tdierikx

That's Jalur. He is 5 years old, and came from New Zealand with his sister Cinta. Cinta has been a bit of a princess of late, preferring to stay in the night dens/yards instead of coming out to play... so Jalur gets 2 lunches when she doesn't feel like coming out after the keepers have laid out lunch... he's no silly billy! T.

I can vouch for 2 dogs that pepper spray doesn't work on... mine... *grrr* T.

Awesome offer dogmad! T.

Alison03 - if you see her dog offlead a third time, and it's rushing up to other dogs again... report it. you've already explained to her what can happen, and if she's still ignoring the problem, maybe she needs reminding in a more formal manner. T.

This one piper? 05-10-2013-symbio 603 by tdierikx, on Flickr *grin* T.

Isn't the impound time for dogs in Queensland ridiculously short also? 3 days or something like that? T.

Way to go Daisy!!! T.

Todays' pics are up... A sample... 05-10-2013-symbio 001 by tdierikx, on Flickr 05-10-2013-symbio 045 by tdierikx, on Flickr 05-10-2013-symbio 150 by tdierikx, on Flickr 05-10-2013-symbio 278 by tdierikx, on Flickr 05-10-2013-symbio 395 by tdierikx, on Flickr 05-10-2013-symbio 425 by tdierikx, on Flickr 05-10-2013-symbio 468 by tdierikx, on Flickr 05-10-2013-symbio 533 by tdierikx, on Flickr Enjoy! T.

The Taronga Zoo Friends pass I have apparently lets me visit Sydney, Dubbo, Melbourne, Adelaide, and Perth zoos... just have to let them know in advance if I'm going to visit one of the interstate zoos, and I get in free on my pass. Monarto sounds more open like our Dubbo zoo - is Werribee similar to that? I want to visit Mogo Zoo too... I have a friend that lives in Bateman's Bay (15 mins from Mogo) - so accommodation will be easy for that... I have a couple of friends in Melbourne, and one is an avid photographer - could stay at his place and we could go to the zoo together. Now - just need to find people willing to take me in for a weekend inDubbo, Adelaide, and Perth... *grin*... and then I need to save up for airfares... *gulp*... could be a while... Oh - and Queensland has some good zoo type attractions... T.

I've had the pleasure of looking after 2 sets of Currawong babies that fell out of the tree at where I used to work... one set each year for 2 years. Funny thing was that once they were able to get enough lift to fly, I took them back to the tree at work and their parents started feeding them again - after 3 weeks in my care and nowhere near their parents! Some birds are highly strung, and can die of fright if handled too much - but some are just fine to hand rear if you have the determination to see them through. With my Currawong babies, I didn't handle them at all, just kept them in a very large box and fed them raw meat when they started squawking for a feed (they are carnivores) - I used long nosed pliers to simulate their parents' beak when feeding too, so they were pretty fine about the whole procedure. Love the photo of the adult Butcher bird giving you the evils... *grin* T.

One day I'm gonna have to make me a zoo tour of Australia... *grin* T.

Awww... that is gorgeous! T.

There are a couple of Foxhound breeders in Sydney, as we found out when we had one come into our rescue. Gorgeous dogs, but even more scent oriented than any Beagle I've ever met. I wouldn't want to try to raise one in suburbia unless I was highly involved in some sort of activity for it to expend it's energy on, T.

Your orangutan photo is stunning! Our orangs tend to hide in their day area inside because their enclosure is still a bit cool for them to come out for any length of time... bring on the hot weather is all I have to say! Adelaide has a lot of animals that Taronga doesn't... I need to get down there one day and check them out - loving the African Wild Dog... beautiful! T.

My fave local clinic sold out to Greencross... I don't go there any more as the vets there now have it built into their KPI's to be making lots of profit margin for the company. The best vets that used to work there have left in disgust. Luckily I found an even closer local vet clinic that has an awesome vet who really isn't all that interested in upselling products to boost his profit margin - it is all about what's best for the animals there. He reckons he doesn't have to be massively rich rather than earning a good enough living. He's not poor, but he's not rich either - he also loves his job. T.

It's MY hole!!! T.

Mr Richards is probably the practice manager for that clinic - all things probably have to go through him with regards to this sort of thing. T.

Walk into any pound in Sydney and take a look at the numbers of impounded dogs without microchips... this, and the fact that they are predominately mixed breeds, suggests that pedigreed purebreds are definitely NOT in pounds in any significant numbers at all. I haven't seen a large number of the popular designer breeds in any of the pounds I visit either - ie. the usual pet shop fare... My conclusion - purely based on anecdotal evidence (seen with my own eyes) - is that the majority of unclaimed impounded dogs are most likely originally sourced from BYB's. T.

Greencross are a franchise... T.

Keep reporting the days and times the offending dogs are likely to be around - then the ranger can be there waiting for them... T.

First thing that came to my mind when I read "raspy bark" was westiemum's thread about her Mac... http://www.dolforums.com.au/topic/213566-doggie-dementiaccd/ I'd get the vet to check Kirah's larynx... T.

Run free Mr Wilson... you have left you mummy in body, but your spirit will live in her heart forever. Hugs to you and yours from me and mine perse. T.

Funny how the RSPCA pounds don't temp test pets that are being picked up by their rightful owners though, isn't it? Food for thought there... T.

If you are in Sydney Alison03, most of the pounds are really good at contacting owners via chip details - just make sure your little one's details are up to date, and you shouldn't have any issues if she ever ends up lost. T.

I have a copy of the RSPCA temperament assessment checklist... but it's in MS Excel format. If you want a copy of it Alison03, you'll have to email me for it, OK? T.