tdierikx

Oh gwp4me... you have my deepest sympathies... Run free Strolchie. T.

... and the point I'm making is that all of those "traditional" breeds HAVE been the subject of public distrust in times past for exactly the same reasons bull breeds are now. None of those breeds were banned or subject to BSL conditions - instead, the breeding community stepped up and became somewhat more selective about where their dogs were/are going, yes? THAT is the answer - not BSL or banning of entire breed types. The other fact I'm making is that the number of responsible bull breed dog owners is higher than the number that aren't - but the media do love a juicy story with an evil protagonist... funnily enough, there have been many cases of dog attacks that go unreported in the media because the dog was not a bull breed or able to be called a "pitbull"... My friend who had her face mauled by a Maltese wasn't asked for a story by the media - neither was another friend whose pet toy poodle savagely mauled his child's face... and both bear the daily scars of what happened to them by those 2 small dogs. Both dogs were euthed by the way... T.

What exactly are Bazza's symptoms Cheryl? Does he still have a good appetite and decent energy levels? What are you feeding him and how (bottle, or semi-solids from a bowl/plate)? Vets can be wrong... T.

I met a Neo that was supposedly not happy about strangers coming up to her... so I just sat on the ground and asked her if she wanted a pat. I got a huge Neo face washing kiss... or maybe she was just testing to see if I were edible? lol! She was actually a very nice dog when approached in a non-threatening manner, and her owner was impressed that she acquiesced to my invitation for a kiss and a pat. Sometimes it pays to be a crazy dog lady - she was incredibly soft to pat, and gave great kisses. Neo's are stunning dogs, and I just HAD to see if she'd come to the party for a pat... T.

Love it! T.

There are a couple of new strains of Parvo out there at the moment too... that don't have the "normal" presentation until the pup is too far gone. I just had a whole litter of rescue pups with one of the new strains... sadly we had to euthanaise the whole litter. T.

I think you are mistaking tenacity and trainability with "aggression"... Because bull breeds are the "penis extension" dog to own nowadays. It used to be Rotties, Dobes, GSDs, and the like - now it's "tough looking" bull breeds... The fact that this problem dog's owners are managing his issues says a lot more about responsible ownership than irresponsible, wouldn't you think? T.

I have lost count of how many times I've felt like slapping a clueless dog owner upside the head when out in public with my dogs - but one normally stops short of doing it, yes? T.

Just playing catch-up here... Does the Riverland district have no animal management facility they pay for impounding services? If true, why not? Does SA not have similar laws about strays, etc, as the rest of the country? You'd have to admit that if they don't have any council sponsored facility, and have been happily dumping animals on Lola's doorstep for however long and not giving her any remuneration for same, then they've had it pretty bloody good, yes? If they do have a facility, then why have they been dumping animals on Lola's doorstep? Obviously the facility at Moorook is a dump, and animals appear to stay there for way too long - but if council had been doing the right thing and remunerated Lola for the service she's been providing out of her own pocket, then maybe the place would have been able to do and be better, yes? T.

I'm of the firm opinion that there are far many "good" pet dog owners out there than "bad" ones... most people I know simply adore their pets and provide for them more than adequately. The problem is that it doesn't make great newsworthy blurb to note that the majority of pet owners are NOT scum who just want to tie their dog up in the back yard and breed it to death - much more juicy stories about the few who do... Owning a well bred pedigreed dog that you don't want to show or breed shouldn't be something so difficult to attain that you look at the other options to source your next best friend from. Simply put, the more great pet dogs the responsible breeders put out there, the more likely Joe Public is going to notice them and want one too. The "worth" of a great pedigreed dog should not only be dependent upon how many show ribbons or titles it can score. T.

DAP diffuser/collar or a thundershirt may help - worth trying... T.

Damn! Elsie is gorgeously photogenic, isn't she? Loving this one heaps... T.

Seriously, it is NOT OK to assault someone, regardless the provovation... T.

Me too! I have cuddles enough for you, Tess, and Fleming... T.

+3 T.

MW - talk to Katdogs about the vet that removed a scary lump from Stevie's foot/hock. They did an awesome job with a very difficult area to operate on... T.

She catches as well as my Harper... lol! Seriously, some dogs just missed out on the catching flying things gene, didn't they? Awesome photos of a gorgeous girl doing her best... you can't say she's not giving it her best shot, right? T.

Hello gorgeous!! She certainly is a complete stunner FM - do you show her at all? T.

Opps - I think we may have an answer... http://www.ccmr.cornell.edu/education/ask/?quid=597 T.

I reckon a study should be done into this topic. My belief is that dogs that see the full spectrum of colours will shine red, and those with colour-blindness (like red/green issues in people) will shine the more regular greeny-blue. Could be tested on humans with colour blindness too... T.

I'd love to be able to take one of my dogs to work - even just for a day... but we have a couple of people in the office who have a deathly fear of dogs, so I think it would be a no-go... *sigh* Zeddy would be perfect for work though - she just lies around like an ornament all the time anyways... T.

Thanks dandybrush and ozsomerset... it's bad enough that the little tackers had to get their wings, but the biggest kick in the guts is the fact that I can't foster any more pups for a minimum 12 months. They were due to get their first vaccinations on Saturday... *sigh* Oh - and a word of warning... this Parvo they contracted is one of the new strains - they don't get any vomiting until it's too late, and the stool doesn't have that distinctive smell of "regular" Parvo. It seriously looked just like coccidosis until the Parvo test came back positive. T.

All of mine would rather be on the couch than doing anything strenuous... and they aren't Geryhounds either... ... but Stan definitely sounds like my kind of lazybones dog for when I retire or get too old and decrepit to have something active... lol! T.

It's also funny how many Rotti, Dobe, or Huntaway crosses there are in country pounds... most of them are actually Kelpie crosses people! Some pounds classify anything brindle as being "staffy" cross. I think that maybe anyone tasked with the job of attempting to identify breeds or breed mixes of impounded dogs really needs to do a course in same... T.

Anything tan or fawn with a dark muzzle HAS to be a Mastiff, right? Seriously though - my horse puppy wasn't all that big when she was 6-8 weeks old either - absolutely no idea she was a Dane cross until about 12 weeks when she really "blossomed"... she's well over 30kgs now at 9 months, and still growing (slower now thank dog). T.