Be warned...Dogs poisoning in the north

Oh my goodness,I am so sorry for your loss T_T . What a friendly doggie!!!

They usually poison dogs in South Africa before they rob a house in an area so be careful!

he was great.

I am so sorry for your loss. Please do not blame yourself. I have also have heard of dogs and cats who have been poisoned in the same or a similar way.

if anyone else unfortunately experienced this, i will be happy to happy to talk to.

Hi,

So sorry to hear that, I think I may have already heard about this from a friend. I have 2 friendly dogs and this also worries me. I have a lovely neighbour that throws rocks at them when he passes so thats never far from my mind. Do you think he was specifically targetted? How did you discover the poison? Don't blame yourself, there is nothing you can do if someone is going to be evil

I will check around if there are any puppies that need a home. There always are I guess...

Hi Strawb, the vet informed us 5 dogs came to him Monday, all suffering from poisoning. 2 died including my dog, and the other 3 lived. All from our neighborhood, so i dont think he was targeted. And our next door neighbor also hates dogs and always throws rocks at them. I wish he was poisoned instead of my dog! He can anyone be so mean to a lovely non-biting friendly dogs?
We just saw him acting weird after 1 hour he started to really shake and foam, so we immediately rushed to the vet. Just dont let your 2 dogs anytime anywhere without a leash, and dont let them eat anything u dont trust. I wonder when the cry will end

My name is Debby, by the way.

sorry to hear that. If I come accross any I will let you know. I also live in the North.

We used to feed a lovely dog which belonged to the caretaker/security guy near us - and she died very suddenly around 10 days ago. I suspect she too was poisoned - and she was pregnant
She was a cross dalmation/greyhound.
I live in Pereybere.

This is unfortunately one of the reasons I don't like mauritius. I am a true dog lover and after this happened to zorro I found out it happenes a lot here. In my country of Israel it never happens. I love mauritians and Mauritius but some things are very hard to get used to. Daisy may I'm so sorry for your loss. Maybe it's time to make a change somehow in Mauritius?

So sorry to hear of your loss - there are horrible people all over the world.

Be strong and try to think of the good times that you had with your doggie

One day the time will be right for you to give your love to another dog- go to PAWS they have so many looking for a loving kind chain free home, especially the adult dogs that no one wants, there is a lovely adult dog at PAWS Belle Rive who no one wants and she has been there for a long time, think she is called Candy or Gem.

Be strong in the knowledge that you gave your dog a lovely short life and she is now in doggy heaven and will always be by your side and in your heart.

Hi all,

Unfortunately there are some very sick people all over the world, not just there in Mauritius. I've had both dogs and cats most of my life. Years ago lost a very special cat to poisoning. She was too smart to eat anything just laying around, unfortunately her kitten wasn't and died. She tried in vain to revive the kitten by licking it and absorbed a fatal dose of the poison herself. Cats are by nature much more difficult to protect from poisoning, but it is possible.

As a dog owner myself I would like to make some basic observations, no casting blame OK, just observations and recommendations.

First of all - dog ownership is as big a responsibility as having a child, requires the same amount of time, energy and love. Would you let your young child wander the streets alone? NO, clearly not. By allowing your dog to wander loose you expose the animal to dangers and expose the public and yourself as well. Walk your dog on a leash. Your dog needs that. If you don't have time to do it, then you should really examine your motives because you then don't have time to be a dog owner either.

Secondly - Dogs need to be trained, all dogs. A trained dog is happier and healthier than an untrained one. The first thing you need to train your dog is that YOU control his/her feeding completely. You are Alpha! You should start training this as a puppy. Your dog should never eat anything YOU the Alpha have not given it, or have not told the animal it was ok to eat. END OF STORY! No exceptions. Your dog should be trained not to eat anything just laying about on the ground. This is a very easy thing to train and it will save your animal's life and save you a lot of heartache. Just ask any vet, they will tell you the same thing.


There's no such thing as a bad dog, just bad owners!!!!

Cheers,
William James Woodward - Brazil Animator, Expat-blog Team

I dont totally agree.

Certainly the rules you are applying would be perfectly reasonable in my home country, but not here.

