Curlybert

Yep - I'm curious about this too.

Am really scratching my head, JD. And no, I don't have nits. How are PETA relevant to the PIAA press release exactly?

What a preposterous thing to say. How on earth did you come up with this?!

I assume the other one (female) was sold. Sometimes I walk past before opening time and the cages are empty. Of course, this could just mean they are locked in a store room out the back.

It should be optional because the purported medical effects are by no means all positive. The main benefit is in regard to unwanted litters - well I am quite capable of avoiding those and I can make medical decisions for my animals better than any one-size-fits-all blanket policy. I should be able to chose for them not to have major internal (for bitches) organs removed for societal convenience, and for them not to have to suffer the hormonal impacts of that. I've not desexed any of my male dogs over the years, and of the 2 females I've desexed I consider the one desexed just for my convenience to be a major mistake and unfair on the dog. Excepting a medical reason or suddenly not being able to keep them secure (which is improbable in my circumstances) I am unlikely to ever desex another dog of mine. And that is an informed choice, not laziness. I happily stump up for the entire permits, and wish the ACT govt would use the funds to police the existing laws about roaming dogs with a bit more vigour - if they did maybe I could take the pound off my speed dial. Saying it's cruel to keep dogs entire because they will get frustrated just sounds absurd to me, like a made up reason designed to appeal to the anthropomorphic amongst us. I have kept too many happy, fulfilled undesexed dogs over the years to swallow it. I strongly support subsidisied desexing - but tying that issue to the manadatory desexing argument does it no favours with people like me. No signature here. Your paraphrasing is inaccurate. I said unfair. Not cruel. But no doubt you still think it's absurd.

Guess we'll have to agree to disagree then because I can't think of any circumstances where it would be appropriate not to desex, apart from the one I outlined in my earlier post. Or maybe where a rescued animal is already very old. I think it is unfair to leave a dog entire, with all its natural urges unfulfilled. Desexing helps to eliminate that problem. Perthaps you can outline some reasons why desexing of pets should be optional.

I grew up in California, lived on the left coast for 30 years (correct that 45 years), educated in the Cal state uni system. I have family that live in Santa Cruz. What are your personal qualifications to know about Santa Cruz? None but hey, I now know a lot about yours, or more specifically, your politics! Most illuminating!

Deary me Shortstep - to call anywhere in the US "left wing" is simply ridiculous. And your very adamant view about Santa Cruz seems to be based solely on PETA's presence there. There is far more to being politically 'of the left' than merely having a high profile animal rights group in the neighbourhood.

Responsible ownership encompasses desexing unless one is a reputable registered breeder. The vast majority of dogs ending up in the Canberra dog pound are not desexed. And it's a bit of a stretch to say that in your experience, pound dogs come from good homes, when in the next breath you say they were given up due to divorce, moving or work commitments. None of those are good reasons for abandoning a dog in my view - they should not be treated as dispensible commodities.

I would feel honoured to meet Ms Sarbi too. Well done YLD! It's remarkable that she survived at all because life is such a struggle for most Afghans, especially with a war going on and dogs are not highly regarded - in fact are often considered vermin in remote areas. It's also not uncommon for dogs to be used for illegal dogfighting. The fact that Sarbi was found in relatively good condition walking alongside an Afghan man is testament to her exceptional training and character I would think. She clearly won some local fans. What a remarkable dog.

I'm so sorry about your dear little Monty, bossyboo. It's clear he was much loved by you and your family.

Sleep well, Tia old girl. Love the descriptor: 'norty torty'!

Dear Hammy was only two? What a tragic loss. But so lovely to have your dogs' ashes scattered together at sea. Think of them forevermore as water spirits!

The beautiful bull terrier in your signature? How devastating. And only a baby too. I am so sorry.

What a dopey dad. Perhaps you could mention that when you canvassed this issue with a wide range of acquaintances, all of whom have some knowledge of dogs, there was unanimous agreement that it was a foolish and inappropriate purchase and the dog should be returned to the breeder. I think the boy's mother shold take this initiative hersellf, regardless of the ex's views. The nerve of him. Very sad for the child but his father is clearly a short-sighted idiot.

Beautiful account of life at your place, Cathya. When can I move in?! Having another sniffle for dearest Mack's good fortune here too...

Their coats were more wiry than the Mudi's. They had milk chocolate coats with some tan on their faces - not unlike a choc'n'tan Kelpie. As mentioned in my original post, I thought at first they were wire-haired German Pointers. But yes, I can see a Kelpie resemblance in that Mudi pic!

Funny he didn't mention his main motivation - he thinks there's a buck in it for him!

Unfortunately they still support BSL which was introduced at there behest. They have never spoken out about repealing it and so continue to kill on looks and anot behaviour. Semantics have changed but end result is the same, DEAD DOGS. I think you'll find you're wrong there, JD. This quote from Michael Linke, RSPCA (ACT) CEO, made on 10 July 2010 under his DOL moniker of RextheRunt: "Hi. Its Michael Linke here, CEO RSPCA ACT. My comments were meant generically to point out breed and colour confusion, one reason (of many) why BSL fails. I am, as is current RSPCA national policy, opposed to BSL."

