tdierikx

I have a selection of zoos here in Sydney FM... very lucky indeed! T.

I'm more of the opinion that if everyone obeyed the law and kept their dogs leashed as they are supposed too, then none of this would be an issue Don't you think being rushed by unfriendly dogs only twice as you said, is twice too many times, what if your dog had been attacked and killed on one of those occasions, would that have been ok because it only happened twice. I know what would happen your posts on this forum would be very close to looking like mine for a start. If you think the amount of dog attacks isn't that bad then you haven't been paying attention at all, only a few weeks ago two elderly ladies were attacked in separate incidents, one is still in hospital, then their was the lady who was attacked while pushing her child in a pram, they may be isolated incidents but they feel pretty bloody disastrous if they happen to you or someone you love. If you still feel its ok and in fact beneficial for everyone to have the experience of meeting off leash dogs, you should have realised from reading the other posts on here today that you are in the minority. Seeing as the rest of us aren't as enlightened and downright superior as you and Razor, please go and live on Razors desert island (I suggested he bought one for himself) and have a blast off leash there, i do hope Toby likes your dog or you could have a problem. Defensive much? Please point out where I said I was walking MY dogs offlead? As for my experiences with 2 unfriendly dogs - one was a very large Rottweiler, and the other was a small fluffy... guess which one actually frightened my dogs the most? Do you hear me ranting on about either breed type and calling them "wolves" or the like? They were 2 ISOLATED incidents - either of which could have ended badly if I had over-reacted to the threat... I'm not claiming to be any more enlightened or superior to anyone else here - but maybe, just maybe, my being calm and rational and standing my ground when under threat might be why neither incident escalated to a full blown attack by those dogs. In the case of the small fluffy bailing up my Dane cross and scaring her witless - that little dog was nasty - it went for me when I stood between it and my terrified "horse-puppy" - but I calmly asked it's owner to please come and secure it while we went past... up until that point the owner of the off lead fluffy thought it was extremely funny that their little dog was attacking my dog and myself. Maybe it was the tone in my voice, but they quickly secured their dog and let us pass without further incident - but I could hear them passing snide comments and laughing at me and my huge "scaredy-cat dog" as I walked off... *sigh* As for the Rottweiler - let's just say that at the time I was walking my own 2 Rotties - both of whom hid behind me when the strange one tried to bail us up. Rotties don't frighten me (funnily enough), so I just raised my voice and put some growl in it, and firmly let the approaching dog (and it's owner some distance away) that I meant business. The owner then called their dog away before I did something to it they weren't going to like. I will also admit that I have been trained in handling dangerous dogs - so maybe my reaction to perceived threats by dogs is a bit different to some here... which doesn't mean that I'm poo-pooing your reactions, just that I think they may be a bit more over the top than my own. That said, I've long held a fear of small yappy/bitey dogs - Pembroke Corgis in particular frighten me stupid - go figure? T.

He has lovely long supermodel legs... I like a guy with nice legs... *grin* I think his eyes are still both light blue Kirislin - just the angle and the lighting make one look a different colour... T.

I have 4 big dogs... plenty of bed warmers here! But.... couch cuddles are MUCH better when both you and the dog can fit on the couch together... yes? T.

2.8 is stable apparently and has a number of bug fixes... I'd go for that... T.

I'm more of the opinion that the more nicely behaved off lead dogs the average Joe sees/meets, the better... Seriously though, if you have a highly reactive dog, is it fair on them (or you for that matter) to be taking them to areas that may be crowded with people or other dogs? Wouldn't that be more likely to heighten their tension rather than being an enjoyable stroll for you both? Also - if YOU are on edge whenever you see an offlead dog - don't you think that your own dog will be picking up on that tension and thusly be transmitting their own? Surely the number of offlead and aggressive dogs out and about isn't the epidemic that some would have us believe? I've been living in this area since 1999 - and have only been rushed at by unfriendly loose dogs twice when out walking my own. Plenty of smaller territorial dogs making noise from their front yards, but nothing that has been seriously "menacing" or of any concern to me or my dogs. I live in an area where we have a very high number of people living on government assistance, and have all manner of the staffy or mastiff crosses as pets - but the unfriendly ones have definitely been a very small minority from my experience. T.

What if we crossed him with this? ... or this? Would b cool, huh? T.

If the off leash dog IS under effective control and simply enjoying a meander with it's owner and not creating havoc, I don't see the problem with the fact that it is off leash. I've met quite a few nicely behaved off leash dogs locally - not fazed by some of the leashed dogs that are not under much control at all, and purely focused on their owners and where they are going. Should i be reminding those people with their nicely behaved dogs of the fact that they are actually breaking the law by not having their dogs on leash - or shuld I just sit and admire the bond they have and the lovely walk they are having? Generally, the off lead dogs I encounter around here are of the staffy cross or cattle cross variety - and even a few mastiff cross types... and none has ever worried me or my dogs at all... go figure? T.

Are they open for Christmas orders yet? We HAVE to use Mr Hobbs as a stud NOW if we are to have orders ready for Christmas you know... *grin* This guy is easily 80kgs or more - and with Pittie types being banned everywhere - well - where else to get a big scary dude with cool teefies and claws to die for? *giggle* If you only knew what a sook this guy is really... T.

Party poopers! See if they will play now I've asked for it to be done in fun instead... T.

