Baby Dragon

By the sounds of it, Mindy is very lucky to have you I'm sorry to hear she won't become a Guide Dog, but very happy that you get to keep her.

Try a Hound Bag. They're designed for this http://houndbag.com/

I use it for everything It comes with it's own little bag, so it's pretty easy to carry around.

MrsD I'm glad Jarrah is ok! Sorry we didn't get to catch up with anyone!! We left around lunch time on the Friday after getting one naughty puppy sorted out!

Congrats!!! :D

So how was it?! :D

We use this one. I like it because you can put bags inside it, so you don't have to wash it every time you use it. http://www.funkyproducts.com.au/pooper-scooper.htm

Just wanted to clarify - the law covers assistance dogs for public access, but not therapy dogs... It can be a bit confusing sometimes An assistance dog is a dog individually trained to assist somebody with their disability, and trained to behave appropriately in public. Eg mobility assistance dog for somebody in a wheelchair, guide dog, seizure alert dog etc. There are certain criteria the assistance dogs need to meet, and once they've met them, they can be covered under laws that enable them to accompany their disabled handler to shopping centres, restaurants, hotels etc. A therapy dog is a dog trained to help many people in places like hospitals, schools, aged care facilities etc. Their jobs vary from bringing comfort and joy to people in hospital, to helping children gain confidence to read, to helping in rehabilitation sessions, to bringing joy to people in aged care facilities etc. They have access to places they do their therapy work in only if the places have given permission/requested for the dog to be there. They are only allowed places where there has been permission given for them to be there. They're not covered by laws for public access like assistance dogs are.

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Thanks huski!!

Hey all How do I find out the details for this workshop?

Souff I've heard of crates that have been strapped into the back seat, breaking in the event of an accident. Are there certain crates that are made for car travel and are strong enough so they won't do that? The plastic crates might be great for holding pets, but I imagine wouldn't be strong enough?

To those people who are saying everyone had fair warning. I don't know how it was in other towns, but in Rockhampton my uncle's cattle are stranded and may even be washed away if it gets over 9.5m :D The reason for this is he was going by the official warnings of an 8.5m flood. They would have been fine at this level. But overnight the warnings were changed to 9.5m (HUGE difference) and by the time those revised warnings came out, nobody could get to the cattle. It's not through a lack of planning or anything like that. It's nobody's fault. It's just that the flood was so unpredictable that even people listening to the warnings and doing everything right still weren't fully prepared. Those giving the warnings were doing the best they could with the information they had.

Here's some info about the Rockhampton evac centre allowing pets. http://www.themorningbulletin.com.au/story...-to-rescue-cat/

The evac centre in Rockhampton has a place for pets

I don't think WA has this yet, but in QLD we can get government issued ID cards, they're great and have law info and penalties etc on the back of the card. We also get the government issued patch to go on the dog's vest. This is only a new thing that recently came in.

LOL no worries.. in reply to your other question, normally the handler will carry ID from the organisation that accredited the dog, as well as the dog being vested. I carry 3 lots of ID with us just to be sure lol

He was wearing an Assistance Dog jacket.

Thanks for that information. I found the link and printed off the page. I'll now present it whenever I meet someone who's unsure of the rules. It's one thing to politely educate food businesses on the laws relating to Assistance Dogs but sometimes you can see in their eyes that they're wondering if you're telling the truth. It would certainly help to be able to give them a copy of the Standard to ease their mind that by letting you in, they are not breaking the law. No worries Do you have an assistance dog?

Those are all good ideas You'd think the Food Standards Code Division 6, 24 (1) (b) where it refers to "assistance animals" would address it, but as lillysmum said, maybe this information needs to be provided in different languages.

I find it hard to believe that the message hasn't reached everyone by now... I like to give people the benefit of the doubt, and maybe they honestly didn't know... So I wonder what more can be done, that hasn't already been done, to get the message out there.

As an accredited assistance dog, Happy is Melanie Hawkes' constant companion and is allowed anywhere she goes. But a city restaurant told the wheelchair-bound Willetton woman to leave the labrador outside - despite being told it was not a pet. Ms Hawkes, 31, said it was "pretty awful" when she and colleagues visited Yoshiya Japanese Restaurant on Pier Street for their Christmas lunch on Thursday. "I told them he was a working dog but a woman told me 'no, no, all dogs stay outside'," Ms Hawkes said. "He lay down under the table, you wouldn't have known he was there but she came back and didn't want to know anything about it." Restaurant owner Francis Lim admitted his wife asked Ms Hawkes to leave the dog, which had an assistance dog jacket, outside and said he had not known it was illegal to bar the dog from the premises. His wife eventually let the dog stay but the disagreement continued. He admitted his wife told Ms Hawkes that if the wheelchair-bound woman was not happy she could leave, which she did. WA Equal Opportunity Commissioner Yvonne Henderson said that it was discrimination if a person was treated less favourably because they had an animal trained to help alleviate a disability. "It's never a defence to say 'I didn't know'," she said. Ms Hawkes has used a wheelchair since she was two when a virus paralysed her from the neck down. She said Happy gave her more freedom. He picked things up, opened and closed doors and could right her if her wheelchair toppled. http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/mp/85...ed-from-eatery/

oh goodness, I thought you were going to say Lottie was missing or something!!! So glad it's not that! Great pics everyone

Tinsel, baubles and ribbons are brightening up homes with Christmas cheer but festive decorations have a darker side that could lead to peril for pooches. Animal experts are warning dog owners of the dangers of all things sparkly, shiny and shimmery hanging around the house at yuletide. Curious canines are at risk of choking, intestinal blockages, cut paws, electric shock and even death, according to the RSPCA which is bracing for its busiest time of year. The organisation's NSW Chief Veterinarian Magdoline Awad is urging people to take extra precautions to ensure Fido doesn't chew lights, break a bauble or swallow anything string-like. And even the trees themselves aren't hazard-free. If dogs consume pine needles they could find themselves ill with vomiting, diarrhoea and irritation to the mouth and stomach. "To avoid any accidents, the best place to put the tree and presents is in a room that's off limits to pets," Dr Awad said. "We've seen cases where dogs have located and eaten whole boxes of chocolates that were wrapped and sitting under the tree," said Dr Awad. And as dog owners will tell you, chocolate is itself can be a canine killer and should be kept out of reach - along with a whole gamut of goodies often enjoyed by bin-snooping mutts. Cooked bones, lobster shells, onions, grapes, raisins, macadamias, walnuts, coffee and alcohol are dangerous if ingested and in some cases, can be fatal. "Don't share Christmas lunch or other human food with pets," Dr Awad warns. "Even small portions of table or barbecue scraps can cause serious health issues for animals, including pancreatitis." And for those whose pooches have an aversion to parties, Dr Awad says it's important to ensure your four-legged friend has a quiet place to go if the house is abuzz with activity. "Your pet's routine can be easily be disrupted and they may become agitated or stressed," she said in a statement. "Make sure your pet has access to a quiet place where they can relax and feel safe. This may help to keep them calm and stave off any misbehaviour that might ensue." http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/818463...danger-for-dogs