In case you missed the news....

Duo snatch back stolen pet -

Titan has been reunited with his owner.

A German shepherd pup stolen from a backyard is back with his owner after two women liberated him from the dog-napper in a daring rescue.   Titan, a 15-week-old dog, was taken from Bryant Walker's East Tamaki family home after an attempted break-in failed.

But the offender's face was caught on the Walker's CCTV cameras and was published in the Herald yesterday.

Yesterday, two women on their lunch break spotted two men trying to sell Titan for $200 outside a dairy in Dannemora. They had recognised one man from the Herald, Mr Walker said. The women asked the men if they could have a look at the dog.   "Then they threw Titan into the back of their car and sped away," Mr Walker said. The police then called the 18-year-old to tell them his dog had been found, which was met with relief.

"I'm so stoked he's back ... I met the ladies and thanked them for what they did, which was very courageous."

Pet hamster comes back from the dead

When Briton David Eyley found his beloved hamster limp and seemingly lifeless in his box, he decided to do the decent thing.   After waiting a few hours to make sure his four-year-old pet was dead, he buried him in a box down a two-foot hole in the garden.   But the next day he was startled to receive a call from a neighbour, saying she had seen the hamster scurrying around outside.

To his amazement, Mr Eyley, of Wantage, Oxfordshire, discovered that his brown and white pet had 'come back to life' - and managed to dig his way out of the makeshift grave.   The hamster, which was formerly known as Rhino, has since been renamed Jesus by Mr Eyley, his wife Wendy, daughter Bayley, aged 23, and 20-year-old twins Jake and Emma.

Mr Eyley, a 49-year-old painter and decorator, said he rushed back to his garden after the call to find a hole at the spot where he had buried his pet - and an empty box.   'I couldn't believe it. He was cold and lifeless when I buried him. When I found him in his box in the morning... I presumed he had died,' he explained.   'I left him all day to go to work and he was in the same position when I returned. I poked him a few times but he didn't move - he was dead. I put him in a plastic box and buried him in the garden and that was that, or so I thought.'

He said Rhino didn't seem to have been affected by the ordeal.   'Whether the sudden cold snap last week had made him go into some sort of hibernation mode, I don't know but it's a fact he came round again and burrowed out of the hole I dug with a spade in the garden.'

Neighbour Sandy Humphreys, who spotted the hamster running around her garden, said: 'I thought I was seeing things at first. I managed to catch it whilst it was huddled behind pots by our front door. I knew the Eyleys had a pet hamster and told them I had captured him. They told me theirs had just died but when they saw him they realised it was Rhino.   "I was amazed when they told me they had buried him and he had come back to life. We had a good laugh about it but he's back safe and sound now."

In other hamster news, another hamster was found stuck to the outside of a metal cage by its cheek - after eating a magnet from a Spider Man toy.   Shocked owner Kate Meech, 33, discovered four-month-old Smurf hanging from the bars by her mouth.   She yanked her free before spotting the outline of the circular magnet in her cheek pouch.

Kennel Cough -

Kennel cough is common and its not confined to kennels.  Most dogs catch it whilst they are out and about, but you can do something about it - click here.  Check with your vet to ensure your dog's kennel cough vaccine is up to date

 

Parvovirus -

Vets are worried as a deadly virus affects an unusually high number of dogs in Auckland and tough economic times mean some owners are getting their dogs put down rather than pay the estimated $1000 vet bill to treat them.

In just one week, two dogs have been hospitalised for emergency treatment at the Pet & Vet clinic in Milford and two others have been treated at home. Others in West Auckland have been put down as their owners couldn't afford the expensive treatment for the disease.   The disease, limited to dogs only, is passed on through contact with faeces and causes severe vomiting, bloody diarrhoea and fever.   Without swift treatment, those affected can die from dehydration with puppies and older dogs most at risk.

Pet & Vet's Dr Nicole Brown says parvo has been around since the 1970s, but has never been this prevalent on the North Shore.   West Auckland vets have also reported a surge in cases and two dogs have been put down as their owners could not afford the expensive treatment.   ''It is common in rural areas, places like Whakatane and even South Auckland where not as many dogs are vaccinated down there I was getting 20 dogs a week,'' Brown says.   ''Here on the Shore it is really unusual, most vets say they would see just one case a year."

