megan_

sount-girl I'm starting to think you live near me! I tried to help two boxers on the weekend but they got away by the time I could pull over safely. They were pretty smart though and waited at the lights until the walk signal came on!

Err how do you know that trainers don't have a strong background in theory? All the trainers I know do. Even I did weeks and weeks of theory before being unleashed as a volunteer trainer. I think Corvus might be talking about PhD level?

I'm also pretty srue you need to wait at least a year until you bring another puppy or unvacc'd dog into your home.

I don't like lots of chemicals either. I don't use flea prevention and they get vaccinated for parvo every 3 years only. I worm regularly for hyatid as my dogs get some raw food and they eat possum poo. Given that hyatid is deadly (and can be for humans too) I don't count it as unnecessary chemicals.

Many people regularly worm their dogs. They're not being paranoid. It is very costly to regularly do a worm burden count.

When I just had one dog - my boy who I've had since a pup who is very friendly, always walks away from a fight, and seems to know which dogs to avoid - I thought that most dog owners were okay. I didn't like off leash dogs running up to him, but he always handled it well. Now that I have another dog - puppy farm rescue who doesn't like dogs getting in her face - my views on dog owners are very different. As much as I hate to say it, coming across someone who is responsible is a pleasant suprise. I can't even go for a walk down my own street at 7pm on a weeknight without being harrassed (and I mean harrassed) by off leash dogs. I can't take my dogs to the beach (even at 6am!) because there is always some idiot there and I can't risk their lives (Lucy will retaliate if a dog gets in her face, but she only weighs 10kg so she'd be no match for a lot of dogs). Even at DogsVic sactioned events (Big Dogs Day Out) when I have walked around other dogs to give mine space I have had large dog owners (club members) laugh at me and tell me their's would "sort mine out very quickly". If that is how dog club members behave what hope is there? So I get up at 5.15am every morning so that she can get her morning walk, and then she gets her even walk at about 8pm. I only choose these times due to the lack of other dog owners out-and-about at these hours. I can feel my blood pressure rising just thinking about it! I really wish that all dog owners would take 5 mins to think about how their actions impact other people's daily lives.

thanks Gayle - it is the first one. My dogs thank you, my bank balance doesn't

just make sure it also does hyatid - some don't. pricelesspets.com.au has really good prices, as does petswarehouse.com.au.

A while back I ordered some treats from an online pet treat company that got recommended on DOL. They were small dried tuna squares that the dogs went nuts over. They also had dried vege strips and other dried meats. Anyway, I can't for the life of me remember the web address of the place. I think the website was blue and they had a limited range. They sell all-Australian stuff. The treats came in little bags that were foil on the back, clear plastic on the front. I know it isn't The Australian Pet Treat Company and it isn't Happy Paws either. I have searched by favourites, my cc statements and nothing seems to match. Please help!

Sorry things turned out this way. This is why quarantine is so important. I understand why some newby's don't understand its importance, but it is unforgivable that a so called rescue group doesn't.

english.ivy - it applies to the chews as well. Basically, if you give them the chews and they do have heartworm they can die (something like anaphalactic (sp) shock)

Re: your dog Ann, I see two major differences: i) Your dog (most probably) lives a pretty normal life 90% of the time, right? Even if he had a seizure a day, he'd still have 23+ hours a day of being a normal dog ii) You aren't trying to sell your dog and profit from it. The people that "rescued" these dogs aren't the ones that are going to be looking after them in the long run. They're selling the dogs. Rescue dogs do suffer in the long run because of the pity market. People feel sorry for them but feel that if you want a nice, normal dog you should get a puppy - they aren't broken, second hand etc. There are many happy, healthy, well adjusted rescue dogs that should be promoted. After all, that is what the vast majority of people want.

There is a big difference between raising a disabled pup yourself and SELLING one under the guise of rescue IMO. I wonder if the rescue has used these pups to help raise funds? Have all the funds gone directly to the care of the pups? That would also make a difference to my opinion. Re: the dogs looking happy, I have a pic of a very happy looking dog (animated, tail wagging). I'm having problems uploading pics at the moment, but will try to later on. The dog looks very happy but is actually a breeding bitch on a puppy farm. She has ear and eye infections, she is confined to a small cage, she has never gone for a walk in her entire life and doesn't have a name. She is one of my girl's "sisters". The point is that a dog can look very happy but it doesn't mean that the dog is in a good place. Dogs are stoic. They often suffer and don't show it. I agree with Nehkbet, it is only a matter of time before disabled dogs are bred for their cute factor. IMO it happens already with the teacups. As much as I love my dogs and would love to keep them around forever, when they can no longer be dogs (ie run around like ratbags, jump on me when I get home etc) I will show them compassion and send them to heaven. Sometimes we need to ask ourselves some very hard questions: Just who are we keeping these dogs alive for?

the risk is low however if your dog eats possum poo, the poo from another dog that has eaten offal etc then they can get hyatid. That is my understanding anyway.... Given that it can be deadly in humans I choose to worm for it.

