RuralPug

My age must catching up with me. I misread the thread title as "Dog Poo Used For Lightning!" and was expecting some sort of visual art creation.

Try cutting long strips of alfoil and fastening them at various heights around the deck so that they will flap in the slightest breeze. Also check your local cheap import shops for garden owl-shaped bird scarers.

oh awesome.... (puppies) I put a cat litter box by the front door with sponges cut to size with a solution on F10...EVERYONE steps in it - no exceptions....not fool proof but at least its something.. Good move. And, when it is time for your puppies' first vacc, either administer it yourself or ask for a vet to come to your home and vaccinate if parvo is active in your area. That visit to the clinic for the first shots is quite risky, no matter how carefully the exam room is disinfected, the waiting room is usually only done once a day at most...

I suspect that the reporter and/or sub-editors have left out important comments, but I do agree that (judging by what is written in the article) this woman is not capable of managing a multi-dog home safely. She is within her rights to not end her dog's life, but basically she is not dealing with the real problem. Sad all around.

Just googled...you will need to specify the year, as boot capacity has been reduced in more recent models. (not that I managed to find anything except litres of cargo space - how does your crate translate into litres LOL)

Just gorgeous! Love the sneaky spycam Sasha pic!

Really does depend where they are from. If they don't have to battle through Adelaide proper to get to the major highway to Victoria (which goes through Ballarat) it is a lovely drive.(Just ask Leema LOL who did the same run as a rescue transporter a few weeks back). They need to calculate how much driving time they will need to do to get to Adelaide airport and back from where ever they are and how important it is to them to meet the breeder etc. In hot weather like we have been having the pup is better doing eight hours in a crate in a car with air-con or a crate fan and constant oversight, than doing 5 hours (a lot of which is unobserved) in a crate (from Ballarat 2 hours to Tullamarine airport then sitting around another hour or so waiting for the flight, then the 3/4 hour flight and another 1/2 hour being unloaded plus the unknown travel time from the airport to the new home). But actually, I'm sure a lot of baby puppies have travelled both methods quite successfully.

Try here. They are a Ballarat rescue who specialise in smaller dogs. Suggestion - try fostering while you are searching and then you will have first claim - Chi puppies go really really fast in rescue. Lots of luck!

There is some merit in the article, however most Australians do not expect vet discounts for pets they have acquired from pounds or rescue organisations, so I am not sure if it is really relevant here. I understand that you have no intention of starting a witch hunt or fight, but, hey, this is DOL I'm putting the popcorn on now.

For those wondering why the fuss, those dogs also attacked the person who was walking Tilly when he tried to intervene to save her. Tilly the whippet was able to flee because the dogs were tearing at the elderly man walking her and did not pursue her. Fortunately passers-by and nearby residents intervened to help the gentleman and the attacking pair fled. It is very very lucky that his injuries were not worse. Tilly is his daughter's dog and he often walks her for his daughter. Tilly is well on the way to recovery now, but it was touch and go for the first 24 hours. Edited to add: No, I didn't have it quite right. The attacking dogs DID pursue Tilly, so the elderly man was lucky to only have bite injuries on his hand and leg, for which he received hospital treatment (I am assuming in emergency department as an outpatient.) Tilly ran to her nearby home and was taken immediately to a local vet. The original article in the paper featured a photograph of the injured man, all bandaged up, at the scene of the attack. I don't think they managed to get a pic of the injured dog until later.... http://www.thecourie...endouree/?cs=62

In all honesty, no you can't help. People never want to know until the wheels fall off. Sadly, this is all too true. Plus you will be castigated for trying to drag them down and when the wheels do fall off, they will blame you for being so negative. We've all seen it happen. Let's hope that they recruit someone with a modicum of common sense who can harness all that enthusiasm effectively.

In my book, it's an adoption if potential new owners are quizzed carefully and may be refused if they cannot provide a good home. It's a sale if the dog is available to anyone who arrives with the correct money. That means that responsible breeders, rescues, pounds and shelters adopt out pups and irresponsible breeders, rescues, pounds, shelters and traders actually sell them. In that sense, I agree with Don't Shop, Adopt...but it is certainly not what the AR people mean!

Tubal ligation is always a possibility that will sterilize both dog and bitch without affecting normal hormone activity and therefore is ideal for young puppies as growth will not be adversely affected. TL surgery is becoming more popular with vets and takes no longer than standard desexing. Of course, it does not prevent bitches coming into season or dogs being driven to mate them, it only prevents puppies being conceived, so owners have to handle all that. I can see a future where most breeders organise early TL surgery on puppies going to pet homes AND recommend standard desexing to be done by the owners once physical maturity has been reached. Once more vets realise that it will mean TWO basic easy surgeries over the lifetime of the average dog they will probably get on board faster...:laugh:

Oh I should add I use Tea Tree Oil in my home made ear and facial fold cleaner, it is 10 drops per 250ml of the base so a miniscule quantity, similar to quantities used in pet shampoos etc. It is both safe and effective when such a ratio is used.

ear cleaner as is epi otic? What do I do with it, just apply it on the skin? Most ear cleaners are antifungal and/or provide a mildly acidic environment that is not conducive to yeast. Providing that they are also astringent and will dry quickly, they are also effective on yeast. So yep, just soak a cotton pad and wipe over the yeasty areas once daily until symptoms stop. Ok for hot spots and small blooms but probably a bit expensive for larger blooms. Some dogs will develop further food allergies just to keep you on your toes. Some grain-free foods still have a lot of carbs, like sweet potato or beet pulp and these can sometimes cause problems in yeasty dogs. If your dog has been on the one variety for over a year and has just resumed symptoms, then either he is stressed by some change in his environment or his metabolism will no longer tolerate something in the food and you will need to try a new variety or perhaps BARF-style feeding.