Brown says the sudden spike in parvo has North Shore vets concerned it is becoming a more serious problem.   "Due to the economy being a bit tough people are saving money on the wrong end.   "We are finding the reminder notices we send out saying 'your dog is due for a vaccination' are being ignored.''   Brown says a parvo vaccination costs $30.80 and when combined with an annual health check is around $80.   ''When a dog is admitted here and is on intravenous fluids for three to four days from parvo they will get a $1000 bill,'' she says.   Treatment is much simpler in rural areas or out west where dogs often stay locked up away from other dogs, Brown says.   ''Here around Milford and Takapuna beach people are always out taking their dogs walking or to the park, so it's really risky and tricky to control,'' she says.

Parvo can be present in dog faeces for weeks and is known to live in soil for up to a year.   Sick dogs should be kept away from other dogs and taken to a vet immediately.   ''The diarrhoea and vomiting strips the gastrointestinal lining which makes treating it with antibiotics near impossible as they can't keep it down,'' Brown says. ''So we treat them with intravenous fluids and hospitalise them,'' she says.   Bleach can be used to disinfect areas such as the dog's kennel to prevent further spread.

- © Fairfax NZ News

Oscar the Bionic Cat, Two Years Later



You may remember Oscar the cat who was named the world's first bionic cat.

Following a horrific accident with a combine harvester, Oscar's feet were sliced off, but thanks to pioneering surgery his limbs were replaced by a specialist in the UK.

Now two years after his injury, he's back home with his owners.

It's hard to believe that two years have gone by since Oscar the amazing "bionic" kitty made headlines after a miracle surgery saved his life in the aftermath of a tragic farming machinery accident that took both of his hind feet.

Three fishing cats born at Ohio zoo

Three fishing cats have been born at an Ohio zoo as part of a program aimed at protecting endangered species.

The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium says two male kittens and one female were born July 29. They are with their mother in a secluded area until they are several weeks old.

Fishing cats are found in southern Asia.  They are skilled swimmers with webbing between their toes and eat primarily fish. Adults range in weight from 7 kilograms to 16 kilograms.  The kittens, weighing less than 0.2 kilograms at birth, are the first for a pair of fishing cats that came to zoo last year as part of a species survival plan.  The zoo says water pollution, clearing of forests and over-exploitation of fish stocks threaten the species.

 

A young dog with weak hind legs is getting some much needed help after months of walking on two legs.

Sparky, a pit bull mix, was surrendered by his owners to a local shelter. Southern California Bulldog Rescue stepped in and agreed to care for the 1-year-old dog, which they believe was a "swimmer" puppy born with abnormally weak muscles in his hind legs.

"Sparky crawls around on his stomach which causes irritation on his belly and calluses and sores on his legs," said volunteer Gayle Smith with SCBR.unteers took the dog to California Animal Rehabilitation where experts determined surgery was not a good option. Instead the specialists recommended physical therapy, electric stimulation to the nerves and a wheeled cart to help him get around.

"His cart has been ordered and until it comes in, our volunteers go daily in teams of two to perform the physical therapy on him to get him prepped for the cart," Smith said.

Through it all, Sparky has maintained the sunniest of personalities, she said.

"He is an affectionate boy who just loves to rest his head against a loving lap and appreciates nothing more than a day of chasing toys around in the grass."

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Are you aware of all the foods that are not suitable or may be dangerous to your pet? 

Download a list here

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Dogs survive 7m jump from carpark

 

They say cats have nine lives but it was two dogs who cheated death when they leaped off a seven-metre high building.  Bob the border collie pup and Tyson the German shepherd rottweiler cross were waiting for their owners to finish shopping in Highbury when they plunged on to the pavement below.

They had just been for a run with owners Doug Walters and David Wright and were playing in the carpark as they waited outside Countdown on June 11. Walters waited with the dogs.

''Normally they just have a sniff around but for some reason they just ran off and bungy jumped," Tyson's owner Wright says.   ''It's mind-boggling how high they jumped from.''

They were enticed by the illusion of a grass bank below, which was in fact a ledge with overhanging shrubs.  They landed on the Highbury driveway exit and were lucky not to have been run over.

Walters, Bob's owner, is disappointed no-one got out of their cars to check if the dogs were okay.

He rushed to pick up Bob and Tyson was able to follow behind.   ''Bob was hyperventilating and making the worst sounds you'd ever heard in your life.   ''There was a three-car crash on the motorway near the bridge that had just happened and held us up half an hour.''

Tyson required two metal plates and 14 screws for a fragmented elbow fracture, and Bob's fractured leg was fixed with pins which will come out in a few weeks, specialist veterinary surgeon Michael King says.

