Souff

A lot of kids assume that every dog out for a walk is the same as their dog at home and will accept all their approaches with a happy lick. Actually, many adults assume the same thing too. Recently I quickly told a Mum and her 2 overly enthusiastic juveniles, to stay BACK because the dog in my care and control did NOT like children. "Oh! But my kids LOVE all dogs and are used to being with dogs all the time!" Souff snarled "Get Back Now!" to the humans, and the lead became very much shorter as I turned and walked in the opposite direction to where I had intended to walk. Once out of sight of the gregarious doghuggers, I set about my task of reassuring the dog that the world was once again a safe place. Was this the first time I had to do this? No. It has happened more times than I have had hot dinners. Should a dog who has a fear of certain situations not be exercised and be kept locked away for the rest of its life? Of course not. Not if there is a capable/trained person (and perhaps slightly warped) who can take them out for a walk and a sniff, and is prepared to snarl/yell at silly humans I will do whatever it takes to protect the "problem dog" in my care and control from these overly enthusiastic, naive individuals in our society. If I have to put a brightly striped muzzle and collar and warning flags on the animal in my care, be it Dachshund or Dobermann, mutt or micropod, then yes, I will do it. Not because of the dog's breed, but because I know that the potential for disaster is not far away. To date I have managed to prevent disaster by careful planning about where I take the potential child-eating dogs, and by being a nasty horrible dog person to starry eyed people who will later sue the pants off me if the entanglement between dog and child did occur. Always happy to help children and dogs develop a happy relationship in the right environment, but it has to start with the right dogs for the right children. It just does not work when an old grumpy dog who dislikes children is bombarded by enthusiastic little doghuggers for the first time in a strange place. Does Souff take dogs to shopping centres? Not in a million years - Souff cant stand the places. And what all that noise would do to a dog's finely tuned hearing is just unthinkable. Hope this child is OK and I hope the dog's owner keeps the dog away from shopping centres in future. Souff Edited to say that I have just read that the dog on the coast will be PTS. Also read about parking stations for dogs ..... unbloodybelievable lunacy. Steve Austin is right, such places can only be a recipe for disaster. Looks like another condition of sale will be put in Souff's contracts "THOU WILL NOT TAKE THIS DOG TO SHOPPING CENTRES!"

Sight and smell, but not the sort of smells that we can smell. I believe it is all about pheromones. Souff

It certainly could. And had the dog been contained properly in the backyard this thread would not be here. Souff

Justin, Laws are not made on facts in Australia. Laws are made in response to public opinion, to suit "contemporary community attitudes" as the Minister himself put it when the NSW Parliament passed the law against tail docking, and sometimes laws are made simply to suit the tune of the most influential of the heavyweight players - the media being one of those players. That is how modern-day laws are made in our democratic society of Australia. Ask your local politicians if you don't believe me. Souff

I would suggest that the police and the shopping centre's legal team would be the most appropriate people to have the footage at this stage. The bloodhounds in the media might have to wait a while. Souff

Or not in the house at the time? That poor defenceless little baby I am soooo over irresponsible owners and the whole dog attack situation. It is like a never-ending nightmare. One attack after another. Souff

Justin, I never claim to know it all, because I don't. But, like it or not, as dog owners WE ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR WHERE OUR DOGS ARE, and WHAT OUR DOGS DO. Nobody else takes the rap ..... we are the ones who have to shoulder the responsibility. And that goes for YOU, ME, and rest of the dog owners out there. NO EXCEPTIONS. The whole of the dog world is currently being slammed into the wall because of the dog attacks that are happening; this is no time for making lame excuses or looking for golden pathways. Souff

I don't take any joy in the prediction SBT, but it is like a great big spotlight beaming down.

