Maddy

This. People need to learn to respect what they have. In the case of dogs, it's a predator with certain drives and those drives make dogs what they are. Punishing an animal for doing what comes naturally to it (especially when the dog had returned) is not going to be effective in stopping the behaviour in future. A better method of dealing with the issue would be training the dog to a specific behaviour when it sees the cue (in this case, the cue being other animals) and then rewarding with an activity that still rewards the drive, to reinforce the behaviour you want to see. For example, when the dog sees a prey item, teaching him to stop and sit. When he does this, reward the correct response with something like chasing (you run, he chases) or throwing a toy or ball for him. Prey items will still get a response but it becomes the response you want.

I don't believe that how a dog appears to feel is necessarily the best indication of their physical or mental health. Dogs often won't outwardly show any sign of discomfort, even if there's serious injury. I had a dog ripped open from her shoulder, down the side of her chest, you could see the fascia covering her ribs- she showed no sign of pain. To the average observer (if they couldn't see the injury), she would have appeared a normal, happy dog, even while I was strapping it up to keep everything in place to get her to the vet. The reality was emergency surgery and a dog who spent several weeks on strong painkillers and anti-inflammatories (and very lucky that I was home when it happened). Anyway.. watching that dog's back end shake from just standing there did not seem to be what I'd consider "mobile"- it seems likely to me that the dog is in pain and I don't believe there is any way to justify that sort of existance.

Dishlicker Coats (they make greyhoundy stuff) do fringed satin coats- http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Greyhound-Satin-Presentation-Trophy-Coat-Rug-/320767743783?pt=AU_Pet_Supplies&hash=item4aaf3f5727 They've always been good about custom stuff when I've asked so could be worth checking out.

I'd be very interested to learn how you plan to naturally and holistically treat parvo. As an aside, parasite infestations in puppies can lead to later health/behavioural issues. But then, if you've researched, you'd know that already ;) Edited to add.. I feed my dogs prey model diet (one which includes green tripe and fresh wallaby/possum skins), vaccinate triennially and supplement diet as naturally as I can. Natural is great for some things but in other cases, it's neither safe nor appropriate, especially where it becomes an issue of welfare. From what you've said, I believe a puppy in your care would be at great (and very unnecessary) risk. If I were a breeder, I would not sell a dog to you. I'm not saying to offend you, I just don't think your research has been especially thorough.

We get heaps of dogs with retained testicles (so many that I'm pleasantly surprised if I see two testicles on one dog) and many of these dogs are between the ages of two and four years of age with no issues caused by the retained testicle. If it were me, I'd be waiting until twelve months of age. Some vets are a bit ignorant of big dog/breed specific issues.

All of our greys eat about 1kg of meat a day so 13kg a fortnight isn't a huge amount of food (even taking into account the water weight in raw meat). Consider that this dog weighs 40kg more than the average greyhound and actually, his diet is quite meagre*. The brand of food also makes a big difference there. You can put a kilo a day of poor quality kibble into a dog and all you'll get out of it is a kilo of poo and horrible dog farts, no real weight gain. *Which, judging by his legs, is probably for a reason, his long bones do not look normal. In my opinion, a dog that cannot be kept at a healthy weight for fear of snapping his legs out from under him is a dog that would very likely be better off PTS. But then, why would they kill their potential cash-cow just because he's probably suffering..

I've noticed the white/mostly white greys smell a lot stronger, especially after a bit of sun. Also, if there's been a squabble, they'll smell stressy (kind of a similar smell) for a few hours until everyone calms down again

That's what it looks like to me, too.

Didn't assume anything, it's okay :D I can see where you're coming from, although from an environmental perspective, it's actually worse to leave it there. Poo that isn't picked up ends up in gutters which ends up in stormwater drains which then ends up in waterways and can cause all sorts of issues. Best way to dispose of it would be to compost it but not everyone has the space to do that (or the inclination) so landfill is the next best option. Not sure about on the mainland but here, once a landfill area is full, it gets some trees planted on it and returned to use as public land. One of the biggest dog parks in Launceston (Heritage Forest) used to be a tip.

It's a hygiene issue, not an aesthetic issue. Also, consider that anything you step in out on the street has a very good chance of making it inside your home and ending up on your carpet. Would you really be comfortable with the idea of potentially tracking parvo all through your house?

Our council has the free bag dispensers but usually only in places where dogs are allowed (like dog parks). I mostly walk my dogs on the street so not much good to me. At home, poo is composted or reused to fill in holes so not really an issue.

Treat pouch with a belt clip that has a section at the bottom for storing loose bags. For longer walks, the HoundBag (which has a poo bag pocket that fits most rolls) or the Doog walking belt (which I'll admit I don't like as much as I thought I would). Last time I bought bags, it was from petz-depot. 100 bags for $3 and they come flat, rather than on a roll (which is better for the treat pouch bag).

Perhaps contact the Dogs' Home, see if they are willing to help out?

