Alyosha

A grooming table. And a trolley.

Yes. But I have also sold fabulous looking show prospect pups into pet homes because the perfect home is the most important thing. :D In my breed there would normally be a couple of hundred dollars difference.

Thanks guys :) She didn't know what to do either piper! It's only that my OH snapped these pics - my hands were full so I wouldn't have had a chance like you. As the first was born she screamed and spun around in fright. So I was clearing his face for him. She even had a very short moment where I think her prey drive was triggered perhaps? The crawling and squeaking? The confusion in her face was palpable... Once she got a really good smell and a taste she was smitten and a devoted and dedicated mum. She raised all 12 perfectly. :D

In my breed, being quite heavy, with long pasterns and fast movement (including tight turns), a twist at speed and a dewclaw digging into the ground can easily be a dewclaw torn... Notwithstanding that of course, many in the breed go through life without injuring them. Then there are other breeders consider that an avoidable injury and remove them.

And the very important reason it is done in such tiny and young pups is the lack of solid connection at that age. Cruel? No. Ripping out a digit? No.

I can't take the credit. Although I was ready to get in the car and go get him!! :laugh:

I'm not sure Little Gifts. I'd like to think so as he seemed pretty much comfortable in their company straight away. But he has been so good with other dogs. Hard to believe he was tagged as dog reactive actually. Says a lot for the impact the shelter environment can have on some dogs.

Update from Roy's foster carer... Photos is all it needs. :D He is the lightest one in the green collar, the darker boys are his brothers...

My vet (who has been in the profession for over 40 years) is adamant that it is one of his absolutely least favourite operations - repairing or removing dewclaws from adults. It's massively painful and traumatic. And his advice is also that it is far too common to see them injured... Let alone neglected ones, especially on coated dogs.

I have a couple of the first pup from a brand new mum. Despite the mess, I completely love how this captures mum's "What on earth is THAT?!" moment while I was helping get his airways clear and giving him a rub. Moments later he was pink and bright - which I've included as he looks a bit scarily blue at first! It also shows well how un-absorbent an old quilt is... After first pup it was removed to a bucket of Napisan and she was then too busy to worry about being on newspaper!! :laugh: Then a pic of some of the same litter having a drink. Food goes in, poop comes out... These 12 were a full time job for mum and me to try and keep clean!! For folks who don't get to see this stuff it can be fascinating. If it's not interesting, there are lots of other threads on here...

In areas like Port Macquarie there is frequent appeals and information about living with koalas, including about keeping them safe from dogs. This 'journalist' just appears to be using it as an introduction into a rant about dogs for other reasons. Actual info about koalas or concern about them seems pretty low down the list of points trying to be made....

Any charges referred to the Courts by a council will be summary offences - will be in the Magistrates court, no jury. But rules of evidence still apply. I don't know about Vic, but in NSW I don't think that council officers are "authorised officers" under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act. So if that was the case any charges referred by council would not be cruelty ones. DOes anyone in Vic know whether council officers are authorised under cruelty legislation down there?

Or could they have been under stress...? Having strangers in amongst them would be a highly likely cause...

Slow news day?

I met a spectacular Boelboel the other day that was bred in Sydney. Could fit the bill if the rooftop dog wasn't shaggy.

Thanks Jed. I keep waiting for some GSD folks to discuss or answer the cow & sickle hock questions... The banana back thing is odd yes but the hock structure seems even more concerning. And as part of the initial question of this thread it has been remarkably overlooked...

So sorry about Tip. Simple tips to add, keep your property well mowed and whipper snipped to reduce snake habitat and movement corridors. Avoid having ponds or dams in the same yard as dogs wherever possible and raise dog's drinking water as much as is practicable. Big Bluetongues are fantastic snake deterrents when in territorial residence or living near the edges of your property. Keep them safe from dogs as much as possible, especially in early spring when they are cold, slow and sluggish and more prone to dog attack injury or death. Blacksnakes are also a great deterrent to much more dangerous snakes like Browns, Tigers etc. Obviously people don't like snakes near their houses, but for those on bigger acreages etc, if you see big blacksnakes out there try to leave them be. Terriers are possibly most inclined to engage with a snake. Keep a close eye on them in snake season. Sprinkler systems and hoses can be surprising good snake removal devices as well. If a snake is in your yard, moving around or sunning itself, it won't appreciate a cold shower and will move off quickly. Saves people from having to come into dangerously close proximity as well. And please don't forget that over 97% of snakebites in humans occur when the person is trying to kill the snake. Try not to to get that close as snakes move quicker than we do and within strikerange is not a good place for us to put ourselves!