Bob also had to have air cleared from his chest as he had punctured his lung, making it difficult to breathe.

''I think they're lucky to be alive,'' Dr King says.   ''Dogs don't usually take falls like these two dogs. I suspect they were playing together, getting excited and egging each other on.''

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Dog nurses 2 ligers after tiger mom abandons them

A Chinese zoo official says two rare cubs born to a male lion and a female tiger are being nursed by a dog after they were abandoned by their mother.

Cong Wen of Xixiakou Wildlife Zoo in eastern China says four cubs called ligers were born to the lion and tiger earlier this month.

She said Tuesday the tiger mother fed the ligers for four days but then abandoned them for unknown reasons. Two died of weakness.

Cong said staff at the zoo in Shandong province found a dog who had just given birth to feed the surviving cubs.

She said the two cubs had trouble at first drinking milk from the dog but are now used to it.

Ligers are rare and are sometimes bred in zoos by mistake.

Christchurch earthquake: Pets find shelter as owners leave town

By Claire Trevett

The Canterbury SPCA has taken in more than 150 pets from people displaced by the earthquake and has promised to care for them until they can be taken back.   Manager Geoff Sutton said the SPCA had given a commitment to those owners that it would care for the pets until they were ready for them.

Some of the pets were likely to be sent to other SPCA branches - such as Timaru - because the Christchurch SPCA could not hold them all.

"We have no idea if it's going to be for days, weeks or longer."

He said it was possible some would simply abandon their pets with the SPCA, so all owners had been told to stay in touch weekly.

"This is a member of your family and we will take absolute care of it in the meantime.  But the expectation is that as a member of your family it is going to be part of your resettlement and we'll help until you manage to do that."

Scott Craigen delivered five of his six cats to the SPCA yesterday while the Herald was there.   His family was moving in with parents because their own house in Linwood was "sinking".   The cats could not go with them.    He said one cat - Trouble - was still missing "but I'm going to try and find him".   Clearly emotional, he said he did not want the cats to be put down and he was struggling with all the changes the earthquake had wrought on his life.

However, others were also bringing in "found" pets.   Lovena Fraser found "Benji" running on nearby Springs Rd.  She was keeping him at her own home with her father's dog Thomas and her three cats until the owner came for him.  A microchip could not be found, so she left her details with the SPCA.

Mr Sutton said if there were cases where the owner lost contact for a month to six weeks and the SPCA could not contact them, pets could be adopted out. However, it was sometimes difficult for people to find new homes that allowed pets, especially with rental properties where many landlords would not accept pets.

"It would be fantastic if landlords could be just a little bit softer for people who genuinely need to find new homes under these circumstances."

Mr Sutton said the SPCA was inundated with runaway dogs in the two days after the earthquake but most had since found their owners.   After that, cats began to come in "and that is going to snowball".   He said cats tended to hide away when scared and owners should not panic immediately because they could be hiding nearby.

A specialist team from Massey University and Wellington SPCA rescue crews were in Christchurch and would help with checking homes where animals could have been abandoned, including in evacuated areas.

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Puppy bitten by white-tailed spider

The SPCA is asking pet owners to be on the lookout for insects after a massive ulcer inexplicably formed on a five-week-old puppy's belly, which turned out to be a white-tailed spider bite.

The Jack Russell's owners initially thought someone must have stood on the dog when its stomach started swelling, causing it so much pain it could not walk.

They took it to the SPCA's hospital in Auckland because they could not afford to pay for vet fees.

A vet could find no internal damage nor visual marks but the puppy continued to deteriorate and it was not until an area of the stomach became reddened and it started to form an ulcer that the cause became apparent. Within hours a pus-engorged ulcer had grown to cover most of the terrier's stomach.

SPCA Auckland senior vet Peter McQueen said the wound was consistent with a white-tailed spider bite on a human and it responded to the treatment accordingly.

SPCA marketing manager Martin McKenzie said the puppy, which staff named Willie, was on the way to recovery and enjoying playing with his new foster parents' other dog.

"Swelling has reduced and the ulcer starting to react to the antibiotic treatment.

Willie needed a catheter for a while and a lot of fluid had to be drained from the ulcer, and unfortunately he will still require some reconstructive surgery to repair skin damage from the wound.

"But I'm pleased to say we should see a happy little puppy back to normal health shortly."

While spider bites are not a common problem in New Zealand, the SPCA encouraged pet owners to be aware of possibilities and to shake out their dogs' blankets and clean their baskets regularly.

