Nic.B

As Nekhbet has said, what was the complaint? Surely he has a right to know what the complaint is, where the dog is impounded and to visit him short term? Very sad I really feel for dog owners in VIC. ETA Owners are allowed to visit their dogs at the local shelter I volunteer with.

I am not sure if you are reffering to my post Jules though Sandgrubber has said horse related deaths and injury can be improved if you wear a helmet and if we observe basic safety practice. I agree this helps, though you can be the best rider in the world, observe basic saftey practices, wear a helmet etc though things can still unfold when riding which are out of your control and it is a risk we face as riders. I dont blame dogs for what I see most often either. They have been let down by their owners mostly. Very few dogs have given me the willies. Probably a handful out of hundreds and hundreds of many breeds and types. The ones that have given me the creeps had major issues (probably through no fault of their own) though were not safe to rehome. I dont think comparing horses and dogs works at all for a number of reasons. Just my opinion though.

Christopher Reeve was a fantastic rider wearing a helmet, sadly going over a jump he was paralysed. They never blamed the horse though.

Quote; 'This suggests it's the pony club group who are most in danger. Riding lessons and horses for hire contribute more to the statistics than racing. Falls are the biggest source of injury. No, the horse is not to blame, and much of the injury could be avoided if people wore helmets and observed basic safety practices.' Pony club is a diverse group of people, horses and riders. Pony club is where I originally competed localy in hacking (easy) show jumpiming, 3 day eventing, sporting and cross counntry jumping. Dressage is also very popular as with other events. Later I moved on to endurance (also a dangerous sport) most big endurance events begin at midnight in pitch black and go for days on end. I did not wear a helmet as a kid and rode around bareback a lot of the time. My worst accident happened without a helmet. I never wore one as a kid as I did not have not have one to wear (aside from my show helmet). My kids will always where helmets and at 5 and 7 they love riding our horses with no saddles or reins. That is how I learnt to ride Better supervision though for sure As I have said, you have to know what you are doing when you hop onto a horse, or take responsibility for another person. It is a life in your hands literally if you take it seriously. Horses are never to blame though, just the handlers most often.

Lol, and then there are the neighbours who did not want you to ride on the council strip in a rural area My horses have and always will be forward moving, so once we are into it together there is no stopping us.

It was a very useful thing- back 30 odd years ago - when there were lots of dogs free to roam the streets, and many used to just lie in wait in their front yards ready to ambush horses/dogs/people!! I would much rather a dog get a fright and run back home than our horses get spooked and cause a bigger problem! Nowhere did I imply racehorses caused more injuries to humans . I just commented that racehorses can be a very different temperament to a pleasure riding horse ...and again, individual temperament means that some horses react differently to others. I agree Phers A horse with its head and neck down, ears back is letting a dog or any other animal know they are not going to tolerate the behaviour. Horses do this with other horses as well, there is an order and it needes to be respected. I would rather a horse who does this to a dog or another animal or even each other than one who just kicks/lashes out. We have two expensive Arabs who are now retired. Most people around here have very expensive horses, way more than ours. Dogs chasing horses is not tolerated around here at home or while riding past houses to reach the national parks for training or a pleasure ride. If the horses warn off the dogs without harming them, the owners are very lucky.

This is so true. You only had to watch the melbourne cup yesterday to see how dangerous it can be. Cross country jumping/three day eventing is another tricky one. In cross counrty jumping the jumps dont "break" as they do in showjumping. I dont know how I am still in one peice Have only had one nasty fall, not the horses fault or mine. Once I forgot to tighten up the girth after 10 mins or so of riding and slid right off my horse with the saddle lol. Horses certainly kept me out of trouble though as a kid, didnt have time for anything else!

You are very wrong sadly. It is not a PETA term at all. Have you ever heard of 'such and such' companion animal shelter? I volunteer with one and we are not involved with PETA. I still dont get why PETA has been dragged into this? I dont like them at all I can promise you that. In Aust companion animals are dogs and cats. Dogs and cats ARE companion animals. It is pretty simple really and PETA has nothing to do with it.

Our horses are ridden without a bit in their mouths. Just a haead stall and reins, the gentle pressure on their nose and our legs and backsides is more than enough. Mumbles does not like trucks, tractors, buses etc and will spin around and around like a goose if he does not have enough "space" between him and the 'whatever'. This does not mean he is dangerous, though many people would think so. We just make sure he has enough space and if we cant offer him that we put our hand up and ask them to stop while we pass. They all have little quirky issues, and so do we I will shut up about horses now as I adore them and of course dogs My two faves in the world!

