Olympics clean-up Chinese style: Inside Beijing's shocking death camp for cats

Thousands of pet cats in Beijing are being abandoned by their owners and sent to die in secretive government pounds as China mounts an aggressive drive to clean up the capital in preparation for the Olympic Games.

Hundreds of cats a day are being rounded and crammed into cages so small they cannot even turn around.

Then they are trucked to what animal welfare groups describe as death camps on the edges of the city.

The cull comes in the wake of a government campaign warning of the diseases cats carry and ordering residents to help clear the streets of them.

Cat owners, terrified by the disease warning, are dumping their pets in the streets to be picked up by special collection teams.

Paranoia is so intense that six stray cats -including two pregnant females - were beaten to death with sticks by teachers at a Beijing kindergarten, who feared they might pass illnesses to the children.

China's leaders are convinced that animals pose a serious urban health risk and may have contributed to the outbreak of SARS - a deadly respiratory virus - in 2003.

But the crackdown on cats is seen by animal campaigners as just one of a number of extreme measures being taken by communist leaders to ensure that its capital appears clean, green and welcoming during the Olympics.

These top dogs are winners all

As we head for the Crufts finals, Pete Wedderburn picks his 20 best breeds

Crufts can be controversial. Critics point to bored dogs being preened by pernickety owners and enthusiasts claim that, if dogs didn't enjoy being shown, their owners wouldn't do it to them. Whatever your opinion, Crufts has certainly been the centre of the canine world this week.

As a vet, I am often asked which breed of dog is my favourite. I have listed my own top 20 breeds here, but I know that, in doing so, I may alienate the enthusiasts of the 189 breeds that I have not mentioned. Remember, my list is personal and please continue to enthuse about your own particular favourites. The tremendous variety of breeds is one of the real pleasures of the world of dogs.

Annual Cobo dog shows reel in the masses

By Jennie Miller
C & G Staff Writer

DETROIT — Diane Ingram, owner of the Doggy Deli in Clinton Township, attracted a steady crowd at her booth during the Detroit Kennel Club’s 100th and 101st Dog Shows at the Cobo Convention Center March 1-2, where Ingram displayed her chewy, all-natural handmade dog biscuits.

Ingram and her husband, Bruce, participate in close to 40 dog shows a year to help promote their business, but they especially love the Detroit show.

“It brings in a variety of people and gives us great exposure,” said Ingram, the owner of four dogs. She started a business after experimenting in her kitchen while making treats for her pets.

Some 2,500 dogs representing 169 breeds were on display at Cobo last weekend, along with a myriad of vendors selling their wares, from dog food to kennels, T-shirts to jewelry, and from magazine subscriptions to custom artwork.

The DKC’s annual shows are among five “benched” dog shows in the country, which means breeders, owners and their dogs must remain in the building and on display for the public to view, touch and ask questions, making it a unique and popular event.

One of the Doggy Deli’s regular customers, Wendy Sellars of Grosse Pointe Woods stopped by the booth March 1 to say hello to Ingram as she and her nieces, Kelly Markwardt, 13, and Ashley Markwardt, 14, of Almont passed by on their way to check out the Labrador retrievers and the Dachshunds.

“We come every year to the dog show,” Sellars said, adding that all three are animal lovers. “We like to watch them perform.”

Excitement mixed with a bit of nerves was what Carol Sheridan of Applegate was feeling as her 6-month-old spinoni Italiani, named “Gracie,” was competing in the show. Sheridan has been showing dogs for 30 years, and although she participates in events like the one at Cobo practically every weekend, this one is special to her.

“It’s the only benched show in Michigan,” Sheridan said. “I like the fact that I can talk to a lot of different people about my breed.”

Jere Marder of Valpairaiso, Ind., had just finished grooming her Old English sheepdog, Winston, and chatted with her peers while they waited for the competition to begin. Although the process has become routine for Marder after 30 years in the business, she has never lost her deep passion for dogs.

“They’re great companions,” Marder said. “They make you laugh, and they keep you active.”

Julie Musiol of West Bloomfield sat in the bleacher seats with her daughter, Gigi, 5, and her son, Spencer, 6, watching the Bouviers des Flandres in the ring. Already the owners of a mixed breed rescue dog, the Musiols hope to add the exotic-looking dog to their household in the near future.

“We try to come to this show every year,” Musiol said. “You get to touch the dogs and talk to the breeders — it’s very personal.”

Bill Stebbins of Howell has been participating in dog shows for the past 40 years, 24 years as a judge. He got lured into the world of dog shows after purchasing a Great Dane puppy, who eventually became No. 2 of its breed in the country.

“Most of the people who are in this at any level — judges, breeders, showers — most of us are in it for the love of the dogs,” Stebbins said. “I think the Detroit show is the best show in the country for families who want to get a dog but they’re not quite sure what breed they want to get, and they come here and pick the minds of the breeders.”

For Tom Weigand, owner of Winning Image, a portrait and artwork company for pet owners and breeders, with a studio in Bernville, Pa., the DKC show was just one stop on his whirlwind tour of dog shows across the country.

“We’re on the road all the time,” Weigand said, noting that he was recently in Denver and Chicago, and next will travel to Nashville to promote his business. “This is the only one we do in Michigan. It’s a good show. It’s a lot of fun. People are excited to be here.”

Purina sponsors the dog shows, which include special events such as agility trials; a pet therapy program; Dog Scouts of America; Leader Dogs for the Blind; terrier racing; Michigan Veterinary Specialists’ programs on animals and arthritis, and first aid and CPR for pets; Michigan Technical Rescue Operations Team; training and herding demonstrations; the Canine Care Merit Badge; the Parade of Sighthounds; and breed seminars.

For more information, visit www.detroitkennelclub.com.