Full article: http://m.smh.com.au/environment/animals/owners-bark-behind-their-dogs-bite-20130809-2rmvs.html The mauling death this week of a two-year-old boy has raised concerns about dog breeds. But the dogs aren't the problem, writes Natasha Wallace. Never mind the dogs. In 32 years as a ranger with Bathurst Council, Margaret Gaal has been abused, attacked, spat on and even had a loaded rifle shoved in her face. When the Herald called Gaal this week, she described how hours earlier a man had stood menacingly in front of her vehicle, daring her to run him down while his mate made haste with his two American pit bulls, a restricted breed subject to stringent rules. Gaal called the police. ''He had a thick moustache, he had dried saliva over his mouth, he was in a tracksuit, he was very dishevelled. He was a scary looking person and very aggressive,'' Gaal says. ''In a lot of cases the dogs take on the behaviour of the owner. The dog puffs its chest out, its tail goes up, the hackles down the centre of the back of the dog come up and when you look at the owner, they are the same.'' Research in the US has shown a clear correlation between those who own vicious dogs and their tendency towards domestic violence and criminal behaviour. Kersti Seksel, a renowned registered veterinary specialist in behaviour medicine, says the potential link needs to be examined in Australia and more done on finding out who is breeding restricted dogs. ''Somebody has to be brave enough to stand up and say that, because [the studies show] there is a big link between domestic violence and animal abuse, and we also know there's a link between kids who get bitten by dogs who often come from a home where there's domestic violence,'' Seksel says. ......

I agreed with Steve as I thought she was trying to make a point of not focussing on calcium lane as a supplement, when it is tied in with so many other vitamins and minerals. Too much is as bad, if not worse, than too little. Which is why we don't supplement while pregnant.

You're right Steve. Supplemented Calcium, when other trace minerals are in deficiency, won't help and is potentially harmful. Magnesium in particular is often lacking. I know some breeders feed bitches Divetelac or Biolac puppy milk. But I have used Palastart lamb and kid milk replacer with great results, especially considering quantity and economy with larger breeds without sacrificing quality. The benefit of milk replacers being that they have a more balanced mineral base that you can achieve by just topping up calcium alone.

:laugh: :laugh: Completely understandable.

Crazy Daisy I just want to say, what a huge and amazing job you have done. Such a scary time followed by massively intense time of puppy rearing. Either task would be too much for many people. But you have done both. I haven't had such an intense time with a bitch. But I have done the other half, the had feeding a large litter with no sleep for days, then mastitis and upset tummies etc. it's so very draining. And very hard to keep normal family stuff going at the same time. I'm very, very glad to hear that your girl made it and is still with you. Kudos to your vets as well as you. Whether or not you can tackle the idea of breeding again one day might remain to be seen. Sometimes I think it's a but like human childbirth, after a few years the joyful memories override the stressful ones and we find the strength to try again. But if not, we still cherish the experience.

Great hijack! :love:

It is a bit Mita. Although this boy's father (the Afghan) had such an amazing aura of old soul-ness about him when he came to rescue that it blew me away. He has his dad's eyes... Although his mum was an amazingly sweet and gentle girl too. She had all who met her fall in love at first sight. :) Plan B there's nothing quite like awkward knuckly sighthound puppy legs is there?? They are such gawky cute babies.

Doubt it. Likely still busy breeding smaller dogs and selling through pet shops or gumtree. The smaller dogs were the core business I think. It's very telling indeed that this first litter was sold through Pets Paradise and have bounced around in rescue. The second litter were rescued as babies and raised by great foster carers, placed carefully and appropriately and have stayed put.