mackiemad

or the member armahani(?) i think she is a lappie breeder in vic, right?

i do a lot of off-lead but when i'm walking with him on lead i'm heeling so though i use a check chain and a sturdy leash, the chain always has some looseness in it, unless he is getting a correction for something. he is in his rolled leather collar for when other people want to walk him free walking (as i don't trust them with a check chain and my dog)-my mum and dad sometimes enjoy walking him, but are not 'dog' people and have never use something like a check chain. apart from being incredibly unsafe, i think the flexi leads are a fab way to teach your dog not to respect the lead. if i say walk this way, or stop sniffing that, or no you can't just walk over there and pee on that blade of grass then he should do it. after all, what if that blade of grass he has to pee on is the other side of a busy street? respect for the lead is paramount i think it is as important as a solid recall.

i don't think such a small statement should garner this much attention. i mean for dog's sake he was just saying the the person who allegedly saw this attack assumed the animals were pitbulls but the fact is that they could have been any type of dog, and provided two obvious examples off the top of his head to illustrate his point. it has nothing to do with trying to shunt blame onto other breeds, or even xbreeds. he is NOT a supporter of BSL (though you clearly are from you previous posts) so the likelihood of trying to 'throw suspicion' onto another breed is a preposterous suggestion. honestly. calm down, take a breath and think rationally because it really is stupid suggestion.

my dog's arthroscopy on monday was around $1200 - but he had plenty of other stuff done to him on the same day, poor bugger so my overall bill was a lot more than that it is a proper surgery, so anesthetic, monitoring etc will all have to be factored in too. as will having him in for either day or overnight care at the vets. they use keyhole surgery and have a camera on a tube get int here and have a look, they can also tinker with some things inside the joint-so you can diagnose and fix the problem all in the same op if you're lucky. but not all places have the tech to do an arthroscope, which is why i said that juts having the one specialist vet might be more worthwhile, as the specialist will probably have the tech at his practise, your current vet probably won't. price will vary with the practise though... aziah is right though, you need to get to the bottom of it. if you don't take the steps to diagnose it properly then you could waste money treating something that isn't there. xrays won't tell you what is happening with tendons etc inside a joint, just what the bone is doing, all they can rule out is tumours/bone cancer and breaks, and for tiny fractures they might not even show that up. don't panic but do try and get it seen to sooner rather than later, you pup will probably thank you with many happy years.

if ti is his knee joint then i'm pretty sure that an anterior cruciate ligament issue is the most likely cause. most vets will tell you the most liekly cause or issue, and usually throw in some other awful ones. they will usually give you a worst case scenario as well to prep you. what did your vet say he thought was the issue? again though, joints are easier to diagnose with an arthroscopy-expensive though they are they will tell you exactly what you are dealing with.

i jsut recokn that they love the smell and instead of having to leave it behind, this way they can take the horrid smell with them and continue enjoying themselves all day. but i'm also pretty sure that my dog enjoys the reaction he gets from me. he never trots jauntier and looks quite as happy when he comes up to me having rolled in something destestible!

so funny!

i went through the same kind of thing on the weekend. took my healthy, fit young (3 years old) mini shcnauzer out for some free running at the dog park on friday night (as per normal) and a few hours later, after preparing and eating my dinner, he got out of bed and was dead lame on his right fore. basically after the weekend and monday from hell we found it is his shoulder joint that has some issues with the fluid and a tendon inside it (not from trauma and not from genetics just bad bloody luck) and will require lots of treatment to get right. hopefully he will be able to use and walk/run pain free in the future but it may be something that can flare up again as treatment is not 100% always going to work. currently he is lying next to me, without any pain whotsoever, get him to run a bit or put some pressure on his chest and he can feel it. so please, get the to check joints as well as bones. muscles they can tell pretty quickly because of the quick, painful reaction from the animal, joints are harder. to clear the joint of problems you will need an arthroscope. though perhaps these joint issues are not as common in the hips as the forelimbs? hope your pup gets better soon! you mentioned pet issurance- as you have had an issue before insuring it might not be covered even if you do sign up...? anyhoo, i would be taking him to the specalist ASAP rather than waiting for your vet to get a response and then get back to you. they can tell a lot form seeing the animal and dealing with it in the flesh.

pets and the city are good, abode of the friendly toad in burwood road has some nice stuff and there is a cute, small pet boutique (does grooming too) on bay street that i can't remember the name of. i'm not sure if the laundrymutt on bridge rd has much else besides grooming but you could try there... i think that pets at home have a pretty decent range and they don't sell puppies or kittens anymore, now they do adoptions from lort smith but you, like me, may not like seeing animals in glass cages being oogled whether or not their are rescues or oodles. then there are the usuals of petstocks which are everywhere, megapet warehouse which have quite a few locations, and best friends pet that all have good solid stuff, usually the common cheaper brands and their own brand to go along with it.