We got some for a foster with a suspected eye issue but I have to say.. for some dogs, probably never going to happen. The dog in question just froze up once they were actually over her eyes (she was fine with wearing them around her neck and propped up higher on her face) and when she did finally move again, it was only to paw them off and then remove herself from the situation. This was with careful exposure and lots of positive reinforcement for staying calm and leaving them alone. I guess some dogs are a lot more tolerant of having things on their heads. Can put just about anything on the grumpy, old dog's head and all he does is look annoyed.

I'd agree with you there. I can think of a decent number of breeds that are best placed through breed rescue and a giant breed like GD are one of them.

From what I know, Dane rescue also take crossbreds. I recall seeing crossbreds on their website not that long ago, too For us, as long as it looks purebred, we're happy to take it. We also take some crossbreds, depending on what the cross is (I won't take bull arabs) although we don't see many lurchers down here anyway.

Depends a lot on the individual and how I feel about their social behaviour. Some dogs, it's a few hours of watching them and they go in for good, others live in the run until I'm more comfortable with their behaviour. Only fights we've ever had involving our own dogs have been with dogs we already knew from body language and initial behaviour that we were going to have problems with (and the fights were my fault for not keeping the dog in question entirely away from other dogs).

Most of the greyhounds we've had have been quite scared of water so I'd have to assume they're not great swimmers. Most of them will go out of their way to avoid stepping in puddles or on wet grass so actual water would be out of the question. Of the one dog who seemed to enjoy water, she'd climb into the paddling pool and then try to lie down- with her nose under water. So.. probably safe to assume she'd not be a good swimmer either, given she didn't seem to understand that she had oxygen requirements.

There is a difference between contesting a law and simply breaking a law because it does not suit you. And as for other people breaking laws to protect my right to own my chosen breed.. no. Just no. Breaking laws makes dog owners in general look less responsible. You are harming all of us.

I got this far and then had to stop. I assume you watch Cesar Millan (given it's his wording) and frankly, I'm of the opinion that the last thing any rescue dog needs is the CM style of dog training where the dog is bludgeoned with the stimuli until it snaps (and then choked until it "calms down"). Throwing a DA dog (even with a muzzle on) into a pile of dogs at a dog park to "be social" doesn't work and is only going to create more problems. Terrible, terrible advice. Edited to add.. And as for the advice of bringing a DA dog onlead into an offlead area.. that just displays a glaring lack of knowledge of dog behaviour and will result in someone getting hurt. I'd seriously recommend against dishing out behavioural advice aimed at DA dogs without the knowledge to back it up because some of what you have suggested is dangerous.

While I understand your sentiment, this summary of life as a restricted breed isn't true. The dog is allowed to play in it's yard if you're there. They don't need to live in a cage and can stay locked in their house when their owner is out, providing that it meets security restrictions (ie you can't leave a window opening that the dog can fit through). RB dogs can go to training, can meet other dogs and people etc, they just need to do it with a muzzle and special leash. It's not the life I'd want for my dog, but it isn't condemning a dog to a life of misery either. In NSW a restricted breed can do none of those things. They must be kept in an enclosure that costs thousands to build with a concrete floor, walls and a roof, and they cannot be outside of that cage without a muzzle or leash, so they cant even roam freely without a muzzle in their own house. I'm not fully up to date with the ins and outs of the provisions in VIC, sounds like they're less stringent which is good at least. I would think the other worry for people registering their dogs as restricted breeds is the anticipation of the day they may be outlawed completely and your dog is like a sitting duck. Don't come complaining to the rest of us when that does happen If you're going to be supportive of breaking the law, you can't be surprised when governments bring in tougher laws to fix the problem of lack of compliance.

By breaking the law? I'd love to be able to walk my dogs without muzzles (or even let them offlead in a fenced area) but responsible ownership is obeying laws, whether you feel like obeying them or not. Simple as that.

I'm not blaming the victim, Butch - I'm blaming the owners Agreed. Part of responsible dog ownership is obeying the laws- this includes coughing up the yearly registration fees and complying with whatever laws relate to your breed/type. People like this, in my opinion, do the cause absolutely no good. Not only was the dog seized because of their failure to register, it cost tax payers a huge amount of money to resolve. Edited for typo

This. I have a ten year old dog and he is old. Being old means he may very well die sooner, rather than later, even with the best of care. None of these facts are offensive, they just are. To the OP.. trying owning a breed of dog that has to wear a muzzle. When you've had to defend your dog's temperament for the fifth or sixth time in a row on a short walk around the block, it helps put things in perspective. I'd much rather someone pointed out my dog as being old than pointed him out as "one of them vicious race dogs that bites people".

Care of the Racing and Retired Greyhound by Blythe, Gannon, Craig and Fegan. While it's not exactly light reading, it covers most things very thoroughly and a lot of the information also applies to other dog breeds so it's a book worth having. Only downside is that it's not a cheap book and can be a bit hard to get hold of.