![]()
HI, KiDS
It
was
co
ol
to
meet
yo
ur
pet
friends.
Mos
t
of
yo
u
sent
in
pics
of
ca
ts
and
dogs,
although
ther
e
we
re
a
fe
w
mor
e
unusual
pets,
to
o.
It
was
super
har
d
to
choose
a
winner
.
Ther
e
was
Ounoii
the
Jack
Russell
fr
om
Princ
e
Albert,
that
barks
lik
e
a
Gr
eat
Dane
and
grunts
and
gr
oans
lik
e
a
human
(Jana
–
yo
u’d
get
the
prize
fo
r
the
mos
t
beautiful
handwriting!).
Theuns
was a
pr
esent
fo
r
Janina
Agenbag
in
2009
and
she
lo
ve
s
building
obs
ta
cl
e
co
ur
ses
fo
r
him.
Pa
ppi
is
a
littl
e
dog
with
a
huge
character
–
don’t
yo
u
think
he
is
unbelie
va
bl
y
cut
e?
Lill
y
is
golden
re
trieve
r
that
stol
e
our
hearts.
She
lo
ve
s
to
sit
with
peopl
e
in
fr
ont
of
the
TV
and
will
do
anything
fo
r
a
tummy
rub.
Ev
erybody kno
ws
I
lo
ve
cats
and
I
was
ta
ke
n
with
Sashimi,
a
quirky
cat
that
is
smart,
activ
e
and
cr
azy
about
wat
er!
In
the
end
we
chose
Legend.
Amy
Kös
tlin
fr
om Johannesburg
ent
er
ed
the
cheerful
black
labr
ador
puppy
that
came
to
liv
e
with
them
in
May
this
ye
ar
.
He’
s
going
to
be
a
servic
e
dog,
so
she
is
te
aching
him
the
basics
of
being
a
seeing
guide.
Ne
xt
ye
ar
he’ll
go
to
the
SA
Guide
Dog
As
sociation
fo
r
pr
oper
tr
aining.
Check
him
out
on
the
pos
te
r
in
the
middl
e
of
this
is
sue.
Ne
xt
month
we
hav
e
a
bumper
is
sue
of
summer
fun
and
the
winner
s
of
our
Yo
ung
Chef
co
mpetition
to
lo
ok
fo
rwar
d
to.
LUCKY SUBSCRIBER LUCKY SUBSCRIBER LUCKY SUBSCRIBER LUCKY SUBSCRIBER LUCKY
SUBS
* Terms and conditions on page 48
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comments. Let us know when it is your
birthday. We want to hear from you!
• Write to us at: The Editor, NG KIDS,
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• Send an e-mail to or
SMS* a letter to “NGK Letters” at 33970.
* SMSs cost R1,50. Free SMSs do not
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and conditions.
comes another great adventure, .
The Cape Town-based Tr iggersh Animation Studio introduces us to a half-striped zebra who is rejected by his
narrow-minded and superstitious herd. They blame him for a sudden drought, so he embarks on a daring quest to earn
his stripes. Along the way he encounters a colourful range of characters who teach him that diversity is essential for survival
and that what makes you different can be what makes you strong. What makes even more awesome? It will be in
cinemas in both Afrikaans and English versions. The movie is also part of Ster-Kinekor’s “Absoluut Afrikaans” campaign aimed
at celebrating and showing off our local Afrikaans talent.
opens in cinemas on 25 October 2013. Go for more details.
ERIN
Pet Friends Forever
6
12
18
Bet You Didn’t Know
Paw
Enforcement
Real Animal
Heroes
Meet our
Pet Friends
Forever winner
Guinness World Records
14
30
Amazing Animals
Game On!
36
42
Fun Stuff
REGULARSREGULARSREGULARSREGULARS
The Pet IssueThe Pet IssueThe Pet IssueThe Pet Issue
WINWINWINWIN
Chew On This
45
46
Fun Factory
Find the shih-tzu! We
hid ten shih-tzus in the
magazine. Here’s one of
them, but can you
spot all ten?
i
NS
I
D
E
16
13
46
JOVI Competition
Win ten toy hampers.
