Trained stray dogs can be champions for others. For instance, when people watch them on duty in a mall, they may want to adopt strays,” said Amrut.
These organizations have also pitched an idea to train street dogs which chase vehicles and animals. “This can be done with the help of residents. If a resident lets us know who the pack leader is (mostly the one who starts barking first), we can train him and put him back on the streets.”
DHNS on July 23, 2012
Young dog lovers and students from the Youth Canine Welfare Association conducted a dog show on Sunday to raise money, to provide stray dogs a decent life.
The dog show, held at the National College Grounds, was witness to nearly 60 dogs of various breeds. Different contests such as Best Obedient Dog, Best Junior and Best Fancy Dress were held. The proceeds will help street dogs.
Speaking to Deccan Herald, association member Pranav said that the aim is to rescue dogs and rehabilitate them rather than simply using sterilisation as a method.
The Association also aims to educate the public on dog behaviour. Rescued street dogs will be trained by Amrut Sridhara, a canine behaviourist, in sniffing and tracking. The Association hopes that the training will help make the animals useful for official purposes.
During the contest one pet was costumed as a Hawaiian girl while another was dressed in fancy beads. Many dogs also performed tricks, including shaking hands with the public and balancing on two legs. Winning pets received certificates. Stalls were also set up to sell pet accessories.
The growing number of dog-bite cases has forced the civic authorities to think out of the box, and explore solutions beyond the traditional methods.The focus is now on finding the reason for canines going berserk.Experts point out that dogs normally do not attack unless provoked; they bite mainly to defend themselves or due to fear. According to Rakesh Shukla, the founder of Voice of Stray Dogs, heaps of garbage in public places are at the root of the problem.
“Dogs are scavengers and they eat garbage. If there is no edible garbage, dog populations will disappear,” he explains, citing analyses and data from studies.
But he points out that dog-bite cases cannot be reduced to zero in the City spread over 750 sq km, with a population of approximatively 80 lakh. The sheer numbers, 1.8 lakh strays and 1.4 lakh pet dogs, make the task of curbing their population difficult.
Amrut Sridhara Hiranya, a dog behaviourist, doesn’t want to generalise. ” Not all dogs are a nuisance. Why do people generalise? The public knowledge about sick dogs are those with rabies or scabies.
But dogs also have behavioural problems. As a responsible citizen, it is important to inform the BBMP or animal welfare organisations about abnormal behaviour of dogs in your locality, ” he said.
BBMP programme
The Palike launched animal birth control (ABC) and anti-rabies vaccination (ARV) drives in 2001. Till date, over 3.6 lakh dogs have been subjected to ABC and ARV administered on another four lakh. For the year 2010-11, ABC has been conducted on 69,141 dogs and ARV administered on 1,61,419 dogs under the programmes executed by NGOs working for the BBMP.
Dr Parvez Ahmad Piran, Joint Director, Animal Husbandry, BBMP, says at present ABC and ARV are being executed in full swing and at this rate, dog population can be controlled in the next three years.
“Executing these programmes is a Herculean task. Dogs cannot be caught easily as they hide and alert their creed about dog-catchers. Despite making huge efforts, many dogs go missing in our programmes, “he added.
Dr Piran said dogs normally do not cross their territories. But during breeding season, they do cut across territories and during one of their migration phases, there can be incidents of dog bites due to aggression. Dogs attack due to sexual aggression, maternal aggression, rabies, territorial aggression, fear and provocation.
The BBMP’s ABC and ARV take care of sexual and maternal aggression by removing the reproductive glands in the animal and ARV takes care of rabies, he explained.
Mauling toddlers
The death of two children this year, supposedly due to dog bites, could actually have been caused due to other reasons, Dr Piran said.
“Two toddlers, one in Bagalur and another in Yelahanka did not die due to dog attack. Normally, when a dog bites, there are irregular tears or laceration marks on the body which were not found on these two children. These children may have died due to other reasons, which still need to be investigated, ” he added.
Ref – http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/wales/8378569.stm
Tongues wag and tails too
Times of India on Monday, 22 July 2011
Bangalore: Bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, Bangalore’s dog-loving youth were eager to parade their pets at the Dog show,an intercollegiate pet competition.
Hosted by Jain University’s cultural forum,the event celebrated a dogs day and promoted awareness about canine behavioural issues.The National College Grounds was alive with chatter and wagging tails.The stalls surrounding the enclosure endorsed Karuna Animal Welfare Association of Karnataka (KAWAK) and sold dog food,accessories and even puppies! We wanted to do something different, said Akshith Manjunath,a member of the cultural forum.We invited every college in Bangalore. As an open class breed event, the entrants didn’t need to register under the Canine Club and any dog could compete.
There was even a Puppy section into which organizer, Pranav D,e ntered his 4-month-old Rottweiler, Danny. Over 50 dogs of all shapes, ages and sizes competed in three categories: Most Obedient, Best Looking and Fancy Dress, to win medals, trophies and Drools Dog Kits.
The show was also a platform to create awareness about canines with behavioural issues: Apart from rabies, dogs can develop mental disorders, said.
The show was also a platform to create awareness about canines with behavioural issues: Apart from rabies, dogs can develop mental disorders, said.Amrut Hiranya, a behaviouralist known as the Dog Guru,and one of the judges at the show.
The recent stray-dog attacks are a result of psychologically unstable canines which haven’t been reported to competent authorities, Hiranya urged students to notify correction centres about such cases to save healthy dogs from being unjustly treated.
The Annual Dog Show 2011-12
This Press release from Jain University organized “The Annual Dog Show 2011-12″
The Cultural Forum of Jain University organized ” The Annual Dog Show 2011-12 ” – an event for open class breed exclusively for the beloved dogs.
Mr. Amrut Sridhara Hiranya – Canine Behaviorist, Unitec, New Zealand & Dr. Chandraiah – Veterinarian, Bangalore were the judges for the event. The Show witnessed various breeds stepping with their best paws forward.
Results:
The show was a platform to create awareness about canines with behavioral issues and event also echoed concerns about Dog Shows being considered as a fashion event.
Best Obedient Dog– Where a dog must perfectly execute a predefined set of tasks when directed to do so by his handler.
Male Dog – Veerabadra; Guardian – Madhurima
Best Looking Dog– The best looking breed which engrossed the judges as well as the audience.
Male Dog – Champy; Guardian – Satish
Female Dog – Nicy; Guardian – Deepu
Dogs and Pups magazine on Tuesday, 21 Feb 2012
You have undoubtedly experienced frustration with your best buddy, from time to time. And, even though you know it’s not always your dog’s fault, blame is easy to cast when your emotion runs high. Behavioural problem with our canine companions is considered to be a common trouble faced by almost every dog owner.
