Tarmons

Incorrect statement. The GSDCA President immediately contacted the other Clubs including the Rotti Club...... that is a fact and not a fancy thought. In fact the proposal for a united front came from the GSDCA President himself.

That's old ground..... been there and done that with that particular issue but the fact that the GSDCV did this proves that there were no blast of trumpets or hoop la bands...just decisive action on their part. Would the other breed clubs if they had adopted the same tactic in seeking the exemption from desexing and the wearing of muzzles and fluoro collars at VCA sanctioned events, made sure that it was inclusive to all breeds involved with SchH /IPO? Doubt it. I don't approve of what occurred last year either but it's water under the bridge and the GSDCV cannot be held accountable for the inaction of the other Breed Clubs. The fact that you may not be aware of what your Breed Club is doing with regard to the removal of all SchH /IPO titles from registered Pedigrees is a communication problem within your own Breed Club and not the GSDCA.

Unlike many other Breed Clubs we have a National Council, the German Shepherd Council of Australia which speaks and acts on behalf of all its State Affiliates. The GSDCA has and is dealing with the matter in hand. The GSDCA is not known for blowing its trumpet or having bands precede any action it does. It is a quiet achiever even though its members may be very vocal. At least the GSDCA has taken positive steps to address this issue re the removal of SchH /IPO titles from Imports from the moment it was notified. There has been a screaming silence from some of the other breeds affected by the removal of SchH/IPO titles from the pedigrees of their Imports. Perhaps in their case such overseas titles were not key factors in proving breed worthiness.

Great photos. The dogs obviously had a ball finding their baits.

Try Bay Breeze Kennels - Double Jump Rd, Redland Bay. The owners are GSD people. I would suggest that you make an appointment to meet with them and discuss your concerns re the your older GSD.

Take Bindi to a Specialist Clinic either at Underwood or Chermside where there are Orthopaedic Vets who know what they are doing. I find it hard to believe that the Vet did not see from just looking at Bindi that she was obese. Reduce her weight as others have told you and then get a referral from your Vet for her to go to one of the UQ Specialist clinics. Get a copy of her x-rays and the radiographer's report. [Were they read by a qualified radiographer or just glanced at by a Vet?] Get an Orthopaedic Specialist Vet to examine her before you commit yourself to surgery. The recovery period from this type of surgery is long and requires physiotherapy etc in order to get the dog back on its feet. It is a very painful operation for a GSD and has a recovery period of 6 months of crating and controlled exercise for them. I can only speak from a GSD point of view- muscle wastage is a big threat. It may not be the case with a Chi.

He bought a pedigreed puppy that has died. I would suggest that he contact Dogs Victoria, tell them his story and ask for a copy of the papers. I presume you issued him with a receipt.

How tragic that such thing has happened to such a beautiful dog that is so greatly loved. We do hope that Tyson keeps fighting those infections. Hang in there, Tyson. A candle has been lit for you and prayers to St Francis that you make it. We feel for his family. Have they impounded the dogs responsible for this attack?

A Candle will be lit for Jed and another for her beloved dogs that perished.

Oakway For your information I lived in Tasmania for 15 years - Sandy Bay- so I am very aware of the difficulties and the expense faced by those wishing to cross Bass Strait. One of the frustrations was the excuse handed out by certain Hobart shops when enquiring about orders placed months ago ' It's on the high seas!' With regard to the GSDCA National, it's not a case of the GSDCT asking..... they are not on the roster because of the perceived difficulty of distance and crossing the Strait .... Queensland was not put on the roster because of distance. The majority of GSDCA members live in Melbourne. 1000 kms rule is a good and fair ruling. It only affects one breed one weekend. As Firestone has pointed out - Take your gripes to the TCA and work from there.

