tdierikx

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.

I have 2 dogs that Capsicum spray doesn't work on - and we found that out the hard way... luckily they broke up their fight before the police pulled out the tasers... but they did have guns aimed when I had to take one of the dogs inside after the fight - luckily the other dog realised they were there and sat nicely wagging her tail until I came back to deal with her. None of my dogs are human aggressive or dog aggressive in any way - just 2 of them don't like each other is all. T.

A vet clinic I used to frequent was bought by Greencross... the upselling push has gone through the roof, and costs have soared. The staff are pretty much the same as before, but are "advised" to upsell at every opportunity - it's even part of their KPI's to make more profit for the clinic... I don't go there any more, and neither do a few other long standing customers. Another local vet clinic is a single owner operated clinic - his standard of care for the animals and interactions with owners is second to none... and he's cheaper and closer that the clinic I used to frequent. He is now my vet clinic of choice around here. The vet clinic that the rescue I'm with uses is an hour's drive from my place, but I have no hesitation taking my dogs there for anything they need that isn't terribly urgent - they have reasonable rates (even better rates for rescue), and they have awesome vets and great equipment for tests and the like - which the local vet doesn't have. As far as I'm concerned, anything over a $45 consult fee is a bit steep - especially when most visits for normal stuff take about 10-15 mins at most. Everything else they do is added on top of that, so keeping the starting price reasonable is a big one for me. $180 for a triennial plus CC is WAY over the top! I'm happy to pay a bit more than cost for the vaccine - and considering a C3 vial costs about $30 for the vet to buy, and syringes/needles are dirt cheap (say total to $35 for vaccine/syringe/needle) = about $80 to have it done at a vet clinic is reasonable. As for microchips - I know we can get them for under $5 each... so there's some markup at vet clinics there from the prices I've been quoted. Don't get me started of the prices vets charge for basic Clavulox - which cost them about $1 each to buy (for 250mg ones) - I got charged $75 for 20 tablets once... never again! T.

I wouldn'r call it "talent" really... I point the camera in the direction of something I find interesting, then I take as many photos of whatever it is that I can... that way, at least a few come out looking pretty good... lol! Take the most recent trip to Taronga for example - I took just over 1900 (yes you read that right) photos... and then pulled all of 38 that I thought were nice enough for public viewing... funnily enough, I'm not all that likely to show off the ones that weren't so nice... *grin* T.

I really AM quite jealous Kirislin... these three are seriously some of the cutest things on 4 legs... T.

I'm sure that my 4 all have their own versions of a sense of humour... they will do the silliest things, then look to see if you are laughing at them yet... if you aren't, they repeat until you do laugh... T.