i have the same problem with my mini schnazuer, dear me he adores it- especially after he's had a bath or is remotely clean! possum poo isn't great, fox is foul but the worst is definitely human feaces- there are public toilets that are locked after 12pm at our local dog park, and i guess sometimes teen boys being naughty can't hold themselves until they find somewhere (like their home!) that have facilities! doesn't always happen but OMG you can smell the dog a mile off when he has rolled in it. we just try and keep and eye out and recall when he is about to drop itno something-he does tend to smell it in a suspicous (to us, estatic to him) manner so we can often catch it. absolute bummer though when he manages to do it!

hey whippetsmum: yes i didn't realise that i would need the police but my insurers yesterday said that it might be a good idea and today they said i definitely need it, so the coppers will be coming out tomorrow. my insurers, AAMI have been fab. they came out yesterday and removed the torn down sections of fence (cos the truckie left it strewn across the laneway) and when i told them how worried i was about the dog they came back after 5pm with some star pickets and dense chicken wire and erected that (about 1.5metres high) until it can be fixed properly. they said if the dog can manage to get through that then they will come back and do something else as temp fencing. so in the end they have sorted it all for me! knew i paid them for something! apparantly my insurers are having a hard time with the owner of the truck so the police report becomes more important... seriously irritating this though.

typical pug! sounds like he ate as much as a labrador! harrods famously used to sell lions and whatnot until the early 20th century. and yes, they still sell kittens, puppies and some exotics like lizards etc

true ppodlefan -make 'em work for the hard earned money they get from me every month! haven't taken photos and as it is a brilliant idea am off to do that now. thanks guys!

i was planning on calling my insurance anyway (we're still trying to get the roof fixed from a huge hailstorm in feb, they were inundated with claims) but i think i'd better leave calling the truck owner for a while. no point getting angry at him he didn't cause it and i'm not calmed down enough to be rational yet.

what a wonderful story! it is so nice to know that there will be another example of a well-adjusted rotty in the world

so here i was, at home, all morning working on my thesis when, at around 11am a normal to large size truck decides that the old alleyway behind my house is the best way to get his load of furniture (flat packed) to the block of flats a few houses next to me and at the end of the lane. (we are on a busy road but it has nice deep parking at the front of houses) so he merrily drives down the laneway ignoring my yelling from my backyard and my dog barking (because i was yelling he thought he'd join in too, i imagine!) and from about halfway down (where a big old snowgum has grown into the 10foot high cyclone fence) the fence pulls away and he drags the rest of it with him all the way down to the flats' carpark. so i go running out there (having taken the rego down and locked the dog in the house) and start roaring are you aware you've removed half my fence etc (though no swearing or profanities, i was trying to restrain myself) and then wait aroudn for 20 minutes whilst two young guys unpack the flat pakced furniture and then finally get the dirver to repsond to me, he gives me the name and phone number of the guy who owns the truck and then i demand his name and rego number as well (not that i necessarily believe they are real as he was so blase about it all). and then i ask, how do you intend to get out? oh the way i came. do he proceeds to back up the alley (because he can't turn around) and scratches the fence on the other side! they aren't home so i'll give them the details but i think they'll just need to paint it. but now i can't let the dog out until it gets fixed, and who knows when that'll be? NB-an amusing aside is that i often study in my pyjamas so i had my peter alexander grandpa pants on, a pink long sleeved top and, to top it off, my polar fleece dressing gown decorated with hand sized laughing teddy bears- so perhaps i can understand how i, a very angry redhead woman, was not as intimidating as i would have liked! edit: i forgot in my irritation if anyone has any ideas in temporary fencing that can run about 20metres, not be fixed to anything solid behind it and that will keep my dog in the yard. he simply can't live without outdoors access for weeks or months. i can't imagine reed is strong enough?

it does depend on the preservative the product uses. so if it is on of the ones that use vitamin e or rosemary extract as a preservative then i wouldn't push it as far as one with a chemical number preservative-but then i wouldn't buy one with number preservatives anyway. also remember that they will always tell you to get rid of it early to cover their rears legally. use an airtight container and i think you'll be fine. you're not opening it four times a day or anything silly anyways, but if it starts to smell stale or different then chuck it- but i kind of doubt that this would happen.

