mr.mister

Oops @The Spotted Devil When I said education I meant general public rather than the cats themselves Managing door dashers (I have an ex door dasher here) can be challenging but I don't think it's impossible. Hence my comment of 'not can't, wont'. You* can either manage them carefully or go ah f**k it and just let them loose using the excuse of 'I just can't keep them in!' Which I think is the excuse the general public default to. *the general 'you'

It isn't necessarily killing them if their owners are willing to spring them from the pound. Anyway, I'd rather a cat be humanely euthanized than 'disposed of' in whatever way by cat-hating joe blow. Cats need to be treated more like dogs regarding containment legislation, and there needs to be education done in conjunction with this. Setting a curfew and not enforcing it or educating the public about it is setting the whole thing up to fail. Eta: uncontained cats do cause problems. Their impact on native wildlife is catastrophic. Sorry for going OT.

It isn't hard to keep cats inside. I don't buy it when people say they 'can't'. They can, they just don't want to. All my three are indoors only and have been since day 1, the oldest is 8 this year. We don't have a run but there is plenty indoors to keep them occupied. I can understand people's frustrations about roaming cats. There was a roaming tom in my old neighbourhood who drove me nuts, would get into fights outside my bedroom window at 2am and piss on my front flyscreen. The front entrance reeked. Trapping and taking to the pound is one thing, wanting to kill them is another... it isn't the cat's fault their owner is irresponsible. Eta sorry sars that probably sounded like it was in response to your post, it wasn't, just a general comment over the last few pages' discussion.

I'm sure I've posted in this thread before but I lost my heart dog due to an adverse reaction to pro heart. It was awful, I would never wish that kind of death on anyone and I will never risk one of my animals again. I am so sorry for your loss ggardiner.

That may have been me. I was toileting my BC of an evening and had the outside spotlights on. When I came around the corner the lights were behind me and he panicked and warning barked, was quite agitated. As soon as I started talking to him he started wagging his tail and was fine; I would have looked like a looming black shape so I can understand the reaction! He had nothing wrong with his eyes, dogs just don't have the same detail / shape definition as we do with our eyesight. He would also sometimes get set off by sounds - usually people roughhousing, friends laughing or children squealing / crying. To him I suppose they sounded like distress sounds.

I saw this shared on fb and the amount of ridiculous comments about it being a waste of resources... Phew! You would think the frog was taking up a first class human seat on board the plane with all the backlash! And the Frog Hospital runs off donations I believe, so yeah, not a waste as far as I'm concerned - nice to see people with the compassion to do something.

Yes. We lived in a high risk area and had our dog on preventative treatment, but it isn't 100% guaranteed - a couple of times we found ticks on him that had thankfully been killed by the treatment and were luckily not paralysis ticks. Only took a few minutes to check him every evening when we gave him a quick brush. As far as negligence goes, I'd put it down to "all reasonable steps taken" to prevent harm. So like in your example Oso, you have taken all reasonable steps to snake proof everything if a dog was bitten under your care it would seem reasonable that you wouldn't be responsible for costs. I would not board a dog at a facility that didn't check for ticks in a high risk area.

I've just brought home a 4 year old female BC, Flair. She's a lovely girl, very affectionate and walks very well on leash, quite sensible but has no interest whatsoever in the toys we have. Luckily she is not too high energy, but I would really like to teach her how to play with toys (with me) so that we can burn off extra energy, and also because I would enjoy playing with my dog! :laugh: Further down the track I'd like to start teaching her to carry objects and find/bring objects, just for some mental stimulation. So an interest in toys full stop would be a good start! I have a collection of balls, a rubber ring, two different tugs and a plush toy with a squeaker. She hasn't shown any interest in any of them. So far, I've tried running around like a loony with the toys, throwing them about, playing with them myself, even rubbing tasty food on the toys to make her more inclined to hold them in her mouth. Flair does get excited when I make a big deal about it, but she's far more interested in licking my face than playing with the toys I'm holding. I have been recommended a 'flirt pole' which I will give a go, though she gets a bit spooked by big things swinging around so I'm not sure it will have the desired effect. We do start obedience training on Wednesday so I will chat to the instructors about it too, but would love some DOL feedback.

Yep, my local BSS pages are horrid, they make me want to pull my hair out. Particularly all the 'Anyone have any free kittens?' posts. God knows what happens to those poor little mites. I think I'll leave the groups soon, before I go mad.

Thanks Haredown, I've passed that info on

So, I think I may have been able to steer my colleague away from getting an oodle. She is interested in miniature poodles - can someone recommend a breeder in Victoria? They would like to meet the dogs in person. For those who saw my previous thread - let's try to keep it civil, don't want my thread to go 'poof' again. :D

Perhaps what they're trying to say by that statement is that it is a dog that could survive without man, unlike brachycephalic breeds, or breeds that are overly fragile etc etc. Bit of an odd way of wording it though.

