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Last week I followed with interest the 46-hour search for Panjo, the Bengal tiger. The 17-month old, who was hand-reared, escaped from his owner’s bakkie while being transported from the family’s farm in Groblersdal to a vet in Delmas. After numerous false alarms, Panjo was finally tracked in a forest with the help of a sniffer dog. He was lured out of the bush by a piece of meat and the sound of his owner’s voice. Panjo’s disappearance captured the imagination of many, but also drew criticism from people who believe the family should not be allowed to keep the exotic animal.

The use of sniffer dogs seems to have become quite popular. Or has it become essential? We spot them at airports, harbours, mass rallies and sport functions. Zingela, the dog who found Panjo, has been specially trained to track predators. Dogs are wonderful animals. We can train them with great success, yet we never know when and how they will follow their instincts.

There are thousands of amazing stories about dogs. The following anecdote by Betty Malligan comes from an old Reader’s Digest:

Our little mongrel, Tinker, is undeniably a nuisance. He always gets under our feet, trips people on the stairs, races us to the front door when the bell rings and refuses to be moved from the big lounge chair unless we use a bit of force. Then my aunt came to stay with us. Incredibly, Tinker at once became a gentleman. He would wait patiently at the top of the stairs until our guest had descended. He kept out of her way when she walked through the house. The lounge chair was his only until he heard her approach – then he would instantly jump down and lie quietly at her feet.

We shall never know how our little Tinker understood that my aunt was totally blind.

A sniffer dog is a dog that is trained to use its senses (almost always the sense of smell) to detect substances such as explosives, illegal drugs or blood. Some prisons have dogs trained to detect illicit cell phones in prison cells!

ACTIVITY SUGGESTIONS:

1. Vocabulary: explain the meaning of the words in bold.
2. Give the meaning of the following expressions relating to dogs:
   • you can’t teach an old dog new tricks
   • to go to the dogs
   • to not have a dog’s chance
   • to die like a dog
   • a dog’s breakfast
3. What is your opinion on wild animals being kept as pets? Write a paragraph, giving reasons for your opinion.
4. Do you have an anecdote (a short entertaining/interesting story) about a dog? Do you want to share it with the class?

Happy teaching!

Blog Author: Frieda Wade

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