perhaps this is a bit controverisal but yes i do think they offloaded him. they took him to a pound (that is really what the rspca is, not so much a shelter as a pound) where they do put animals to sleep-i think every person involved with animals is probably aware of this fact, if they don't i think ignorance is no excuse for responsibility. is it an absolute bummer that your friends were sick and couldn't keep their dog, yes of course. does that absolve them of the responsibility of putting their dog in the best situation, no. they could not care for a large breed, DA dog anymore, and handed it over to a pound as their responsibility. handing a DA, probably insecure (that's what it sounds liek to me form the limited info) dog to a kill shelter is certainly offloading a problem dog. they could not care for him so they offloaded him. a google search for rehoming, adoption or animal shelters in melbourne or vic would have taken a few minutes and given many options to the owners and the animals if they were very serious about finding their DA dog a new home. they amde the decision to hand him over to a kill shelter and would probably have been made aware, when they mentioned his DA that euth was a very real possibility, they still handed him over- so yes they were in a carp situation but yes i believe they offloaded the dog. the vets at the rspca are pretty used to all sorts of animals and it would had to be a pretty serious 'growl' at the vet for the decision to be made to euth before the bahviour assessment. these are vets that avoid putting down animals willy nilly until a serious behaviour assesment has been done. if you think that the vets are blase about taking an animal's life i guarantee you it is because you have not been in the euth room before. it is an awful job and everyone hates it and feels it, even after working there are going through it many times (i still think he, as is normal practise for the rspca, would have been given more than 24 hrs but you seem certain that this was the case). so, was it 'harsh' that they put it down without giving it a week of uncertainty, no exercise and a very strange and unsettling environment? no, it must have shown real signs of aggression. was it their responsibilty to rehome and rehabilitate this dog? no, it was their job to decide the best option for themselves, society and the dog at the time- the responsibilty, IMHO, remains with the owners. googling is not hard and does not take long, they did not make serious efforts to ensure this dog had every available opportunity for another family and a good life. hate me if you wish but i will not change my mind on that.

he wouldn't have been put down the next day, he would have been given three or so days in the quarantine area (where they can't get out for walks because, well-quarantine!) and the reality is that they have very good ppl working with these dogs, they are used to having trained and (worse) untrained siezed guard-dogs in their care. souff is right. these people offloaded a dog that may have been lovely in his secure environment with ppl he knew. in a shelter it is different. it is also very hard to find homes for big, adult, DA males so they had the choice to work with him for a few weeks, one on one, before trying him again in a temp test or putting him down when they realised it wasn't viable and minimising the stress on the dog. they have a whole lot of dogs to rehome and i guarantee that NO-ONE at the rspca like putting down a dog, nor do they look at a bull breed type and say, oh well his life isn't worth much. not all the rspca are hugh wirth. we do get paid either way erny but there are realities to face, no matter how much we care. perhaps she should have taken the dog to a no kill shelter such as aaps or save-a-dog, they would have had the time to spend with him, working through any problems. can i also say that the rspca get a whole lot of ppl surrendering animals saying that the animal bit another animal or a child. the receptionest tells them rehoming is unlikely and they hand the dog over anyway-or worse try and explain away what the dog did and that he'd be fine in another family home. sadly it doesn't matter now as it is a moot point

good to see you back and doing so very well in the face of such horrible times- you truly are an inspiration and good to see you are as intelligent and as interesting a poster as ever!

funny that! many people i run into whilst walking my mini schnauzer seem to think he is a scottie?! ahh. i guess all coated, bearded breeds are the same then, huh? but it is lovely that you and zedley can bring some joy into these people's lives. even a pat with a dog can bring down blood pressure and whatnot, so you're also probably giving them a longer life. though whether they want a longer life in a home that won't allow animals is another question...

a grey would suit beautifully because if he does downsize or fall ill then it will cope pretty easily. however i also thought of a mini schnauzer but that may be bacause i have one and adore them! they can be pretty spunky and have some 'terrier' drive even though they aren't terriers. they are easy to train but as i said, can have a little spunk-which i why i like them. i do think that a grey would handle the less amount of walking better than a schnauzer though. does he mind the clipping of a mini schnauzer? cos if he is happy to have it clipped then it may open up some other breeds too... i can't see a westie being happy being alone or not getting walked every day but maybe the one's i've known have been exceptions. i don't know too much about frenchies-are they too people focussed to be able to be left home alone? perhaps he should tell his local resuce what he is looking for and they can tell him when the right dog comes along? that way he will get an older dog that will definitely suit his energy needs, rather than a puppy who most likely will but not guaranteed.

very topical question in victoria atm IngeK! is the upper house pass the new legsilation we've been fighting against it might be only 48hrs in vic. currently it is 8 days minimum provided the animal has no serious injury or illness (they are not required to pay for surgery if they cannot find an owner) but the council pounds, rspca and independent shelters have different rules applying to them for the maximum time they can keep an animal (in vic, i'm not sure of other states). if there is no current court case and it is not a welfare case/bequest the rspca cannot lawfully keep an animal for more than 7 weeks including foster care. so if a cat comes in heavily pregnant, regardless fo the fact that they could foster the kittens and adopt them easily, the kittens are removed in utero (during de-sexing) and given the green dream. however, if the same cat rocked up as a stray to another kill shelter/organisation/pound then the rules vary. hope that helped somewhat.

wire haired foxy or jrt would be my bet.

water. he is petrified of water. when he was a puppy (we'd only had him a few days) he got through the fence around the pool. we thought that he couldn't fit through the bars but he could. no-one was home and he fell in. luckily it was near the steps and he managed to get himself out again but we came home to find him shaking and drenched sitting against the wall next to the pool. now he won't go in puddles, doesn't drink from a water bowl he doesn't know (but if another dog drinks from it in front of him he will then have a drink) and is terrified of baths-having them and whenever we shower or bateh he freaks out if he can hear the water. though he is getting better as he gets older and we have worked a lot with him.