Steve

Pet Plan pet insurance people won the award on Saturday for best Canine Insurance company and I asked the question. "Are cross bred dogs cheaper to insure than pedigree dogs?" Answer No. "Are the stats that you have showng that cross bred dogs are less sick than purebred dogs?" Answer No.

www.mdbapacers.org.au

O.K. Im just pulling on the glad rags now - we have had our final rehersals and all is in place. To everyone nominated - Good Luck!

How truly sad - lets hope the poor woman was able to find a new home too. Why didnt they just help her so she can still be with her animals? If anyone ever sees anything like this please contact pacers before the RSPCA. http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/...-with-pets.html <H2 class=padding-bottom-7 style="FONT-SIZE: 1.05em; LINE-HEIGHT: 1.05em">A WOMAN who lived in her car with 23 PETS has been fined for animal cruelty. </H2>Carol Lynette Samuels, 66, said she was a successful cat breeder but had fallen on tough financial difficulties. The Aussie claimed she was forced to leave her $1.5million luxury mansion and had no choice but to move into her car with all her pets, which she considered her "children". An RSPCA inspector found Samuels and her pets — 12 cats and 11 dogs — in the underground car park of a shopping centre last September after a complaint was made. Malnourished The animal inspector told Southport Magistrates Court in Queensland's Gold Coast, that the inside of the car stank of ammonia. He found 11-long haired Persian cats and a Himalayan cat inside seven cages on the back seat of her car as well as nine Pomeranian dogs and two poodles beside the car. The RSPCA seized the animals but one cat had to be put down. Vets said the cats were malnourished, had matted fur, fleas and cat flu. Samuels pleaded guilty to nine counts of breaching the Animal Care and Protection Act by failing her duty of care to feed, clean and provide adequate shelter for the cats. She said: "I'd lost an awful lot and a didn't want to lose my cats as well because they are the only family I've got." Magistrate Michael Hogan fined her $4,000 and ordered her to give the RSPCA $5,000 for veterinary care and to pay $73.80 in court costs. Gold Coast RSPCA inspector Sommer Heath-Crilley said the decision would allow the RSPCA to find new, healthy homes for the cats. She said outside court: "The RSPCA is very happy with the outcome. "It's been a long process for us but hopefully from here on in we're able to find new homes for the cats." Read more: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/...l#ixzz0iYzlPcZG

Lesley Levins, Lesley Stewart and I are just about to head off to Sydney for the Master Dog Breeders and Associates Dog Owners Choice Awards. To those of you who are attending we intend making it a great night to remember and for those who cant make it we hope you consider joining us in Melbourne next year. There are some surprises in store, which will enable you all to be involved in the celebrations next year to promote responsible dog ownership regardless of where you live which we will let you in on when we recover from this one. For those of you who nominated someone we would like to thank you as the response and the quality of the nominations this year has been bigger and better than ever. To those of you who have been nominated but cant attend we are disappointed you cant make it but we wish you all the best of luck when the winners are announced and we wish you could share in the festivities but will have a drink for you. To Troy and dogzonline thank you so much for your support and sponsorship – we couldn’t pull this off without you. Judi from Pro K9 – You too have backed us and helped with sponsorship and thank you also for your support.

You need to go here so we know your real name www.mdbaawards.net.au

O.K. Pax see you there.

She needs to go through the ticket buy process so we have her name and contact details - she can pick her ticket up at the door. www.mdbaawards.net.au

O.K. one more but this one is not at Troys Table Last post again.

Dont muck around though we need to know who is coming in the next hour or so or I wont make it because Lesley will beat me up.

O.K. Anniek - you're it.

Last person to post in this thread between now and a fixed time today before the sun goes down will have a free ticket to sit at the same table as Troy ,Rozzie,Charles Wentworth on Saturday night in Sydney.

