ALWAYS FUR-MILY

What a lovely word – FUR-MILY, came across it on facebook – our four-legged furry friends are not only a part of our family but complete it too.

The FUN-TASTIC fact is that they know us like no other. Every little move we make is monitored, and in their little minds they have completely mapped each and every action made. Whether it is siesta cuddle, happy running or food indulgence, we have pawfect partner in crime.
They are happy when they see us happy and want to be a part of each and every activity. Their intelligence in gauging a situation and knowing what they want is quite incredible. To learn from them is to be wise. So here’s welcoming Buddy Hirani in our Ask Buddy section–Ask and get answers – words of wisdom by Buddy– as to what he feels about life and how to live it being content and happy.
And before getting your fur family member do remember it’s a  commitment for the next 10 -15 years of your life, it certainly should be a well thought of decision in terms of quality of time you can spend, energy of the breed, exercise requirements, cost, the nature of breed itself, etc. It is surely sad to see a St Bernard or a Siberian Husky in Delhi’s hot summer months. What is most important is health and mental happiness of the fur member. They have needs which need to be matched and met.
Now the growing concern over the health of our furry buddies is that cancer has become a big threat to them. It has been said that cancer cases among dogs have been increased to double in the country over the last decade. The Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI)  recorded 94 cases of cancers in dogs in 2006-07, but the number rose  to 209 in 2016-17, more than two-fold.
Similarly, we must aware about increasing cases of rabies among our stay furry buddies. Rabies is 100 preventable with vaccination, but people still have poor awareness and dangerous societal practices about the disease. It’s not just the bite but a scratch by an infested dog can also cause rabies.
Good news is that our lean and lanky indigenous Mudhol hunting hound breed is all set to be part of the defence forces. They will be assigned guard duty. This breed in the history was initially bred by Ghorpade Kings in the erstwhile Kingdom of Mudhol (present day Bagalkot in north Karnataka) during the 1920s. They produced the breed by crossing Persian and Turkish breeds with local dogs. Surprisingly, today Mudhol breeds can complete tasks faster than Labradors and Shepherds.
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Shweta
shweta@dogsandpups.net