Training a dog not to eat off the street is very difficult when they were doing it well before you came along, and their lives depended on it. Both of mine are very well trained but this behaviour still persists for obvious reasons.

Plus depending on the 'breed' (I use that term loosely in Mauritius ) many dogs need excercise. Far more than can be provided by walking on the lead There is no infrastructure to do that. Mind you, there's no where for PEOPLE to walk, let alone the poor dogs!

We'll see if attitudes change here. It's quite funny to watch locals when they visit, edging along the walls as if they were confronted with a Lion. Careful... He might lick you

Sorry Strawb,

I strongly disagree with you on both points.

If you aren't prepared to accept total responsiblity for the care, feeding, control and exercise of your dog then you simply shouldn't have one.... simple as that. If you can't walk your dog sufficiently for his exercise needs then it's your responsibility to hire somebody to do that for you. Letting an animal loose in the streets is an open invitation for trouble regardless of where you are. Depending on the breed it can even be illegal too. You also risk all the financial/legal responsibility as well.

Any dog, of any age can be trained to do anything. Teaching a dog YOU'RE THE BOSS is crucial and you do that by controlling every aspect of the dog's existance, including eating and even it's bowel movements. You don't just leave a bowl of food out all day long, you put it out at set times and take it back shortly thereafter (eaten or not). The dog learns very quickly. You put out a treat, make your dog sit and wait til you decide the dog can have it. The dog learns. Dogs by nature look to their master (Alpha) for direction anywhere in any situation. They are far more intelligent and easier to train than you will every understand, clearly.

I have trained numerous dogs, they have never eaten anything I didn't give them personally or allow them to eat. They would sit, without any command if I stopped at any point while walking them or when we reached an intersection and wouldn't budge until told to do so. They were all taught verbal commands in both English and Portuguese as well as hand signals for when I didn't wish to speak or they were at a distance.

A dog is much more than just something you buy to keep around the house to make noise if there's an intruder. If you aren't willing to accept ALL the resposibility then you simply should not consider having the animal in the first place. Trust me, I've heard every conceivable excuse for irresponsible dog ownership that there is, NONE of which hold water.

Regardless of any other circumstances a person who is incapable of or unwilling to provide for all the animal's needs and do everything possible to protect them from (preventable) dangers is unfit to own a dog.

Cheers,
William James Woodward - Brazil Animator, Expat-blog Team

I think we're having 2 separate conversations. I'm sure there are varying degrees of 'good ownership' and thats not my concern. I'm sure there are owners who don't look after their dogs as well as they should. But thats a minor issue compared to the general culture and attitude of the masses. If YOU were a dog, where would you rather be. In the back yard of a 'bad' owner who lets you run around a bit, or on the street getting ripped to pieces? Lets address the biggest issues first

Strawb,

I fail to see where the problem is? You talk about a dog being in the back yard. There is no problem whatsoever with having a dog loose in your back yard, provided of course the yard is fenced and there is no possibility your animal can get out. If your dog has a yard and adequate area to run then it's getting exercise which is part of your responsibility as owner to provide for. It appears to me that we're both in agreement that dogs should not be allowed to run free in the streets.

I guess you misunderstood the thrust of my original posting, I was talking about those irresponsible owners who simply put their dogs out into the street as opposed to walking them on a leash or having someone else do that if they themselves don't wish to or can't. Clearly there are (safe/premitted) areas in most places, parks, 'unofficial' dog runs which other responsible owners use, etc., where one can allow dogs to run off-leash and burn off excess energy and socialize.

I think you went off track somewhere, because you seem to be arguing exactly the same point I made.

Yes, if I were a dog I would most certainly rather be (safe) in the back yard of someone who wasn't doing EVERYTHING to take care of me as he should - than loose in the street getting poisoned, run over, ripped apart by other dogs, shot; or mauling some child and putting my master in the middle of a lawsuit or in the prisoner's dock in some cases. See, that's the point I was making all along!

