The Spotted Devil

The economic issues associated with improving animal welfare to an acceptable level were covered in the report. Apparently no matter the court outcome it can't force the government to change the legislation - according to a Greyhound rep on the radio today.

Sounds like she's a light sleeper alright! I'd get a vet check to be on the safe side - unusual to need to pee twice in the night. Once I can understand on occasion. Funny that she's dry in the laundry though - perhaps she is sleeping more deeply. If she's medically fine then just be conscious of your response when she wakes you up. Don't say a word, slip a leash over her head, take her outside, pee, back to bed. Sometimes it's easy to make these interactions too rewarding.

I'm not going to post personal conversations but yes. Really.

Hardly. People are allowed to do a lot of things even when a minority abuse that right or privilege and cause harm to others. Smoke, own guns and knives, drive cars, drink alcohol, operate heavy machinery, parachute, gamble, have children, etc. etc. We have laws so that people can have freedom while not endangering or harming others. When a group is identified as having broken the law repeatedly and it is having a serious impact on others, they may be targeted with additional legislation. Typically it seems to be a knee jerk reaction that victimises a lot of people that weren't breaking the law, and it's questionable if it does any good. I imagine it depends. However, I doubt the greyhound industry is a victim of such targeting. It's a convenient excuse, and one that's only available because the greyhound industry is far from squeaky clean in the first place. It's a slippery slope. No it's not. It's a logical fallacy. Unless you can provide a valid inductive argument or a mechanism by which the banning of greyhound racing on apparently welfare grounds will probably lead to the banning of pet ownership on welfare grounds, then it is a fallacious slippery slope. Tell that to the AR campaigners already talking it up. Of course they are! But they are a vocal minority in my opinion. I am in communication with a number of the larger animal welfare groups in this country and banning pet ownership is not something they are remotely interested in. Of course the AR folk will talk it up on their social media pages but the groups themselves are very realistic.

Maybe it'll give industry participants an insight into how emotionally damaging it is to have to rescue their dogs; one after another, year in and year out, a never-ending stream of dogs, never enough space, having to turn dogs away knowing they'd die, being emotionally blackmailed by trainers, having to hold dogs as they die because they can't be rehomed but their owners won't take them back. And that's on top of the abuse copped from industry participants- being called a do-gooder, being told that our rescued dogs would have been happier dead (seriously) and all the while, being treated as a free dog disposal service. Maybe Lifeline could talk to some of the burnt-out and broken rescuers who gave up their lives/money/family just for the love of the dogs, if they want to hear about people contemplating suicide or having breakdowns I'm sorry you and others have had to go through this Maddy x

I can only find this: https://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/wa/a/30671285/court-rejects-appeal-in-dog-cruelty-case/#page1

Oh Gruf! Now I feel like a disappointment - Ziggy, Emmy, Ginny, Miss Brontë, Lilly, Dizzy. Can we still be friends?

I have looked at these and reckon Solvit are the bees knees. No experience though.

Fabulous!

RSPCA doesn't make laws. Those are recommendations. Where is the state legislation that is law please? I did a quick search and what IS against the law is leaving windows down in an unattended vehicle. Nothing to do with the dog but the risk of car theft. So there is an attempt to stop people leaving dogs and children in cars on hot days (when people have no idea how quickly the temp can rise) and they're just do gooder nutters? Fair enough then.

In answer to your re-phrased title....the Spaniels prefer to RUN. I have about a quarter acre steep bush yard and they go crazy up there - run and hunt for hours if you let them. My Spotty dog does not self-exercise so he goes for more structured walks and off leash gallops. All three dogs do body awareness and core strengthening, free running wherever possible (usually after training at an oval or open space) and lots of swimming as part of training (Spaniels) and free play. Retrieving and agility also add to their activity levels although I keep them ultra fit so they can DO dog sports rather than using competition to keep them fit. All mine are slim and very well muscled.

Amazing how ashamed people are when they're caught... http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-08-18/three-victorian-men-plead-guilt-to-offences-greyhound-baiting/7763366

The Spaniels NEVER go for walks - it's not a gait they understand :laugh: I expect Zig to walk briskly with me (he can sniff and pee and get ahead or behind but no pulling) and then he can do what he wants when he gets to the off leash part.

Couldn't agree with you more but unfortunately there is an element in the industry that needs to be forced into that. People can adjust their business practise the way things are at the moment most business' are having to do that nobody has the money to spend they used to have. Bit OT aren't Burmese great cats, they are my favourite too with the exception of my moggy I have now. (Yes I love my Burms to pieces) So...changing attitudes is difficult but part of that is influenced by what your workmates, friends, mentors think. And whilst large scale education campaigns are ideal they are expensive and unrealistic. As is legislation as it's so difficult to enforce. So be that ripple of change. You don't need to shout it from the roof tops. You don't need to criticise others. Be that person who is not afraid of using positive reinforcement in a room full of trainers who won't use food, that person who shares a joyous celebration with their dog after every competition run no matter the result, that person who freely shares their breeding practices and knowledge, that person who always strives to be better. As a wise person once told me....even a tsunami starts with a ripple.

