casowner

What a beautiful boy Perse and what a great age to reach. He looked so happy in those photos, treasured memories I am sorry for your loss, what a great ambassador for a working dog. RIP Gorgeous man

Very nice looking dogs , that chain looks like it would hold a semi let alone a dog though Keep us updated with pics

A good registered breeder is worth their weight in gold, I know that I am happy (and sad) to wait for a puppy from Jakes breeder for as long as it takes because I know first hand the amount of dedication she puts into her dogs & pups

Jakey my angel, time passes though the pain doesn't seem to. This Christmas should be a happy one, you know I always get so excited about my Christmas lights and then I would watch you race around like a demon knocking them over. Well my boy I couldn't bring myself to putting them up this year. The grass has grown over the spot on the grass where you used to lay and something so natural hurts so much. A lovely DOLer told me that they had seen a big black dog laying near a verandah on the garden, she described your sleeping spot perfectly and ever since that I have finally been able to go outside at night and feel safe. It has given me some comfort knowing that you are still here in some form. Ben talks about you a lot, your daddy still can't. It amazes me how you have touched him, he has never really understood animals and the impact they have on your life until you came along. Well my boy, Merry Christmas for tomorrow and thank you for being the dog you were and will continue to be in our hearts. Love mum

I remember when that happened it was horrific poor Nikki, it is about time that these cases were taken seriously

I once saw a tv program and it was a man that was hoarding cats and when asked why he did it he simply said "they need me". It is a sad situation all round

Just my opinion but if you are going to hand her over to the RSPCA or AWL as a private handover, which it will be if as you say that you own her that out of the two I would choose the RSPCA especially if she is timid and in whelp. If you rehome her privately I hope that you do so desexed as most people would allow the pups to be born for the "oh cute she will have puppies" factor and the cycle continues. To define whether the Council accepts her (they do not take handovers) they will need to know the circumstances and if she was abandoned as you have taken her on as your own they may not be willing to get involved as she is not a stray. I would also strongly recommend that if you say you have the owners permission to keep her that you get something in writing to prove that

AWL takes on Council strays but only direct from the Council, they can not accept public found animals. A lost dog must go through the Council process first. In the case of lost animals always contact the RSPCA and AWL but handing them over needs to be done at the Council whosearea it was found in. If the owner knows you have the dog then the primary concern is the bitches welfare, get her vet checked - aged, heartworm tested, vaccinated, checked for parasites and find out if she is in fact pregnant and how far along etc

This is one of my faves of Jake, it isn't the best picture but it it typical of him - always watching, ensuring that everyone was ok. This is the day Ben got BJ and Jake followed them around everywhere and whenever BJ got pushy Jake stood between them

My beautiful Shannon back in her youth

I have always loved this pic of my old dog Kane - looking tough with his rubber dumb bell

I lost my big boy 2 months ago and I cry everyday, his bed is by the back door still and there are reminders of him everywhere. I am a little different to you as I can go get another dog but we only want another CASD and there is only one breeder that I want another from. I will be waiting a long time possibly years for another and that hurts too but we have made the decision and are commited to it. I am hoping to get a pup from a mating from his brother, at least that way he will still be a part of our family even if it is just a genetic link. This time we are hoping to get 2 as they are such an amazing breed that I can not ever imagine another breed fitting so perfectly into our home and family. I do have another little fluff bum but she is very ill and it is only a matter of time before I lose her but I keep pushing that loss to the back of my head as it will be absolutely soul destroying when the time comes.

Just a side note on confrontation and injury - the pain threshold and nervous / immune sysyem of CAO from external injury is higher and more resilient than other LGD - their morphology and pysche is also different so they very rarely receive injury - nothing significant from what most feral dogs in aust have to offer. Also their technique / confrontational style ie how they contend is better suited. That said CAO are not as social as pyr or maremma and though they will love your children, they may not love your children's friends or your friends - as far as learning curves go I think there is more room for the owner to make 'rearing mistakes' with other LGDs than the CAO. Often with CAO, owners don't know what they have until the dog reacts - whatever the indiviual CAO's reactivity threshold is, it will ultimately act like a CAO ie: active defence most in Australia are not used to this and even some owners of CAO when they see this in their CAO for the first time, think of it as an abnormality rather than normality.If seeing aggression in a dog is not something you are comfortable with then the CAO is not for you This is very true, I had done a lot of research of the CASD/CAO when we had ours and no matter what you expect until you see a CASD reacting the way he does nothing prepares you. The reaction time is immediate with very little signs in change of behaviour. The CASD instincts are incredibly strong, mine would go from a sleeping teddy and in an instant would spring up and chase a motorbike along the fence with lighteneing speed. Complacency with this breed when it came to strangers or different behaviours from people was something that I was always reminding our family of. The image of going for walks and seeing this amazing animal walk in front of you, but not with you made you feel disconnected from him. Then to actually watch his movements and body language and see him watching where you all are at all times was truly awe inspiring. Foremost he was a guardian, he was also an incredibly loyal companion but in HIS way not a way that you would expect a family dog to be. I agree the CASD is not a breed for everyone and nor should they be, it was an honour to bele to share my family and home with one.