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Bell collars could save native birds

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Boo Boo meets big friendly Giant George

Little Boo Boo could have easily become a midday snack for Giant George - but instead she became his best friend.

Boo Boo, the world's smallest living dog, and George, the tallest, met this week for the first time in New York City.

Giant George, who weighs 245 pounds and measures 7 ft 3 from snout to tail, needed a whole row of first class seats for his journey from Arizona, AOL news reported.

"George eats 110 pounds of food a month," his human companion, David Nasser said.  "And he'd eat a whole lot more if we let him."

Minature Boo Boo, meanwhile, eats her dinner from a teaspoon.  The tiny pup is a 4-inch-high long-haired Chihuahua who holds the Guinness World Record as the world's smallest living dog.

Boo Boo and Giant George were in New York's Central park to launch the 2011 edition of the Guinness World Records book.   Their owners were a little nervous at the meeting, but after a few sniffs, some wags and an indiscreet lick, it was clear they were going to be fast friends.

"Boo isn't generally afraid of other dogs, even this big one," Boo Boo's owner Lana Elswick said.  "It's cats, really, that put her on edge."

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The seeing eye cat

 

Cashew, a 14-year-old yellow Lab, is blind and deaf. Her best friend is Libby, 7 years old, her seeing eye cat.

Libby steers Cashew away from obstacles and leads her to her food. Every night she sleeps next to her. The only time they're apart is when the owners take Cashew out for a walk.

Without this cat, Cashew would be lost and very, very lonely indeed. It's amazing but true: This is one animal who knows what needs to be done and does it day in and day out for her friend.

 

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ORGANIC CAFE FOR PETS

Organic chicken risotto and bolognese are popular dishes at Chew Chew restaurant, and patrons can't get enough of the frothed goats milk cappuccino sprinkled with dried liver treats.

Chew Chew, in Wollstonecraft on Sydney's lower north shore, specialises in organic pet food for cats and dogs.

It's run by pet nutritionist Naoko Okamoto, who also offers a home delivery service for pampered pets.

Okamoto says food is the most important element of a pet's health.

She tells the story of Cuba, whose owner was informed he had bone cancer and would only live until the end of the year unless his leg was amputated.

Cuba started eating her organic fare and is still alive today - and in possession of all four legs, Okamoto says.

"Food makes cells and cells make up the body" she says.

"It cannot cure cancer but it definitely helps a lot."

Okamoto opened Chew Chew, which she says is Sydney's first pet restaurant, in June.

She launched it three and a half years after starting a small business selling small organic treats at markets to "introduce Japanese healthy foods for pets".

"I started with organic dog biscuits and supplements and selling them at the markets ... and spent three years finding out the customer's needs," she says.

Chew Chew now has a broad menu where pet owners can order dishes including chicken mince with coleslaw salad and beef steak with mushrooms, as well as the ever-popular doggie-cinos.

The pet's "humans" can spend their time enjoying coffee next door and chatting to other pet owners while the animals tuck into their meals.

 

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'Debarking' Ban Gives Pets A Voice In Law

ontroversial surgery to remove the vocal chords of dogs and cats - preventing them barking and meowing - has been banned for the first time in the US.

Under the new law now in force in Massachusetts, anyone caught devocalising an animal for non-medical reasons faces up to five years in jail.

The silencing surgery - known as 'debarking' when performed on dogs - is usually done by commercial breeders for their own convenience, according to the Animal Law Coalition.

Supporters of the ban say it is a cruel and unnecessary practice and believe it is more important for people to understand the reasons behind their pets making noise.

Brian Adams, spokesman for the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (MSPCA), said: "To take the voice of an animal would be the equivalent of taking a person's ability to communicate."

Opponents have claimed more pets will be surrendered to shelters or abandoned as a result of the ban, but Mr Adams said the MSPCA is not expecting an influx of animals.

He has said no dogs or cats were handed over to the organisation on the grounds of being too noisy in 2009.

Dubbed Logan's Law after a dog that had the controversial surgery but was later abandoned anyway, the measure has been signed by Massachusetts governor Deval Patrick.

California is considering a law that would make it illegal for landlords to require devocalisation of dogs and declawing of cats as a condition of tenancy.

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Trying year for Auckland Zoo vets

From keas suffering bone marrow collapse to lizards needing experimental dental surgery, Auckland zoo vets have had a busy year.

The latest annual report from the zoo, released yesterday,  has shown its vets treated 588 cases of animal distress - broken bones to parasites and stress-related disorders, this year.

