melzawelza

I took in some four week old kittens without a mum once and they did stink - because they had just started eating solids and they would absolutely cover themselves in it. You'd wash them down but with feeding like 3-4 times a day it just gets soaked in to their fur. Plus wee and poo from 5 little beasts. The room stunk like fishy cat food and poo. But once they were gone it was fine.

I'll agree that this is amazing and to be valued. I think calling it 'heroic' debases the word hero. It is possible that this dog had a strong response to something going very wrong. It's also possible that, had it been 20 mo old instead of 10 mo, it would have killed the kid because he smelled funny. We just don't know. Pit bulls, like most of the breeds with a history of blood sport, are a mixed bag. Some people go way out of their way to label the whole bag as angelic or demonic. Both extremes are equally destructive. And the newsmedia involved will do whatever draws readers. As for the breed question. If you cry foul when someone labels the breed as 'pit bull' in an attack case, you also need to question the breeding when the dog does something good. Sensationalism does not help understanding and proper care/management. ALL breeds are a mixed bag.

Oh that poor woman. That is horrendous. I hope her little dog survived.

They have amounts for dogs on the packets. I think it's 1-3 tablespoons from memory. I've been giving a heaped teaspoon to my pups food, moistened and mixed in with some yogurt or egg etc. I'm starting to really like the smell. Ahh, might say it when it arrives then (online it only seems to list livestock). Thanks!

Question on the Livamol - I am going to get some after reading about the affects on red dogs. How much would you give a dog? All the websites I've seen has been for livestock, not dogs. She weighs 25kg.

Yes I fear the same thing. A simultaneous improvement in the public's view of the Pit, and so much negativity surrounding the Bull Mastiff at the moment... it's very possible that this isn't the end of breed discrimination but just the beginning of it shifting to a new breed. I sincerely hope not, and will keep fighting if that's the case. The USA at this point seem to have avoided it.. maybe we can too.

The story didn't surprise me, as BlackJaq said there are masses of stories from the USA about Pit Bulls saving their owners. What surprised me was the fact that Ninemsn and channel 9 Facebook both covered it online. I'm seeing the shift happening. Twelve months ago you would NEVER hear a positive Pit Bull story in the media but this is the second one I've seen that Ninemsn has shared. The stories always get HUGE amounts of likes, shares and comments - way more than any of their other stories. And the comments are overwhelmingly positive. Which is great because they're more likely to keep sharing them in the future. The shift is happening, which I'm ecstatic about. We're on the home run now. ETA: To put in to perspective just how much people love hearing positive Pit Bull stories: 9 News facebook page - of all their posts today the top amount of likes is 108. Yesterday one post got 870 likes and 130 shares. Another got 3,220. This story? 15,911 likes 2,778 shares 819 comments The difference is staggering. It's in their best interest to keep sharing the positives...

No definitely not - registration travels with the dog across Council borders AND ownership. If it has already been paid it does not have to be paid again, regardless of whether you change address or owners. (I am a Companion Animal officer in NSW)

I won't be there The Australian Institute of Animal Management conference is on next week so I'll be in Alice Springs. Devastated! :laugh: So glad you'll be there though - you will love it so much!!

Good suggestion. I think this may be in the works, not sure, but I heard something about it bandied around.

Of course, thanks!

NDTF for me. Delta much too restrictive and unrealistic. Even the 'positive only' trainers I know aren't keen on Delta.

Media/society breed bias has always been cyclical. Before the Pit Bull it was the Rottweiler, the German Shepherd Dog, and even the Bloodhound back in the 1800s. There was always going to come a day when the Pit Bull's turn was over and a new breed ended up in the spotlight. Many of us working against BSL were doing so not only for the Pit Bull but for ALL dogs - to actually end this ridiculous cycle once and for all and have people thinking critically and scientifically about dogs. Unfortunately very few breeds and breed clubs would associate themselves with the BSL issue, believing their dogs would be forever safe because they weren't those awful Pit Bulls. They allowed it to happen and sacrificed the APBT because they believed it would keep their own dogs safe. I sincerely hope that this isn't the cycle happening all over again but I have also noticed the shift in media reporting since Deeon was killed in NSW. It could be the beginning of it.

Amen to that! Trouble is that Governments can tend to listen to the most 'popular' beliefs in the community. And pander to them. So I hope a lot of what Bill says can get reported to the general public as well. His visit is a great initiative. Yep, agreed! And from what I understand BAWP are organising a lot of media while he's here. This seminar is for the general public too (there is also a stakeholder seminar)

Info on the Sydney seminar for the General public: Team Dog and Australian BSL Protesters have been working together to assist the Barristers Animal Welfare Panel in bringing Bill Bruce, creator of the much celebrated Calgary Model of Animal Management to Australia. If you would like to come and hear him talk about the Calgary Model and how successful it has been then please click on the event below and RSVP to the email provided to reserve your seat. Just clicking GOING will not reserve you a seat to this event so please get your email in ASAP. Lets hope Bill can talk some sense into our Government while he is here and pave the way for the implementation of a proven, science based model of animal management. Facebook Link Details for anyone without Facebook: When: Wedensday 17th October 6-8pm Where: Barnett Long Room - Customs House 31 Alfred St, Sydney, Australia 2000 Cost: Free RSVP to: [email protected] Some more information on the Calgary Model can be found at the below links: A Community Model for Responsible pet ownership: Calgary, Alberta The Calgary Model Animal Services and the Responsible Pet Ownership Model

