Do you have a dog? Those who do say dogs make good companions. Yes, the bond between dogs and their owners is changing the way people live. “I can tell from my experience that if you have a dog then you surely know how the bond you built with your dog has changed you. Always being there to feed them, keeping them healthy, and looking for some kind of mutual solace in each other’s company. This connection can help transform someone’s life,” says Chuks Alfred, a dog breeder.
So the days when dogs were used as mere guards to warn their keepers about potential intruders and as an ally for hunting are gone. Dogs’ loyalty, unconditional love, friendship, and protection are given rise to the way they are cared for. There are currently 400 million dogs globally according to statistics.
A research says that keeping dogs help to increase social interaction, especially between their owners and strangers. “Being accompanied by a dog increased the frequency of social interactions, especially interactions with strangers. It is known that pet dogs can act as catalysts for human social interactions, and it has been suggested that this may enhance feelings of well-being,” the report says.
According to Mueller, having a pet dog brings that feeling of empathy and confidence. “Young adults who cared for animals reported engaging in more “contribution” activities, such as providing service to their community, helping friends or family and demonstrating leadership, than those who did not. The more actively they participated in the pet’s care, the higher the contribution scores. The study also found that high levels of attachment to an animal in late adolescence and young adulthood were positively associated with feeling connected with other people, having empathy and feeling confident.”
Abiade believes it is only in Nigeria that a lot of people keep dogs for security and protection. He insisted that the best way to enjoy a dog is to keep dogs for sports to play around with or as pets to keep ones company. “ You’ll notice that some people also buy dogs as pets for their children, because that makes them more responsible, passionate, caring, more loving and at peace with people.”
But breeding a dog as a pet does not come so cheap, Abiade said,”when you have taken that decision to breed a dog, the next thing is food. You must have enough money to feed these dogs and you must feed them very well. You must calculate how much you would need in a month to feed the dog/dogs and then keep such amount aside every month.”
He recalls an incidence that actually prompted his decision to study veterinary medicine in the university. “When I was growing up at a particular time, my uncle had poultry and the birds were dying even when he was inviting animal health workers to come and assist him. Every time we went to the poultry we saw high level of mortality and he was having a lot of nightmares and pains. I was also feeling bad about the situation, so I felt that the best way to help him out was to become a vet doctor. And so I went to the University of Ibadan to study veterinary medicine,” he says.
Abiade whose clinic specialises in management of small animals like dogs, cats, parrots, birds, fish, rabbits and sometimes, small snakes has been involved with animals for about 25 years.
“I graduated over 28 years and I started my clinic almost immediately after graduation,”, he says with an air of pride.
A dog handler, Kolawole Kayode, who has worked with various veterinary clinics in Lagos, says it is highly interesting working with dogs.
“It is a highly interesting job”, says Kayode. “If you want to have a dog in your compound, you must determine if the dog is meant to be for security or a pet because we have some guard dogs just as we also have some pets.”
“When they are trained early enough, they adapt easily to the instructions. And it is better to bring a trainer to train your dogs at your home so that they get used to the surroundings,” he adds.
A graduate of Business Administration whose passion led him to work in a veterinary clinic, where he has accumulated knowledge and experience of handling dogs, Kayode believes Nigerians do not value dogs and animals in general, like people do elsewhere in the world and that explains the reasons for brain drain among vet doctors trained in Nigeria.
“Most of the vaccines for animals must be kept in cooling equipment managed by electricity so that the vaccines would be viable and the potency maintained. But where there is no electricity supply to keep them in shape such vaccines become useless. And that is why you see a lot of dogs dying every day. If government does not have value for human beings, they should at least care for the animals. I want the best for the animals and their lives to be changed. They are dying and they cannot speak for themselves. We must speak for them, so that those dogs out there would continue to live. We spend a lot to import dogs from South Africa to Nigeria and you administer the first, second vaccine but by the time you administer the third one, you find that it lacks potency and eventually the puppies die or you sell it to someone and after three months the dog is down with a viral infection that has no treatment. So we must be able to prevent these infections with vaccines that have potency.”
Yes, with fair treatment of animals in Nigeria, what you get according to Deinde Lawrence, a dog owner, is that unconditional love from animals such as dogs. “When you wake up in the morning they don’t care if you
have morning breathe, bed head, and no make-up, after a long stressful day, dogs wag their tails at you, ready to give you hugs and kisses because of their nature to love and to cheer.