While Kashin the elephant's euthanasia on August 24 was the most headline grabbing - and created a record-setting memorial day with 18,600 visitors  - the zoo saw a total of 151 births, 55 new arrivals from elsewhere, and 118 deaths.

And it coped with an annual total of 653,524 total visitors.

Amongst the notable new arrivals was the birth of healthy giraffe calf Jelani (meaning Mighty in Swahili) in early March.

The kiwi breeding program also continued to inspire hope for our struggling national bird, with March 1 marking the 200^th brown kiwi chick hatched through the BNZ Operation Nest Egg program.

The year gone by also sparked optimism for another of our nation's beleaguered birds, an endangered New Zealand dotterel will soon to be on display for the first time in six years once it heals from a wing injury.

The situation was bleaker for the zoo's golden cat population. With father Kuching being put down due to cancer and his recently born kittens dying due to unknown causes, mother Singha is likely to be shipped off to Europe as New Zealand gives up on the species' breeding programme.

Paukena, an unfortunate male kea, had a terrible reaction to a de-worming drug that caused a complete collapse of his bone marrow cells, destroying his immune system.

After being on a drip for several days Paukena seemed to recover from the disorder but a series of relapses eventually saw the poor kea die in June.

In between the notable births and demises, everyday life at the zoo continued in its often weirdly exotic way.

The orangutan population at the zoo this year managed to extend their infamous charms by developing a communal case of diarrhoea that left zoo clinicians baffled as to the source. The messy outbreak needed to be treated with a hospital-only drug imported from Sydney.

Not to be outdone, Nyack the porcupine developed his own set of perplexing symptoms including a sudden head tilt, lack of appetite, and abnormal rapid eye movement for a 12-hour period.

A CT scan of the befuddled rodent showed he had developed an inner ear abscess, the draining of which returned the porcupine "virtually" back to normal.

A tiny short-tailed bat put veterinary specialists to the test when she presented with a series of inflammatory eye problems. The ailment was fairly unremarkable but the eye itself, measuring just 1mm in diameter, proved something of a hurdle.

The local bearded dragons copped the reptiles' share of clinical misadventure.

Patterson had a problematic hip joint successfully removed through treatment usually for cats rather than lizards, leaving his leg solely supported by surrounding muscles. He walked away with nothing more severe than a slight limp.

Buddy, another bearded dragon, finally found relief from a lingering 30-month jaw infection in an experimental dental procedure typically reserved for humans. With his jaw drilled into and the infection drained Buddy had the bone filled with calcium hydroxide.

 Both dragons have made good progress in recent months.

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Vets warn of fat pets risk-

The Dominion Post

 

Owners of pets risk killing them with kindness as a human obesity and diabetes epidemic is being mirrored among animals, vets say.  The number of cats and dogs diagnosed with diabetes had risen by 20 per cent in the past decade, with up to 10 new cases at his clinic this year.In serious cases, diabetic dogs and cats would require regular insulin injections, just like humans.

Although more animals were being diagnosed, and environmental and hereditary factors played a role, many of the cases were the result of obesity. "Middle age to older dogs and cats that are obese are at higher risk. Right now we're treating nine dogs and seven cats for diabetes.

"People let their dogs and cats carry more weight than they should. Dogs are around when a family is eating and they can't resist giving them food.   A lot of owners think they are just cuddly. It's not just diabetes, the weight affects their joints, movement and quality of life.   Just like people, the best way for animals to lose weight is more exercise and less food. Owners should work out a diet plan with their vets.   Though treatment for diabetes would normally save the animals, all dogs and many cats would have to have insulin for the rest of their lives.

Diabetic animals were not necessarily over-weight and the increase in reported diabetes could be the result of more pets being taken for check-ups. "If an animal is morbidly obese, diabetes is a risk but often we see pets that aren't obese. Obesity is a factor but it's not a huge factor."

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Hamilton Zoo's newest arrivals are "a doddery old couple" who've been together for years, and have moved to the Waikato for their retirement.

The zoo this week welcomed siamang gibbons Iuri, a 30-year-old female, and 25-year-old male Itam, a retired breeding couple who had been residents at Auckland Zoo since the 1980s.

The siamangs, who mate for life, arrived at Hamilton Zoo on Wednesday, and have been settling in to an enclosure near the rowdy lemurs.

Iuri and Itam engaged in a noisy "song duet" when the Times visited yesterday. Auckland Zoo primate keeper Michelle Mudford said the "regular ritual" was a sign the pair were growing more comfortable in their new home.

