Total Dog Magazine

Tag: Dog Dangers

  • Warning To Dog Owners After Man Impersonates RSPCA Officer

    Warning To Dog Owners After Man Impersonates RSPCA Officer

    The RSPCA is issuing a warning to dog owners after a concerning incident in London in which a man posed as a charity worker in an attempt to gain access to a puppy.

    The charity was alerted after a man knocked on a resident’s door in the New Southgate area of north London.).

    The man said he was from the RSPCA, had received a complaint about a barking dog and asked to see the owner’s golden retriever puppy.

    RSPCA Chief Inspector Clare Dew, who leads part of the London team, said:

    “Thankfully the dog owner was immediately suspicious of the man, who was wearing no uniform. They secured the door with the security chain and refused to allow the man access to the puppy.

    “The man left the address and the puppy’s owner contacted us. I checked to see if we had any officers in the area at the time and we didn’t.”

    They also alerted police.

    The RSPCA is now issuing a warning to Londoners, as well as people across England & Wales, to always check the identity of officers who come to your home.

    Clare added: “We would like to remind and reassure the public that our inspectors and rescue officers all wear branded uniforms and carry ID.

    “If one of our officers knocks on your door, please ask to see their ID and check their uniform for branding. Our staff wear navy blue uniforms with the RSPCA logo, as well as white shirts with black ties and black epaulets.

    “Most of our officers drive either white vans or fully branded, wrapped RSPCA vans. All staff vehicles in London feature large branding imagery so are also easy to spot.”

    RSPCA officers have no powers of entry to homes, gardens, land or vehicles, unless accompanying police on a court warrant.

    Clare added: “Our staff can only access your property if you give them permission and can only see your pets with your approval. If you are at all concerned that someone isn’t who they say they are then you do not need to grant them access and you can call our hotline on 0300 1234 999 to check their credentials.”

    Dog thefts on the rise

    The charity is urging all pet owners to be on alert after a reported increase in pet thefts during lockdown, as the demand for pets – and their value – has skyrocketed.

    “We’re concerned that this man may have been posing as an RSPCA inspector in order to snatch this puppy, and that’s extremely worrying,” Clare said. “We understand that there have been a surge in the number of pet thefts during the past year due to the value of many breeds and the demand for pets during lockdown.

    “We’d urge people to take extra precautions to protect their pets from thieves by neutering them, ensuring they’re microchipped with up-to-date contact details registered and ensuring they wear a collar with an ID tag or embroidered contact details.

    We’d advise dog owners never to leave their pets tied up outside shops or alone in cars, to ensure their dog has a good recall and doesn’t stray too far when being walked off-lead, and ensure gardens are secure with locked gates.

    “If you are concerned someone may have posed as an RSPCA officer or another agency worker please report the incident to us and to the local police. And if you believe your pet has been stolen please contact the police as soon as possible.”

  • Do NOT Allow Dogs To Fetch Sticks (Here’s Why)

    Do NOT Allow Dogs To Fetch Sticks (Here’s Why)

    It isn’t safe to allow dogs to fetch sticks or even play with sticks.

    It is a tragic fact that dogs have died after fetching sticks.

    Stick injuries to dogs can be serious and even fatal. There is no good that can come from throwing a stick for a dog, particularly when there are so many safer, more hygienic alternatives.

    Veterinarians are urging dog owners not to throw sticks to dogs.

    However, this warning was met, in some quarters, by scorn from the ‘health and safety gone mad’ brigade.

    Gordon Lochrie, a vet in Lincolnshire, spoke to The Lincolnshire Echo newspaper, backing up a colleague in Scotland who reiterated the call for owners not to throw sticks for dogs when he recently had to remove a four-inch long splinter wedged deep in a smooth collie’s throat.


    Upsetting image has been blurred

    Mr Lochrie said:

    “…We had a case of a springer spaniel in Gainsborough which chased a stick which impaled itself in the dog’s carotid artery and jugular vein,” Mr Lochrie said.

    “It was dead on arrival here at the surgery in North Street – and the next serious case was luckier.

    “Only about four years ago a collie punctured its tongue and the stick went straight through the mouth just missing the larynx. It recovered after major surgery.

    “Not only does this cause considerable pain and discomfort for the animal, it also can be very costly.

    “You’ve got the cost of the surgery, post-operative care, nursing, and medication.

    “So I’d agreed that a soft toy, small ball or, even better, a larger ball that won’t get lodged in the throat is a much safer alternative.”

    For those who commented on social media and made their views known to various radio phone-in shows that stick throwing was a perfectly harmless, traditional way for owners to play with their dogs and those who opposed it were a bunch of health and safety obsessed kill-joys.

    While it may seem a harmless or ‘traditional’ way of playing with a dog, the risk of serious injury or the death of a dog simply isn’t worth the risk of allowing them to play with sticks.