Some horses just like some dogs should not be saved. A quick end and a hole in the ground is the best option for many. 400kg of horse is not something to play with, even the experts agree. I agree. I would not like to see a very dangerous horse out and about. When I got my first horse as a kid, we decided to use the former owners vet to have her teeth done. He put a twitch on both her ears top and lower lip and asked my Mum to hold her. She reared up and stuck out at the vet though hit Mum. The Vet stormed off saying she would kill someone and left Mum and I. I had to wheel her down to the house in a wheelbarrow and she was hospitalised. I called a few people and got onto a local dental guy. We explained what had happened. He did her teeth with just a halter on and the lead losely over her neck. Our farrier also adored her, she stood perfectly for them and was completely relaxed. When the horse dentist finished he said, she is as quiet as a lamb. The vet was struck off the register 12 months later as he had a shocking reputation. You have to know what you are doing, I believe a horse with issues is able to be managed far better than dogs. ETA; Horses are big, strong manificent creatures. You need to work with them, not against them If you are stupid enough to work against them, you will get hurt.

Pig rooting, bucking and rearing up is not out of the ordinary for someone experienced with horses and this is no reason to pts IMO. Nor is kicking out or difficult to catch or lead etc. No different for dogs who have their own issues on lead, with other dogs etc. Get in an expert is my advice for both or either if you cant handle it yourself.

What has PETA got do do with this? Dogs and cats are companion animals, that is a fact. Horses, cows, sheep (just to name a few) are livestock. That is also a fact.

Behavioural issues with horses can be well managed and IMO are very separate to issues with dogs . It is not unusual for a horse to kick out which is why some horses wear a red ribbon in their tail when out and about or at shows etc. You would have to be mad to stand behind a horse who is known to kick out. I would not pts a horse with issues either....well it would have to be a very dangerous horse for me to do so.

I dont think the two are comparable really. Dogs are companion animals, horses are livestock. That sort of behaviour from a horse is simply bad manners. No way on earth our horses would behave that way. Years ago I helped with some rescue ponies, they were little shits very badly behaved and I had to be careful working with them. No way I would let anyone near them that didnt know what they were doing. As an aside. Stats show the risks of death and injury is very, very high when working with horses.

I agree that level of aggression is a real worry with both dogs and kids Not sure where they live, though if that happened in this council area (and the owners of the staffies attacked) made a complaint to council the dog would be seized and probably pts. I do not even think the owners would get a chance to comply with a dangerous dog order under those circumstances and with a past history. Much nicer for the dog to be pts with his family around rather than a pound and the stress associated. It must have been a great help and support for the family to have you to speak to Nekhbet, I know I would greatly appreciate support if I were in the same position.

I dont like snakes, dont get me wrong. I worry each day though I have realised that supervison and good recall is the answer. Our dogs are very much part of our home and our family thank god, so I am very lucky. Otherwise I would always be worried about them. Different folks and different strokes I guess? 1000 acres, 5 acres, 20 acres? Depends on the circumstances I guess. Mice give me the willies as well I work with horses and dogs all day long but when a mouse pops out I jump about and scream my head off. I dont know why... I think probably the horse or dog does not suprise me quite so much as a mouse? or even a snake

No, but a dead snake leaves the 'territory' open for younger equally venoumous snakes to come in a try to claim the area. Who wants that? Clear enough of them out and there won't be that problem. I don't have any snake tolerating neighbours either. Yes, you are quite right there. Pour out enough concrete, ashphalt, gravel and destroy any type of habitat and that will end any snake problem. And any that have the ordasity to surive that will of course be exterminated. Sorry but no. Well not IME. We had a snake entering the pound last summer. No grass (or short grass, gardens) just a concrete pound, and a carpark. He still moved in for some reason and was released. I do not kennel dogs, so am very lucky as they are part of our home and family each day. If I did kennel dogs I would be very worried and concerned as I would not be able to manange that as well I do in our home.

I killed two snakes Clyde last summer. It was not nice and snakes are hard to kill (unless you let them suffer)Just my opinion. I wrap my dogs up in basic common sense at this time of year, not cotton wool. Where do you live? Are you surrounded by National Park, on acres, and despite your best effort snakes are part of the landscape? Sometimes we need to manage the animals and their needs at different times of year. Summer is a shocker for me and my dogs.