I get mine clipped every 6 - 8 weeks and don't wash them inbetween - not good for their skin. I think ,y groomer uses Aloveen - I have heard good things about it. It is hard to get a groomer who does an MS well - especially the eyebrows. I once took mine to another groomer when I missed an appointment at my regular place and their eyebrows came out round - they looked like they were in a permanent state of suprise! If you brush them every few days (esp the legs) then they should be knot gree. Add some sardines to their diet (mine get a tin between two of them) once a week to help improve the skin. Mine are on Black Hawk Holitistic and chicken necks and do very well on these. As others have said, lamb is very fatty so it is more of a treat that a diet staple. I don't treat for fleas and mine haven't had any for 3 years. If I was going to treat for fleas, then I's use all-in-one chews. I do treat for heartworm and intestinal worms (for Australia, it is important to ensure your wormer covers hyatid (sp) as well - many don't). To that end I use monthly HeartGuard (not the Plus variety) and Drontal All Wormers. My guys love agility and clicker training - minis tend to be smart and love being active and involved in all aspects of family life.

The kennels I use recycle all dog waste

The electronic rat zappers are meant to be very good. Rat poison can build up in your dog over time without you even noticing (eg eat a bit of a dead rat one week, a bit of another the next week etc). It is horrible, horrible stuff.

Yip - especially when people say "skin kids" too. It makes my skin crawl. I calll myself mama in the privacy of my own home ("Mama's Home!", "Your mama wuvs you berry much") and I call them "my boy" and "my girl". Some people in my family say they're my kids, but I always say they are part of my family, but they aren't my kids.

They sold a pet on main register.... GABBA - You say that you think he is a good speciman. Genuine question: Why do you think so? What are his hip scores (large dogs can get displacia)? What other health testing has been done on him (I'm not talking vet visits here)? I don't know a lot about mastiffs, but given their size and build I would imagine that there would be a few health tests required to determine if one was a good speciman. How does he measure up against other male mastiffs? Unfortunately, as owners we are very biased, so our opinions don't count for much . Has he been shown at all? Have you spoken to other experts on the breed and got their opinion as to whether he is a good speciman or not?

People also buy the wrong breed of dog for them. I know it isn't PC, but it is the truth IMO. Most of the people that I know (well educated etc) buy a dog on its looks. The rest comes a distant second.

sounds like codswallop! There is no programme to ensure that all pedigree mal's (or any dog) have a placid temperament. I thought it was well known that they have a high prey drive? What he really should be saying is that the dogs aren't for everyone and here is the kind of owner that they suit.

Really? Try telling that to Husky owners :-). People who don't like dogs (for whatever reason) have the right to walk down a street and not encounter an off leash dog. I would love to see dogs being more a part of the family, but I draw the line at letting them roam everywhere off leash! I have a dog that was used as a breeding bitch at a puppy farm. She doesn't like off lead dogs approaching her. I don't want to live in a society where I can't take her for a walk down the street without a "oh, he's friendly" off leash dog approaching her. This is where dog owners can be their own worst enemy. Instead of asking for something with a little restraint, we want our dogs to go everywhere. All the time. Off leash. And then we wonder why people balk. ETA: I don't want our roads paved in shit like Paris either. Give me Finland any day!

Where are they banned? In Victoria, there are no such things as dog parks. All off leash areas are multi use. I really like that . At my local park, kids play footy, uni students play cricket, one guy plays with his remote control car and dogs are playing around them.

But why do we have the strict laws? My local now has a tiny park where no dogs are allowed at all. I asked them about this and the response was that there was a significant demand (via letters written to the council) for an area where people could play with their children safely without being harrassed by dogs. We can blame councils all we like, but I think the buck stops with owners.

In a nutshell: owners. To expand on this a bit more, someone from Finland posted recently about the differences in attitudes between Finland and Australia. From it, I gathered: i) Dog ownership was considered a privilege. You saved until you could afford one, had stable housing, researched the dog that you wanted etc. You didn't buy one because you had a dog growing up and you think the kids would like it (even though you don't actually want one yourself). Australia has a very high level of dog ownership. Often this is touted as a good thing, but I don't think it is. I think there are many dogs sitting in backyard, bought because they were cute/looked like a wolf/keep the kids busy etc that aren't really cared for. People have very different lifestyles these days and unless they are willing to make some sacrifices they shouldn't get a dog. There is nothing wrong with choosing other priorities over a dog, as long as you don't go out and buy one. ii) The standard of expected care was a lot higher. If you didn't walk your dog regularly, people would - out of concern for the dog - talk to you about it. If you didn't do anything then you'd get a visit from the police (I think). None of this "it's none of your business" or "I'm gunna deck yous" crap. iii) Because of the points above, dog ownership rates are lower. People value their dogs and take them out to training, socialisation etc. A well trained, well behaved dog is a pleasure to have around. And so they are allowed in a lot more places. Until there is a fundamental shift in Australian attitudes, I think things are just going to get worse. I, for one, wouldn't want 90% of dogs in my local area anywhere near a restuarant that I was having a nice meal at. They would spoil it, and there owners would let them.