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/negl...9-1225761146260THE RSPCA has slammed the State Government for neglecting the abuse of animals as the charity admits it is struggling to cope with an ever-growing workload. The charity yesterday took a rare swipe at a Government it says had grown so complacent in animal welfare that it regards the RSPCA a de facto department. This is despite contributing only $460,000 to the RSPCA's $36 million budget, of which $5 million goes toward enforcing the Government's own laws. Chief executive officer Steve Coleman told The Daily Telegraph he was tired of his organisation copping flak for not doing enough prosecutions when it had all of the responsibility and none of the resources. "It's one of our frustrations that as the Animal Cruelty Act has evolved - which is a good thing for animal welfare - but the responsibility of enforcing it has grown also and that's completely fallen to us," he said. "It can cost us $100,000 to prosecute someone and that's our money we're using. "It would be terribly helpful if the Government provided some funding for that." So entrenched is the Government's belief that the RSPCA handles animal welfare issues that when The Daily Telegraph asked Primary Industries Minister Ian Macdonald what the Government had done to enforce welfare issues in the cage egg industry, he referred only to the charity. "The RSPCA is the agency with responsibility for animal welfare on behalf of the NSW Government under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act," Mr Macdonald said. "The RSPCA therefore also has responsibility for checks and inspections of egg producers in NSW. This has been the case for 30 years." Mr Coleman admits his group is struggling.. "We were struggling to keep up with the (day to day animal abuse) complaints and now we're expected to be able to do random checks on egg producers," he said. "The Government is constantly increasing the scope of the Act but not putting resources in to properly enforce it," Mr Macdonald said he had not been told directly of the RSPCA's concerns but was happy to consider increased funding.

http://www.perthnow.com.au/business/govt-g...c-1225815094306THE State Government will provide $1 million over the next four years to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (WA). The state's peak animal protection group will get $250,000 a year for the next four yeas under a continuing funding initiative announced by Local Government Minister John Castrilli today. Mr Castrilli said the funds would help the RSPCA's state branch carry out its valuable work in promoting and protecting animal welfare. “The grant will assist the RSPCA in its work by helping to fund ongoing education programs and to pay for general inspectors appointed to enforce the Animal Welfare Act 2002,” he said. “This funding is a continuation of financial support that the State Government has provided to the RSPCA for a number of years. “The RSPCA is a valued animal welfare society that has served the community since its establishment in 1892. It plays an important role in assisting to enforce the State’s animal welfare laws. “As a Government we are very pleased to provide ongoing support to the RSPCA and wish it well in its continued efforts to protect animals.”

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/rspca-lef...o-1225765385752 THE RSPCA is being showered with millions of dollars left in wills by loving pet owners, including three wealthy women who left more than $13 million. When Eileen Corke died last Christmas Day she left her entire $1.13 million fortune to the RSPCA. The 87-year-old widow's bequest, including a bulging portfolio of blue-chip shares, was the latest in a series of extraordinary estate gifts to animal shelters. Toorak developer Nancy Bartlett, who died in June 2007, left about $6 million to extend the RSPCA's animal hospital. She also left $300,000 to the Lost Dogs' Home and money to the Cat Protection Society and the Clarence Towers donkey sanctuary. Brighton investor Denise Hallett, a cat lover, left about $6 million to the RSPCA to redevelop its cattery. Ms Bartlett, an elderly widow who adored her pet poodles, had long declared her fortune should go to animals, close friend Edna Jolley said. In her will the multi-millionaire, who died at 88, asked for a "simple and inexpensive funeral" and dedicated almost all her $7 million fortune to animals. "She saved all her money for animals. As she always said, she worked for animals and anything she had in the end had to go to the animals," Mrs Jolley said. "The dogs were her family, that's what she always said." Friends of Mrs Corke said for her the hardest thing about moving into a Kew nursing home was not being able to have pets. She would weep when visited by Rachael Burnet, 28, her mum Jillianne and their dog, Bella. "Eileen absolutely adored Bella," Ms Burnet said. "As soon as Eileen saw Bella tears streamed down her face." Mrs Corke, who had no children and whose war veteran husband died in 1983, donated her fortune to the RSPCA. RSPCA president Hugh Wirth said the contribution of Ms Hallett - a cat-loving spinster with seven Victorian properties - had been "absolutely magnificent", long before she died in 2006. "She made donations towards the RSPCA then she left virtually all of her estate to the RSPCA to continue the work she started," he said. Bequests account for about 25 per cent the RSPCA's income

