Souff

Oh dear, only a Cavvy could manage it .....

Lets hope there is a great big batch of Lib votes in the postals .... And that by some minor miracle that there are not a lot of preferences going to Labor Those who voted Green actually voted Labor because sadly that is where their vote will end up via the preferential voting system

Kyliestar, I think I am an elitist. When I look at a well bred animal, particularly one in its natural setting, I am awestruck. Muscles rippling on an animal ready to spring, or magnificent movement from the hindquarters as an animal takes off on a high speed chase .... my dream is to see something like a jaguar in the wild with all of that happening. A well bred, healthy animal with a beautifully toned body can be a stunning sight. Whether it be a horse, a jaguar, a greyhound on the track, or an Australian Terrier trotting springily along with its master with the coat shining and flowing, the head held high on a firm neck, or a spaniel of beautiful proportions with rippling flanks and coat. I was not talking about just seeing a purebred dog on the street, I was talking about seeing two exceptionally well bred animals walking with their owners. I do not know who owned the dogs or if they had a registered pedigree, but what my eyes told me was that these two animals were WELL BRED, and it also told me that they were HEALTHY and FIT. Now another dog of the same breed might have come along and I may not have batted an eye ..... I am so used to seeing, and tired of seeing: overweight dogs, dogs whose skeletons are not of the correct proportions, dogs with bowed legs, dogs with turned out feet, dogs with poor shoulder angulation, dogs whose necks appear to be stiff and not well supported, dogs that are limping, dogs that are practically dragging their hindquarters, dogs that are skipping or hopping instead of gaiting smoothly. Most of the afflictions that I have listed here are common, on both purebred and crossbred dogs. It is a form of cruelty that both breeders and owners are perpetuating and it is very, very sad. We should be breeding better dogs. I was lucky enough to see two dogs that were not afflicted by any of the above ..... and they were a stunning sight. There are many more dogs like this and we often see them at dog shows ..... they are excellent examples of their breed. What I was saying in this thread to anyone who owns a dog like these dogs, PLEASE TAKE IT OUT THERE FOR THE WORLD TO SEE. They are a magnificent sight, every bit as good as that jaguar in the wild probably. Yes, I am an elitist and I make no apology for it. None at all. Well bred dogs that can move beautifully and smoothly should be the ones who get to carry their breed into the future and they should be seen more by the general public. Souff

You have a nerve. Do not insinuate that I approve of mass export of dogs! I most certainly do not and never have done. Not to Japan, or to any other country. YOU WERE THE ONE WHO DRAGGED IN THE LIVE SHEEP EXPORT TRADE INTO THIS THREAD - TOTALLY UNWARRANTED AND TOTALLY UNRELATED TO A JAPANESE PET SHOP. It is a totally different ball game, has NOTHING to do with scummy pet shops in Japan, and obviously a trade with which you are MISERABLY OUT OF DATE. Raz has given you a very good tip, take the matter of the Japanese pet shop up with a journalist over there. There are also international bodies who do care about issues like these pet shops. Stop giving Australia an unwarranted bad name! As I said before, animal welfare standards in Australia are now up there with the best. Get some up to date facts before you start bagging Australian farmers on the internet. Souff

http://news.ninemsn.com.au Cliffhanger election tipped as booths open Polling booths have opened across Victoria in an election that is tipped to be a cliffhanger. Polling booths opened their doors at 8am (AEDT) with 3.5 million voters faced with the choice between re-electing Labor after 11 years in power or going with the coalition, led by Ted Baillieu. 11 years is too long and tghe Labor Party have done a lot of damage with the crazy legislation that they have brought in about dog breeding. Hope Ted Bailleau and his team of Libs know a bit more about dog breeding before they start signing off on any more new laws. Think twice about giving your vote to an independent or one of the smaller parties, because there is a high risk that your vote will end up with Labor in the counting of preferences.

But he's a good looking prat. I'll have to watch the start of it again next week just to see him with his shirt off doing the Hasselhoffian run along the beach

Wrong. A breeder is responsible for choosing WHO THEY SELL THE PUP TO. After that, the responsibility for the pup's welfare is on the shoulders of the person who bought the pup and is from that point the legal owner. I cannot think of one breeder in Australia (that I would call a friend) who would ever allow their pups to be sold to anyone who was likely to on-sell to a pet shop in Japan, or to a pet shop in any other country for that matter. We have plenty of excellent homes in Australia for our puppies. There are some excellent people around the globe who also can give wonderful homes to our pups, but a good breeder needs to know them well before selling, and reputable breeders make sure this happens. However, the idea of the breeder being responsible for the welfare of the pup after it leaves the care of their hands is way off the mark - the pup is legally owned by another person and unless we can regain ownership of the pup the breeder can do nothing, other than to report to the relevant authorities. I say again: If people dont like what is happening in other countries with animal welfare, then they will have to lodge their objections with those countries, or with international agencies who have some sway in those countries. The United Nations is not a bad place to start. SOuff