Fun Factory
Win movie hampers.
Cover PhotograPh: © JagoDKa / ShUtterShoCK (Dog); LaBat-roUQUette / KIMBaLL StoCK (Cat);
©raLF KraFt / DreaMStIMe (CaPeS); © DYNaMIC graPhICS / CreataS IMageS / JUPIterIMageS (BaCKgroUND); IMageS DIgItaLLY CoMPoSeD BY Lee StoKeS
Cover INSetS: reBeCCa haLe / NgS StaFF (CUPCaKe); BrIDget CorKe (Pet FrIeNDS Forever WINNer)
Page 4: USDa, aPhIS PPQ-hIa BeagLe BrIgaDe (PaW eNForCeMeNt); © JohN DaNIeLS / arDea (Dog: reaL aNIMaL heroeS);
KLeIN-hUBert / KIMBaLL StoCK (Cat: reaL aNIMaL heroeS); © raLF KraFt / DreaMStIMe (CaPeS: reaL aNIMaL heroeS);
IMage DIgItaLLY CoMPoSeD BY Lee StoKeS (reaL aNIMaL heroeS); BrIDget CorKe (Pet FrIeNDS Forever WINNer);
veCteeZY.CoM (ShIh-tZU); INPra (Pet FrIeNDS Forever); INPra (Cat MUMMY); PoPCorN (gUINNeSS WorLD reCorDS);
StaCeY WarNKe (aMaZINg aNIMaLS); © IMago / ZUMaPreSS (Bear); JeFF heNDrICKS aND vIKtorIYa tSoY (FUN StUFF)
ON THE COVERON THE COVERON THE COVERON THE COVER
25
ADVERTORIAL
ADVERTORIAL
We know how much you love your pets.
Now you can send us photos, drawings
and letters especially for this page!
You can also send questions about your
pet to our NG KIDS
INPRA (ABYSSINIAN); CLAUDMEY/STOCK.XCHNG (HAMSTER); ALL OTHER IMAGES SUPPLIED
SWEET BREEDS
3
Facts about
Abyssinians
The name has links with Ethiopia but
the first Abyssinians might have come
from Egypt.
They have a distinctive M-shape in the
fur above their eyes. The rest of their
fur has a unique pattern. Each hair has
a lighter base colour with three or
four darker bands.
A wonderful cat to have as a friend,
they love playing and some will even
fetch a ball. They are intelligent and
outgoing, but need a lot of attention
or they’ll get bored.
1
2
3
You can also send questions about your
KIDS
vet.
fur has a unique pattern. Each hair has
a lighter base colour with three or
A wonderful cat to have as a friend,
they love playing and some will even
fetch a ball. They are intelligent and
outgoing, but need a lot of attention
Send us your pet-related letters, questions, pictures, drawings and jokes!
We would love to meet your pets!
How to protect your pet
from getting
sunburnt
Dear Fiona
Paige Naidoo
Durban
FalanBRIN
If your dog has
thick,
dark hair
and you don’t take
him for long
walks,
or you have a cat
that stays indoors,
you probably don’t
have to worry
about the sun.
A dog with
short, thin
hair also has to be
protected and
a cat that
spends a
lot of time
sunbathing on a window
sill can be at risk.
If your dog has
really thin white hair and
you like taking him for
walks on the beach,
consider buying a sun suit.
The tips of a cat’s ears
should be covered. A
dog needs sunblock on
his nose bridge, ears
and also his belly, as the
sun’s rays are reflected
up from the ground.
Psammobates geometricus
8
SEPTEMBER 2013
joe rocco
STRIKA ENTERTAINMENT
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
NatioNal GeoGraphic KiDS
9
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
8
10
In
c
r
e
dibl
e
A
nim
a
l
F
r
i
e
n
d
s
In
c
r
e
dibl
e
A
nim
a
l
F
r
i
e
n
d
s
In
c
r
e
dibl
e
A
nim
a
l
F
r
i
e
n
d
s
In
c
r
e
dible
A
nim
a
l
F
r
i
e
n
d
s
I
n
c
r
e
dibl
e
A
nim
a
l
F
r
i
e
n
d
s
ASSOCIATED PRESS (BIG PICTURE); © TONI DILLON (SMALL PICTURE)
is
it
time
for
my
hopping
lesson?