I don't think PETA controls the RSPCA, they are actually competitors for the public's dollar, their beliefs are the same though. Ingrid is honest enough to spell out her agenda. My experience is the RSPCA tells people what they believe they want to hear, contradicting themselves if it means more money flowing in and doing what they do best, killing dogs. Don't be fooled by the TV stars. Apart from that I believe you are spot on with your assessment. I agree that PETA and RSPCA are competitors for money but I do believe that the RSPCA has been infiltrated by animals rights looooonatics.

This isnt new but it gains momentum Open the studs book - outcross and then backcross - all we end up with is the same situation they claim we have now but with more diseases rather than less because of the new ones we let in when we out cross to another breed. What the ANKC should be doing is fighting back and stop giving into them and start counteracting their uneducated opinions. 1.Tell the world dog shows are only judging dogs on how they look depending on their breed standard - the show ring is a beauty contest and that no reputable breeder only breeds with a dog which passes this test and not all of the other tests and screenings and research into ancestry the dog has to pass to be chosen to breed with.If they muck around with implmenting health criteria before issuing a championship that this will not prevent dogs suffering. Its not possible to test and screen for everything a dog could have or get into the future and dogs have over 100,000 genes not one or two. 2. Explain that when purebred breeders breed puppies they have several major issues to contend with that cross bred breeders do not.That is, future litters and how possible RECESSIVE genes and POLYGENIC GENES which may not show in the first generation will show in potentailly thousands of dogs into the future. 3. That close breeding used with knowledge is a proven scientific tool which can identify and eliminate problems which can stop thousands of dogs suffering into the future WHICH ALL PUREBRED BREEDERS OF EVERY SPECIES use when it in the best interest of the animals they are breeding. That if they take away the option for a breeder to use this then there will not be less dogs suffering. 4.That purebred dog breeders have ALWAYS - SINCE DAY ONE - had the ability to have the stud books opened and that many have done exactly that. If they make certain screens and testing passes mandatory for championships, if they open stud books without clear goals and understanding of what they are doing - just because someone who has no formal education in genetics, and no experience in breeding dogs says this is what we should be doing all that will be is a PR exercise which will cause more dogs to suffer not less. They should also tell them they are full of it because they dont have any idea of what the health of OUR purebred dogs are because there are no studies, research or figures to back them up and unless they can work out a way of identifying who breeds a dog which they think is a purebred and can determine issues in OUR dogs as opposed to dogs bred by back yard breeders and puppy farmers they are dreaming and someone had beetter start yelling back at them. If anyone wants the MDBA to stand up for them or their breeds then they had better join because expecting us to do what needs to be done for those who are not members is not only unfair its unrealistic. Join here - www.mdba.net.au

Too small.

Yep thats what I think too.

Defending Champion Leads Iditarod<H6 class=byline></H6> Lance Mackey, the defending champion, overtook the four-time winner Jeff King to grab the lead in the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, according to global satellite positioning information provided by the race. The GPS tracker map showed Mackey in the lead just outside the Kaltag checkpoint about two-thirds of the way into the 1,100-mile race from Anchorage to Nome.

