Reduce your stress - get a dog

Research has shown over and over that contact with animals reduces stress and can help people to recover from illness or trauma. Now campaigners in the UK are trying to persuade the government to acknowledge this and allow dogs that support people with mental health problems the same rights that guide dogs, dogs for the deaf and dogs for the disabled enjoy. Read more about what these wonderful animals can do here.

Russian strays

Last year, I travelled across Russia on the so-called transsiberian express. The provodnitsas, or carriage attendants, are notoriously formidable and truculent, but they were softies when it came to the stray mutts on station platforms. The provodnitsa in this photo is playing it cool, pretending not to be touched by the pleading pooch, but just after I took this photo, she stomped off into the train and returned with a big bowl of pasta for him.

Dogs in films

While I do enjoy seeing dogs in films, I worry about the effect their portrayal has on the majority of those who watch them, especially given that such films are usually aimed at children.  

Firstly, there's the well-documented issue of whatever breed happens to be featured in a film suddenly becoming popular among prospective pet owners. The most obvious example of this is the dalmatian after the movie 101 Dalmatians. Sales shot up, with people choosing animals based on their looks or on the unrealistic image of the breed presented in the movie. Pets should be chosen based on both the breed's and the individual dog's characteristics and the family's ability to care for it properly; not on the dog's "cute" appearance. The idea of "fashionable" dog breeds only shows the extent of popular misconception about a pet's purpose. They should not be seen as accessories chosen for their looks. 

Related to that is the fact that dogs' behaviour on screen seldom reflects reality. Returning to the example of 101 Dalmatians, movie goers saw cute spotty pups who could sit quietly waiting for their owner, walk perfectly by someone's side, and do clever tricks such as opening doors, and assumed that such behaviour was typical of dalmatians. However, canine actors of any breed are extremely well-trained and not typical at all of your average pet. Such a level of training takes many months or years of constant hard work, with much error and setback along the way. How many normal families have the time or knowledge to train their dog in this way? Very few indeed. "Good" dogs in films are invariably shown snuggling up to the children and sleeping peacefully by the fire, not gnawing through chair legs and pissing on rugs. Bad behavior by dogs is seldom seem outside of comedies about badly behaved dogs, and then it's seen as endearing. No one ever takes their dog to the shelter for bad behaviour in the movies.

Finally, the responsibilities of dog owners are almost never shown in their true light in films. Parents buy puppies for their kids and then are never seen training the puppy or spending time with it. In Flashdance for example, the main character worked full time as a welder during the day, danced in a club in the evenings, and went to auditions at weekends (I know, I know). She lived in a converted warehouse in the centre of the city. Yet she had an enormous mastiff. When and where did she walk it? In several scenes, she comes home and proceeds to work out/shag her boss. She doesn't take the dog out first even though it's presumably been at home all day alone. Even Turner and Hooch, a film ostensibly about a dog, is similar in this respect. Tom Hanks takes his huge dog to work with him, but you never see it doing a huge poo in the middle of the office or the car, and he never has to slack off work to take it for a walk. 

All in all, the unrealistic portrayal of what it takes to care for a dog sets a very poor example. Do you know of any films with a better portrayal of dogs? 

Blind man's buff

This beautiful curly old pooch was spotted in a pub in London last Christmas. She was old and partially blind, but gave both her owner and everyone else in the pub such joy. My boyfriend took this photo, got chatting to the dog's owner, and took her email address to send her the picture. Two strangers, united in pleasure because of an old, half-blind dog. Result. Beautiful, isn't she? 

Butt

I saw this when I was on holiday in Indonesia in 2006.

Shiba Inu

The last post was about Japan, so I decided to stay on that theme and show you a picture of a typical Japanese dog breed. It's half dog-half teddy bear. No really, it's all dog. Shiba Inu is the name. Inu means dog. 

This photo shows me holding a puppy in a park in Tokyo. The ugly mutt on the right is me, and so I've blurred my face to protect your sensibilities and let you focus on the true star. 

Shibas are quiet, self-contained little dogs with soft, dense coats, and compared to other pure-breeds, they suffer from relatively few genetic health issues. 

Adorable, eh?

ARK: Animal Rescue Kansai

Japan has a dearth of reasonable laws on animal protection and overall is not a very dog-friendly place, despite reputedly having more dogs than children under twelve. The vast majority of rented apartments do not allow pets, dogs must be on the leash at all times, and stray dogs are gassed after being rounded up if their owner does not claim them within 3 days. I know, 3 days is not nearly enough time to give a stray animal any chance of finding a home. 400,000 dogs die this way every year in Japan.

However, there is some hope in the form of the wonderful Elizabeth Oliver, an English woman who runs an animal shelter called ARK Animal Refuge Kansai, in the western part of Japan's main island. The shelter is, of course, completely non-profit and relies on the help of volunteers, donors and sponsors.

If you happen to be in Japan, why not help them out? In fact, you don't even have to be in the area. If you speak Japanese or English, you could help with their website or blog wherever you are in the world thanks to the wonders of the Internet. The website has really fascinating information about the history of animals in Japan.

The person who writes the blog is amazingly inventive, and volunteers translate it all into English. What a dream team. Enjoy!

Old man

In the foreground is my old dog, whom I loved dearly. He was 12 when I got him from the dog home. He was a quiet little soul who barked twice in the two years I had him. His teeth were rotten, his nose was scabby, he had a chunk missing from his ear and he limped, but he was a heartbreaker all the same. He liked to sit on my feet with his back to me. I'd scritch his neck from this position and he'd look away, pretending it was someone else.

Hope for Paws

I was flicking through Flickr, as I'm wont to do when I have work I should be doing, when I stumbled across this photo by Eldad Hagar. I don't know him, but he seems like a good guy who's trying to do the right thing for animals. He runs a non-profit animal rescue organization in the USA and has saved hundreds of animals and nursed them back to health and happiness. It's called Hope for Paws. He's also published a cute-looking book of photos you could buy to support his cause. What a guy! Even if you're not the donating type, the website is nice and his Flickr page has lots of lovely pics to brighten your day. 

Welcome

Welcome to Muttmaster. My conscience has been telling me for some time now that I should get off my ass and do something about my love of animals, so here it is. Animals probably deserve better than what many are getting, and you could improve various aspects of your life by having more contact with them, especially the furry variety. 

The most useful thing I can do in this respect is share stories and suggestions. If you like anything you read, please tell others: the more people appreciate mutts, the better lives mutts can enjoy.