RuralPug

Actually I would suggest a pair of compatible (desexed) rabbits if they MUST have a pet. No dog is going to be happy without a decent amount of companionship, except one of those robot toy dogs. I suspect any cat would quickly decamp the minute the opportunity presented itself. Rabbits are quite happy to mostly sleep during the day, and interact morning and evening which does make them rather good pets for working couples who are not at home all that much.

There may seem to be a lot of different rescues but there are still not enough spaces to permit rehoming of all rehomable unclaimed strays and surrendered pets. Not enough pounds work with rescue. Even if they all did, there are simply not enough available spaces/funds in rescue + pounds + shelters. Some spaces are reserved (breed rescue, type rescue, age rescue, clinic rescue etc.) for specific types of pet and those spaces won't be available for others. This is a good thing, because often those specific types need special care or rehoming knowledge. Some rescues will ONLY take from pounds, others will take surrenders (i.e. before they reach the pounds), others will take a mixture. No rescue should take more than it has space and funds for at the moment (although a few do this and far too often). As well as those working hard to rescue or to support rescue, my hat is off to those who are actively involved in making available to the public resources encouraging responsible pet ownership, as the best possible Utopia would be one in which rescue is not needed at all, and only occasional rehoming is required.

Obviously either the grandmother or the Malamute will need to be rehomed, and I think seeking rehoming for the dog is the likelier scenario. Extensive advertising, with the assistance of breed clubs and breed-specific rescue is likely to secure a home for this senior boy if he is otherwise well-socialised. I would never label a dog human aggressive for biting a portion of human anatomy that was inserted between it and a prey that it was attacking. A simple temperament test should confirm that he is not human aggressive, and then there should be no barrier to rehoming.

I would get a nice secure puppy pen and put your puppy in that while your staffy is indoors. If she is definitely snapping it may be simply that she is frightened of his size. Are all the other puppies at puppy school smaller dogs? It is fairly unusual for an 11 week old to snap - but it is not unusual for them to be quite bitey in play, which might be mistaken for snapping? Lack of bite inhibition can be dealt with by first a warning to stop nipping followed by an immediate time out and stopping of all play if the warning is ignored. Again the puppy pen is ideal for a time out place. It is definitely unfair for your 8yo dog to be left outside due to a new puppy, so do make a secure place for your puppy which allows the older boy to come inside as much as possible while the little girl is learning correct behaviour.

Firstly, thank you for the detailed history. I can understand that you really want to do the best thing by this puppy. I fear that this puppy has never left the yard in which she was born, and was very dependent on her parents. When they were sold, before she had a chance to cope with that blow she was taken away from the only world she had ever known. Hence her terror. I am sorry to say that I do not think she will ever be happy as an only dog in the household. Her best chance is with an experienced rehabilitator who can oversee her living with other well-socialised dogs and is available many hours a day to demonstrate non-threatening human/canine interaction. Sadly, places like that are very difficult to find. I honestly think that for you to attempt rehabilitation yourself would take a superhuman effort (by yourself and all other family members at home) and from your description of family circumstances that is simply not possible. No discredit to you at all, but I don't think you can provide this puppy with quality of life, nor does she suit your own needs. I truly regret not being able to offer encouraging advice in this situation. I would dearly love to be proved wrong. There is a very slight possibility that she could feel safe with other dogs. If you were able to arrange a visit from a well-socialised dog or dogs and observe her reactions for signs of relaxation or curiosity that would be positive. Several positive visits/interactions with other well-socialised dogs would open up the possibility of successful rehoming in a multi-dog household with experienced owners.

You know it is mandatory there, but does everyone else who might be seeking to adopt her? It is another point in her favour (AND the rescue's) and relevant if you allow interstate adoptions. I suppose you probably do, as NSW is technically interstate from you! It's no biggie, though, I wouldn't fret if it is too late to add it. Just remember to put it on your next flyer - it wouldn't surprise me if you are going to be much in demand making flyers for other foster carers! *winks cheerfully* Edited for typos.

Well done! One of the best adoption available flyers I have seen! I wondered why microchipping is not mentioned - is this not normally done in Canberra?

I must press Valblitz to share her Billy stories here. She writes so vividly that you can see it all happening! She says he has become quite well known in the neighbourhood, in fact, she thinks that mita has correctly predicted that she (Val) would end up being Billy's social secretary. He has quite a fan club and at least one neighbouring couple have decided that their next dog must be a Tibetan! What a fantastic ambassador for this enchanting breed! :laugh: edited for clarity

So most of the CC's I see in the show ring might have a 5 o'clock shadow the next day? Who knew? And all the groomers clipping their Lowchens could be saved sooooo much work replacing them with Very Hairy Hairless CCs!!!

Yay for Denise! She does an awesome job!

