Diva

Native indigo certainly contains indospicine, as the name of the acid suggests. Not sure about what else might.

You can still see ears cropped like that picture in livestock guarding dogs in some parts of eastern Europe. It's not supposed to be just cosmetic for them, it's said to be functional given the predators they deter. Although at least one exhibitor in Russia told me no predator capable of harming his dogs existed within hundreds of kilometres of where they lived, it was now just tradition to keep amputating the ears. But I am sure it's still functional in some regions.

As I posted in the other thread on this, this risk has been known for a couple of decades, at least in regard to feeding dogs horse meat where the horses have grazed on some native species (native indigo). I guess with more camel meat about it has resurfaced as an issue. Poor dogs.

Nope. Unless I get too old and frail for the two breeds I love, I can't imagine having anything else - well maybe a breed to two that are closely related, but only just known in Australia. But they are pretty close to what I have already.

It's been illegal longer than I have owned dogs and that's a long time, you'd have to do some research of your own to see exactly what underlay the relevant legistation at the time. But in summary I'd say it's seen as unnecessary mutilation of an animal for purely cosmetic purposes, which is unacceptable to the vast majority of Australians as a welfare issue. And that view has a snowflakes chance in hell of ever being turned around. For which I am quite happy personally.

This risk has been known since the eighties, mostly in regard to feeding meat from horses which have been grazing on native indigo. I guess with camel being on the menu a bit more than before it's come up again. Poor dogs.

This is a great place to ask for advice, but maybe not if you can't deal with a little directness. I second the view that you need serious help with this, and in the mean time shed any idea that she is 'protecting' you from any perceived risk. I highly doubt she thinks you are under threat. More likely she is seeking to deny other dogs access to a valuable resource - and that resource is you. But someone knowledgeable needs to observe what is happening to say that for sure, and to guide you in how to get the message across to her that you decide who you pat, not her. That's why you need someone with real experience to help you. Please get some help or you may end up with a dog you can't confidently take out in public at all, and that would be a terrible outcome for you and her.

So sorry to hear this, it must have been horrible for you to see her go downhill like that. I hope the news is good.

I am, and I went last year too - but I can't for the life of me remember the ring set up! I seem to remember a lot of deep slippery MUD. Hope it's not like that this year. I'm by myself and with just one dog, so will be doing the least set-up necessary.

Then again, the whole thing could've been done in-house by ANKC and its controlling bodies and made a standard, simple method of entering with data entered connected to the pedigree database! CC It could have been, but it wasn't, so that doesn't take us very far. You can grow old waiting for 'could'ves'. I'd rather take advantage of what is in front of me.

Ozentries could be twice as expensive and I'd still use it whenever it was available for a show of interest to me. It's good to have the choice - those who don't want to pay the extra dollars and have the time can do postal entries. Those of us who value time and convenience very highly and don't find the cost of shows entries an issue (the entry is probably the lowest of the various expenses I fork out to show) can go the on-line route. Best of both worlds.

I have owned my fav breed since the eighties and have never bred a litter despite owning several lovely girls. But I have a bitch now that I think has a few important things going for her, and I love messing about with options for sires on paper - so maybe, one day. Probably not - but I'll investigate health testing (not usually done at all in this breed in Aust) and if I can find the right dog for her, maybe!

That all sounds positive anyway - even if crate rest is a pain!

Some exhibitors complain about the extra charges they incur if they enter on-line, but I love it. I wish all the NSW shows used it.

That's perfect

In my experience they do tend to be very clean and easy to housebreak and I've often heard the privacy bush comment too. I wouldn't say they need privacy bushes, but a lot of them do prefer to toilet out of sight and I think they would probably not be very happy being kept somewhere where they had to toilet very close to where they sleep or eat. I've had several that always made sure they toileted as far away from the house as they could and if I have them off lead anywhere and they need to go, all of them will all trot off a distance before doing so and preferably duck behind a bush - maybe it's just so I have to walk a way to pick it up, LOL. I can't guarantee all of them are like that, like most breeds if raised as puppies so that they have no choice but to go near where they live they get used to doing so. But generally, they are a very clean breed.

For a chronic escaper who likes to kill small animals and goes over 7ft fences I think the only solution is a secure dog run with a roof over it. Perhaps a good behaviourist/trainer could help you, but it sounds like she's had lots of opportunities to experience the thrill of getting out, so it's probably a pretty entrenched behaviour by now and chronic, long-term, escaping is a hard problem to fix. If you can't do that, the only other option I can see is pts, for the safety of the other animals she may kill and their owners. That would be a horrible decision, but rehoming a dog with her issues would be irresponsible and having her continue to get out is not an acceptable option. Edited to ask - how old is she, how long have you had her and what are your own fences like?

Oh yes, that used to bug me too when I had them. It's not Germany Shepherds or Australia Terriers, why on earth do people think it's Belgium Shepherds.

One of mine made a play sound like a singing humpback whale speeded up as a puppy I heard it for the first time in ages the other day, she is getting too old for it but must have been revisiting her puppyhood. I love those 'wtf?' things they do.

I had a woman at a show ask what my dogs were. I told her they were Borzoi, she asked that I repeat it, Bor-zoi I said slowly. No problem with that, it's an unusual name. But she came back at me with 'Oh yes, I've heard of them, the Bourgeoisie'. It make me laugh, they can be a bit Bourgeois.

Some lines of Borzoi grin by lifting their top lip up off their front teeth, and most of them lean on people and sleep upside down. The bigger ones tend to sit on chairs by backing up their backside onto a seat and lifting their back feet off the ground, but lots of the giant breeds do that. The only thing that I can thing of that might be very breed specific is cheek puffing. A lot of them puff their cheeks in and out when annoyed/thinking/perplexed.

Come and visit my suburb in the ACT, I can't remember last time I went for a decent length walk and didn't see at least one loose dog. They have homes, they just aren't kept at home. Of course only a small proportion of them are aggressive. I have had someone in a car stop to help when an aggro staffie was trying to have a go at one of mine, she was just a pup at the time. The other owner was there, but he was a kid on a bike who had no lead for the dog and didn't even try to call it off. A bloke driving past saw us in trouble and stopped to help chase the other dog away. I was very grateful for the help. If a person was being attacked I'd have to try and help. I couldn't not. But if it was a dog fight it would depend a lot on the circumstances.

There is in WA. The SES there have had very active SES SAR dogs teams. Not really focussed on collapsed building searches but a lot of missing person work. Dogs used back when I knew about it were German Shepherds, Belgian Shepherds and Weimeraners, but I am sure other breeds will have been utilised as well.

sorry, computer glitch and double post

Yes that is why it grates with me to. I think lukewarm is a generous description of their attitude, and using pure breeds in their ads is hypocrisy.