DUTCH RABBIT
thanks,
i
also
think
i
smell
great!
Gorilla Goes
ape for rabbit
WESTERN LOWLAND
GORILLA
3
7
facts about
facts
about
mummies
One ancient mummy
was issued a
passport
to travel to France.
1
2
1
It took about
8 hours to
bandage the lead
actor in the 1932
movie
The Mummy.
A mummy from
the 1920s in
Italy
is so
well
preserved
that she seems
to be sleeping.
3
In the 1800s
people attended
shows to watch
performers
unwrap
mummies.
A 2 400 - year- old
mummy from
Siberiahad fur balls
in her
eye
sockets.
7
2
Mummies
have been found on
every continent
including
Antarctica.
4
6
to unwrap
7
A mummy
was once
foundwith its
tongue
sticking
out.
Gianni DaGli Orti / the art archive at art resOurce, nY
(cat mummY)
mummy
The Mummy.
people attended
unwrap
Siberia
Mummies
have been found on
every continent
,
Antarctica.
5
to unwrap
actor lon chaney, jr.,
in the mummy’s tomb
found
7
7
12
NOVEMBER 2013
COMPETITION
WIN! ONE OF TEN JOVI ARTS AND
CRAFTS KITS WORTH R2 500 EACH
At school, at home or in the park, for over 70 years JOVI’s wide
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education and after all those years of honing its craft, JOVI
has an extensive range of premium art products that will
stimulate your child’s imagination in a flash of full-colour
fantasy. Painting, modelling, make-up… There is no
end to the possibilities for learning and fun! And you
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eco-friendly materials and protecting the
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health of budding artists. Life’s a little
WIN
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win a JOVI hamper crammed
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ANSWER
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QUESTION:
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ECO-FRIENDLY MATERIALS?
SMS “NGK JOVI” followed by your
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COMPETITION CLOSES
ON 19 NOVEMBER 2013
FOR MORE INFO VISIT:
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*TERMS AND CONDITIONS ON PAGE 48
16
november 2013
p
aw
Dogs
on
Duty
sniff
out
smugglers.
sniffing out dangerous contraband at
airports, border crossings and seaports
across the country.
In addition to sniffing around travellers
and baggage, dog teams also examine
American and international post, which is
a huge job. “It's probably 3 000 parcels per
day,” says CBP handler Janelle Michalesko,
who checks out arriving cargo and post
with her canine partner, Khaz, at JFK
Airport in New York. Khaz is equal parts
Chesapeake Bay and Labrador retriever,
a big energetic mix that makes him
perfect for patrolling long warehouses and
inspecting big boxes. “Khaz is always ready
to search another warehouse – I call him
my supervisor,” Janelle jokes. “We have a
really good time together.”
good job
Along with fruits and vegetables, Khaz
and Janelle regularly find posted meat
products that could carry diseases. The
handler guesses it would take her a full day
to search a warehouse that Khaz can clear
in 15 minutes. Other breeds do different
jobs. Tiny, fearless Jack Russell terriers,
for instance, are perfect for finding brown
tree snakes in cargo leaving Guam, an
American island in the Pacific Ocean. If
stowaway snakes spread to Hawaii, it could
doom the state’s rare birds.
smart pups
For sniffing baggage and passengers
at airports, beagles are the ideal breed.
“They’re very friendly and people usually
aren’t intimidated by them,” says
Andrew Bateman, a CBP handler who,
with pup partner Cayenne, guards
the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta
International Airport. Detector
dogs don’t just smell well;
they’re trained to smell
the difference between
contraband and safe
snacks. “It’s not all foods – she
won’t alert us to fish, cheese or
butter,” Andrew says.
You might think a dog as
valuable as Cayenne was raised
in a special kennel and trained
from birth. “She was found on the
side of a highway,” Andrew says.
All detector dogs that deal with
agricultural items were adopted.
