Alyosha

Ok. I'll bite in the semantics game. That is not the meaning of adopt. It has become a twisted misuse of the word by animal rights and animal welfare organisations - part of the broader guilt game. From www.merriam-webster.com adopt verb \ə-ˈdäpt\ transitive verb 1: to take by choice into a relationship; especially : to take voluntarily (a child of other parents) as one's own child So adopting is not saving. Adopting is choosing. A pup at a breeders' home, which is available to a new home, and purchased by a new owner, is every bit as adopted as a shelter pet.

Perhaps apply through freedom of information for the dog's records? You wouldn't get adopter details obviously, but it would show whether they were pts or not.

OT but I hate the don't buy adopt thing. Rescue dogs have price tags, and breeders dogs are just as unlikely to return any profit. Why is buying from a breeder not adopting??

But the vast majority of consumers won't.

Being popular certain hasn't historically benefitted any particular breed.

In my experience in my breed we're pretty lucky in that most enquiries seem to be from genuinely good homes. If they know what the breed is, they've done a fair bit of research to start with! But of course it's still not all of them. Plus those enquiries are not exactly plentiful, and the very low demand for pets is enough reason to put off breedings for long periods. My next litter plan is on hold indefinitely for that very reason. I want a pup from it, but am not prepared to cull a litter, and the homes for the other potential 10+ pups are just not available. I can't keep an indefinite amount of dogs on my property, and it's not fair on them.

Eww. And algae and mosquito larvae. Mine ted to wash their feet in their water on hot days too - so it gets changed multiple times a day. :D

Well that was the only question you asked T. So I don't find it that surprising that people chose to try and answer it. There's a major problem in all this in that breeders are now encouraged to breed less and less dogs. Not by pet buyers, but by legislators etc. So there becomes a pretty impressive rock an a hard place for those who try to do the right thing.

Your rangers sound pretty sensible. And if they have met you and Zig before I would think they might not take her photos seriously. I did some work with Queanbeyan rangers a few years back and they were pretty switched on as far as pitbull ID was concerned.

Just a quick anecdote from the other side of the Bulldog debate. I work with a lady who wanted a BB for a pet. She researched, talked to breeders, did all the right things basically. She waited for her pup to be born and when she got her, she was gorgeous, and healthy, and active (she's an absolute livewire!). Her pup is registered, and yes, she was expensive. But her owner figured she was getting what she paid for - quality. And she did. No regrets. She has grown into the same thing as an adult - beautiful and still super active, healthy and robust. Constantly into mischief and adored by all her family. But you won't see their story on forums, or in vet reports etc. Again, I'm not remotely defending the breeding of dogs that have health issues or physical traits that may impact on the wellbeing of their offspring. I'm simply pointing out that making value judgments about entire breeds based on selective examples is dangerous. And if we sink to the level of doing that from within the dog community, those on the outside have got little hope of seeing a full picture.

Does anyone know of a good specialist in the Melbourne area the OP may be able to talk to? If the vet is querying Cids' tail causing a problem he should have scans and an expert opinion.

Pity really, I'm sure most Neos actually enjoy being alive. Perhaps again a breed is being labelled problematic by certain subjective examples. Funny how people here are quick to defend the pitbull breed against the actions of a few. Yet the actions of a few breeders, or the appearance of a few purebreds are enough to condemn whole breeds. I have yet to see anyone here say there are no problems anywhere, only people taking offence to blanket blame and fault being apportioned.

Don't fret SLF (and sorry to hear your bub has had problems). Not being up on this stuff is surprisingly common, even now it has been around for a couple of years. And I think you'll find many in the industry don't know. Plus, like Mup says - annual checkups for vaccination are a regular income for vet clinics, as well as being a traditional reason to encourage owners to bring in dogs for general health checks like weight, teeth etc - offering vets the chance to be a bit proactive for other impending health issues. I also wonder if vets are reluctant to suddenly change their policy and risk complaints from customers who have been paying for annual shots for years?

I know Mup. A bit sad really, as AVA policy clearly states that "Informed consent is important".

