11 Jun 2024

Dog owners and breeders have been advised to develop a habit of being closer to their pets daily to ensure their wellbeing.

Speaking during the second annual Dog Show in Gaborone over the weekend Sergeant Tshepo Chiroze, a dog training instructor with Botswana Police’s Special Support Group (SSG) said most breeders and owners failed on the basics of dog grooming.

“Grooming generally means washing them, cutting any loose hairs and inspecting areas such as eyes and ears. This could help them identify any pests, injuries or wounds and any hidden diseases,” she said.

Sgt Chiroze also said grooming activities such a bathing and massaging also helped strengthen the bond between the pet and its owner. She cautioned that even though bathing dogs was important, it should not be too constant as that could wash away sebum, the naturally occurring oils in the dogs’ skin that helps them keep warm.

“The ideal bathing should be at least every six weeks, but other welfare activities such as checking eyes and ears should be done daily,” said Sgt Chiroze. She also urged owners and breeders to socialise their pets more to make them less aggressive, especially around other people.

For his part, one of the dog breeders, Mr Bakang Sebako of SBK Kennel Ornamental Breeds said the annual show was handy as it gave them a platform to showcase their breeds.

“We have breeds that many Batswana did not even know exist locally, so this was our chance to show them off. These included breeds such as chiwene and doberman miniature,” he said. Mr Sebako said they also had a chance to educate Batswana on which breeds were good for which specific purpose.

“Batswana generally keep dogs to provide security, and they would mostly prefer large breeds for that particular purpose, which is not always the best. Small dogs like chihuahua and chiwene are better alarms than large dogs as they are more energetic and always barking when they sense danger,” he said.

Mr Sebako said in Kasane and Kazungula areas, where he said people preferred these smaller breeds as they irritate elephants and hippos with their constant noise.

Mr Sebako, who breeds dogs part-time as a passion in Mochudi, also said that the show helped them interact with shops that sell dogs supplies, which he said assisted them learn more on better products for various breeds.

Meanwhile event organizer, Mr Joseph Khengera said he was happy with the overall turn-up of spectators. 

“This was the second show and the spectatorship increased compared to last year, what was consistent was the participation of display dogs. We attracted 52 dogs of different breeds, and nine kennels came to showcase their breeds,” he said.

Mr Khengera said the objective of the show was to educate people on proper care of dogs as they have realised that most people, especially breeders do it just for business without much regard to the welfare of the pets.

“A dog is a man’s best friends, and that should also reflect in the way they handle and care for them,” he said. He said they were organizing another show in Francistown on June 29 where they also hope to pass the same message. Ends