Many, like Cayenne, are found
at animal shelters. Others are
donated by owners or breeders.
“I couldn’t for the life of
me figure out why somebody
would give away a dog that’s
so handsome,” says handler
Jonathan Saito about his stocky
beagle partner, Bruno, a former pound
dog. “He’s an incredible dog to work
with. We say ‘work,’ but it’s a game for
the dogs.”
Edna agrees. “Taking in one of these
dogs and giving it a second chance doing
an important public service is great. And
the dogs love it.”
dog
s
search
ca
rs
and
lu
gga
ge
.
In
onl
Y
tW
o da
Ys
taY
lo
r
Found
all
oF
these.
rcem
en
t
USDA, APHIS PPQ-HIA BEAGLE BRIGADE (tAyLoR)
need
fruit?
i
SNIFFED
OUT
a
bunch!
© john daniels / ardea(big picture, dog), klein-hubert / kimball stock (big picture, cat), © ralf kraft /
dreamstime (big picture, capes), © threeart / dreamstime (earth), image digitally composed by lee stokes;
© rolf kopfle / ardea(siamese); © falcon 1708 / dreamstime (pug); jessica hills (homer)
C
hloe the pug rarely barks. She only acts
excited when she wants a carrot snack.
Then she spins like a top and points towards
the refrigerator. But one freezing cold
morning this normally quiet pup goes berserk.
Owner Amanda Bjelland of Billings in America is
dressing for work when Chloe asks to go out. No sooner
does Amanda close the door than Chloe barks to come
in. Yapping loudly, she follows her owner from room to
room. Amanda is frustrated. “What do you want?” she
asks and lets the dog out again.
This time Chloe runs
straight to their backyard
pond. She spins and sits.
“Then I knew something was
wrong,” Amanda says. She
races to the pond.
Her Siamese cat,Willow, has
fallen through the ice! Bjelland
rescues the half-frozen kitty and
wraps her in blankets. For two
days the pug stays by Willow’s
side. “It’s amazing,” Amanda says.
“I never would have known if it
hadn’t been for Chloe.”
feline
defeats
robber
H
omer the blind cat weighs less than two kilograms. Gwen
Cooper adopted the stray in Miami, America, when he was
three weeks old. Because of an eye infection that left him
blind, he would have been euthanised if she hadn’t taken
him. Homer never lets blindness stop him.“He’s a bold little
adventurer,” Gwen says. “He’s fearless.” The cat proves this one
night when his growling wakes up his owner. He’s never growled
before. Surprised, Gwen opens her eyes. A burglar is standing at
the foot of her bed! She reaches for her phone to call the
emergency services.“Don’t do that!” the intruder says. The sound
of his voice pinpoints his location and blind Homer leaps. No match
for a snarling cat with extended claws, the would-be robber flees.
national GeoGraphic KiDS
19
in. Yapping loudly, she follows her owner from room to
room. Amanda is frustrated. “What do you want?” she
asks and lets the dog out again.
races to the pond.
fallen through the ice! Bjelland
rescues the half-frozen kitty and
wraps her in blankets. For two
days the pug stays by Willow’s
side. “It’s amazing,” Amanda says.
“I never would have known if it
hadn’t been for Chloe.”
C
hloe the pug rarely barks. She only acts
Dog
rescues
kit
ty
M
onty the orange tabby cat doesn’t appeal to Patricia Peter
at first. She really wants a kitten. But all the kittens at the
Edmonton Humane Society in Alberta, Canada, are gone. The
Siamese she likes, ignores her. So Patricia adopts Monty.
Six months later she’s asleep when Monty bites her hand. “It was the
hand I poke to test my blood sugar level,” she says. Patricia has diabetes,
a serious disease that requires frequent blood testing. Wanting to sleep,
Patricia pushes the cat away. Monty only bites harder. Finally Patricia
gets up. Monty leads her to the kitchen and jumps on the counter beside
her testing kit.
Guess what? Patricia does the test and finds her
sugar level is dangerously low. She pops some
sugar tablets and her level returns to normal.