Miss Mudford said although Iuri and Itam have been used to Auckland's warmer climate, they would soon become acclimatised to Hamilton's chilly winter mornings. "They're pretty good at cuddling together to keep warm. It always becomes normal for these guys, whatever situation they're in."

Miss Mudford, who worked with the siamangs for several years, said they were "a doddery old couple, like you see walking down the road", who stuck close together and often showed their affection with a bit of canoodling. "They've been together about 23 years now, and are hard to separate. They are pretty active, and still play, but just not as often as younger ones would."

Iuri, who had a slightly nervous personality, was "a high-maintenance animal" who startled easily, but Itam was more laid-back and had a mellow disposition.

Miss Mudford was pleased with the ease of their introduction to Hamilton Zoo. "It's all gone a lot better than expected, and they've settled in really well. They're pretty people-friendly, and they've got a nice little corner of the zoo all to themselves."

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Four-legged volunteers are desperately needed to comfort residents and patients in North Shore hospitals and resthomes.

Outreach Therapy Pets is looking for well-trained pets and their owners for the programme run by St John and SPCA Auckland.

Therapy pets manager Jo Hurford says research shows interaction with animals has health benefits.

"They can have a therapeutic, calming effect which reduces the stress and fears associated with illness or age."

Animals are also non-judgemental and provide unconditional love and friendship, she says.

Call St John toll-free on 0800-780-780, go to www.stjohn.org.nz or email en
quiries@stjohn.org.nz.

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From the pages of Cat Watch -

Bad Breath: A Sign of Illness?

Is there a problem?

Bad breath resembling that in humans might mean periodontal disease. Other signs are red, swollen gums.

A sweet, fruity scent might mean diabetes. Other signs are excessive thirst and urination and losing weight.

A urine- or ammonia- like smell could indicate kidney disease. Other signs include excessive thirst and urination and loss of appetite.

Foul odor associated with vomiting could be a liver disorder. Other signs include loss of appetite, swollen abdomen, yellowing of the eyes or gums.

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Stray cat turns out to be vet's own missing cat

The owners of a Napier veterinary clinic were shocked when a stray cat handed in turned out to be their own -- four years after he had gone missing.

Ten-year-old brown tabby Bailey, the first cat to be microchipped at Napier's Carlyle Veterinary Clinic, was reunited with his owners, practice boss Phillippa Lintott and her vet husband Michael last week.

Bailey, who had run away after moving house, was collected by the SPCA last Saturday and handed in to the vet clinic.

The Lintotts say they wouldn't have realised it was their own long-lost cat without his chip number.  "It sounds horrible, but we wouldn't have recognised him otherwise,' Mrs Lintott told Hawkes Bay Today newspaper.  "But that's because it's been so long and he's a shadow of his former self."

It was the longest period they had heard of a pet being lost during their time in the veterinary industry.

Mrs Lintott said they would confine him to the house for a few weeks to familiarise him.

"He's a much older cat now, so we're hoping this time he will want to stay around."

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Life-saving dogs get their rewards

Staffordshire bull terriers Amba and Bugsy have been jointly named Life Saving Dog of the Year for rescuing an injured, freezing woman near Upper Hutt.

Birchville resident Linda Fowler and her hairy heroes were flown to Christchurch to pick up the award on Friday at the New Zealand Kennel Club's national dog show.

The dogs saved the life of a woman who had spent a night lying semi-conscious on rocks after she slipped and fell below the Bridge Rd reservoir, north of Upper Hutt, in March.

"I went past the dam on my usual morning run and kept going but the dogs wouldn't follow me," Miss Fowler said. "They just sat next to the lady and started barking." The injured woman was drenched in spray from the dam, yellow with hypothermia, bleeding from a head wound and babbling incoherently.

Miss Fowler estimates that she has told her dogs' tale 200 times in the past six months."You tell the story so often and every time you tell it people go, 'Wow.'"I always get surprised by their reaction."It just doesn't sink in that it is such an honour to save someone's life - and knowing that your dogs did all the work is amazing."

Miss Fowler's prize was a sash, while the dogs got a year's supply of biscuits.

"I was absolutely rapt. It has saved me loads of money. I won't have to send them out to work now," she joked.

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Borou, a maine coon blue tabby weighing 9kg, was the biggest cat on display at the Hamilton Cat Show. He was shown by his owner Diane Helson, who is a client of Forrest Hill Vet Clinic. 

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