Then take it up with the countries who have the lousy standards!!!! GET OFF THE AUSTRALIAN BREEDERS BACKS! The animals to which you refer are a food item and the breeders cannot dictate nor enforce what happens to the animals once they land on other shores. If you feel so strongly about these issues take yourself to those countries and seek change where it is needed and see how you go there. Souff Ok Souff, to try and vaguely get back to the initial topic - I hope if i delved back through your posts I wouldn't see you in threads discussing the exports of whole registered litters to Japan damning these breeders. To follow your logic then what happens to the pups when they get there is none of the breeders concern and everyone on here needs to shut up and get off the breeders backs. If anyone here has a problem with the way the pups are treated once they get to japan, they need to take it up with japan. It's none of the breeders concern as to what happens when they get there Your attack on Australian sheep growers who are involved in export of live sheep was cowardly and uncalled for and has absolutely nothing to do with what you saw in a pet shop in Japan. Next time put the brain into gear before you attack those who have to try and make a living from the land, put yourself in their shoes. They have come through years and years of drought. There are Mums out there who have to finish raising their families because their hubby committed suicide when he couldn't stand seeing his sheep die in the drought and there was no money to transport them anywhere. It is not an easy life but we have some of the best animal growers in the world right here in Australia and as the others have said the standards of export are now high. The bills have to be paid MW, and how the receiving countries handle their lamb dinner is their business. If it needs improving, then attack them. Do not attack the Aussie farmers. G'night!

You know what a Samoyed should look like. Bring your Samoyeds to Newcastle a bit more often!

It is highly unlikely that you will find any posts of mine discussing exports of any pups to Japan. But I agree with your logic - if you have a problem with what is happening in Japan then take it up with Japan because there is bugger all that we can do about it from here. Souff

BRUNO and GALLOMPH So nice to hear from the producers Yes, those who are sprouting off the propaganda would do far better to put their money into buying Australian produce and finding out WHAT is really happening in Australia. It is the old story ..... too many people are simply believing what they read/hear/see in the media, and what they are read/hear/see is often put in the media by those with a stated agenda - to get rid of the practice of farming animals for food. Promotion of Australian information by some of the major players in primary industry would not go astray. Souff

:mad Same here! Red light districts and pimps is all the purebred dog world needs now to complete the picture! ;)

Around $30 a pup for front dew claws. Beautiful job too. Done at 24 hours and taken straight back to Mum who was outside.

It is not only a shame, it is another nail in the coffin. But, we can ALL DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT, and easily. Get those well bred, healthy looking dogs out there trotting smartly alongside you on a road, safely on lead. They will be seen by a lot more people than they will ever be in dog parks, or in dog shows. They will be seen by people who say: "Gee, take a look at that dog, will you! I would LOVE to own a dog like that!" We have seen what happens when beautifully bred, healthy dogs appear in movies ...... the whole world wants to own one just like the dog in the movie. The same thought can be achieved by putting your dogs on view to drivers, particularly those stuck in traffic ...... after all, you have a CAPTIVE AUDIENCE It wasn't until I saw these 2 stunning dogs out and about yesterday that I realised how much we need to do this. Full credit to their owners and their breeders, they both moved like a dream. Soooo important. Souff

Excellent!

[quote name='melzawelza' date='26th Nov 2010 - 02:21 AM' post='4982484' ETA: the problem with live exports is not the way they are transported. It's the fact that they are exported to countries with next to no animal welfare laws, that do NOT adhere to our Australian standards. Once thy are off the boat we have no way to control how they are treated or slaughtered. They are commonly put in car boots and strapped to roof racks and each other. Then take it up with the countries who have the lousy standards!!!! GET OFF THE AUSTRALIAN BREEDERS BACKS! The animals to which you refer are a food item and the breeders cannot dictate nor enforce what happens to the animals once they land on other shores. If you feel so strongly about these issues take yourself to those countries and seek change where it is needed and see how you go there. Souff

And that is how it should be! Friend once had her two beautifully bred Dalmations on a red brace lead and was walking beside a street when a woman screeched to a halt, stuck her head out the window to call out something like, "Absolutely beautiful!" Put well bred dogs on show near public roads, let the public see good health and good conformation, and the public appreciate it. A well bred dog with excellent conformation and movement can be a magnificent sight that will stop traffic and they are a great advertisement for purebred dogs. Souff

:D Thank you Bruno. You have said everything I wanted to say, and more. Australian standards for animal welfare are up there with the BEST and we should be proud of that. I am totally fed up with the AL bleaters that are infesting this forum which was put here for the use of the purebred dog world, they do little to help the purebred dog world and it is the idealogy of these same people that is destroying the future for purebred dogs. Souff