Her doctor says Monty knew something was
wrong by smelling her breath and tasting her
skin. “He’s my guardian angel,” Patricia says.
Chances are Monty feels the same about her.
Guess what? Patricia does the test and finds her
G
eo the German shepherd mix follows
ten-year-old Charlie Riley everywhere.
When Charlie plays on his trampoline,
Geo scrambles up a rock and jumps
beside him. When Charlie sits on the couch, Geo
cuddles close. Naturally the pup goes along on
family walks.
One day Charlie, his mum and two younger
brothers are standing at a street corner. Geo
is sitting at Charlie’s side. Suddenly the family
hears a roar. A van is out of control and runs
on to the pavement. It is heading straight
for Charlie!
Geo makes a flying leap. “He hit me so
hard that I fell over,” Charlie says. The speeding
truck slams into Geo instead, knocking him out
of his harness. The driver keeps going, but two
bystanders run over to help. They rush Geo
to the animal hospital, where vets perform
emergency surgery.
“My dog could have died,” Charlie says.
And her son could have, too, his mother
knows. But he didn’t – thanks to Geo.
DOG
saves
KID
from
truck
Cat
smells
low
Blood
Sugar
sugar level is dangerously low. She pops some
sugar tablets and her level returns to normal.
Her doctor says Monty knew something was
wrong by smelling her breath and tasting her
skin.“He’s my guardian angel,” Patricia says.
Chances are Monty feels the same about her.
20
November 2013
G
beside him. When Charlie sits on the couch, Geo
cuddles close. Naturally the pup goes along on
family walks.
One day Charlie, his mum and two younger
brothers are standing at a street corner. Geo
is sitting at Charlie’s side. Suddenly the family
hears a roar. A van is out of control and runs
on to the pavement. It is heading straight
for Charlie!
hard that I fell over,” Charlie says. The speeding
truck slams into Geo instead, knocking him out
of his harness. The driver keeps going, but two
knows. But he didn’t – thanks to Geo.
DOG
saves
KID
sugar level is dangerously low. She pops some
sugar level is dangerously low. She pops some
sugar tablets and her level returns to normal.
Her doctor says Monty knew something was
wrong by smelling her breath and tasting her
skin.“He’s my guardian angel,” Patricia says.
Chances are Monty feels the same about her.
November 2013
G
beside him. When Charlie sits on the couch, Geo
beside him. When Charlie sits on the couch, Geo
cuddles close. Naturally the pup goes along on
cuddles close. Naturally the pup goes along on
family walks.
family walks.
One day Charlie, his mum and two younger
brothers are standing at a street corner. Geo
brothers are standing at a street corner. Geo
is sitting at Charlie’s side. Suddenly the family
is sitting at Charlie’s side. Suddenly the family
hears a roar. A van is out of control and runs
hears a roar. A van is out of control and runs
on to the pavement. It is heading straight
on to the pavement. It is heading straight
for Charlie!
for Charlie!
hard that I fell over,” Charlie says. The speeding
hard that I fell over,” Charlie says. The speeding
truck slams into Geo instead, knocking him out
truck slams into Geo instead, knocking him out
of his harness. The driver keeps going, but two of his harness. The driver keeps going, but two
knows. But he didn’t – thanks to Geo.
knows. But he didn’t – thanks to Geo.
DOG
saves
KID
geo is
bandaged
in this
photo, but
today he’s
just fine.
gets up. Monty leads her to the kitchen and jumps on the counter beside
Z
oe the pit bull mix is
Gretchen Jett’s best
gift ever. Born deaf, the
11-year-old girl from
Las Vegas in America also has
epilepsy, a disorder that
causes seizures. Because of
this she usually has to play
indoors. So her dad gets a
dog to keep his daughter
company.
Two nights later Zoe bursts
into the bedroom where
Gretchen’s parents are
sleeping.“She was acting
strangely,” Gretchen’s dad
says. “I got up, thinking she
needed to go outside.” Instead,
Zoe runs in a circle and bolts straight into Gretchen’s
room. She’s having a bad seizure. Circling and running become
Zoe’s signals. “When she does that we know something is wrong
with Gretchen,” her dad says.