And now, a new study has found that young adults with pet dogs are more sociable, especially those who with strong attachment to raising their dogs. The report explained the benefits of quality time in pet-owner relationship.
In a research published in the journal, Applied Developmental Science, Dr Megan Mueller, a developmental psychologist at the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine in United States says, “Our findings suggest that it may not be whether an animal is present in an individual’s life that is most significant but rather the quality of that relationship.
“We can’t draw causal links with this study but it is a promising starting point to better understanding the role of animals in our lives, especially when we are young.”
According to Mueller, having a pet dog brings that feeling of empathy and confidence. “Young adults who cared for animals reported engaging in more “contribution” activities, such as providing service to their community, helping friends or family and demonstrating leadership, than those who did not. The more actively they participated in the pet’s care, the higher the contribution scores. The study also found that high levels of attachment to an animal in late adolescence and young adulthood were positively associated with feeling connected with other people, having empathy and feeling confident.”
In Nigeria, dogs are known to be the commonest animal used as pets. Founder, Petcare Animal Hospital, Opebi Lagos, Dr. Kunle Abiade, explained that keeping a dog like any other animal as a pet, requires passion because animals are very passionate, loving and are capable of relieving their owners of stress. “It is only a dog that knows when you are angry, depressed and when you are not feeling fine. And when they notice this they want to come and lie by your side, rub their noses and bodies on you and have you stroke them and by stroking your dog, your anger and stress goes off, ”, Abiade said.
He revealed that there had been cases where women whose husbands are always away from home have had good and reliable companions in dogs. “Those times that they do not have with their husbands, they have the dog to relate with and expend their love and energy on,” he added.
Abiade believes it is only in Nigeria that a lot of people keep dogs for security and protection. He insisted that the best way to enjoy a dog is to keep dogs for sports to play around with or as pets to keep ones company. “ You’ll notice that some people also buy dogs as pets for their children, because that makes them more responsible, passionate, caring, more loving and at peace with people.”
But breeding a dog as a pet does not come so cheap, Abiade said,”when you have taken that decision to breed a dog, the next thing is food. You must have enough money to feed these dogs and you must feed them very well. You must calculate how much you would need in a month to feed the dog/dogs and then keep such amount aside every month.”
He warns against not having a budget saying, “ you must have a planned budget before you buy a dog. If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail. It would cost between N10, 000 and N50, 000 to feed a dog in a month, depending on the size of the dog. And then you must give water regularly and supplements that the dog needs. You give them either home-made food, which is rice and meat or commercial food, which include canned foods, dry meat and things like that. So you must decide whether you want to be cooking the food or get commercial food that are already prepared specifically for dogs, which are available in pet shops. Dogs are not meant to be fed on bones like many have come to believe. That is a fallacy. Once you do what is right, your dog will live for as long as 20 years.”
Another essential thing a prospective dog owner must put into consideration, he says, is the medical care for the dog. “The veterinary doctor is the one that has been licensed to treat your dogs and to manage the health of your dogs. You must pay regular visits to the clinic to ensure that vaccination and de-worming of the dog are carried out at the appropriate time,” he says.
Of course a regular bath for dogs will save them from having contact with lice, ticks or flees. “You must ensure that your house is cleaned, well disinfected, and fumigated. And once you have made all these plans, then you are ready to invite a dog into your house”, Abiade says.
Abiade who grew up liking animals and plants adds, “I love nature a lot, and animals are part of nature and God’s creation. I just grew up loving animals and so I decided to become a vet doctor.
He recalls an incidence that actually prompted his decision to study veterinary medicine in the university. “When I was growing up at a particular time, my uncle had poultry and the birds were dying even when he was inviting animal health workers to come and assist him. Every time we went to the poultry we saw high level of mortality and he was having a lot of nightmares and pains. I was also feeling bad about the situation, so I felt that the best way to help him out was to become a vet doctor. And so I went to the University of Ibadan to study veterinary medicine,” he says.
Abiade whose clinic specialises in management of small animals like dogs, cats, parrots, birds, fish, rabbits and sometimes, small snakes has been involved with animals for about 25 years.