Well I guess that is a good thing, that is if getting a dry bite from a snake doesn't give me a heart attack at the time!!! It also makes me thankful we don't have Taipans!! A lady just over the road got a dry bite from a VERY large Dugite. She didn't feel off at all. Thank goodness they do do that Gosh you were very lucky Last year we had a 2 metre RBB in our yard. It was my fault as our kelpie Bella realised I was going out and also that I wanted her to go inside (but she has work to do) so hid under the water tank. As I was only just going up the road and already had a dog and toddler in the car I just left her, which I normally dont do. No sooner than backing the car out I saw the snake going across the yard and then Bella cracked it a couple of times on it's backend. By the time I put the car into park, pulled the handbrake on and screamed at my daughter and dog to stay put Bella was face to face with it. It struck out at her three times as I was running over to them. I knew it hit her as she shook her head after each srtike. Rushed her to the vets, no visable marks, no signs off invenimation though I kept her there till 10pm just in case. Bella was fine? I had to keep her crated and rested for a few days, but no signs of being bitten at all. At the time all I cared about was my dog and getting her to the vet. I realise now that the snake was doing it's best not to hurt her and just wanted to get away from us. As I said, my fault. I dont care what happens all dogs will be away and inside if I have to leave the house.

Better reporting than many I have seen. I have had a no tolerance policy with my kids and animals. I have been hard on them at times, though it has truly been worth it. They learnt from a tiny age never to touch a sleeping dog, a dog eating or a dog who is overly excited/stimulated. Never to touch an unknown dog (ignore) or a dog tied up, again ignore. I will not every tolerate ears being pulled, tails, lying ontop of dogs etc. My own dogs are fantastic with kids, they would not be here otherwise, though other peoples dogs may not be so tolerant or experienced with kids etc. Perhaps they are aged or have some issues with being handled? I wanted to keep my kids safe in other peoples homes as well as in our own home as I might not be there to read the signs. I am very proud of them all as they have enormous respect for animals. My seven yr old has the best low tonned voice I have ever heard lol argh, argh, argh and can handle our large 9 month old bull arab female perfectly with supervison and a great approach. We have visitors staying with us over the weekend. The two kids are older, though have never had an animal so I will be watching them like a hawke. My house, my rules. If they are out running around etc the dogs will be crated. I also have out of bounds areas for the kids, so that the dogs also get a chance to relax & enjoy their lives. My children and animals are far to important for me not to be 100% responsible at all times.

Oh how terrible, no one nor any creature deserves to die like that Thank you very much for your help and support Snake Catcher, I really appreciate it and have learnt a lot.

I am so very sorry to hear this Benshiva, my worst nightmare run free little one. I do not know why snakes do what they do? I still dont get it? Never will. I do not understand why they come so close to the house? or even come inside when they have acres to live freely? We had one in the pound last summer and that is all concrete, noisy, you name it. We had two very close calls last summer. I had to kill both snakes and felt terrible, still do.... I think Snake Catcher is doing a great job here on DOL in doing his best to help us in a very difficult situation. We all love our dogs and are very worried for them. Mine will not be going outside at all until I site the yard and then supervise them. Difficult and frustrating my husband is already complaining about the dog hair over everything inside.

so where are your suggestions then to keep dogs and snakes safe? No good saying don't do this and don't do that without offering an alternative. As for ringing a snake catcher good luck trying to find one and then getting them to respond quickly There are no answers Rebanne Otherwise we would not have to worry & we would be able to avoid snakes coming into our yards through one measure or even a mix of measures. If I had something to keep them out I would do so, I dont like snakes. IME experience snake proofing or measures to keep them out of our house yard is pointless. I have thought about it 1000 times. Even then if we "somehow" snake proof the house yard, how do any snakes already in the yard get out? I have had a snake catcher to get a big RBL out of our closet in less than 20 mins. I was in a panic at the time with two dogs a 6 month old bub and a toddler in a small area. I have to admit the snake catcher did a great job. Perhaps it is the area difference? I do think that area difference is something we need to keep in mind. We could be talking of a small suburban area, semi rural, acreage, or 1000's of acres. You are also working with unpaid wildlife volunteers mostly.

I am a mum of three with a multi dog household. With my first baby I made sure the dogs were happy to spend time alone in their beds or outside. It did take us months to get used to the change and I did it well before hand. A couple of months at least. It was not easy at all. IME when you are busy feeding bubs, bathing, cooking dinner for your husband etc etc you need a safe and happy place for your dogs so that you can relax in motherhood. You can always play about and balance it out later with your dog when bub is settled, happy, safe and sound. Good luck and prepare your dog now for the obvious changes she will face

I do not wish to get involved in this, though I will say I am paranoid about snakes/ dont like them as we have a lot around here sadly and have had many close calls with our dogs. More to come I have no doubt. I would like to thank Snake Catcher for his help and support. You have a tough gig here on DOL and I think you have been very understanding in regard to our worries with dogs and snakes. Also very educational. Wishing you the very best