Staffyluv

The same thing happened to a friend who had a litter of boxer pups. They lost the whole litter and on autopsy the vet couldn't give a reason just that they haemorrhaged internally.. Needless to say they never bred from either parent again.

Awe bless him. He is just lovely. Why do I get a tear in my eyes every time I hear of an oldie being in the pound...

I agree but have to admit to leaving Zig in the car at training, with the windows down just a few centimetres and my keys on the front seat. He had never climbed into the front of the car before but this day he did and he stepped on the keys and locked the car. I was so lucky someone had a piece of wire in their ute to make a hook to get the keys from the front seat and unlock the car. I will never leave the keys in the car again.

Same. Zig has access to the house 24/7 via the back door but we also have very secure gates that are locked (unless I have a client coming, then he is put inside and the gate unlocked).. Frozen water in a big ice cream container put out at the last minute before you leave for work (or even better if you can get home at lunch time). I also use very watered down chook stock.. ETA he also has a clam shell pool in the shade that he can have a dip in whenever he wants..

No, she thinks the dog is a dangerous dog that doesn't have the correct gear on. A rather unsettling incident Staffyluv. Hopefully nothing will come of it. I don't think it will Jules.. I haven't seen her again and I don't think I have ever seen her before (perhaps she chose Quangers for a holiday, although god only knows why anyone would do that).. Like I said above - perhaps she thinks all dogs that look like Zig are required to wear muzzles.. Zig is a good boy, I have no major issues with his behaviour at home or in public, so I think we are pretty safe. My biggest issue was that a random could take out pic without asking - I would have posed better if I had time to prepare for it..:) It has now been established that anyone can take our pic in a public place..

Thinking about it some more and reading the responses here, I think the lady honestly didn't know any better and thinks all dog that look like Zig should be muzzled (media hype doesn't help these issues).

I was talking to a friend about it yesterday and she said that perhaps the woman had a staffy type dog run up to her and frighten her at some time but we will never know.. There are many possible explanations as to why she thought Zig should be wearing a muzzle in public.. That is why she took our photo, because she thought we were breaking the law.. If she reports it and the ranger ever shows up to talk to me, then I guess I just have to deal with it. But we have been back every day and she hasn't been there.. I am not that worried about it to be honest..

I cut them in half when they are really big. The Woolies ones of late, have been about double the size of a large chook neck..

Does she have a problem with fat in other meats? she may know not to eat it as it upsets her tummy. If I give Zig a wing and it is a bit fatty, he will often leave it and wait until dinner for more food..

Did you post this in the wrong thread SL? :laugh: Yep edited and posted in the right thread now.. I don't even know how it ended up in here (I wasn't even looking in this one)..

when you go hungry because you sit and watch the neighbours cat eat your roo mince..

Oops wrong thread

Depends more on the dog but my preference (I seem drawn to) brindle staffords.. The darker ones with the tiger stripe look..

All the fireworks around here were illegal ones, so it totally shits me that I have to stay home. I think it is the same most places Jules.. I guess it would be different if they had dogs of their own who were afraid of crackers - then they might not be so quick to let them off.

We run into 3 dogs this morning on the loose - possibly a result of escaping the yard due to the bloody fireworks last night... Zig was fine, he popped his head up when they started going off but then just went back to sleep. I really feel for the dogs that are afraid of them.. It is lucky that so many people stay home with their dogs.

Zig has a bit of an issue with fat in his diet - makes him vomit if he gets to much. That is why he only gets brisket bones sometimes.. Same with marrow bones, he only gets one in a blue moon as the last one made him sick for a couple of days poor boy. It is trial and error with their diets and they are all different. Zig prefers his sardines in olive oil but he gets them in spring water, so hardly fatty at all. He also loves fresh fish.. I was given some salmon steaks and there was one left over, so I gave it to him raw and he loved it.

Zig eats: Breakfast is one or two of the following: Turkey necks, wings or legs, Chook carcass, necks, wings or legs, sardines, cottage cheese, egg (raw, shell and all) For dinner he gets one of the following: Roo mince, roo steak, beef mince, turkey mince, beef steak. He also gets brisket bones (occasionally), fruit from the fruit bowl (he steals it), he eats spinach, lettuce and parsley straight from the garden, he will also eat tomatoes and strawberries from the garden when I have them. If I go away for a long time during the day he gets some kibble mixed with cottage cheese or peanut butter stuffed into his kong. If he is hot, he gets frozen chicken stock (he loves this on a hot day). He does really well on this and doesn't seem to have any issues health wise. He got a bit itchy the other week but that was a contact issue I think, nothing to do with diet. Different things suit different dogs - I tried Zig on BARF patties and at first he loved them and now he won't go near it..

Highly unlikely, Ziggy was adopted from the pound by Staffyluv, so would have been breed identified by the rangers firstly when he arrived at the pound & secondly when he was sold & microchipped. The rangers at Queanbeyan are personable & professional - you have nothing to fear, Staffyluv, & hopefully the woman has taken up residence under the bridge again..... or wherever else she came from! I am not worried about it - I was just curious about the legalities of taking a random pic of me and the dog but apparently it is perfectly legal. I would never attempt to take someones phone and delete the pic - I could be charged with assault if she was so inclined.. I have been back twice and she hasn't been there - maybe she just had a bad day and I happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time..

