By Kim Atienza
Beagles are among the most popular dogs in the world. They also have many fans. There are even cartoon characters that are Beagles just like Snoopy.
Christine Gotauco, administratorof Philippine Beagle Club, told our Matanglawin TV show recently that Beagles are very smart, friendly and that they fit well in a family.
She advises dog lovers to increase their patience since beagles are playful and single-minded. Though they are very smart, you must be patient with them.
Where there is food, they immediately follow. In the United States, they formed a Beagle Brigade that guards airports in which they sniff out luggage of passengers for illegal items.
The Philippines also has a Beagle Brigade, called the MMDA K9 Corps. Aside from beagles, they also use Aspins, Retrievers and Labradors.
The method of training them is different. Trainers don’t resort to treats. Instead, they focus more on bonding between dogs and handlers.
The MMDA K9 Corps began in 2012. There are currently 80 volunteers with their dogs.
They train every Saturday in good or bad weather. In Search, Rescue & Tracking, the dogs focus on collapsed structures to rescue survivors.
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Toby is one of the senior members of the MMDA K9 Corps. He is 4 years old. Toby wen t through a sad life. No one wanted to buy him from the pet shop since he was old and thin.
It all changed when the boyfriend of his owner bought him from the store and gave it to her as a surprise. Today, Toby now has learned many basic skills and is now a certified member of the MMDA K9 Corps.
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Excerpts from the very useful book Living With Folk Wisdom by Abercio V. Rotor, Ph.D:
Root crops (e.g. ube, tugue, gabi) – plant the tuber deep enough to protect it from animals. Planting should be at the onset of rainy season.
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Send your questions on anything and everything to Kuya Kim through my Twitter account @kuyakim_atienza using #AlaminKayKuyaKim.
Ating tuklasin ang mga bagay-bagay na di niyo pa alam. Walang ’di susuungin, lahat aalamin. Ito po si Kuya Kim, Matanglawin, only here in Tempo.
