spottychick

That's brilliant!! So many people don't understand how intelligent and loyal dogs are. Bless his little cotton socks!

perhaps like THIS :) That made my morning - altho my coffee is now spread around the keyboard having ejected from my mouth

I want to enter a float for next year's mardi gras - "We love our gay dogs!!" ETA: For proud parents of Fru Fru Fir Kids/Dorothy Dogs

Nah mate. They stated that they objected on the grounds that the dog had been desexed and was therefore gay ...... they wouldn't let the dog come in because of it's sexual preferences - maybe it was wearing a feather boa and stilletos. ROFLMAO Too too ridiculous for words. I don't think I'll be game to eat there either!

Flamin galahs!!!!

Hi Anne - You are correct, you have not said those things and no I wan't aiming those points at you The insults did not come from you. And yes I do take personal insults personally - what can I say? I must be wierd. ETA Your apology is appreciated but not needed!!

Yes it did. Apparently the ingredients in the drops help dissolve the cataract and the oil delivers needed vitamins/nutrients directly to the eye to heal it. I don't know about all that but it certainly improved her ability to see.

Funny you should say that since the very first posting I made on this thread I feel as though I've been shouted down and insulted just because I don't support the RSPCA. This is my point. A little respect on all sides would go a long way. I don't think I've disrespected anyone's point of view or posted irrationally and my opinions about the RSPCA are based on my own research and rational thinking. It is highly insulting to be told I am incapable of rational thought just because I have specific and very legitimate objections to the RSPCA.

I don't quite understand this statement. Respect for whom or what? Glad it's not just me Anne I find it very sad that you don't know who it is you need to show some respect for - and I have had to explain it.

And I could keep posting. That is not to say there is anything *wrong* with any of the statements above, people are merely expressing their opinions as they are entitled to. But the fact still remains that the RSPCA are targetted here. There is nothing wrong with that in all reality, hence I was trying to explain to Chocolatelover the reasons why it occurs on here, but it is off putting to your average folk though. Anyone who supports the RSPCA has known for a long time, not to mention their views on DOL because they will be shouted down. I agree. There is nothing wrong with these statements at all and OF COURSE they are targetting the RSPCA - they are supposed to. Why are they all irrational statements?

I don't quite understand this statement. Respect for whom or what? Respect for people's differing points of view and opinions. EG instead of declaring everyone who has issues with the way the RSPCA runs things to be "irrational", "emotional" (therefore invalid) "ranting", "jumping on bandwagons" etc

For what it's worth steve - I agree. I think for the most part DOLers are very rational people and this thread has a lot of very rational points being made about the problems with particular RSPCA branches and with the organisation as a whole. I don't think that emotions and "rational thinking" are mutually exclusive, a fact borne out every day by the discussions in this forum. Yes, sometimes emotional people can be irrational, but that is not always the case. And you will also find 'unemotional' (at least by their own definition) people being totally irrational in their thought processes and in their responses to people who don't agree with them. It's not about emotional vs unemotional. It's just about respect.

I give my dogs mostly raw chicken frames and wings (large ones). I also like wallaby/kangaroo tails for them and lambs necks. SInce I have neighbours who are licensed roo shooters I also end up occassionally with roo feet - a bit revolting to me but great for the dogs and they spend hours chewing on them *shudder* A caution about giving dogs marrow/femur bones. Despite their portrayal as the traditional bone for dogs, I understand that these bones are not edible and are very very hard. Because of this they will wear down your dogs teeth if given too often. In some cases they have also been known to crack dogs teeth. The marrow is good for them but the bone itself is not much use as nutrition because it's not digestible - apart from the gristly bits on the end. Also thinner femur bones can splinter and since they are not digestible can present a hazard if swallowed. If you do give them marrow bones make sure you don't leave it with them for too long and definitely don't let the bone sit around in the yard getting drier and harder. ETA What a great pic of your gorgeous dog!!!

Oh my god that's appalling. HOw dare they - and how about all those other people who are buying from them and thinking this is perfectly acceptable. I despair.... I really do!!! Good on ya puggerup

Nice post steven - and spot on. I am no dog breeder - pure-bred or otherwise. And neither am I a farmer. But even if I was, my opinions would be just as valid as any one else's. Anyway, regardless of being dismissed in here as just being "on a bandwagon" or being told I am acting "appallingly" because I'm not being nice to the RSPCA, I will continue doing my small bit to try and get money meant for the benefit of needy dogs and cats sent to where it will do the most good, rather than to the RSPCA, by talking to people about my concerns with the RSPCA. To me, staying silent because there are some dogs at the RSPCA who need rescuing and therefore it's wrong of me to put people off buying rescue dogs from them is the same as saying we shouldn't put people off buying poor little puppies from petshops because they need rescuing from their terrible situation. I can't, in good conscience, do either.