That squishy little face! Butter wouldn't melt!

Wow, what gorgeous photos! Whereabouts roughly are you from canetoad? The scenery and red earth on your walks is incredible - need to add it to my bucket list!

Neko's baby daddy looked like the tall, dark, handsome type. Maybe the boy's taking after him? :)

Yes, visiting some shows would be a good idea. It sounds like you are trying to do the right thing, maybe you could introduce yourself to some breeders at shows and find someone who may be willing to mentor you and assess your bitch? Keep in mind that, considering where she's come from (a blue-only breeder who seems to not be very interested in the quality of the breed) you may find it would be best to keep your current girl as a loving pet, and start with a show dog from someone who can mentor and guide you. :)

Having a dog in general is a fair deterrent to burglars, regardless of whether the dog means business or not. What about a dog that just looks the part without having a protective tendency? A black greyhound waiting at the door would probably be quite intimidating to an intruder. Or a dog with a nice big 'woof'. Intruder doesn't have to know that they'd be licked to death if they walked in the door! Looking for a breed that looks the part rather than actually being protective/guarding would open up your options a bit. Also, with grooming needs consider that long haired breeds don't necessarily mean more work to groom. In some instances they are easier, depending on your preference. Short haired dogs will shed throughout the year (particularly double coated breeds like the GSD) whereas a dog with a long coat may only shed once or twice a year in a big coat drop, and then not shed the rest of the year. I find longer coated dogs smell less 'doggy' than their shorter haired counterparts - if that's something that bothers you.

This has just taken a turn for the bizarre. I was on a leash until I was 4, because my parents wanted to ensure that I didn't run off and get myself into trouble, something I consider to be responsible parenting. It did not mentally scar me. I will repeat that the comments about restraining kids was said in a tongue-and-cheek manner and honestly if some 5 year old is reading all of this I would seriously question why the parent thinks that is appropriate. Are you all for censoring adult themed video games too because some child may figure out how to play it? Holy cow. This is turning into another burning house thread. :laugh: Sorry for the OT all.

I feel it's unfortunate for all involved, and there could have been a way for all to learn from the incident without this blow up. I was bitten by dogs a couple of times as a kid and my parents never turned it into a massive issue; dog owner would be apologetic, I would be sore and parents would say, "Make sure you be extra careful around strange dogs next time". Each party blaming the other does no good. Willem, you seem to take particular offense to posters making tongue-in-cheek jokes about children being restrained? Both comments were obviously said in jest, though for what it's worth I had to wear a leash as a child as mum would turn her back and I would be gone. :laugh: Certainly didn't cause me any issues - in fact probably saved me quite a few times.

Our old neighbours had a Basenji that was a serial escape artist. They used a Sureguard collar on him with a wireless boundary so if he were ever to walk past the boundary he'd get a zap. Being exceptionally smart it only took him one or two goes of getting zapped before he learned exactly where the boundary was. Never had any escape issues after that. I'd better add, I'm not privy to any controversy around them, can only repeat what I've seen.

Bendigonians unite :laugh: I may check it out on the weekend as well, perhaps I'll see you there. :)

OT but what stalls / markets are you at usually? I go to the Showground markets from time to time and will be visiting the Handmade markets tomorrow. :) Eta: as far as dogs at markets go, I agree that it sucks that a few ruin it for everyone, but I absolutely wouldn't put up with dogs pissing on my stall or my leg so I can understand why some don't allow it.

Yes, this! Nothing wrong with asking for your deposit back if you feel uncomfortable and going with a breeder you trust more. Supportive breeders are worth their weight in gold. I bought my pedigreed cat from a lovely breeder and even now, nearly five years on, we're still in touch and he is more than happy to give advice, offer help and assistance, and of course enjoy the photos of her that I send him. I know that if something were to happen to me, he wouldn't hesitate to welcome her back. He invited me to meet his cats before there were even any litters on the ground and welcomed me back any time, just to say hi or to have tiny kitten cuddles! I digress.. but the point is that if you don't feel 100% comfortable with these breeders, I would trust your gut despite the deposit and go with the breeders that you gel with.

Yay Hype! Look at that bright little face!

My dear BC had a terrible reaction to the injection and died. we only started hearing the horror stories after it was too late, and had no idea that some breeds are particularly sensitive to the chemicals used. I know many do use it but I will never, ever, ever use it again on any animal I own. I say this because I so wish someone had warned us, if we'd known he would still be here. If a dog has a reaction, it is a really awful way to go.