If people MUST feed canned food I recommend Nature's Gift and Optimum. Haven't tried the other's that you mentioned Christina, but if your dogs aren't smelling bad, then they are likely of a similar quality to those I mentioned. Many of the brands most commonly advertised have the odorous effect - one famous brand is infamous for it and very likely a number of other labels come off the same assembly line. I'm not just talking cheap generic brands either. Canned food is largely water so it is never the best value for money anyway.

Thank you, Cat...looks Tibbie to me. Thank you Wiz's Mum for being there for her...if she doesn't get adopted first after being made famous in the paper! NSW was the first state to make chipping compulsory and there still are unchipped dogs seemingly quite common there. Legislation without education is not much use, IMO.

Yes, that's right mita, that pair went to Newcastle Rescue, so of course I spent ages on their page looking for another pic of the same dog but didn't find one. Did you?

Port Stephens Animals In Need is the FB page for that pound, when I looked no Tibbies but there was a JRT cross with silky hair (surrendered with a Chi cross) that may have been misidentified as a Tibbie. That pair were surrendered late August and went to rescue. Nothing very recent, so possibly that page has not been updated. Cat, can you please tell us where you heard about the Tibbie at Port Stephens?

Yes, only dilutes can suffer it; .however a black animal could pass on the gene(s) for the condition, if he/she carried them.

Foot-note: getting the paperwork ready to make Billy's adoption official and I noticed that Billy had his first birthday on the very same day that the trial ended and Val notified me that yes, he had his forever home with her....fantastic birthday present for the gorgeous boy! It was definitely meant to be!

Hmmm I know a Doler who's clever hubby turned a trampoline bed into an impossible to destroy, easy to clean, very comfy dog bed...I will ask her to pop in with pics!

Pretty much the same in human medicine, too.

Try the chip number on petaddress. If it cannot tell you the registry, you will need to check with the NSW govt registry to see if it is listed there (best to ask one of the helpful NSW DOLer rescue people to check the number for you). Once you know the registry, you can go to that registry's website and follow the procedures for change of ownership. If it doesn't come up as belonging to any register, then you can register it with whichever registry you like best. I suggest whichever one Perry is registered with, so that you only need to contact one registry for both dogs if you need to change details like phone number or address. I have come across a couple of dogs that had been chipped but the chip not registered, when that happens you register that chip number with whichever registry you like. I have come across dogs that were registered with a number similar to a series used for goats or other farm animals and have assumed they were born on a farm so I know what you mean by weird numbers! If she is on a registry, don't panic. No doubt the pound tried to contact the listed owners without luck. You will probably be asked for a statutory declaration, then she will be in your name. The truce they have both come to is quite good for this fairly early stage and a good basis for a happy family. Well done!

I have seen two, one in a purebred Pug, one in a Heinz mutt, and have heard of several others in varying breeds. In both the cases I saw, the dogs presented as female and then in adolescence very small penises began to be glimpsed and both went to the vet, who confirmed hermaphroditism. In two other cases of which I have heard, it was only discovered during routine desexing surgery - bit of a surprise for the vet! I have owned a rabbit that presented as female for several years and then suddenly became male and sired litters - most annoying when you thought you had all females so were safe from conception!

Tibby looks like a real little gentleman. And for heaven's sake, nobody tell Esky about Mop and Duster! 4Paws looks like a great rescue - I love rescues that support the seniors!

Maple is very handsome. If you are unsure of his lineage, he could be the less common German Spitz (Mittel) and has been misidentified as Japanese because he happens to be white. The Mittel standard says they should only be up to 11kg, so he is still oversize (although apparently there is a variety in Europe up to 20kg, so maybe larger dogs are in the lines.) I would also agree with quickie toilet breaks for him holding for such as length of time frequently is not good for his long-term health. I wonder if he will be more talkative in a few weeks, when he feels more settled and comfortable in his new home?

UPDATE!! Billy's trial (which was delayed by illness of his prospective adopter) has now been completed - he has a home!!!! I'm hoping his new mum will post some pics of him in here - she has some lovely ones!

Take some video of him limping with your mobile or digital camera. If he is still lame on Monday he should see a vet. He may only be slightly lame by then, but you can show the video om your phone or camera to the vet.

I wondered that myself...say someone called him from the house when they saw the police approaching and he started to turn, could the bullet have entered the back of the neck? Or could the family member who examined the poor dog's corpse have mistaken the exit wound for the entry if the dog was mid leap and the bullet entry was in the throat? It is all speculation at this point anyway. It is a tragedy that could have been prevented. And Jed, it may be too late to hark back, sorry, but just to let you know that having a different opinion from the majority is NOT what I call trolling, and my warning not to feed trolls (though that particular troll has been royally feasted in here since ) was not prompted by your posts in here, but by those of the self-acclaimed "pot stirrer".