Steve

Did we give you a refund?

Yes I know - and very much appreciated - and you are an MDBA member and I know you and can find you easily but thats not been the case with all so please don't think I'm having a shot at anyone who has done the right thing.We just need to know we have the ability to follow up if we need to and quite often because dogz is user names and privacy issues we cant get hold of people if we need to unless we have something in place to cover it.

tickets $1 each or 15 for $10.

I thought it would be best if we covered some issues relating to fundraising for MDBA Pacers. In the past 18 months since we incorporated as a charity we have learned a lot and some of it the hard way. We know that you guys are behind us and are eager to help us raise some funds to help as many as we possibly can and for those of you who have already contributed goods or services or cash donations we are extremely grateful. We are now in a position where there is a huge demand for what we are doing and to be a safety net when domestic animal owners hit an unexpected personal or natural disaster. Its a runaway train and we have been able to help a lot of people to ensure they don't have to surrender their animals or neglect them in any way. we rely 100 % on donations so its a huge part of our ability to survive and continue to grow so we are here if we are needed. Over the next week or so we will be announcing some great stuff which all of you can get involved with and have some fun and raise some funds for other groups too if you like at the same time but for now we need to talk about some issues which we have had to face and set systems up to deal with so you all understand it when you see it. The idea of auctions and raffles here is a great way to bring in some extra funds and make everyone feel like they have been part of it all.It gives everyone an opportunity to donate goods for prizes and it shows very clearly the level of support for us and the people and animals we are helping. But - now and then we have some things we would rather avoid. In the past we have had people who have pledged a prize and then changed their minds. We have had people say they post things but they are reported as never arriving by the recipient . We have had people who have refused to pay postage - both those donating and receiving. We have had people who have said they will deposit money and then they haven't. We have had some who wanted to be given big accolades and we didn't know and we have upset them by not making a much bigger deal out of their donations. We have had some who have wanted to be involved in an event or activity to raise some funds for us but who have expected things we are not able to provide such as thousands of dollars worth of MDBA Pacers Merchandise provided on consignment to them. We have had some who have wanted to help but who have begun a project and wanted us to do the work or pay lots of money out to follow it through and we weren't aware of that at the outset. There's more but you get the idea. Its hard to deal with some of these because we don't want to do anything that makes people feel unappreciated but there is a bigger picture here. We have worked hard to set everything up properly and get deductible gift recipient and charity status and we have certain laws we have to comply with to ensure we don't muck it up. There are time and resource restraints which we need to manage as well. So - Yes please feel free to donate goods or services which we can sell or auction or raffle, give to people who need them or use in our shelters. The more the better. Yes please get involved and conduct activities and events to help us spread the word about who we are and raise funds. We are just polishing off some great resources you will all be able to use if you want to have a go with us. But - even though some of you have told me you would be happy to help but wont jump through hoops to do it - there are a couple of small hoops which are unavoidable to avoid any issues. Im sure you will all understand. Julie

Ruthless has donated a collar for us to raffle to raise some funds to help out openarms. The winner will be able to choose any collar from their site and it will be made to order, so we can’t supply a photo. Ruthless will cover registered and insured post.Payment for tickets will close on April 17th at 5pm. Raffle will be drawn by a JP on the 20th of April to allow time for all deposits to show before the draw. If you email [email protected] we will give you a reference number for your deposits and bank details. We cannot accept paypal payments for raffle tickets. There’s a three to four week turnaround time on production. Go to the ts and cs page on the website to have a look at what you can get if you win. Tickets are $1 each or 15 for $10 Thanks Ruth. Julie

Thank You - SBT123 Now is probably a good time for us to chat about fundraising - Ill start two threads one for a raffle for Ruthless's donation and another to try to cover some issues. Julie.

Thank You - Ive sent you an email. Julie

Donations around $200 so far Julie

Thank you.

We're hoping the surgery will be under $500. We have received about $160 in donations Julie

Thats O.K. We have the removal under control - Thanks to a Doler who doesnt want to be named. Julie

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/04...mp;section=news The RSPCA says hundreds of dogs at the Townsville shelter in north Queensland have been put down after an outbreak of parvovirus. RSPCA spokesman Michael Beatty says 200 dogs have been destroyed and many more animals have been surrendered. He says pet owners need to make sure their animals have been immunised to avoid the spread of disease in the region. "Since the beginning of the year, there's been over 200 that have had to be put to sleep," he said. "That includes up to 50 puppies that have come in contact with the parvovirus. "So that's another message to people to please, please make sure that your animals are inoculated." He says Townsville is one of the busiest shelters in the state and there is no signs of the pressure easing. "There's no doubt about that and sadly I guess for all the wrong reasons," he said. "But having said that there have been well over 340 animals re-homed out at Townsville which is terrific but it's been very, very busy and sadly for all the wrong reasons."

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/04...ection=business Conciliation talks between Tasmania's RSPCA and its former chief executive officer have broken down. Greg Tredinnick has gone to the state Industrial Commission to dispute his sacking. He was fired by the board last year, 18 months into the three year contract. The RSPCA's legal counsel has told the hearing in Launceston that the board was concerned about Mr Tredinnick's lack of qualification, expertise and financial management skills. Mr Tredinnick says financial management is not his strength but he denies he did a poor job. Several witnesses are expected to be called before the hearing over the next few days.

Thanks guys thats sorted !