When my 17 year old dog had cataracts I used two things: 1. I'd wash her eye with diluted herbal wash from Robert McDowell's website here 2. I'd then put a drop of cod liver oil directly into the eye. I used capsules of CLO and just pierced one end and squeezed a drop into her eye then gave her the rest of the capsule to eat. I did this 3 times a day until her eye seemed better and then bring it down to twice or once a day. I'm currently doing this for my dog Tango until I can get him back to a vet for an indolent ulcer in one of his eyes.

Heehee, spottychick I just read your Tango update and I see what you mean! It was a great read though, and it did bring a little tear to my eye LOL I can't help it, I"ve always been a bit "wordy" - my teachers at school used to talk to my parents about my writing as being like the "dead sea scrolls". Bwahahahaha Glad I am getting the emotions across tho - it really is quite something to see a dog come out of his/her shell and blossom like Tango is.

Keep us updated!!! I think it's very exciting - tho challenging

I would love to but I know the vids on those sites will be too slow for my poor dial up connection. I wonder if it's on Youtube instead....

Yes the accountability IS a major part of why people have problems with the RSPCA! And also, don't be too sure about this "minority" or only "pure bred dog-breeders" suggestions. People in Tassie anyway have a very negative view of the RSPCA for a number of reasons. The only people who might think they're a good thing are city dwellers who see them as saving dogs from miserable lives and finding them lovely new homes (but that story has become very thin in Tassie lately). I live in a rural area of Tassie and most people in my town despise the Tassie RSPCA for many reasons, particularly their policing role re farming and domestic animals (they are regarded in much the same way as parents view "welfare") and the fact that they have taken the role of the local councils pound. But significantly, people in the country areas are far more cynical about them and just assume most dogs don't survive the RSPCA's "assessment' and will be pts if found or handed in to them. Recently someone in town decided to "get rid of" their dog because he killed livestock (accidentally and only once I should add). THe dog is a friendly boofer who just got over-excited. Anyway, they were discussing taking the dog to the RSPCA and before I could say a thing several other people there said "don't take him to the RSPCA because they will put him to sleep". It was generally agreed he'd be better off with the Tassie Dogs Home who are run by the Tasmanian Canine Defence League. Of course the recent scandals that have been all over the news about how people's donations were being misused hasn't helped the RSPCA either.

True enough - preventing cruelty to all animals is an important role. The problem is when they promote themselves as an animal refuge to people who want to adopt pets or see poor abused dogs "saved" when in reality they do very little towards this goal. They use their television show to heavily promote themselves as a model example of a dog and cat rescue organisation when they are far from being that and ask for donations at the end of every show on that basis. If they dropped all pretence at being a dog and cat refuge, stopped being the local councils pound, stopped spending so much on uneccessary admin expenses and simply focussed on prevention of cruelty towards eg farm animals (and promoted themselves as such) that would be a different matter. Let the people who are doing a great job rescuing, fostering, rehabilitating and rehoming dogs (in particular) get the funding and donations for that purpose instead of taking it all for themselves while doing, in many states, very little real good for domestic animal welfare. Meanwhile, I will continue to financially support proper dog rescue organisations as well as animal protection societies such as WWF etc. The RSPCA - who once were the organisation I would donate to the most - now gets nothing from me (for reasons previously explained).

That is very sad.

Glad your poor wee doggy was okay and I really hope this doesn't alter his behaviour! BTW - your post wasn't long LOL Have you seen any of my rants? I'm like Ms Verbose :D

Thanks ams - but he is so worth it - he's got a lovely personality that is just now emerging :D persephone - he brings tears to my eyes all the time LOL for good and bad reasons And I've only touched the surface of the progress he's making - he amazes me everyday Cointreau - he's had quite a story behind him (both before and after he came here) and I've had lots of encouragement from DOLers along the way.

No, my point was their high pts rates and their total mismanagement of their funds so that their kill rates remain high. They can absolutely do something about that. Yes there are decent people who work for the RSPCA - that would most often be the ones who are blowing the whistle on them.