Race of the big dogs

Gorby, my Toy Poodle, is not too happy these days. Why?

For starters his doggy breath was getting the better of him so we had to take him to the vet and get his breath problem fixed.

The findings: Prophylaxis needed and one tooth extraction.

It was with much hesitation that I agreed to the procedures as they required that Gorby be sedated. I have heard too many horror stories about dogs being sedated and not waking up ever again.

Gorby is now doggy breath-free, and is none the worse because of a missing tooth. A true fighter he is.

The other disappointment in Gorby’s life is that he will not be able to compete in this year’s Dog Dash, which is sponsored by the Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS), Frontline and Petlife.

“Gorby is already part of the Hall of Fame of doggie racers,” said PAWS director Anna Cabrera. “He has been a top placer in the dash for the last two years.”

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I remember last year’s race. I had just arrived from a 19-hour flight and had to make it to Eastwood for the Dog Dash where Gorby competed as part of the celebrity dogs. My travel buddies were laughing at me as I cursed the airline for its slow release of our baggage.

At the end, I left my suitcases to the care of a friend and told her that I would just pick it up at her home. (Not a very wise decision. She lives in Laguna.).But nothing was going to stop me from getting to Gorby’s race on time.

I was not disappointed, Gorby blew his competition away. Yes, I am biased. With the trophy and Gorby in the car, we drove to Laguna to get my suitcase. Gorby and I were ecstatic with our victory, but we were happier that we made a cool, new real friend in that kind person who assured me that my suitcases were safe in her home.

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Nik, my Mini Schnauzer, is being invited to join the Great Dog Dash. I was told that pet owners of bigger dogs have raised a howl about not being able to join the small Doggie Dash. So, just to give all pet owners a chance to get into the Dog Dash fever, PAWS has opted to go big dogs this year.

Rich Ilustre, Dog Dash head and PAWS volunteer, told me that they will set up a 100-foot racetrack in the Mall of Asia for the event.

“Kaya siguro ni Nik,” said Rich. “But is he as fast as Gorby?”

Nik is my really laid-back Schnauzer. If he had his way he would eat and sleep life away. He is such a cutie.

I have been trying to get him to do some cat-chasing, but he is always more interested in smelling for any leftover food bits that we might drop on the floor.

Oh well.

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This year, PAWS, Alpo and the Mall of Asia are encouraging all pet owners to join the “Great Dog Dash: Year 4,” a fun race for medium and large-sized dogs at the SM Mall of Asia Music Hall on August 31 at 1 p.m.

Dogs measuring at least 16 inches in height from tip of paw to top of head and friendly with other dogs and humans, are eligible to join. The humans have to present an updated vaccination record upon registration.

PAWS promises lots of trophies, medals and prizes for the fastest doggies in the lot.

This year, there will be a special race for Aspins (Asong Pinoy) and a dog celebrity heat will make this year’s event more fun.

As is the case with fundraisers of this nature, all proceeds will go to the PAWS animal shelter.

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Anna Cabrera is hoping that the Great Dog Dash will bring in the much-needed funds that the shelter needs for its quarantine area. PAWS estimates that it will cost about P80,000.

“We are trying our best to finish the quarantine area as soon as we can,” said Anna. “We need the space so that our shelter dogs who need to be quarantined will not be left in the walkways of the shelter.” There are eight dogs that have been confined to the walkways.

Let’s do our part and join the Great Dog Dash on Aug. 31 — these dogs need a place of their own.

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Last Saturday, PAWS held a “Dog Temperament Seminar” with dog behaviorist Jojo Isorena as guest speaker.

The seminar was such an eye-opener for the folks who attended.

“We thought we were pretty specific in our descriptions of dogs for adoptions at the shelter — but after this seminar, we learned that there are tests that we have to run on dogs, especially shelter dogs so that we can equip people with basic information about each dog’s temperament or behavior,” said Liza Umayam, PAWS adoption head.

Isorena gave the people at the seminar a bird’s eye view of Sue Sternberg’s “Assess-A-Dog” method — which informs people about a dog’s sociability, dominance and play-and-prey response.

“Behavior is not permanent,” Isorena said. “But these tests are conducted to give us an idea of what to expect from particular dogs at a given point in time, and adjust our own approaches accordingly to avoid dog bites and other accidents.”

Isorena, being the dog behaviorist that he is, said that dogs are very fair creatures. This means they give fair warnings before they attack a potential victim.   He added that if you observe the dog closely, you’ll have an idea where it will bite you.

Isorena used the SCAN (sexual maturity, cautiousness, arousal and no sign of friendliness) method as he taught the PAWS volunteers how to safely proceed with the temperament tests on a dog. 

Isorena has expressed his desire to have an accreditation of sorts for “good dog citizenship” and said that this seminar with PAWS is one of the many steps towards that direction. “It will be good to encourage people to train and socialize their dogs,” he added.

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 For those who would like to attend future seminars on dog behavior along with the PAWS Rescue and Adoption Teams, e-mail PAWS  at philpaws@yahoo.com.