Team Dog and Australian BSL Protesters have been working together to assist the Barristers Animal Welfare Panel in bringing Bill Bruce, creator of the much celebrated Calgary Model of Animal Management to Australia. If you would like to come and hear him talk about the Calgary Model and how successful it has been then please click on the event below and RSVP to the email provided to reserve your seat. Just clicking GOING will not reserve you a seat to this event so please get your email in ASAP. Lets hope Bill can talk some sense into our Government while he is here and pave the way for the implementation of a proven, science based model of animal management. Facebook Link Details for anyone without Facebook: When: Wedensday 17th October 6-8pm Where: Barnett Long Room - Customs House 31 Alfred St, Sydney, Australia 2000 Cost: Free RSVP to: [email protected] Some more information on the Calgary Model can be found at the below links: A Community Model for Responsible pet ownership: Calgary, Alberta The Calgary Model Animal Services and the Responsible Pet Ownership Model

This is pretty much why I decided to report the dog that I reported. I felt that a smaller dog would have been killed. Unfortunately the ranger left it up to me as to what happened to the dog, which I didn't think was fair. Hopefully having the ranger visit was enough for them to not let the dog out again. My dog did require a vet visit. I keep hearing people saying this and it bothers me. I don't believe it's right for Rangers or AMOs to do this. They are the person who has the skills and training to decide what is the best option. I would never leave it up to the victim to decide what happens to the dog! Sometimes I take more action that the victim wants, sometimes I take less. It's MY call, I'm the one being paid to do it, so I shouldn't be expecting members of the public to do my job for me.

We had a GSD up the road when I was a kid who used to run out and bail people up. The old girl who owned him when she was home used to let him lay on the front porch and when she heard him barking, she would come out and tell him to get inside. She could call him off and he would wander back in and wait for the next person walking by and do the same thing. He bit a kid in the end and the police were called who shot him in the front yard.....he came out at the cops when they rolled up to interview the owner about the attack on the kid apparently. GSD's could have been a banned breed back then too being another reason they may have shot him....it was around 1970/71 by memory but was big action in street everyone talked about. Now just to clear something up I thought "GSD" meant German Shepherd, but I must be wrong as they aren't a banned breed are they? Forgive my ignorance I shouldn't use initials if I don't know what they stand for. Australia was the first country in the world to enact any kind of BSL and German Shepherds were the dogs targeted. There was an import ban and various restrictions on the dogs from the 40s in to the 70s. They were seen as inherently vicious' dogs that were more like a wolf than a 'normal', domesticated dog. Farmers were also concerned they would breed with dingoes and create a crazed sheep killer that would decimate their livestock. It's a hard question. I investigated an incident in the last couple of years where a dog ran out of it's front gate and injured another dog so badly that there was a 5k vet bill and the dog subsequently died. I had no history on the dog whatsoever but as I was investigating I ended up finding out about three prior incidents where the dog had done exactly the same thing, but the owners were savvy enough to prevent injury to their dog, and had never reported it. Because not one of those people had reported it, a little dog died. In fact, two dogs died, as following the Dangerous Dog declaration the owner euthanased the attacking dog rather than comply with the onerous regulations. If one of the lesser incidents had been reported I could have intervened much earlier in the piece and prevented that final incident ever happening. The small dog would have been alive today and the attacking dog (who was absolutely wonderful with people but not with other dogs) would have also lived.

It's funny how those of us with dogs that people can sometimes be wary of, or not know much about, often see it this way! :laugh: My dog is a pound mutt of unknown heritage but she has a pit bull-y kind of appearance (red colour, red nose) and people often say they think she is one, so I see day to day walks as an opportunity to get people interested in dogs that look like her and maybe change some perceptions. She's an absolute tart and loves nothing more than meeting people so I am always more than happy for people to come up for a cuddle and to say hello. Luckily I don't get too many people that are wary of her because of her appearance - people seem to be drawn to her! There is one older man that lives in the area that has a huge long beard, and some sort of skin condition that makes the skin on his face look like it's covered in 'bubbles'. He loves dogs and always wants a cuddle but she's totally freaked out by him! Luckily her thing is avoidance and she just gets silly usually as a way to deflect his attention but it can be hard sometimes trying to ensure she isn't intimidated too much, as he so desperately wants a cuddle!

Yes, it's helpful for the Council to report it even if you don't know who it is. The dog may have history and be recognisable to the Council, or this may become history for the dog if another incident happens in the future and the two can be linked.

I think they definitely need to be paid extra for their skills and extra qualifications, as well as the fact that it's quite a distressing and draining job to do. I have a big issue with the fact that it is a daily allowance though. To me that really lends itself to corruption (even very good people can do some not-so-nice things when driven by debt or financial insecurity), and we also know that the RSPCA have a terrible culture of killing. Easy solution is to annualise it over their wage - so they get X amount extra per year recognising their skillset, regardless of whether they have euthanased an animal or not. Personally, I'd love to see a $14 a day BONUS for staff that have managed to facilitate an adoption at the RSPCA, but can't see that ever happening.

Yikes, this is bad, bad news. How furious would you be as the owner of the most recent victim animals?

How upsetting

ADBA pits (arguably the 'true' American Pit Bull Terrier) are even smaller than UKC Pits.

I'm not denigrating her. I'm stating things as I see it. I can't see why you are getting so offended by it all to be honest. Threads naturally move in different directions. Relax. Stop reading the thread if it concerns you so much. I didn't say you were denigrating her. I said a lot of posts were, which some are. You don't need to take that personally. I don't understand why you are getting so upset by my posts, to be honest. I don't need to 'relax'. Just as you are allowed to express your opinion about swearing on her page, I am also allowed to express my opinion that I find it ridiculous that people even care about whether the owner of a dog that was killed swears or not.