Yay!!! Today I saw 2 of the best looking purebred dogs that I have seen in ages!!!! Where did I see these magnificent creatures? With their owners, on lead, walking on the footpath beside a busy suburban road. So what is so special about that you ask? I have become just so accustomed to seeing crossbred mutts and poorly bred examples of purebred dogs hobbling along with wobbly hips, or hind legs that skip, or hocks that are near the ground, or bow legged dogs that seem to bounce along something like a frog ..... all the pets of loving owners who take them out for a walk. But this time I was looking at the best of the best - both of these dogs just screamed "WELL BRED!". And I was not the only driver in a car watching these beautiful dogs - we all got a show of excellent movement from excellent conformation, beautiful sleek coats ..... even blind Freddy could see that these were properly bred dogs. 2 different dogs in 2 different places. Each was a magnificent ambassador for its breed and for the dog world as a whole. One was an AUSTRALIAN TERRIER, a breed that I rarely see in public places like roadsides. The other was a COCKER SPANIEL, another breed that we see far too little of away from the dog show rings. If you have a well bred beautiful dog that moves like a dream and looks like a warrior prince, PLEASE take it for a walk alongside a busy road now and then. You will be giving purebred dogs the VERY BEST PROMOTION ...... VISIBILITY! Remember .... dog breeders go to dog shows. Very few of the drivers who saw these dogs today would ever be at a dog show. Souff

No, you have missed nothing, as far aw I know anywho. But, there are those receptionists at some vet surgeries will tell you "We dont remove dewclaws on pups here". They say it as a form of mutilation and this is the general feeling that is passed on to new vet nursing recruits I am told. The vets themselves WILL do it, 9 times out of 10. It is pathetic when you have to get past the receptionist and ask the vet but that is the way it is. I suppose they feel that if they keep up their PETA mantra and keep on bullying people out of having it done, most people will THINK there is a law against it, when there is not. Souff Unfortunately, it looks like I DID miss something :D Under the DPI (Vic) regulations, dewclaws may only be removed by a veterinarian. So at least we can still do it, but..... now to find a vet who will as you say, do it and be, who KNOWS how to do it. Gonna say here and now, if there is anyone in Victoria who hasn't read the DPI website and all publications/links relating to dogs & cats in Victoria - do it as soon as you can and take notes because any one of us could be next Geez Spikes, I am really sorry, I forgot you resided in the state of no return. Is it something in the water down there? Your bureaucrats and politicians are really something else! Get out while you still can, I say! I suppose you have to be grateful that the vets are still allowed to remove dewclaws ..... I actually don't mind the vets doing it .... but to find the vets who can still do it, and do it well, you have to first get past the Animal Libber know-it-all receptionists who have been brainwashed into thinking that we are mutilating our beautiful puppies As if! Souff

It wouldn't matter how rich you were because if you even attempted to bring them into Australia you will have a very hefty fine waiting for you from the Australian Quarantine people (AQIS) and the very expensive fox will be put to sleep immediately by AQIS officers. Foxes are classed as vermin in Australia and with very good reasons. Souff

Radical activist organisations (of any name) do not have the long term best interests of animals at heart. Egos are their biggest problem. Internal politics are their next biggest problem. They LOVE the media but as to what might happen to purebred dogs in the future? Well lets just say that they see the breeding of specified breeds of dogs as human intervention and they would rather that they just all run free. Don't believe me? Do a search for some of the stuff said by Ingrid Newkirk as far back as the 1990s. Ms Newkook hasn't changed her loony tunes but mercifully we dont hear too much of her bleating these days ... probably trod on some toes in the media! Souff

In an industry there is a lot at stake so self-regulation with a firm governing code will work. In the dog breeding world the stakes are not as high. Self regulation has been the model used to date and the results speak for themselves. If the ANKC is to survive then at some stage it will have to reinvent itself. Its structure is totally different to what most people assume - it is not your usual corporate structure and probably should be, imho. Souff

It is ironic that there are currently many thousands of people in Australia and across the world researching their family tree ..... while at the same time the importance of the pedigree of a well bred animal is something that is not only UN-PROMOTED but only a very small number of people are interested in. The pedigrees of dogs are still seen as unimportant by most people. Perhaps there needs to be a promotional website set up to assist people who want to research the family tree of their pet. In doing so, some of those people might come to realise that there is a very LIMITED future for most purebred dogs. Education is needed. Media promotion and internet access. Two of the tools that give an effective ways to reach people these days so that you can educate them. Promotion, then education. Souff

Too true (on both posts). I am not saying that every owner should be breeding from their dogs, far from it. However if some group - presumably vets or breeders - does not encourage people to become involved in breeding good quality dogs with registered pedigrees ..... WHO WILL? Souff