Having said that, isn't it far simpler to prevent a problem than try to resolve it? Training a dog not to eat anything that YOU have not given it, or at least haven't TOLD the dog it could eat is such a simple process a child can do it. It works with any dog not just pups. A vast majority of the dogs I've trained were rescued animial and were older. In most cases they too had been on the street for some time and would eat anything. It doesn't change the training process one bit, it doesn't affect the end result either. All of the dogs were trained successfully and would not touch anything. This was done specifically to protect them from poisoning. Imagine the following scenario...

You live in a country where crime is rampant and you need a guard dog for security. That dog needs to be trained completely, it needs to be gentle and sociable because during the daytime it wanders free in your yard and in your house, with you and children, vistors, etc. So it needs to be a pet too. At night it needs to be vicious and it needs to know the difference.

Now, that country you live in where crime is rampant; well it's also full of ruthless criminals who will kill at the slightest provocation. Look at one sideways you're dead! Now all these bandidos know everyone who has a house has a dog too, so the first thing ANY of them do is drive by your house and toss poisoned meat over your fence. They come back an hour later.... guess you're starting to get my point now. They come back an hour later knowing they will find an easy target because your dog is DEAD. That can easily be prevented by simply training your animal not to eat anything you haven't given it.

I fail to see what your problem with that concept is, really? Poisonings come in two categories, intentional and accidental with the former being most prevalent. Knowing that the world is full of sickos or crooks who want to kill any dog they come across, knowing there are many substances a loose animal could eat that are toxic.... what would you rather do as a dog owner?

Save your animal from a painful death that could be avoided; save yourself the heartache of losing a loved pet and probably the great expense of a vet bill trying to save it? Or, would you not care about how many dogs you'd have to go through simply because training it not to eat something wasn't convenient?

I know which one I choose all of the time. It's my automatic choice because it's so simple, it works 100% and I know it's going to save my dog's life one day. If it works in Brazil it will work in Mauritius or anywhere else.

I'd suggest that you go back and re-read the original posting. The woman who posted the topic clearly understands the fault for the dog's death rests solidly on her shoulders.... "He ate rat poison in a piece of bread in a field near our house (pointe aux canonnier) and i wish i wouldn't have let him out....... Be warned! Take better care of your dogs then i did..."

My original posting was simply two easy things to do that will prevent such situations. I find it amazing that it would turn into such a heated debate. Almost makes me wish I had just kept my suggestion to myself and let dog's go on dying.

Cheers,
William James Woodward - Brazil Animator, Expat-blog Team

William James Woodward,

Can I ask if you live in Mauritius now?

If not then you do not know the situation with the thousands of stray dogs here and the horrific lives most of them lead.

Each day 100's of dogs and puppies are put to sleep, some humanely and some not - it is a very distressing situation, there are only 2 animal shelters here, bursting at the seams with unwanted and unloved animals.

You say there must be area's that we can let our dogs off lead to run off excess energy, well NO there is not - it is illegal for your dog to be off leash and I have been stopped and informed of this even though my dogs are very well trained and come back to the whistle and they never go too far away from me.

Dog and cat poisoning is a common thing, my friend recently lost 2 dogs to poisoning, she is a responsible dog owner and walks her dogs on leash twice a day, in the day they have the freedom of her garden, someone threw over her garden wall poisoned meat - she was absolutely devastated.

I am sure your intentions are good but your comments are simply not founded for this area - you need to come here and witness the situation, I would not dream of commenting on the animal situation in Brazil as I do not know how it works there.

As they say " A little knowledge is a dangerous thing" and this is why people have found offence of your comments.

I also suggest that you google Dogs in Mauritius.

Mauritius is a beautiful Island full of friendly local people - the dog and cat situation is a work in progress.

I could go on about this situation here but it is extremely upsetting.
Kind regards
Rosiewestie Waggytail

William James Woodward,

I find it incredible, that you sit in Brazil,15000km from Mauritius,with little or no knowledge of Mauritius, and have the nerve to pontificate,and to say"if it can work in Brazil, it can work in Mauritius.

Seek first to understand before being understood.

Sorry I didn't realise you're not in mauritius. As people have said, many parts of your argument simply dont apply here, which is probably why we are on different wavelengths.

In reply to stormers1960, I am not pontificating to anyone. I am talking about dogs, their training and protecting them. As you also sit some 15000 Km from Brazil you likewise have absolutely no idea whatsoever of the condition of animals here either. Here there are millions and millions of dogs abandoned all over the country.... enough to create a living mountain that would cover the entire island you live on. To try to indicate that the situation there is any worse is absurd.