This myth is not supported by facts. The RSPCA and university stats state otherwise. The minority of dogs in shelters/pounds are purebreds, and they are homed first. This bit of nonsense was first put about by animal rights in US, and like everything animal rights, was exported to Aust. What is is all about is NOT saving dogs in shelters, it is about stopping people breeding dogs. PETA gets millions every year in donations, and does not run ONE shelter. A major con job. Maybe people who buy a purebred will not buy a shelter dog instead, but fact is, they buy a puppy. Puppies in shelters go like hot cakes. Dogs in shelters are usually dumped as teenagers, reasons given in surveys were mainly "did not meet expectations". Those people do not get an older shelter dog, they get a puppy as a replacement. I agree with Aussielover's post and Jed's as well. The AR extremists have pushed the "if you buy a puppy you are condemning a shelter dog to death" line very hard indeed. Apparently it is ok to buy a puppy from a shelter though as nobody bred it? (insert rolleyes here) In fact, it has been documented in the US ( I hope not here too) that some puppy farms have been advertising puppies as "rescues" with "adoption fees". Rescues (even genuine one LOL) are not the best choice for every single household, and a purebred is not always a requirement either. For a first time dog owner I would never recommend getting one straight from the pound, although I'm sure someone will say it worked for them, it is a sink or swim type proposition for the most part so very daunting and not always the best thing for the dog/cat. It is very sad when people think it is politically correct to demand the cessation of all breeding of dogs and cats, which will apparently magically rehome all those unwanted dogs and cats in pounds... I deal far too often with "serial puppy owners" who sell/give away/surrender their adolescent dog and replace it with a cute "flavour of the month" puppy. There are good dog owners out there too, I've met some but being in rescue I do tend to see the pointy end a bit more. To be fair, some of those serial puppy owners spend big bucks on BYB or pet shop pups - every year. They probably update their smart phones every year too. Edited for fat finder finger typos (probably missed some, sorry)

Well I can't really contribute to this one! Now that I have two cochlear implants I am actually aware when the cats or dogs vocalise without watching them, but I am very slack about putting the processors on until I leave the house. Slightly OT, but I will say that prior to my first cochlear implant I was very proud that I had taught my foster failure pug, Cheddar, to speak on command. Alas, after implantation and bringing the bionics finally on line, the truth was revealed. Cheddar had learned to open and close his mouth like a goldfish on the command "Speak" . Sigh. I have since retrained him, but his bark on command is not exactly crisp, due to my stuff-up.

A yeast bloom is always due to an immune system problem. It can be a minor local problem, caused by a minor allergic reaction to perhaps a bee sting or even the laundry powder a visitor uses or it can become a huge systemic problem if left untreated for some time. It can be caused by stress ( the things that stress different dogs may surprise you, we are not talking abuse or anything) but by far the most common reason that I have heard (especially in chronic cases) is that the dog has developed an allergy to something in the diet - usually the protein in grains. It can be something that they have been eating for years, suddenly their metabolic processes no longer work as efficiently. Severely yeasty dogs will bloom if they even get a mouthful of the allergen. First thing to try is an antifungal rinse (any good canine ear cleaner or 50/50 listerine solution will do in a pinch, but ACV is just as readily available and gentler where the dog has broken skin from scratching). If that relieves symptoms but the problem keeps recurring, next try a grain free diet. If any other symptoms start occuring, definitely work with your vet, but beware that some vets will just throw antibiotics and/or antihistamines at the problem which is not necessarily helpful, so be prepared with your research and make sure you choose a vet that is willing to listen. Mel BTW Calendula Tea and the like are fantastic for relieving allergy itches, but don't really do much for yeast bloom in my experience - I think the yeast likes the stuff! Edited to add: I personally never recommend creams or lotions or anything that leaves a moist greasy residue because the moisture just encourages the yeast no matter how antifungal the stuff is supposed to be. I always use astringents for a fast clear of the symptoms, always bearing in mind that if the symptoms recur you need to seek the cause and address it.

You have every right to be proud! Enjoy polishing Bonnie's manners over the next two weeks, and put some thought unto your preferences for your next foster dog. Some rescues will just try to foist the next in line onto you, make sure she/he is the right size/age/activity level for your household. And Georgia gets a say too - if she has major problems with any foster and the problems haven't settled in a week, don't persist if you can avoid it, but try to swap with another carer.

Yes, you picked a great photo as well. She does look so sweet in it! Hopefully the rehome will go well and be the final crown on your first foster success!

The Miniature Australian Shepherd Club and the Goldendoodle Club startled me. But as long as they insist that their members do all the needed health testing on their dogs and breed them and place them into to homes responsibly I won't wish them ill. Sorry, off-topic.

"Cos she is a redhead, call her Brymay, after the matches.

It could be something as simple as a grass seed that was trodden on and is now fully within the pad. The vet should have checked her foot if the pad was swollen at that time (unless of course he/she was so convinced by your opinion of the reoccurring shoulder injury. No offence, but this sometimes does happen.) Regardless of the actual cause, if the prescribed treatment is not working, then it is back to the vet (or a more competent one ). Edited for clarity

Differs from state to state AND from branch to branch within state. Right now, the new head of RSPCA(SA) is making fantastic innovations that help make SA much more 'rescue' than 'bank balance'. RSPCA(NSW) is possibly the worst behaved one ATM.

Their blood's worth bottling.