Not bad for an untrained dog that came from a shelter. Zoe’s previous
owner couldn’t keep her because the mutt kept running away. That’s not a
problem now. Zoe knows Gretchen needs her.
kit
ty
defends
pooch
B
ert the tabby cat and Lili the pug aren’t friends.
“They basically ignore each other,” says owner
Gary Paquette of Rhode Island in America. But
when Lili needs help, it’s the cat that comes to her
aid. It’s still dark outside early one morning when Gary
opens their sliding glass doors to let Lili out. Their yard is
fenced in, so Gary sits down inside to wait.
Soon Bert joins him. But the cat barely gets settled
before he rises up on his hind legs, leans his paws against
the glass and growls.
Gary wonders what’s
going on. He grabs a
torch and steps out on the
deck. In the torch light is a
yellow-eyed coyote standing on
his dog! Gary runs screaming into
the yard. Startled, the coyote
jumps the fence.
Lili needs stitches and
antibiotics but recovers quickly.
It’s lucky for her that Bert’s ears
are so finely tuned. Gary didn’t
hear a thing.
national GeoGraphic KiDS
21
courtesy of patricia peter (monty); courtesy of carly riley (geo);
courtesy of james jett (zoe and gretchen); gary d. paquette (bert, lili)
pup
Detects
seizures
Gary wonders what’s
torch and steps out on the
deck. In the torch light is a
yellow-eyed coyote standing on
CAT
rescues
COUPLE
T
iger the stray cat
doesn’t look like a hero.
He shows up scrawny
and full of fleas at Rod
and Michelle Ramsey’s house in
Mount Gilead in America. Unable
to turn away a hungry face, they
take him in.
Three years later the couple
are in bed with bad headaches.
Suddenly Tiger bursts into their
room and howls. “I’ve never
heard such a sound before,”
Michelle says.
When Tiger won’t stop, she
stumbles down the hall and lets
him out. That’s when she sees her
older cat staggering and calls the
vet. Veterinary assistant Julie
Higgins answers the phone. “You
have carbon monoxide poisoning,”
she says when she hears Michelle
slurring her words.“Call emer-
gency and go outside!” Carbon
monoxide is a deadly gas. Invisible
and odourless, it’s leaking out of
the Ramseys’ heating system.
The paramedics arrive. An
emergency helicopter airlifts the
Ramseys to the hospital. Doctors
pump oxygen into their lungs
and they both survive, thanks to
a cat no one else wanted.
22
november 2013
courtesy of michelle and rod ramsey (tiger); © jean-michel labat / ardea (poodle);
© ron kimball / kimball stock (borrow a pet).
Do you want a pet but can’t have a
permanent cat or dog? Or maybe you’re not sure which you would enjoy more. You
may be able to care for a dog or cat as a foster-home family. Ask your parents to
look at . There you’ll find a list of
pet rescue centres around South Africa. Many of them have the option to foster.
With foster care you help reduce the time a dog or cat lives in a shelter, free
space for more animals that need help and increase the animal’s chances of being
adopted by preparing it for life with a family. So borrow a pet – it’s a great way to
help animals and have fun!
BORROW A PET!
I
t’s 3 a.m. in West Jordan in
America. A mother and two
children huddle outside in their
pyjamas as firefighters spray their
burning house with water. “Is anybody
inside?” the firemen ask.
The mum says no. She believes her
older son escaped at the back. But
just to be sure, Don Chase and his
partner plunge through the flames
to look.
And what do they find? Teddy
the toy poodle standing by the
door. Don tries to grab him, but
the pup scampers down the stairs
to the basement. Halfway down he stops and waits.
Just as the firemen reach him, he takes off again. “I was irritated,”
Don says. “We were wasting time chasing a dog when we should have been
searching for human victims.”
Then they see him – the older son unconscious on a basement couch.
Grabbing his legs and chest, the astonished firemen haul him to safety
as his devoted dog trots behind.
“That dog risked his life for the kid,” Don says. “If I hadn’t seen it,
I wouldn’t have believed it.”
pup
saves
TEEN
from
fire