I have a genuine question for those that think coddling the dog when there is a thunderstorm or fireworks is what is best for the dog.. What do you do, when you can't get home to coddle the animal? I understand staying home on NYE due to fireworks but surely there have been times when you have not been able to get home for the dog during a thunderstorm? I don't agree with ignoring a distressed animal but I do believe that petting, cuddling it and telling it that it's all OK while it is in a state of panic, isn't the right thing to do (just my opinion). I guess if it works for you that's great but what about when you can't be there?? I do think giving the dog something to do (training time) or a safe place to hide away is a way to deal with it. I am also happy for the dog to sit next to me, follow me around and a I act like nothing is going on. I will pat the dog and play games, turn the TV or music up and lights are on.. This is what has worked for me in the past. I always leave the TV on and a light on when I go out.. I have been very lucky that the last 2 dogs I have are/were not afraid of storms or crackers.

My boy is about 27kg and I give him 1 polarmine tablet and that seems to help. I also have a clam shell pool full of water and he will climb into it if he is itchy but ours seems to have settled since we started using revolution for fleas and heartworm.. It also treats some mites or something the vet said.. He only had one dose and it seemed to work in a day or two. Hope you work it out for him, poor boy.

Don't comfort the dog - it only reinforces the reaction the dog is having. Get a thunder shirt - I have heard so many good things about them. I have a relative who has a stafford who has gone through the glass door on a few occasions during thunder storms and there has been a huge improvement since she got him a thunder shirt. He still doesn't like them, but he doesn't take off through the closed door or run away, he just hides under the bed.. Make sure the dog is confined and cannot escape the yard or hurt itself. Give it a place that it can hide - if it wants to hide under the bed (I found the bottom of the wardrobe a good dark place for a foster I had here that freaked out.. I just gave her a bowl of water outside the wardrobe and turned the lamp on in there and put some music on. I did check on her and asked if she wanted to come out.. She ended up coming out and got up on the lounge with me and my boy. If I moved she followed me and I let her but made no fuss over it.. I have never had a problem with my dogs over the years, thankfully. But have had 2 fosters that had issues with thunder and firework noises.. I just kept doing what I was doing.. ETA - distraction works wonders to. Play a game, use a squeaky toy and treat when the dog joins in the game.

That is true Aussie and that is the bit that bothered me. Lucky we are not in Vic and I am thankful that our rangers here do have common sense. As I have said before - she didn't photograph us when he was off lead, it was well after. I don't even thing she saw us off lead and in the playground. I am inclined to agree with others who have posted that she had nothing better to do - and as I didn't see her this morning, I am not going to worry about it.

Thanks for that Pav.. The sign next to the gate of the park where I take Zig, just says that dogs must be leashed.. I am guessing from what you have posted that we can't take them into the playground area at all. Not saying it is right but I see heaps of people in there with their kids and their dogs (on and off leash).. Maybe our council need to redo the signs as it is a bit misleading and although ignorance is no excuse, I would dare say a lot of people would just go by the sign posted at the gate.

Agree, I am not worried about - it was 1 photo, no big deal. He was on lead, we were not doing anything wrong at the time. I looked for her this morning and she wasn't there. I would never have touched her or her phone. Even if she does it again, I am not doing anything wrong, so I don't have anything to worry about.

Oh, really? I had no idea dogs couldn't be in a playground! I regularly take Thundercleese to playgrounds, kid's play equipment is his agility equipment :laugh: Of course, he has his fear aggression issues, so if we're doing something like that it's in the middle of the night when no sane person would have their children at the park anyway (and when most normal people are in bed, not taking their dog for a play session)... It is a fenced off area and there are swings and picnic tables in there.. The sign says, dogs must be leashed.. So the dogs are allowed in there.. I have seen plenty of dogs in there with their owners and their kids while having a swing - I would never take him there if there were kids there.. That is the reason we go down about 6am. I know I am in the wrong having him off lead in an on leash area.. I have never denied that. I know it is against council bylaws but I did it anyway - we have never hurt anyone doing so, it is so early in the morning that we rarely run into anyone other than the usual few that bring their dogs or the same walkers I have been seeing for the last 15 years (doing the same with this guy as I did with the old stafford).. He is off for 10-15 minutes at most, chasing a tennis ball or having a bit of a romp with a couple of other dogs. Then leashed and we continue our walk by going for a swim in the pond and walking for another 40 minutes or so.. Not justifying it but explaining what I do.. Phone photo lady was a no show this morning.. But we stayed on a long lead and played with the ball as we walked (will do this from now on), then went for a swim and more walking. He met the 3 little pugs again and they were all play bowing - so funny.. The noise the little pugs made was funny, every time one of them snorted and snuffled, Zig stopped to check them out, sniffing and getting really low to see them.. I also saw the other people with the older SBT and they said that they had seen her before.. Lesson learned, won't risk his safety from now on..