A dog is a dog, is a dog, is a dog anywhere in the world. There is no such thing as a dog that can't be trained. I suggested two simple things to protect one's dog. Get over it! If anybody's pontificating it's you. If you're unwilling to meet the responsibility of pet ownership by doing what's right don't cast stones at others who do. Teaching a dog, any dog, not to eat something YOU haven't given it takes all of 10 minutes a day and in a matter of a week or two your dog is protected for life. What is your problem with this idea? Are you a dog trainer? Have you personally ever trained a dog to do anything other than roll over? Carefull not to to hurt yourself, it's quite a fall from that high horse.

I never stated that one MUST do either, I stated that they were reasonable, easy and responsible things to do. If you have any problem with that concept please give a logical explanation. Tell me WHY you think the suggestions are unreasonable, difficult or irresponsible...... I'm all ears.


Rosiewesti,

You can multiply the problems you've stated by about 10 thousand or so, then you might have some idea of the problem that exists for dogs here in Brazil. If the law prohibits walking dogs off-leash in Mauritius then the government has done so for a very good reason. It stands to reason then that just putting a dog into the street is therefore not only irresponsible but criminal.

Given the level of dog poisonings you are experiencing there (less than here too) it makes training a dog not to eat anything YOU don't give it all that much more reasonable and necessary if you stop to think about it. Like the old saying goes... an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure (anywhere in the world). The incident you mentioned of your friend's dog being poisoned it her own back yard is tragic. Your friend was without blame in this, but the point I made and defend is that she would not have lost her dog if she had thought to take the time to train it not to eat just any old thing. To blame - clearly no, responsible - yes, because she didn't do something to prevent a situation. Sure, she probably never dreamed something like that would happen. She found out the hard way and it broke her heart I'm sure. Here in Brazil EVERYBODY knows about the outrageously high number of poisonings. I can tell you people here take the issue quite seriously and do take steps to protect their dogs and cats as best they can.

To all,

When a KNOWN DANGER (like frequent intentional poisoning) exists for anyone NOT to take reasonable precautions to prevent or reduce the risk to one's animal is irresponsible, Brazil, Mauritius, Canada, USA, Tibet..... anywhere. If somebody was poisoning children in the same manner, would you put YOUR kids out on the street unsupervised???? Is there any difference?

I simply find it impossible to understand this kind of mass resistance and indignation to such a simple suggestion as training one's dog not to eat something. Ask any vet about it, find out what they think. Come on people, we're not talking rocket science here!!!

Just ask abz who originally posted this topic, and courageously admitted her own feeling of guilt.... if after losing her pet, after reading my suggestions, would she be outraged at the idea or would she take the time to train any new dog she might get not to eat any old thing? I can assure you, I know exactly what her answer will be.

The American Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and almost all other animal protection agencies worldwide have a list of tips on how to protect your dog from intentional poisoning. The ASPCA lists training your dog not to eat anything you haven't given it in 7th place. It should be higher on the list in my opinion, but they recognize it is fundamental. For all the naysayers here...... do you think you're more expert than these organizations? I sure don't.

http://www.aspca.org/fight-animal-cruel … event.aspx

Cheers,
William James Woodward - Brazil Animator, Expat-blog Team

And for those of you who still have any doubts or misinformed complaints. Here is just how easy it is to teach your dog "Leave it" something that will most certainly one day save its life.

http://www.aspca.org/Pet-care/virtual-p … o-leave-it

and the "Leave it" command video

http://www.vetstreet.com/teach-your-dog … 1_xtsva19j

This should also be backed up by feeding your dog at fixed intervals, putting his food out for a determined (short) period and taking it back whether it has been eaten or not. Your dog quickly learns that YOU are in total control of what he eats and what he shouldn't eat. In a short period your dog will respond by not eating anything unless you've given it to him, or you've told him it was OK to eat. This is what will save his life.

I rest my case! For those who will still complain about anything THEY don't want to hear..... sorry. Don't waste your breath. Facts speak for themselves.