“I graduated over 28 years and I started my clinic almost immediately after graduation,”, he says with an air of pride.
Abiade says that the profession thrives better abroad. “It’s catching up here gradually. It is gaining more awareness now and more people are acquiring dogs because of the security situation in our country. And any of us could rely on the profession to pay our bills, send our children to good schools, live comfortably and then have something to rely on after retirement,” he explains.
A dog handler, Kolawole Kayode, who has worked with various veterinary clinics in Lagos, says it is highly interesting working with dogs.
“It is a highly interesting job”, says Kayode. “If you want to have a dog in your compound, you must determine if the dog is meant to be for security or a pet because we have some guard dogs just as we also have some pets.”
According to him, “Pets are the dogs that can live inside your private room with you and share almost everything in the house with you, including your bed. Pet dogs are always hairy, small and gentle in nature. Guard dogs, on the other hand, include Rottweiler, Alsatian (German Shepherd dog), Doberman, Chihuahua, Bulldog, Dachshund, Boxer, Greyhound, Dalmatian and others. Rottweiler and Alsatian are common in Nigeria. They have different characters. Rottweiler is always aggressive while Alsatian is very friendly and submissive to their owners and that also depends on the training given to the dog. Guard dogs recognise the sound of cocking gun and once you cock a gun, they would be upset in their cage. And when a stranger is at your gate, your dog would be the first to notice. You would realise that human security may fail the owner, but dogs are always faithful to their owners.”
On the idiosyncrasies of dogs, Kayode advises that, “Guard dogs should be released every night, so that they know they are on duty in the night while they sleep during the day. But it all depends on the kind of training you give to your dogs. Guard dogs if well trained are more reliable than security men with guns when it comes to intelligence gathering and response to attack.”
The best stage to train a dog, Kayode says is when they are still at that tender age of two months to six months because anything after six months, they would build up their own character.
The best stage to train a dog, Kayode says is when they are still at that tender age of two months to six months because anything after six months, they would build up their own character.
“When they are trained early enough, they adapt easily to the instructions. And it is better to bring a trainer to train your dogs at your home so that they get used to the surroundings,” he adds.
A graduate of Business Administration whose passion led him to work in a veterinary clinic, where he has accumulated knowledge and experience of handling dogs, Kayode believes Nigerians do not value dogs and animals in general, like people do elsewhere in the world and that explains the reasons for brain drain among vet doctors trained in Nigeria.
The Veterinary Director of Animal Care Centre, Ikeja Lagos and owner of Lahrivet Veterinary Klink and Surgery, Mr. Lanre Ajegbomogun says despite the social value of dogs the government does little on animal rights.
“Most of the vaccines for animals must be kept in cooling equipment managed by electricity so that the vaccines would be viable and the potency maintained. But where there is no electricity supply to keep them in shape such vaccines become useless. And that is why you see a lot of dogs dying every day. If government does not have value for human beings, they should at least care for the animals. I want the best for the animals and their lives to be changed. They are dying and they cannot speak for themselves. We must speak for them, so that those dogs out there would continue to live. We spend a lot to import dogs from South Africa to Nigeria and you administer the first, second vaccine but by the time you administer the third one, you find that it lacks potency and eventually the puppies die or you sell it to someone and after three months the dog is down with a viral infection that has no treatment. So we must be able to prevent these infections with vaccines that have potency.”
Ajegbomogun who is also clamouring for the creation of animal health ministry by the government says, “Through this ministry, we can regulate the activities of the people in the industry. Most of those who claim to be veterinary doctors never went to school of veterinary, they are not veterinary technologist, they are not animals technologists, they are not vet doctors but they carry about bags treating animals all over and these are the people responsible for the dead of animals in most cases.
He urged the House of Representatives to hasten up with the passing of the Animal Health bill so that a lot of things would be put in order in the animal industry in Nigeria. “They should encourage animal technologists to continue to develop and put the test of their knowledge into practice so that other things would change.”
Yes, with fair treatment of animals in Nigeria, what you get according to Deinde Lawrence, a dog owner, is that unconditional love from animals such as dogs. “When you wake up in the morning they don’t care if you
have morning breathe, bed head, and no make-up, after a long stressful day, dogs wag their tails at you, ready to give you hugs and kisses because of their nature to love and to cheer.
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