Any body can vaccinate their own dog in some states of Australia but in some states only vets can.If this is being advertised at a guess Id say its a vet that's actually doing the vaccinating. As far as I'm aware you cant vaccinate anyone else's dog unless you have the qualifications relevant to state laws anywhere in Australia

Is there anyone in the Lethridge park Area in Sydney who is able to give Open arms a hand to move a washing machine in the next 24 hours please? Madwoofter I need your address so we can send you a parcel to help you care for Bully. Julie

Some breeders don't know it either and when they get hit with something like this are not sure what to do or say.It needs to be thought out and be clear to both breeder and buyer what will happen and what they can expect from each other because Jed is right no matter what you do [because its a living animal] now and then things go wrong. If you told them you would cover half of the initial surgery and they agreed to that - then that is your agreement and you pay half of the initial surgery. I'm hoping that when you did that you have it in writing at least via email or some kind of acknowledgement from them that this is what they are agreeing to because if you didn't then if it goes further it gets messy and stressful.Whether we agree that this was the right thing to do or not - that's what you offered and they agreed. I take an average of one a day enquiries about how people can complain about breeders. On both sides of the fence Ive seen some stuff which screams out for what breeders can do to be sure they don't end up in the wrong situation but the main one is. Always treat the buyer with empathy and let them feel you have genuine concern for them and their dog and how what is going on will impact on your breeding program. Never agree to anything until you have seen - in writing - the vet report not just the bill.Take the vet report to your own vet and ask for their advice and speak to the treating vet asking specific questions to be sure what the buyer is telling you is what is really happening.For example what were the symptoms when the dog first presented with an eye issue.Was the entropion diagnosed right then or was it diagnosed originally as conjunctivitis,and ulcer, and injury or allergy etc. If it was diagnosed as entropion from day one then that tells you its probably not caused by a secondary influence. I'm assuming you have had both your breeding dogs eyes checked and you have some knowledge of the incidence or lack thereof of entropion in their pedigrees.No one gene controls the development of eyelid conformation. It is a combination of genes that control eyelid size and shape, depth of the eye socket, size and shape of the eyes, head conformation and amount of facial skin. All of these genes work together to determine the relationship of the eyelids to the eye. Therefore if an eyelid conformation defect is there only those dogs without entropion should be bred. Again I'm assuming your dogs are clear and its not an everyday simple recessive so its not something you go looking for carriers with. In this case your specific questions need to be - was one or both eyes affected by entropion. If it was both then there is a higher chance that its a breeding issue but if it is one it may have been caused by an injury or similar and therefore not a breeding issue. How many pups were in the litter and were any of the others in the same situation? If you had 10 pups and only one had the problem then again it may not be a genetic issue. Did Nana and pop,aunties and uncles, brothers, sisters,cousins etc have any incidence of entropion? If both your dogs are good examples of the breed standard in the head area, again I'm assuming they are because you have used them for breeding, there is less chance a staffy will have genetic issues with their eyes as abnormal skin folds and eye shape are not part of their breed standard. Apart from the obvious - take this as a learning experience and ensure from now on before the dog goes home everyone knows what will happen if something goes wrong you have to take a very long look at how the answers to these questions will impact on your breeding program and you have to tell other breeders that entropion and demodex has shown up and what the pedigrees are of the dogs which have been the parents so they can use this information to assess their own breeding decisions.

There were many of us who were not happy with the way this was all shaping up and we said so. In my opinion it became personal and some involved were simply at war with the council rather than fighting for the end to BSL. Sandgrubber- I dont agree with your statements.

If the dog has entropian then I say the breeder should put their hand up for it and even though demodex and dermatitis are immune issues - could be bought on by environmental isses, including stress or vaccination or heartworm meds etc the reality is that some dogs are genetically predisposed to being vulnerable to these kind of problems. I cant see the point in refunding only if they send the dog back to you and honestly any breeder who makes this offer would be pretty confident that the owner isnt going to do that so it lets them off the hook.It feels pretty unethical to me. The biggest issue here and the lesson to be learned is that these sort of things need to be thought about and dealt with BEFORE something goes wrong. Every person who buys a pup needs to know what they should expect before the dog goes home and every breeder should have what they will do in writing or it starts to get messy and it makes bad enemies and doesnt do much to help the dog. There are some options. One is to place a 6 week petplan free insurance policy on the pup when it goes home and encourage the owner to take insurance out. Most things that can go wrong for a dog are going to cost more than $180 insurance premium. Two you can charge more for the dog and include a 6 months or 12 months insurance policy when the pup goes home. But you need to write up a guarantee and conditions of sale so everyone knows what they are getting and what happens if something turns up. What happens if 10 puppies in a litter turn up with entropian and their vets do vet work for $3000 each ? How long is reasonable for you for your buyers to come back and expect you are going to cover things liek this etc?

How awful for you.I hope she is doing well now and never has to be in that position again.

http://server14a.pressmart.net/nationaldog/registernew.aspx National Dog on line - we are on page 39. Julie

Sure is - Thank You

O.K. Thank you. Mad Woofter and I have had a chat and all is in motion. We will tie up some loose ends tomorrow and have it sorted out so its less stress for openarms. We are also going after treatment options for him as well so any donations to help cover that too will be much appreciated. Madwoofter Thank you. Julie

Too bad the defence had to rest on putting the focus on another breed though.

Anyone able to put their hand up to foster this dog?