I'm all for the the 1000km rule re NO Challenge Points when a Breed National is being held- it is only one weekend per year. It affects all of us who live in the country and who do not get the opportunity to travel to a National every year. It is very expensive to travel to a National - High entry fees, accomodation , fares, fuel, food etc. Most people don't see much change out of $3000 unless they are locals. However I do disagree about the exclusion of Tasmania and WA from the GSDCA National Roster. As things stand the GSDCA National is purely an East Coast Specialty. Other breeds find it possible to hold their Breed Nationals in Perth and in Tasmania. It's just that some GSDC owners feels that they have God-given right to take x numbers of dogs to a National near where they live. Why shouldn't Tasmanians experience the pleasure of hosting a National?Who says that they must be able to transport at least 375 dogs across Bass Strait in order to host a National? It doesn't have to be the biggest and most spectacular National ever held in order to be a successful National. The entries normally average about 400 plus excluding Obedience. This year's National entry was the best for some time because Melbourne was central to SA, ACT & NSW. The same with WA .... let them host a GSDCA National. If ever a state Club deserves to host a National it is WA... Each year a large contingent crosses the Nullabor to the National... by air and by road. It is the East Coasters who are blinkered when it comes to a GSDCA National. They complain about the L-O-N-G trip to Brisbane because they can only afford to fly in 2 dogs. That's life and that's how it is for the Queenslanders for each National that is not held in Brisbane. For 33 Nationals we've had to make the long trip south with a limited number of dogs. But at least after years of fighting for the right to hold a National we won. The other point that seems to slip the anti-Tas,anti-WA National brigade ..... it's not every year and may only ever be ONCE but give them a go.

When I was in Germany, there was a guest who had his GSD Bitch stay with him in his room at our 5 star hotel. It was great going up and down in the lift with this very beautiful GSD. No.... the guy wasn't blind ;) He was a very wealthy Mexican Industrialist. The best sight of all was seeing this same GSD under his table in the Silver Service Restaurant attached to the Hotel. You could see her tail sweeping the carpet as she responded to her master's voice. One of the waiters bought her a bowl of water and a bowl of treats. No-one caught a disease...no-one complained about hair in their coffee.... it was just taken for granted. Australia is in the dim dark ages when it comes to dogs and their place in public. I too am fed-up with the regulations that do not permit you to walk your dog past the tables the chairs of the outside dining areas that are now a feature of many public thoroughfares. These rule makers must have found it very hard to cope with the fact that Leneen Forde when she was Governor of Qld had her GSD roaming freely around Government House and its grounds. Wherever she was, George was there as well.

Just checked my Vet account: $180 for an adult GSD bitch -26kgs. Our local Council has a desexing Voucher system - $60.00 for BItches $40 for dogs. This included the preliminary blood test for Body Profile as well.

Please PM me.

Please follow the advice of your breeder. Wait until you have received a second opinion. Your puppy is only 18 weeks old. Some Vets are too quick to diagnose HD Juvenile Pubic Symphysiodesis for a baby puppy that is still growing and will be loose until it finally tightens up in its joints and ligaments. The suggested surgery may end up doing more harm to the on-going skeltal development of your puppy than good.

First of all, was this particular Vet recommended to you as one that is very familiar with the process of x-raying hips? The GSD owners have certain Vets that they use when submitting plates for scoring eg Dr Karen Hedberg and Dr Rob Zammit. Placing the dog correctly is of the utmost importance. Secondly, there is a possibility that the Reader may give you a more accurate assessment of your dog's hips. I would hope so for that is the reason we pay a fee to have them read. All is not lost. There are GSDs running around with a total of 102 - with no obvious limping or pain. Keep your dog trim and taut. Build up the muscles in the hind-quarter. Do not have excessive weight on the joints. Lots of swimming will help.

Don't kid yourselves...... over the years many a neutered bitch has gained its Aust Ch in Qld. The CCCQ don't come to the party over Rule changes. The new Tracking Rules are a classic example. Qld has refused to come in line with the other States regarding 'Baits' and rewards. Qld is still the only state that requires a Pass in SS before a dog can trial in CD even if it has its CCD. The reason - and this came from the top - Trainee Judges need the experience of judging the trial ring.

Edited for Spelling

Has it been proven beyond all reasonable doubt that dog was in fact an APBT? From the News clips that showed the dog being walked to the Police[ ?] trailer, the dog looked like an Am Staff. From the very beginning when the News broke, the media kept pushing Pit Bull attack. That's where the RSPCA officer on Sunrise was excellent. Despite the pushing and probing by Mel Doyle to castigate the Pit Bull Terriers, the lady kept to her line of argument, namely that ALL dogs bite. For years GSD owners were subjected to media campaigns about savage GSDs. Every dog attack involved a GSD or a GSD Cross. Any dog with pricked ears was a GSD cross. Then for a while the Rottis got in the neck. For quite some time now the media hysteria has gathered a renewed momentum against the Staffies and the Pit Bulls. Whenever there is a dog attack, the immediate media response is PBT - and when the picture of the dog is shown you are left wondering as to whether a Pit Bull passed by the front gate when the bitch was in whelp because any similarity in appearance is highly questionable. I just hope that the seizure and slaughter of Pit Bulls is not going to happen again as it did in SE Qld after the death of Barbara Stringer by a registered Labrador cross..

