Child (Safety), Dog and Baby Elephant Friendly Environment (EFE)
There are thousands of modern items that can kill a child, dog or even
a baby elephant in this country.
But I would concentrate only on tiny items that can kill a dog or a
child and leave the third item, baby elephants in my book that will be
out sometime in 2014.
Thankfully, there are no toddlers in my house but I have a dog that
needs looking after.
Soon after the Christmas holidays, I did a survey in my house and
found over two hundred teeny weeny items that were literally, not
child safe, let alone my dog.
Let me deal with one item to begin with that was bothering me.
Year ago, I bought a soft plastic mattress with rubber form inside for
our dog since it was too cold and the dog was not eating properly and
showing signs of hypoglycemia in the morning.
He refused to sleep on it, in spite of my coaxing and perseverance.
He did not like the idea at all.
He used to dig on it, until the
outer cover was torn apart and the rubber form came out in a piece
meal.
Luckily he did not gnaw it but fearing suffocation, I had to remove
the mattress, clear up the mess of foam rubber.
So if, I had a toddler at home he or
she would have been at a bigger risk of choking and suffocation than the dog.
This is why I say no dogs when you
have little kids.
The kids can have a dog only after
16 years of age, when they have finished "O” Level examination and
waiting for the result and that will dawn on them that the real world is
much more challenging than the school.
Mind you when they start the
advanced level examination they do not have time, you will have to
look after the dog for life.
I as a dog lover, I was ready to
take the challenge and enjoy it, every minute of it including
cleaning its “poos” and using them as manure for the outdoor
garden, unlike most of my neighbors who make sure my foot path is
clearly marked with them, everyday of my adult life.
We actually can have a cross country
route for the Lamborghini, in our path.
They should avoid every bit of the
“shit” to become a champion.
There are two diversions before I
get to the nuts and bolts about “Child Safety” since that part is
boring even to me.
This is copied from elsewhere in the web with little editing.
Dog's digging behaviour
1. Digging is used to uncover prey in underground burrows, and is
useful to bury food, which is later retrieved and consumed. Dogs also
dig to create a cavity in the snow or earth for shelter from the wind
and to conserve body heat.
2. In warmer weather, an excavation may
keep the dog cool.
3. Some dogs dig before urination or defecation.
4. Dominant adult dogs kick up soil with the hind legs to disperse
its scent and increase territorial marking.
Glands in the footpads
mark the soil with scent during digging.
5. Even indoors, many dogs appear to dig in preparing for rest and sleep.
This form of digging behavior is usually not destructive, though over
time the carpet may be worn down.
Digging is usually not considered a problem unless it destroys
property.
To prevent the dog from digging, one must control opportunities to
dig and provide the dog with alternative activities that are equally
enjoyable and physically challenging.
If the dog digs in your
backyard, restrict access to that area. Ideally, your dog should not
be left unsupervised in your yard, regardless of any misbehavior.
Your dog will be less likely to expend energy by digging if it is
walked at regular intervals every day and has a variety of
appropriate physical activities to pursue.
Dog's Age or the Human equivalent
Senior Citizens Senior
Dogs
1. They have homes for the elderly 1. Haven
is practically hell for the dogs
2. Some senior citizens by that age become mayors of the holy city
2. There is
only extermination decree
3.They never give way to juniors 3. Junior
dogs take charge of the brood
I have another plea, if one wants to age with
the dog please do the following.
1. Take care of a young dog at the age of 43
(when nobody seems to want you including your wife and kids) years.
2. When you are 50 your dog is 7 years old and
equal to 50 years of human age.
3. In another three (3) when your dog is 10 he
is equivalent to 60 human years and you will be 53 years.
You are
younger by 7 years.
4. In another two years dog (at 12 years) will
be 70 and you will be only 55 years.
You are younger by 15 years.
43=0
50=7=50 (only at 50 one can be at the
level of the dog age and enjoy with your contemporary to your heart's
content and his company prevents you from getting a heart attack, if
you delay the dog will get a heart attack).
53=10=60
55=12=70 (This is the time you
get a bypass operation and the dog gets a heart attack).
5. Now that you have become the mayor at 55
after retiring from service would you be kind to this dog who is 70
years human equivalent (12 years of our time) or sent for the
Municipality Exterminator.
6. They are just old senior dogs / citizens
they do not have a parliament to go but only the streets but unlike
you they look after our streets even at night when young, is it
reasonable to put them to death?
7. How come if I say all the senior citizens
who were ex-parliamentarians and drawing a fat pension and to save
money for development they should be exterminated!
Will you pass a bill and vote yes in
parliament?
Are we reasonable human beings?
Below is an image from WiKiPedia.
I hope WiKipedia won't pass copyright
infringement for taking the side of the dogs against humans.
Since my dog is senior by age (overtaken my age) like any true
Sri-Lankans, I take care of him faithfully.
Who will kick the bucket first “The Good Lord only knows”?
I decided to take stock all items that were risky and might cause
choking and suffocation.
The List goes like this.
1. Pieces of Rubber form.
2. Over 30 items from Chinese Racing Track, which I bought 20 years
ago for my son from the Fort Railway Station pavement for Rs.100/=.
I was working in Colombo then. There were only few items there but
now there are thousands of Chinese cheap quality toys.
3. Over 10 cheap Chinese adoption of Scandinavian Lego
4. Plastic yogurt spoons (25 in total and only two measuring spoons
for dispensing correct dose of child's medicine or vitamin syrups).
5. Two pairs of plastic Chinese chop sticks with very sharp edges.
6. Metal and plastic clips for securing Ethernet Wires
7. Over 100 message board (English letters were the worse lot, with
dots, apostrophe exclamation marks etc) letters in English, Sinhala
and Tamil.
I stopped counting after 200 and the things I did not count were
8. Pens, pencils, clips and erasers and the whole lot.
9. Clips for hanging cloths with nasty metal parts.
10. Batteries for torches and calculators.
I can remember a child in UK put a tiny battery inside his nose
undetected and a timely X-Ray and intervention saved his life (child
who was admitted with breathing difficulty).
I have seen few kids dying as late as 1975 in Colombo Hospital and
that was due to a peanut and child was transferred from Galle to
Colombo and he died at the doorstep of the General Hospital, in the
ambulance.
Simply my house was not child safe and not at all dog friendly.
The list can go on but I stopped counting them.
The teaching aids of preschool kids are of very poor quality, I feel
we should go back to slate and slate pencil.
Literally there are thousands of articles in every house now.
I have dealt with only choking here others I leave it to the GMOA.
Thing I have not discussed are
1. Fire crackers
2. Box of matches
3. Tooth pricks
4. Candles including party candles
5. Bottles containing alcohol including methyl alcohol
6. Bottles containing detergents
7. Bottles containing solvents
8. Bottles containing adult medicine
7. Plastic garbage bags (there are no safety holes in them) and sandwich bags
8. Knives, forks, scissors, and other sharp tools in a drawer without a
childproof latch
9. Electrical installation within reach of a toddler without safety
plastic plugs
The list can go on and easily fill a book which nobody reads.