I certainly do ..... and I keep saying that! And you know what, just like ticking time bombs, they should be in the hands of experts, not in the hands of the untrained or the unwise. I do not give a rats what the breed or crossbreed is, many owners today have taken dogs into a terrible situation. We have dog owners on this site and elsewhere making excuses for terrible things that have happened. Expect more legislation ..... I can feel it coming. Too many attacks on defenceless children, too many people thinking that their dogs can do no harm, too many dogs not under proper control. Too sad for the dogs, too bad for the rest of us. Souff

What is the point? It was a dog. It could have been a crossbred dog or a purebred dog., I no longer care. Like most of the rest of the world I am totally fed up with people allowing their dogs to be out of control. Breed? What frigging breed? They all have teeth and the more powerful the dog, the more damage it can do. Some of my greatest loves in dogs are large powerful breeds, that are gentle giants to me, but I know that without the proper supervision and training these dogs too can be killers. You are right when you state that dog owners are under attack like never before, and while ever little kids and other dogs are getting chewed up by other peoples dogs, the situation will remain the same. I am expecting a new law anytime soon: "All dogs must be muzzled". And you can thank the stupid owners who don't give a rats about anyone but themselves and their dogs for such a law, if and when it happens. Souff

Can anyone else feel the "all dogs must be muzzled in public" law coming soon? Souff

:D

Oh Souff is a bit of a gypsy actually and has met many wonderful vets and animal people on the journey. Dr Penny Mead knows all there is to know about terriers and I suspect about people - vets like her and Angus are memorable for all the right reasons. There are vets like them dotted all over the place and their good reputation always precedes them and is worth spreading. DOL is a good place to ask. The snakes and the grim lecturers are also remembered, for all the wrong reasons, but they wont get too many recommendations from Souff. Next time you see Angus or Penny make sure you tell them that they have been given recommendations from DOL and give them Troy's email address to place an ad on here! hehe Hooroo!

In the ACT where the puppy was? Treat them just like any other. We don't have BSL here, and we don't have anti-breed attitudes in the RSPCA. Newbie here!!! what do they do with them or alegedly do with them? In some states they allegedly get turned into fertilizer.

Oh no no no no, he has done a perfect job of bringing the media focus on to slack councils and useless owners who don't give a rats about other people. Other approaches have not worked and here we have a scowling young owner deliberately turning his three dogs loose, after being ordered to keep them in an enclosure. You cant get much more selfish than that. Dogs are far safer at home and every time he does that he puts the dogs at risk, and the neighbours are also at risk. If this guy's performance is what it takes to get the message across the televisions screens and around the email circuit or wherever, then so be it. Too many little kids have been chewed up and that is a tragedy. This guy could be averting a tragedy by heightening public awareness of the subject in a way that is entertaining. Souff

Same here.

"Who let the old man out?" :D

Or manage to half strangle themselves in the process! You could get some carpet. Funnily enough, a lot of kelpie type dogs don't seem to feel the cold that much. Those dog beds that are made out of shadecloth material are really tough and you might find one of those is enough, with the dogs own body heat, in the kennel. Trick is to get it to stay IN the kennel! ;) Our old kelpie used to toss all the bedding out of the kennel and sleep on the bare boards - winter and summer. Only used it to lie on in the sunshine!!! Souff Edited to say I just saw previous posters comment that RRs do feel the cold. Thanks!

;) Excellent choice!

:D What a great dog impersonator :p and what a tolerant neighbour. The little sh*t of an owner thinks he is laughing at the law, by letting his dogs loose out of the enclosure. To prove what? That more dogs have to die? He has a father that thinks his dog wont bite ..... Sadly, genetics have passed on the same attitude, and it is all going to end up in tears. Oh no, wait .... owner will move out to another place, take his dogs, and repeat the process all over again in another neighbourhood. The next council may not give as many chances, particularly as they will have access to the dogs record. Souff

A lovely tribute to a beautiful family dog. I like the idea that we have a star in the universe named after the family dog. Souff

Sure do. You've made it very clear.

It was A DOG that was loose and attacked ...... and its owner's total lack of responsibility just increases the dark cloud that is hanging over dog ownership in Australia. NO EXCUSES. EVER.

... a lifetime ban on owning a dog might not be a bad idea either Souff

You would have to ask him or his parents about their domestic arrangements ... Souff wasnt there. How do you know his parents were not there to support him during all the press interviews..... because you didn't see them on-camera? It is very possible that they were standing with the producer - out of camera range. It is my understanding that interviews cannot be held with minors without parental permission. I also know of some 13 year olds who have been in the media spotlight before they got to 13 and they have been taught how to conduct themselves and have better public speaking skills and self confidence than many adults. Never underestimate the kids Souff