There is nothing vile about Canberra's RSPCA and it is wrong to tar all branches with the one brush.

Hungry, hurt and separated from owners who are either dead or in evacuation centres, hundreds of family pets are struggling to survive in the desolation of Japan's tsunami-ravaged northeast coast. Among the many rescue teams sent from around the world to search for survivors and bodies after Japan's worst natural disaster for nearly a century, a handful of specialised animal rescue groups have also been at work. In the days immediately after the March 11 tsunami that wiped out dozens of thriving coastal towns, the prospects looked grim. Advertisement: Story continues below A cat waits to be claimed at the Green Animal Hospital in the town of Miyako . A cat waits to be claimed at the Green Animal Hospital in the town of Miyako . "In the hardest hit areas, we saw no animal life whatsoever," said Ashley Fruno, from animal rights group PETA. "We did see some paw prints in the mud at one point, but they didn't lead anywhere, and we could not find any animals nearby." Slowly but surely, however, abandoned pets began to emerge, often from damaged homes where they had managed to ride out the destructive force of the tsunami. Many pet owners left their cats and dogs when the tsunami warning sounded, never imagining that the wave would be as large and powerful as it eventually was. The animals were left to fend for themselves in a hostile environment with no food or fresh water. Japan Earthquake Animal Rescue and Support (JEARS), a hastily assembled coalition of animal welfare groups, has spent the last two weeks searching what's left of the worst-hit coastal towns. The teams, which include several volunteer vets, provide food and treatment for injured animals and try to find temporary shelters for those that have lost their owners. They also visit evacuation centres where those people who escaped the tsunami with their pets are having trouble holding on to them in difficult, cramped surroundings where animals are not always welcome. "There have been some problems in the centres, with tensions between those with pets and those without," said vet Kazumasu Sasaki. "Some people have pet allergies, and they complain that the dogs are barking and fighting. It's understandable." There have been cases of people choosing to stay in their ruined houses because shelters refused to accommodate pets, and JEARS coordinator Isabella Gallaon-Aoki said it was difficult to persuade those in the centres that their animals would be better off in a temporary shelter. "People here see pets as family members. For some, after everything that has happened, their pet is the only thing they can cling on to -- the only thing that brings them comfort," she said. Timo Takazawa, who survived the tsunami along with her husband, refused to give up their dog, Momo, despite complaints from other evacuees in their crowded shelter in the city of Sendai. "When we escaped from the tsunami we didn't take anything, just Momo," said Takazawa, 65. "I can't imagine not being here together. If anybody said to me I couldn't keep Momo here, we would leave with her, we would go somewhere else." Animals have featured in a number of unusual tsunami survival stories, most notably a porpoise rescued from a rice field after it was washed two kilometres (1.2 miles) inland. Then there was the case of Tashirojima island in Miyagi Prefecture, known locally as "Cat Island" for its feral feline population that vastly outnumbers the 100 or so human residents. The tiny island was engulfed by the tsunami -- but a rescue team that flew in by helicopter reported that both cats and people had come out unscathed. In Sendai, tsunami warden Mr Kamata tried to return for his dog -- a large pedigree Akita -- after warning neighbours about the incoming wave, but found his way blocked by the churning water. "I thought there was no way he could have survived. It was terribly sad," Kamata said. But later that night, as he sheltered in a refuge with hundreds of other residents, Kamata heard that a dog had been found outside. "It was him. He'd swum and found me. He'd ingested a lot of sea water and kept throwing up and I thought I was going to lose him anyway, but he pulled through," Kamata said. Heartwarming stories of survival aside, PETA's Fruno said that animal welfare groups would be busy in tsunami-affected areas for some time to come. "Recovery from this disaster is going to take months, if not years," she said. "People in the hardest hit areas will continue to need pet food and veterinary supplies, as will the animal shelters, which will also need to house animals until their homeless guardians are able to find somewhere to live."

Hey Clyde, would that be Epping to Terry Hills at 150 kms per hour?! I'd be thinking closer to 35 mins. (I'm originally an Epping grrl!)

I walk past Pets Paradise in Belconnen Mall every day and noticed what I thought were wire-haired German Pointer pups in the window. Closer inspection revealed a sign saying they were 'Austraoodles' - a poodle-kelpie cross. I took a deep breath and inquired as though I was a prospective buyer. The salesperson said they were bred to be assistance dogs but were surplus to requirements. She said several times that the breeder is affiliated with the Guide Dogs association. I queried that and she she corrected herself to say "oh well, if not them it's some other assistance dog charity" Must say I was surprised that anyone associated with such a seemingly noble cause would flog their surplus pups to a pet shop.

Are you talking about Katy Gallagher? If so, I think your opinion is a bit harsh - I consider her very articulate and certainly more so than many of the boofheads that masquerade as politicians in the upper house of most state parliaments! Some of those blokes (and they are always blokes) can barely string two words together. The Senate has seen a few of them too.

Beautifully said, Aphra (as always!) and it makes perfect sense! Loved the new pics, CathyA, especially that one with the whole pack - it's like he's been part of it all his life.