[size=16pt]Who Are We?[/size]

Dog's World Magazine is published by ROSIJI FOUNDATION.
Our Canine Welfare Programme aims to inform, educate and enlighten the Nigerian public on all issues pertaining to the responsible ownership of dogs.
From the stone ages, the dog has been a close companion to man and has served him in numerous ways.

Because of this, we are particularly worried by the manner in which many of us treat our dogs. Many people continue to see dogs as no more than a dustbin, which should be left to scavenge and fend for itself.

We believe that this is a normal phobia born of a lack of understanding of dogs. At Canine Welfare, we aim to enlighten the Nigerian public on the delights of owning and caring for a dog. We also hope to be able to influence those Nigerians for whom eating dogs is ok.

The canine welfare problems encountered in Nigeria are not so different from those encountered elsewhere in the world, but the difference is that elsewhere, these matters are being addressed. We have been pleasantly surprised by the number Nigerians we have met who are true dog lovers and who make daily sacrifices to protect the welfare of their pets. We have also worked with those who, within a period of just a few weeks, have grown from disliking and fearing dogs, to cherishing and caring for them with a passion.

It is this energy and passion in Nigerians that has urged us on to continue raising awareness about Canine welfare.

[size=16pt]Dogs come in all shapes and sizes[/size], there is a dog for every personality and function. I'd like to introduce to you a rare breed of dogs called the Shar Pei.

Type: Guard dog (Nature: suspicious of strangers)
Origin: Guangdong, China
Life expectancy: Up to 10 years.
Weight: 18 to 29 kg
Characteristics: Blue-black tongue, born with lots of wrinkles.
Health: prone to Allergy-induced skin infections.

Some find it ugly, while others find it adorable. What do you think?

For more information about this dog check out:
The Chinese Shar-Pei club of Hong Kong http://www.hkshar-pei.com/

Click to read Dog's World magazine online/download: www.issuu.com/dogsworld/docs/dogsworld
Shar Pei breeders in Nigeria/West Africa, contact us to be included in the Breeders' Directory (Flip to page 84)

A couple of weeks ago, I thought I heard a dog barking. Three days later I had identified where the noise was coming from and picked up a copy of Dog's World Magazine and went to greet this new neighbour. I knocked on the gate, once, twice, three times and was finally heard by the mallam. I asked him, "Is your oga around", to which he replied: "no Ma" Worried that I might have knocked on the wrong gate, I asked him, "You get dog for your compound?", he: "no". My experience has always taught me to rephrase my questions, one because the mallam clearly does not grasp the English language and two because I clearly don't speak a word of Hausa. I ask him "you get kare?" Kare means dog in Hausa... He hesitates then shakes his head and says "we no get". While I was busy trying to find other ways to express myself (using hand gestures this time), I noticed a tiny four legged animal rush to the gate. It sniffed the gate in my direction, pissed on the iron gate then disappeared into the compound. I asked the mallam "Wettin be that?" He says: "Na, rat" *I have died* The supposed rat was clearly a dog, a tiny one, but it was definitely a dog. I asked him: " does it bark?" He flashes me a smile and says: "Yes, this one de bark". I thought to myself should I flip to the gallery of dog breeds in the magazine and show him that it is in fact a dog or not waste my time and move on... I chose the latter. I said: "Brother, please give dis book to de Oga of the rat" and I left it at that.

By the way, if you are having a hard time catching up,
flip to the last pages of the Dog's World magazine and you will find a gallery of dog breeds in alphabetical order.

The gallery of dog breeds is there to help you make the right choice. Each dog has a different temperament therefore if you are looking for a guard dog, the gallery is there to give you an idea of all the different dog breeds that will work well as guard dogs. For those of you who know what you are looking for, we have provided you with the average sizes of each breed. Too many people have gone home with a German shepherd puppy that turned out to be no larger than a local dog.
This experience has been disappointing for many new dog buyers and as a result many dogs have been abandoned. With the help of the magazine, our wish is to help you make the best choice. I believe that the better informed you are about what each breed is suppose to look like, the least likely you will get cheated by 419 breeders. Ah, 419 breeders, we will talk about them later.