For us, it was not unusual for the 'aunties' to help with rearing the litter. When one of our bitches rejected her litter after a caesar -it was her first litter, we were lucky because the aunties took over and one of the aunties was a desexed bitch and she came into milk. They were life savers and did a great job with those puppies. We did not lose a puppy. Also puppies need to learn the rules of the pack and normally they would get this valuable lesson from mum,so you are very lucky that you have a bitch who is able and willing to do this for the puppies. Visitors to the kennel couldn't get over how the other bitches would jump into the whelping box and check the babies to see if they were okay. They'd clean them up...they were very clean puppies This experience was a real eye-opener to me because I hadn't seen this before. Someone did tell me that is the norm in the wild.... the bitches in the pack help rear the puppies. With each litter after that it became the norm for the older bitches to help rear the puppies. Very fortunate that the 3 brood bitches as well as the desexed aunty were very maternal and just loved having babies around them and were not aggressive towards each other.

sandgrubber Barbara Stringer threatened the dog. He barked at her and she leant over the fence and waved the Steering wheel lock at him as she said ' Don't you dare bark at me! You naughty dog!' That's when the dog leaped the fence and knocked her to the ground. Also as far as that dog was concerned Barbara Stringer was a 'stranger' in the next door neighbour's yard. He didn't know her at all but he did know the owner of the house very well.

Just to clarify some facts that are getting in the way of a good story: I knew Mrs Barbara Stringer. I used to purchase items at the lovely Gift Shop her daughter owned. Over time we became friends. Secondly, I know the mother of the young man who owned the Labrador cross involved in the attack. The dog was registered with the local Council as a Labrador -cross. It was not a vicious dog. It was a very friendly dog. Looking at it you would be hard pressed to identify the cross. According to the family the suggestion was that it was crossed with a bull terrier type. After the attack it was brought by the Police to my Vet to be put down. The dog walked into that Clinic with a wagging tail and was pleased to see the Staff and gave each of them a lick. Even when he was being put down, his tail was wagging and he licked the Vet on the hand. The Vet said that it was incredible to associate such a friendly dog with such an horrific attack. What actually happened on that terrible day. Barbara was in the Gift Shop when she took a phone call to say that the alarm in her nephew's house was going off. She was keeping an eye on the house while he was away. Barbara had a key to the front door of the house but because the burglar alarm had gone off she took the steering wheel lock with her just in case while she checked the outside of the house to see if any of the windows had been forced open. Rose, the next door neighbour, was in the yard hanging out the clothes and called out to her. As Rose walked towards the fence the Labrador-cross raced up to the fence and barked at Barbara..... the dividing fences in that part of town were chain mesh -no more than 1.2m high. Rose actually threw herself on top of Barbara in an effort to stop the Labrador-cross from doing more damage. The attack happened so quickly. Another neighbour who heard the screams and Rose's cries for help, phoned the Police. Rose's son was 19 years old. It was amazing how the local press ran with the suggestion that it was a Pit Bull cross. Anyway... that fatal attack changed the Local Laws forever. The resulting Court case was horrendous for both Barbra Stringer's Family and for Rose. That's where the quote that the 19 year old was going to make his dog a killing machine originated and every Pit Bull Terrier in Queensland paid the price for that brag.

Last night Sheila and Laurie Fielder of Rupertswood [Qld] lost their adored Randal aka Ch Damauren Lord o the Isle,CD. Randal was BS Cl1, Excellent graded and was Queensland's most high profiled Delta Dog. His work as a Delta Pets as Partners Dog was recognised with an Australia Day Award for his work in the local Nursing Homes , Schools and the General Hospital. He was also the face of Delta fund raising campaigns in the North. Randal was a brilliant Ambassador for the GSD breed - he had it all, conformation-wise and a superb temperament. Nothing fazed him. He was so self-confident and self-assured. Everything a GSD should be. Last evening Randal suffered stomach torsion..... and the decision was made to let him go with minimum pain and discomfort rather than put him through a lengthy surgical procedure that the Vet gave him very little chance of surviving. He died peacefully surrounded by those he loved most in the whole wide world. Run free, Mr P. I will miss you but I will love you forever.

Had my 6.5yrs GSD bitch desexed recently - Total cost $245 including pre-op blood test.

Book in at Bonneys - it does absolutely everything. Great atmosphere. Dogs love being there.