OK - he's a Sun Bear... actually, his name is Mr Hobbs and he lives at Taronga Zoo... ... but if he was a dog - what breed mix would you put on him? Just for a bit of fun... T.

Haha! posted a breed id thread in General... *grin* I wonder if anyone will actually mistake Mr Hobbs for a dog? T.

Anyone have an idea what breeds may be in this gorgeous beast? Rotti cross? T.

While "train" may not be the best word we should feel we can question vets just like we question our own doctors about treatments etc. Long gone are the "doctors are Gods" days of yesteryear. Though in reality, how many people actually question a treatment their Doctor prescribes? (ask yourself how many times you yourself have actually done it?). Same when it comes to the average person and their vet. I think the large majority of dog owners who frequently post on this forum are not really 'average' either, rather they are more inclined to question than the 'average' owner. Can't count the number of times I have heard someone say 'my vet said 'this' so that is what I do - after all they are the vet'. I also insist on being thoroughly appraised of treatment options for myself with "human" doctors/specialists... I will make an informed decision based on those options, and maybe come up with a few of my own as well. Case in point: - my recent issues with nerve pain after a large inflammatory lesion was found in my thoracic spine - I refused a lumbar puncture because what they were wanting to use it to test for could be done with a simple blood test (which came back negative). I also refused anti-convulsants and anti-depressants to manage the nerve pain - and instead went with a new treatment by my physio that is drug free and is returning great results with regards to pain management - which is allowing me to live a normal life and still do the things I want to do when I want to do them. If I had blindly accepted the first options offered by the neurologist without questioning other options, I have no doubt that I'd still be completely screwed up and contemplating suicide by now... it got pretty dark there for a while in any case... If a vet or doctor won't explain things to you in terms you can understand enough to make an informed decsion about treatment options, then make them rephrase it until you DO understand. If they don't like it, that's just tough. T.

Gorgeous! T.

That look is simply priceless! T.

*fingers in ears* LA... LA... LA... LA... LA... I can't hear you... I'm a big dog person... I'm a big dog person... Who am I kidding? T.

I wonder if you'd confuse anyone if you put this photo in a "what breed is this dog" thread. :laugh: HAHAHAHAHA! Tempting... very tempting... *evil grin* T.

Spot on there LG - although "very intelligent" is subjective in this case... lol! Next time you are in Sydney, come on around, and I'll give you a crash course in suture removal... I will even give you a couple of suture cutters to keep... hehe! I can show you the quick and easy tablet insertion technique too... works for large or small dogs... T.

Well - the iPhone is really only designed to take pics for sharing over the internet or viewing on a smaller screen than a computer monitor... for stuff you may want to print up large or have better resolution on, you really need at least a higher end point and shoot camera - or if the OH really loves you, a DSLR... *grin* The Canon SX model point and shoot cameras take some lovely photos - and they are a lot cheaper than a new iphone too... If you are looking for a reasonably priced DSLR, the Canon 1100D is a good starting point - or even the 600D is reasonably priced nowadays. Go for the twin lens kit option which gives you an 18-55mm and a 55-250mm (or the 70-300mm) - or for a single lens option, go for the Tamron 18-270mm one for best value and quality. For the price of a new iPhone, you could get the Canon 1100D with the Tamron 18-270mm lens... *grin* T.

The link they have on their page links back to a DOL thread that doesn't exist any more... T.

The only time I take my dogs to a vet is when they need something that I can't give them, or they have something wrong that I'm having difficulty pinning down the exact cause of. I usually know which tests I want done, or which medications I need for a certain issue, but don't have on hand in my dog medical kit. Take for example a rescue foster pup with diarrhoea - I will need a fecal float to determine whether we are looking at coccidia or giardia - very similar symptoms, but very different drugs needed to treat effectively. Having been involved with rescue for some years now, and having grown up on a farm where vet assistance isn't nearly as readily available as in the city, one develops a fairly broad range of animal illness diagnostic skills - and one invariably ends up using a vet only to confirm or deny a diagnosis and to put a treatment plan into place. The vets I use understand that I'm not the average city pet owner, and are happy to work WITH me to the benefit of my animals - in fact there have been occasions when a vet has called ME for help with diagnosing an illness in another client's dog. Being with rescue sure opens one's eyes to the myriad of interesting cases that can crop up, that's for sure - and I've seen and helped diagnose and treat a number of things that a regular suburban vet may never see in their entire careers. So when I say I "train" my vets - I mean that they are fully aware of my experience base, and we work together to diagnose and treat the animals in my care. Most of them appear to appreciate a client that takes such an interest in the work they do actually. T.

The RSPCA in the ACT isn't a pound though - they can be selective about the animals they take in, and when. Much easier to be no-kill when you aren't tasked with having to take in everything that comes through your doors. If you want a great pound to make comparisons with, take Renbury Farm, or Hawkesbury Pound in Sydney as examples of how a well run pound works - they both work extremely well with rescue, and have lower kill rates due to that fact. Renbury is privately run, and Hawkesbury is council run - but both strive for lower kill rates by actively working with rescue to get as many rehomable dogs and cats out with a chance to find a new life. T.

$26 entry for an adult was pretty reasonable I thought... you can spend all day there, swim in their pool, actually get up close and personal with lots of the animals, and the food isn't anywhere near rip-off prices. I've actually yet to find a cheaper day's entertainment for myself... *grin* T.

The punishment should befit the crime IMHO... stick a tight collar around HER neck and let it get into the same state... T.