Then people who are owners, breeders, guardians of their breed need to step up. Just look at what's happened, incrementally, to my favourite breed of cat, the Burmese, because of show ring trends - from a stunningly athletic oriental without exaggeration to a snub nose cat with weeping eyes. I'll never have another one unless I can find a Euro style breeder. The Scottish Fold is another - people argue until they're blue in the face that they should have the RIGHT to breed these cats, every single one of which will suffer from painful arthritis from a young age. And if I get a Dalmatian again it will be from a breeder who is selecting for LUA. Seriously. If you don't want Governent to legislate you out of existence then step up and demonstrate best practice - this is how I breed, this is how I train and this is how I care for my pets. I'm not perfect by any stretch of the imagination but it's there for everyone to see. And you would be surprised how well received I am by some of the "animal rights nutters."

No I don't support game hunters, cock fighting or anything that is cruel and I consider a sport cruel when the end result is certain injury or death or anything the animal involved in it, given a choice, wouldn't participate. Try walking a greyhound past the entrance to an area where they know they have the opportunity to have a free run without them indicating they want to go in there, it is a very very sick Greyhound that doesn't want to go in and have that run. Tail docking doesn't even vaguely compare to dogs doing something they were very much bred to and LOVE to do. Why is Greyhound racing, done as it should be with all on a level playing field and the wastage issue addressed, a deplorable sport?? From my experience the dogs don't agree with you. They would rather have a run than lie on a couch the only time a couch would take precedence is if they are tired after their run. As I have mentioned before a track is about the safest place for them to do this. Completely different. Greyhound racing is a beautiful sport for canine athletes doing what they love. Nothing to do with people. Cock fighting, bull fighting, dog fighting rings etc are blood sports. Greyhound racing is not a blood sport. You rarely see dogs killed while racing. Horse racing isn't a blood sport either. Plus people who say lamb tail docking is cruel, really don't have the sheep's welfare in mind. Are we going to ban farmers for docking lamb tails (which isn't cruel imo and I live on a sheep property) or letting sickly lambs die in the paddock? I love animals but God didn't intend for us to put animals above us. Who cares about dead lambs in the paddocks? Nature intended them to die, only the strongest should survive. I don't believe in live export either, it's cruel. Perhaps we should ban people from having kids, simply because we see so many abused children in society. So it's rather silly to ban the entire industry (greyhounds are working dogs first and foremost, they need to race to satisfy their competitive instincts) instead of getting rid of some of the scumbags in the industry. So now you're talking about ethical decisions - which is fine. If you believe in God. Christian stewardship is no more or less valid as an ethical choice than Utilitarianism or Animal Rights. But don't mistake these ethical choices for discussions around animal welfare science.

Vic are trying to do that by limiting breeding bitches to 10. But there's outrage in another thread about that.

Agree with showdog and others. Get your dog in a routine now if you're worried that will match the travel time. My Dally flew Mel-Bris-Mel aged 8.5 for the first time since a puppy. Spent three days in Brisbane and got his head together sufficiently to clean up at the Dally Nationals - Masters and Open agility/jumping and Obedience. Amazing how adaptable they are.

I will combine socialising with training. Every dog is different and Ginny's issue is that she gets OVER aroused. Letting her explore at her own pace involves running and swimming for an hour :laugh: So somewhere she's comfortable with I would ask her to do simple things she can do at home. In the beginning it would be hard work just getting her to tug. Then I added impulse control games where she would have to offer a sit to initiate a tug game. And then I built it from there. Short sharp FUN sessions.

Thanks, I have seen the ramps. How does that work on a bed though? Would it need to sit on top of the mattress? I hadn't thought that through! I guess so. Hopefully they will be some other ideas.

Not foldable but Funky Cat make awesome steps to order. What about a collapsible ramp with marine carpet on to stop it slipping?

See my reply to Steve corvus. I get that confirmation bias is a thing. My comments were part of a broader discussion on the innacuracies being peddled by people who clearly haven't read the report properly.

No way would I allow the younger dog to hump the older dog. I would calmly remove the younger dog - that dog would be directed to lie on its bed here and if it doesn't have sufficient impulse control I would remove it to a crate. That said my dogs have BUCKETS of reinforcement for lying on their beds, having their collars grabbed and lying in their crates. So that's where I'd start. Teaching the young dog what I want him to do - how to earn his reinforcement (attention, treats, going through doors etc). Pushing the younger dog away isn't going to help. But expecting him to be polite in order to EARN attention will. Does that make sense?

People can say what they like to the media. Helps if there is a clearer industry voice counteracting that and not bagging out welfare groups for killing animals with made up or purposely misleading stats, the government for being corrupt and the general public for dumping their pets at pounds. That was the context of what I originally said. But yeah people can say what they like.

I guess wherever there appears to be inconsistency there are two main possibilities. 1) Some things are not true; 2) Most things are true. It seems counter-intuitive, but sometimes apparent inconsistencies are attempts to describe a complex and varied situation. Sometimes one thing is the case and sometimes almost the opposite, but both occur. In the case of greyhounds, people are very emotional and upset. I feel they are saying things without a lot of thought sometimes. Whether those things are correct in some circumstances or not is difficult to figure out. Sometimes there is a story in the grey areas between inconsistencies. There are a lot of things I have been unable to get a straight answer on in the greyhound racing industry. It became apparent after a while that this is because there really isn't one. Lots of variation in how things are done and how people are participating in the industry means there is no single answer that encompasses a majority. I actually do get that. But all I'm saying is that if feeds into the public perception of industry lies, cover up and BS. People don't know who to believe.