megan_

In Melbourne there are no dog parks, only parks for everyone that allow dogs off leash. My old off leash park had tables, people jogging, kids riding bikes etc. I loved it because everyone had great control over their dogs.

How is this any different from prey drive (after all, herding is just modified prey drive)?

I don't think online petitions carry any weight. If you believe in a cause personally visit your local MP and get other locals to do the same. The people who the government of the day will turn to re: animal welfare are major, recognised groups (RSPCA, state dog council). If you want to influence policy they are the groups that you need to work with, whether you like them or not.

you can make it anything you want - a word etc. All you have to do is condition your dog to it.

What colour is the gunk?

If you buy a peanut you get a DVD with it. K9pro have a 20% off sale, today only

Building his core via fitness balls and peanuts

I'm with you Teebs. I have no plans to have children but if I did they would come first. That is part-and-parcel of being a parent and is one of the many reasons why I won't have kids. Of course it would break my heart but I'd make sure my dogs go to great homes. I watched a doco on kids with asthma in the UK. There was a child that couldn't even walk up the stairs without a puffer. Their heart would have been under great strain and their lifespan shortened because of this (there are long term health implications from the inflammation that you suffer from allergies). This child was hospitalised multiple times even though they were on lots of medications. The family had a cat and part of the experiment was to be cat free for 1 month. The change in the child was enormous - no more asthma attacks or medicine, started playing sport etc. When the month was up the mum said she wouldn't rehome the cat and her child would just have to live with it. I can't fathom someone sentencing their child to a shortened life-span because they can't make tough decisions.

She might not want to do # 2's in front of your Mum in case she gets scolded....a friend's dog did exactly this. Maybe she could put them outside and spy through a window to see what happens?

Cooked fresh is still unprocessed though, therefore harder to digest. Cooked meat is harder to digest than highly processed meat. Did the specialist mention why he was against it?

She isn't looking guilty - she knows your mother will get mad and is trying to appease her. Treat her like you would a pup. Take her outside to toilet every 2 hours (onlead) and about 10 - 15 mins after meals. Praise her gently when she goes to the toilet. If this is only happening in the morning then maybe she is being asked to hold on for too long? Is she let out to toilet (on the lead so your mum can check she goes) before bedtime? How late is this? How early is she let out in the morning? Don't scold her for making mistakes. She is still learning and it isn't her fault. Dogs that get told off for weeing inside can associate going to the loo = bad things happen so they try to hide their toileting, which doesn't resolve the issue.

Husband stays home to look after house. Poochmad goes on holiday for 2 weeks. Problem solved :). Seriously, when I was young we got a house sitter while we went overseas. When we got home the house had been trashed when he threw an epic party. A family friend came around and found strangers doing the horizontal tango in my parent's bed. The house would have been better off left unoccupied for a few weeks.

I thought this was a thread about the euthanasia rates of pets, not livestock? Every time that woman's name gets mentioned threads get deleted due to legal issues. It would be a pity to have this entire discussion lost.

who is this independent governing body accountable to?

The thing is that unprocessed food is actually harder to digest, which is why he might be advocating processed food. I have diverticulitis and when it flairs up I need to eat simple, highly processed food (eg white bread). If I have anything healthy (eg raw veg, wholemeal bread, nuts etc) I am in extreme pain. Unprocessed food makes your digestive system work harder, which is part of what makes it healthy. If she were my dog I'd follow their advice, wait for things to settle down and then speak to the specialist about an alternative. Trying things that are normally healthy might impact her gut more. Also, he might be hesitant to recommend it because home cooking does increase the risk of bacterial infection (eg touching meat then touching veges, not wahsing your hands for 1 min+ after touching meat etc). Fine for a healthy dog but not for one with issues.

I agree - especially a dog with issues. Most people just think that a fearful dog needs to meet lots of people and they'll be cured. They most probably thought you were being paranoid and if they just got her out and about - miracles - she'd be outgoing. The thing that would irk me the most is that they tied her to a post. Talk about setting her up for a fight (scared, with no flight response). My dogs go and stay at Cosmolo's because both her and her husband are qualified trainers and my dogs and I know them well. I know that they were introduced to Cosmolo's pack slowly and appropriately. I certainly wouldn't leave them with just any trainers as it is an unregulated industry. If that option wasn't available there is a kennel that has looked after my two before. I know that dogs aren't left unsupervised to mingle etc. When I used the kennel Erny did training there so I got her to train my two every day. That way I knew they were getting mental and physical stimulation but I also knew that if there was anything untoward happening she'd speak up. The fact that she trained there reassured me that the place was decent. I hate to be a downer but references from other owners wouldn't mean much to me - most owners don't seem to understand dog behaviour anyway and would miss warning signs that something was amiss.