This link contains some more info and some links to AVA and World Small Animal Veterinary Association position: http://www.apvma.gov.au/news_media/community/2010-07_vaccination_dogs_cats.php It would seem pertinent for all active veterinary practitioners to be up on AVA policy and developments. The above page is now over two years old so this is nothing new. edit to add - the WSAVA link on the above page doesn't work. Correct link is here: http://www.wsava.org/sites/default/files/Vaccination%20Guidelines%20for%20Cats%20and%20Dogs%202010.pdf

Oh... yeah... I'll try to blame too much food and drink... trying to stay awake by computer-ing... :laugh:

Is it in SA or NSW? It will come under different laws but there should be a legal requirement for the shelter to attempt the location and/or notification of legal owners. If they haven't complied with this, and have admitted as much (verbally or otherwise) then legal action should be commenced. Even if it just starts with a letter from a solicitor. If they made these admissions verbally, then notes should be kept - the name of the staff member who said that, to whom, how and when. In NSW the requirements start here: http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/nsw/consol_act/caa1998174/s63.html

I can see it in some breeds yes, but this video seriously falls down in the sense that it is extremely objective and heavily biased, and is basically a tool for telling exactly the story they want it to tell. So in their efforts to tell their story they have shown some issues, and stretched others in order to prove their point, reducing their credibility. For example - the very start - Afghans. Seriously? Yes some modern ones carry too much coat. If they spent two weeks tearing around chasing hares instead of lounging indoors they would tear off the excessive bits and otherwise look the same. The video depicts an incorrect image of an "old fashioned" afghan. The one in the video is sketch of a plains, or "Bell-Murray" type afghan, not the mountain type from which the modern breed is descended. Below is the original model for the western standard, a dog called Zardin - imported to Great Britain in 1902. 13 years prior to the informative sketch in the video. Looks very different to the one in the video, yes? And structurally much closer to the modern one, yes? Yet another example of people trying to drive their point home at any cost. Consequently that point, and their message, gets lost. Then they looks like uninformed twits. Sad realy, because in some breeds they have a point. It just gets lost in the hype. A little objectivity goes a long way.

The risks of terminating are much lower than those associated with pregnancy and whelping. I would get the injections and let her body have a rest. The 18 month period is set out to reduce strain on brood bitches.

Dear oh dear. Pauchel I wish you and your family all the best with your deliberating and decisions. :)

Westimum Canidae's stockists are here: http://www.canidae.com.au/stockists When I was looking they didn't have a suppier in my area so I emailed Canidae. They got back to me quickly and recommended Paws for Life website who do discounts for reoccurring orders and I was happy with that. Good luck! I too was disappointed with Black Hawk as the dogs loved it and it was Aussie made and affordable. But skin-wise I guess it just didn't suit them.

For those with chains in the middle I'd advise very constant inspections. I know a lovely farming family that had their up and coming kelpie seriously injured in a ute fall as the chain on the ute tray had stretched ever so slightly over time (and un-noticed by them obviously). He fell off the side coming home after a muster on an agistment property - after dark - and had his back feet dragging for an unknown time until another motorist flagged them down and pointed it out. His feet were badly damaged and his neck badly bruised. This chain had been carefully checked and installed so that the tethered dogs couldn't get near the side. But the individual links were later found to be stretched, adding enough length for him to fall off. He did make a full recovery with some intensive vet and home care. But the stress was terrible. He was in pain and his owners were obviously devastated. Plus the old dog had to continue his work while the youngster was out of action for a decent time. He is still an awesome worker and family dog now and I was very glad he fully recovered. But it was a shocking incident that left it's scars on him and the family. He came so close to being killed.

My dogs had skin problems on Black Hawk. There has been quite a lot of mention of it in the Black Hawk thread. When we recently took on a Pom pup he was on Black Hawk, and in lovely health. But had scurfy skin. He was on Optimum for a couple of weeks and still scurfy until I won some Canidae PureSea at a show. He has stayed on that and has flake free, non itchy skin. It's a really nice food.

I would be surprised if state bodies had anywhere near the resources to conduct inspections.

People with cats need to be aware not to use permoxin on their dogs. For ear tips or actual bites Septicide cream from a horse supplies store is great, as is zinc oxide cream from the baby section in the supermarket. We used it when I was a kid on mum's GSDs.