POLL RESULTS: CATS WIN!

The ultimate poll: cats Vs. dogs. I spent most of the week wincing at the figures because they were neck-in-neck for so long! Thank goodness someone won out - Cats won by ONE VOTE which means they are, of course, the superior creature! Okay, we'll take this poll again in a few weeks to see if that's really true or if that's just the way things turned out. Be sure to vote in this week's poll: should cat and dog sterilisation be government funded (and thus free to pet owners)?

The Ultimate Poll - extended

CATS Vs. DOGS - poll results were a tie! (inevitable?) I've extended the poll voting for another week so that we can try to get a winner.

Another comment on the barking dog bylaw & POLL RESULTS

Hello again,

Alright, I promised a follow up! The POLL RESULTS are as follows:

How many dogs should you be allowed to keep in your home?

53% say that you should be allowed to have FOUR dogs
38% say TWO
7% say that you should be allowed to keep as many as you like

The truth of the matter is that you are only allowed to have two dogs on your property unless you are a breeder residing on agricultural property. If you want more then you have to apply at your local municipality. This applies to your local vet nurse, adoption agency or dog breeder too. This has, apparently, been the law for quite some time, but as a result of the barking dog fiasco, it is going to start getting enforced.

Upset residents who are disturbed by barking dogs say that the lack of regulation as to the number of dogs kept on a residential property is the direct cause of their worries. Adoption agencies are pro this law because it is going to save a lot of animals that are otherwise neglected. In this light, the law makes complete sense.

Of course it is when you consider that there are mean neighbours out there that might report your little yapping sausage dog that everything falls out of perspective. It really boils down to this law having a postive side and a negative side.

There are a number of processes set in place that these doggy police will go through when your dog is reported (to protect you against those nasty neighbours), but it seems that a lot of dog owners are going to be slapped with a hefty fine. This can be up to R20,000! Not the kind of pocket change that a lot of us have lying around.

A lot of people are suggesting that you take your yapping dog to your local vet nurse for a special no-bark procedure, but I can think of nothing worse! Of course, if it a choice between no barking or no living, there's not much to say.

Please send me your comments!

Poll Results

Good morning South Africa! (It sounds like Groundhog Day, doesn’t it?)

The results of our first poll are in! The question was where did you get your pet? And the results:

55% from a private breeder
11% from a pet shop
33% from an adoption agency

Most of the pet owners that I know are the kind of people who prize their pets as members of the family, so I expected that the majority of the vote would lean towards the private breeder option – but I must add that I was surprised that 33% got their pets from adoption agencies! That’s great news for abandoned cats and dogs in South Africa.

There are a number of great adoption agencies in South Africa – Wet Nose being one of the finest around because they take an active interest in their animals, and update their website regularly to keep visitors informed about when animals get adopted and more.

Private breeders, on the other hand, are also a great place to get your pet from because you will get a complete family tree history for your puppy or kitten – peace of mind is essential when you are adding a new addition to your family.

Thank you so much for voting, it was definitely a pleasant eye-opener. Place your votes for this week – this is a great new question that should pose some fun results next Monday: How often do you brush your pet’s teeth?!