I think it is a bit of a myth that they fail dogs for showing interest in prey? There are always plenty of dogs with "not good with cats" against their name.

Of course. I don't want a couch potato. However, sporting homes are few and most - not all, but most- want a puppy from proven lines. I fully understand the "different people want different dogs" argument. I agree with it. Were talking macro numbers here. My point is that saying that demand outweighs supply argument is weak. I stand by that. Look at the number of huskies I. Rescue. Why are they there? They are a very hard to handle breed and are very cute pups. They need special owners. Sure there are dome great husky owners out there, but are there enough?

Of course there are small dogs in rescues, and of course not everyone is looking for a small dog (not that I made that claim). But that doesn't make my point invalid - how many people actively go looking for a high drive, powerful dog with no training? There are plenty of these in pounds. The problem isn't that they aren't advertised, the problem is they need experienced (with training, not just "I've owned dogs for 20 years), active owners with time on their hands. Maybe I run in the wrong circles but I don't know many people who fit that criteria. Don't get me wrong, I am all for reducing kill rates and think shelters can do a lot more. However, the demand outweighs supply argument is a weak one.

While I don't like LDH, it is a pound so it doesn't get to choose what dogs it takes. It is really "easy" to be a no kill shelter when you can pick your dogs. When you're a pound it is a different story. The terms pound and shelter often get used interchangeably but they are totally different things.

The stats also assume that a dog is a dog is a dog. Part of the problem I suspect is that the dogs that people are looking for don't often end up in pounds. Australian pounds are overflowing with high-energy, high prey drive breeds - these don't suit a lot of homes. It doesn't matter if 1 million people are looking for a low-drive, laid back, small to medium dog if there aren't a lot available in pounds/shelters.

My not-particularly-well-thought-out comments on this: The reason for high kill rates is complex - there isn't just one cause. Sure, pounds and shelters should work harder to rehabilitate and rehome dogs. To think that no kill = problem solved seems very naive to me. Complex problems need complex solutions. US stats don't apply here. Even if we applied them here, stats only tell us a limited story - lots of people want dogs (duh!), it doesn't mean that lots of people should have dogs. I own a reactive dog so I see another side of dog ownership - most people I meet have no idea about dog body language etc and I honestly have a very low opinion of most dog owners these days. I have a vest for her that says "PLEASE GIVE ME SPACE" yet I still have people trying to let their dog say hi! They make life very hard for my girl to just go on walk in an on leash area. So I don't really care what demand figures say - the demand is too high. We live in a different world from the one that most of us grew up in - people are working more, doing more and often don't have time for pets. I read a survey not so long ago that showed that over 50% of dogs are never walked. Ever. That is no life for a dog. At training I see a lot of dogs that have been rehomed when they're not ready for it. They're not dangerous dogs necessarily, just dogs with no manners and waaaaay to strong for their owners. I feel so sorry for the owners because they have a dog that they can't control. Even if they aren't dangerous I can see years of heartache in front them. This is the major reason that I hate, hate going to most obedience classes. I know so many people who bought a dog for their kid and now it is locked in the backyard, or rehomed, then they get another dog ("this one is better for our family"), cycle continues... These are educated people too. I'd like to see the demand for dogs steadily decline (ala some of the Scandinavian nations). I'd like people to really assess whether they can take on a dog and commit to it for the next 10 - 15 years. I'd like them to think about their housing situations, plans for the future, career, kids etc. I'd like to see people save for a pet and wait for stability before buying one. I'd like people to consider what they can offer a dog, not just what a dog can offer them. There needs to be a cultural shift away from getting a dog for the kids/because I grew up with one/because I love dogs. That would save lives. Shoving them into a home - any home - won't.

Statistically speaking, Chrome is the world's most popular browser. This year it's popularity is increasing way beyond Firefox too. Most corporates use IE though, and you'll find a lot of people do browsing on their work website. It is pretty standard to test a site on ALL major browsers and make sure it works on all of them. I assume those stats are highly influenced by users in the US anyway - they aren't looking to adopt Australian dogs.

They might be misguided kids who think they are freeing caged dogs on death row? Don't know about Bunderburg, but in my area the RSPCA is in fact the pound. Doesn't make it right, but people have assumed that they were actively trying to hurt the dogs, which might not have been the case.

Community Service.