News

Animal abuse on social media

The National Council of SPCAs (NSPCA) has launched an investigation to locate the person responsible for yet another act of animal cruelty and then posting the video on social media. This time the victim is a Nile crocodile. Several disturbing videos emerged on 18 January 2025, showing a man teasing and injuring a wild Nile

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Q & A: Focus during training

Q: How can I keep my dog’s attention during training? A: First, we need to establish why your dog is unable to sustain longer periods of concentration, and change the contextual training details, so that he can. Here are some tips to consider: Are your criteria for what constitutes a short or long concentration span

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Play fetch with your dog

No need to get bored, there are a few games that you can play with your dog, like playing fetch. You can even play the game inside your home. Fetch seems to be the most natural game to play with your dog – a game that only requires a ball or a toy. Ensure that

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The delightful world of dolphins

The dolphin is the world’s darling. There are over 40 species and most live in warm waters, with only a few, like the right whale dolphin, preferring colder climates. Their diet consists mainly of squid and fish, though larger species, like the killer whale, do eat mammals like seals. Hello? Dolphins communicate using a complex

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Ask Patches – butt naked

Butt naked Dear Patches, This has been an extremely cold winter and I’ve been wearing my favourite jackets for warmth and comfort every day. Now that the days are warming up, my mom keeps removing my jacket during the day. I feel so naked! Mom says that my skin has to breathe and that I

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Q & A: Hoarding treats

Q: Sometimes my dog buries his treats. Is this normal? A: This is called hoarding and is an instinctive, survival behaviour that originates from a dog’s ancestors. These dogs did not have access to regular food and would bury some of it for times when food was in short supply. Dogs in the wild would

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The role of treats in training

When you train your dog, there is no doubt that you will need treats to reward him for his hard work. But certain questions often arise about the treats we use while training. This article will address some of those questions. 1. What is the ideal size of treats used in training? The size needs

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Ask Patches – hostile takeover

Ask Patches is a tongue-in-cheek series where pets ask questions and get these quirky answers from Patches. The information is for entertainment purposes only and shouldn’t be taken to heart. Murky waters Dear Patches, I live in a huge tank with two other fish. We are generally happy and well fed. But we struggle to

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