I have always referred people onto SACA and DOL too. The other major point to consider in the bigger picture is that there will always be people that want a cross breed - what about them? it is their right to do decide that they do not want a pure bred, regardless of what we believe. The media has done a very good job at assisting with this and the scare mongering has done a lot of damage to the pure bred community. So until all puppies are bred to the same standard and sold by the same standards regardless of breed it is a hard thing to change. You can minimise what many people see as the damage done by pet shops but what happens about the internet sales, bybers, newspapers etc etc who is monitoring that? And how can that be monitored? Anne raises a very vaild point if so many dogs and puppies are going into shelters not microchipped then they came from other sources.

Thats the only way it would work....I cant see pet shop owners liking that though, they would be losing out on $'s. That is not totally correct I have offered myself and I am sure other non puppy selling shops would too, but it makes it hard when there is always pet shop bashing going on. I would prefer $$ made on product sales resulting in puppy owners buying from reputable sources and making a long lasting business/customer relationship rather than a quick buck on a puppy sale. There is much more to consider before any such scheme would work including defining ethical registered breeders from the non ethical ones also as the pet shops that would do this would be putting their business reputation into the hands of the breeders that they recommend. For example you recommend B Smith as a Breeder, your customer buys a pup from them, the pup has health issues or there are problems with paperwork (whatever). Now your customer could now partially blame you for your recommendation and you lose a customer but the breeder got a puppy sale. Businesses should be built on reputation and customer service and they rely on repeat customers moreso than a Breeder who may sell one puppy to a particular person in a lifetime, or if lucky maybe 2 or so but they don't rely on them to come back. Pet Shops could be an invaluable way of getting Registered Breeders/pure bred dogs more visiblity in the Community but neither can have it both ways, they have to work together and with the history between the two that would be a big ask for either side.

If pups are going into shops at 5 weeks they need to be reported, they must be 7 weeks of age before they can be sold ( I believe that may be increased to 8) in SA. It is also recommended that they are kept no longer than 21 days - there is no provision however for what happens then and it is a recommendation only. If Legislation exists and it is being broken then pressure needs to be put on the Governing bodies to act on breaches, laws will only be obeyed if they are infact enforced and there is a visible presence from those that govern them. Toothless tigers don't instill the same sort of fear and respect as the one that is hungry and has a full set of canines. Pet Shop Legislation SA

I know that I used to get to school 1hr early to ensure that all of the greys got a walk and cuddle every morning. They were loved even if it was for a moment.

When we lost Jake I showed my OH other LGD breeds and one I showed him was the PMD, they are gorgeous dogs but we came back to the conclusion that a CASD/CAO is what we have in our hearts. Having young children the PMD appealed to me and one of my old grooming bosses had one that she used to take to work - I adored him, much more social than other LGD's I have met away from home

TAFE SA used greyhounds that were no longer required by their trainers, I would be walking one in the morning in the morning and then seeing him/her on the table for a non recovery procedure in the afternoon it was heartbreaking (don't know the current status). Emotively it is a very difficult situation but what is the answer? We need vet students to learn before they start practicing on our own pets so what is an alternative that will satisfy everyones beliefs?

or 3 and he doesn't know there will be more

Definately recommend the dr re allergy testing or you can do what I did - OH tells me to rehome something instead I get more - that taught him to be more accepting real quick

Until you have actually seen a LGD working it is very hard to contemplate their abilities and due to mines aloof nature even my partner completely underestimated him. When he was taken to the vet with an eye problem I insisted that he was muzzled and that my OH restrained him, both he and the vet thought I was being dramatic until she looked into his face up close and ended up being thrown across the room. He was off of his territory being restrained and had a strangers face cms from his own and he reacted. It made my OH realise that he wasn't just a big teddy and it made him much more aware of his body language. This dog was happy being used as a demo dog at TAFE and was incredibly gentle with family, animals and people he knew but he was never left unsupervised with our children and was put away when strangers were at the house his sheer size made that a must. As I said 20 years working with and training dogs didn't prepare me for him but now after owning and understanding the breed more I am completely dedicated to being a CASD owner for life. Luckily their are breeders like Lilli whose priority is the breed itself and maintaining the integrity of the CASD/CAO

Clyde if it makes you feel better my CASD much preferred to sleep outside and would get anxious when inside overnight

A pack of dogs will take down alpacas

My CASD would defend his property/livestock with his life, however it would also depend on which LGD breed you are looking at as they all have their own breed traits. Please be aware that many LGD breeds are very strong willed and require a competant handler, I would suggest contacting some breeders to discuss your needs and experience. Owning a CASD was the most challenging and rewarding experience that I have ever had working with dogs but it came with a huge commitment to the breed. The CASD is now one of the only breeds that I will have in my home, Jake was a dog that would be as gentle as a lamb with a guinea pig but would also defend against any threat with sheer determination and would follow through with anything he set his mind to.