HELP MY DOG IS DEPRESSED

HELP MY DOG IS DEPRESSED

It all started one Saturday morning when my phone alarm woke me up from bed notifying me of my scheduled visit to the beach with a friend. “Its 12 minutes past 9am!” I screamed. Never blame me because the previous day’s work was very tedious.

I quickly took my bath, went to the kitchen to prepare my last bag of tea before the trip. No bread, I realized. Folks, every single silver of coin count so I always maintain a coins box. I headed straight to my coins box and got GH¢1. I don’t have problem getting bread because Philomena the bread seller’s house is just across the street.

Reader, after crossing the road to buy the bread, I came back to witness the shock of the month! My own local dog, Rockbouy, stood in front of my door and started barking at me. Why is my own Rockbouy barking and bearing its teeth at me? What’s wrong with my dog? Have I soon changed after buying the bread? Is Rockbouy protecting some intruders in my room? Do I smell? These are some of the questions that went through my mind as I watched my local dog barking intensifies.

Having taken time to research the type and meaning of the sounds dogs barking make, I paused to reflect on it to understand why my own dog is preventing me from entering my own room. My dog is the area champion among all the dogs in the neighborhood his intense barking attracted his fellow dogs who trouped into my house and joined in the backing. Solidarity action, I perceived. Here are the different barking sounds and their meaning dogs make:

§  A warning bark – This is a low and quiet bark, but the noticeable growl increases in intensity and ultimately turns into a howling growl. Dogs use this to signify a potential danger, and therefore it is normally associated with territorial intrusion. The dog will continue to bark and may also bare his teeth if an immediate threat is perceived.

§  An alarm bark - This type of bark involves short barks at a time. Barking of this nature may continue until the dog sees that some action is being taken. Such barks ensue generally from what dogs can hear but are unable to see, like a car parking nearby or a doorbell ringing.

§  Prolonged barking - Uninterrupted barking is the dog’s way to communicate that he is alone and lonely. It is a kind of plea for company or attention.

§  Yelps - A single or a series of yelps generally emanates out of pain, depending on its severity.

§  Stutter bark - Although it is out of place to ascribe the prefix ‘stutter’ to a dog’s bark, it is the only way to describe this type of barking. A bark that sounds like a halting bark in a low pitch normally conveys that the dog wants to play. A rising pitched stutter bark is a sign of excitement.

From my expertise I realized Rockbouy was warning me. Of what is it warning me? At this moment the house became noisy and perhaps this is what might have invited into the house a notorious buck in the area. This buck is as notorious as its owner. Even before this notorious buck nicknamed ‘guy goat’ intruded, the smell from its scent gland announced its incoming invasion. Strangely enough guy goat is feared by many of the dogs therefore they were left with no option than to shut up. Folks Rockbouy did not acquiesce to the intrusion of guy goat. He kept barking. At this moment I felt like kicking that nonsense from its mouth but immediately recollected that animals have rights. I agreed to heed the warning from my conscience to respect the right of my dog.

On the issue of animal right laws, do we have such in the country? Reader if you are not aware, then please be informed that we really do have. Here are some examples in the Wild Animal Preservation Act, 1961:

7. Surrounding animals by fires prohibited

(1) A person shall not surround animals by fires for hunting purposes.

(2) A person who contravenes a provision of subsection (I) commits an offence and is liable on summary conviction to a tine of two hundred penalty units or to a term of imprisonment for twelve months or to both the fine and the imprisonment.

Although I am yet to see domestic animal protection act, common conscience could guide us in our dealings with domestic animals. Take for example the treatment of animals like cattle. This animal purposely kept for meat, milk, leather, hides, working, plowing, draft, vellum, transportation, soil fertilization, fighting, show, pets and many other purposes. However, in transporting cattle and by extension other animals in Ghana, they are wickedly tied, compactly arranged and transported in dozens over long distances without any problem with our laws. Goats are dragged against their wish; dogs are beaten for the trouble we caused; cattle are poorly fed; birds are killed for pleasure; mouse are trapped and killed for being attracted to the rubbish we pile in our rooms.

Reader, charging on animals deprives us of all the health benefits associated with owning and/or interacting with animals especially pets. Consider how pets can help us:

1.     Easy breathing:
University of Wisconsin-Madison pediatrician James E. Gern has conducted a number of studies that demonstrate having a pet in the home can actually lower a child's likelihood of developing related allergies by as much as 33 percent. In fact, his research -- as published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology - shows that children exposed early on to animals tend to develop stronger immune systems overall

2.     Meet and greet:
Of course, few people would suggest getting a pet solely for this purpose, but it's hard to overlook the fact that pets provide a great means for improving your socialization skills across the board, especially in terms of meeting and interacting with other pet owners. Though people sometimes may have a hard time getting to know each other, pets can be the common denominator that helps them connect - even among people who don't seem to be very much alike. Places to take advantage to socialize is Pet Training Centers, Dog Parks, and Outdoor Cafes

3.     Get Healthy:
Need a little motivation in the exercise department? Dogs can act as the perfect personal trainer, if only because most of them need to be walked several times a day. According to studies like those conducted by the Wellness Institute at Northwest Memorial Hospital, as long as you're the one holding the leash, you'll reap the rewards, which can include losing - or at least maintaining - weight.

4.     Defeat Depression:
It may be as simple as finding the right furry (or scaly) friend. Studies have shown that owning or interacting with animals has a host of health benefits, from physical to mental, and that everyone from young children to seniors can benefit. It's often easier for people who have mental disorders to interact with animals than with other people. In fact, having troubled people pet dogs, cats, and rabbits while talking about their experiences can help them feel more able to interact socially with people and calm aggressive impulses. Think about it: If you're depressed and living alone, you could conceivably spend the entire day in bed without any incentive to get up. But if you have a dog, the dog needs to be taken out. It needs attention and exercise. A cat will jump on your bed, meow, and often walk all over you until you get up to feed it. When you're depressed, an animal will cuddle up with you, enabling you to feel less isolated and alone

With all these benefits, of owning and interacting with pets it reader do you not agree it would have been wrong for me to kick my own Rockbouy for barking at me? The shout of Ayeley the area banku seller awoke my senses that I have not fed Rockbouy that morning but I was about feeding myself. Perhaps Rockbouy stood up for his right and the other dogs joined in solidarity.

Folk just after ordering some balls of banku for Rockbouy, he got out of the door way, changed his barking sound to a rising pitched stutter bark is signaling me of his excitement.

Unfortunately the area dogs could not share in Rockbouy’s feast because in everything he is the area champion- yes my own Rockbouy.