Pet shops and breeders can work in with each other by having photos of the breeders puppies and their parents in the store, sending people who ask about a particular breed to the breeder. The breeder could then pay the pet shop a spotters fee for each puppy sold via their referral and send the buyer back to the pet shop to get supplies perhaps with a small gift voucher for the store to get them back there.I dont mind breeders and rescue having their animals physically in the shop as described by Trisven13 but Im not posh on dogs actually leaving the store in the new owners arms that day. My reasons for this are that no matter how well the buyer is educated, no matter how well the buyer is screened, no matter how accessable the rescue or breeder is after the sale if things go wrong if a dog leaves in a new owners arms from the store then its a pet shop animal sale. According to their codes of conduct in some states registered breeders can sell puppies to pet shops if the pet shop is PIAA registered.In my opinion this does 3 things Im not happy about 1 is that breeders who havent been exposed to the issues are given the impression its O.K. to sell by a third party,2. that it gives an easy market to those who want to breed puppies for profit and that increases the risk of animals suffering in battery dog farms and 3 that the public dont get the difference between a PIAA registered pet shop and any other - Why would they when I dont? So if its O.K. to buy puppies from some pet shops to them a pet shop is a pet shop. Puppy farmers - that is people who breed thousands of puppies each year sell puppies to pet shops to remain out of the loop. Breeders who are registered with Kate Scoffelds commercial dog breeders group which is being promoted as a way to legitimise and regulate commercial breeders are exempt from much of their code of conduct if they sell to a pet shop - the responsibility to act as a safety net after the sale is removed only if they sell to a pet shop.Obviously people who see dogs as stock animals are more likely to see puppies sent off to new homes as a farmer sees animals sent off to market and the sheer volume of what they breed makes it virtually impossible to be able to cope with enquiries, educating and screening new homes,post sale follow up and advice and returns/refunds. It is a preferrable method of sale for them than being involved in the whole placement process and being accountable for what they breed. So if rescue or a breeder want to take puppies or dogs into pet shops to show case them and take enquiries for homes and then sell and hand the dogs over face to face - rescue to buyer, breeder to buyer so they can have a relationship post sale and they are the ones selling the dogs away from the pet shop setting then Im good with that - but thats not a pet shop selling live animals. If the public see pet shops as a great place to find a pet thats good by me as long as they dont see it as a great place to buy a pet because that potentially increases the market for anonymous sales of mass produced puppies. You can walk into a pet shop and come out telling me all the wonderful things they do which makes them different as Mita has done so you give one pet shop a tick but the public dont know what to look for and for them its a pet shop selling dogs and puppies and they buy from them without ever knowing what should happen and they potentially go home with a pup thats been seen as meat sent off to market.

We're coming to Victoria at the end of April to do some social events for the MDBA and Pacers so we intend to check out some venues then.

We need to seat about 250

The pet store with the AWL Adoption Centre I visited, is well aware of impulse buying. And have measures in place to avoid it. Most places where dogs can be obtained from are equally open to impulse....given displays on the Net. I've already described how the store assistant went into a reality check routine. Started off by saying buying a dog or cat on impulse is no good for dog or owner. Then went into costs of dog ownership, responsbilities & lifestyle issues. If someone wasn't genuine & thoughtful about what they were doing, they would dip out at that point. The next step would have been the intense screening interview & other AWL checks. As the adoptions are within the AWL system, there's even follow-up advice for any specific settling in problems, from the AWL behaviourists. All of which works against future dumping. Incidentally, that pet store adoption centre, does not put the animals in a position where people walking past can see them. They have suiitable accommodation towards the back of the store. This AWL Adoption Centre is as much a destination as the main Gold Coast AWL shelter which is a couple of hours drive away...& same processes apply. So what if a pet shop did all of these things with any dog or puppy?

O.K. If we're going to look at venues - here is the criteria. It has to be close enough to other services such as cafe's and hairdressers etc for people to get to them without effort. When we had the awards at the Canberra Rex just to get a sandwich for lunch or a can of coke we had to drive through Canberra traffic or walk for 15 mins there and back and thats no good. The one this year has cafe's hairdressers, even people who will massage you right there and thats what we want. We need it to be reasonably close to an airport because more than half of those who attend fly in but not so close they are in the boonies under the flight plans and difficult for local Melbourne people to get to and from via public transport or road. We need to be able to get lighting, sound and meals and alcohol and have a feeling of luxury and elegance.We need accommodation and parking and experienced event co ordinators attached to the venue who can work with our people.We would prefer a red carpet and separate outside entrance with its own reception area to the ballroom.