Mrs Rusty Bucket

Better the JRT gets a kick and you protect your dogs. If you left the job to your big dog - the JRT could end up dead and then your dog would be in trouble whether it was self defence or not because when it comes to your word against theirs, it's often the big dog that loses. And good on you for writing it up too. Have you written to the Newspaper about it? Sometimes that's the way to get started. Make sure you get someone else (a friend - not someone who lives with you) to proof read it for spelling and emotional excitement (which can be misunderstood). Council should have an afterhours number for the dog ranger. Maybe ask them about that during business hours tomorrow. Otherwise if you know council are not going to respond - you may have to ring the police - if you think a dog or human's life is in danger - otherwise - just email the council and they will get it eventually. Emails are good because it's easy to keep track of when you sent what and exactly what you sent... Phonecalls it's too easy for them to say it never happened.

I think Ness might have - maybe PM her and ask?

Mum of two Did you report these ads. Most of the hosts of free online classifieds have TOS that say no dublicate ads or copyright breaches (eg same wording two sites), Even if the same person posted both ads - they're not allowed to copy from one site to another because that breaches the site copyright. Gumtree says must not offer to post/send anything because it's supposed to be local face to face tx. Legally - in some states - the puppies are not to be sold until certain conditions are met. And I'm sure breeding a puppy at 11 weeks is fraud or an act of animal cruelty... If you post which website(s) and the ad id - we can all go report it... it's not like those sites will do anything until you report it - they don't read all the ads before they get posted - same as here.

Scootaloo It's really hard to find the right button on a stretchy lead when you're panicking - I hate them. In SA - the lead has to be under 2m long - so if the person is using a stretchy one they can be fined. And some people have been though not enough to deter other people from using them. I guess a child has to lose a finger from the tangle before they decide they're a bad idea.

Friend just spent $5K with the specialist and emergency vet getting spikey bit of bone unwedged from her dog's aesophagus. My dog doesn't get bones because they give the vomits or the runs or both - usually at 3am. Doesn't seem to matter what sort.

different types of rat bait have different severity or speed of action. Talon is the worst, and rats or birds will carry off the purple blocks - which can be a hazard if that happens to be where your dog can get it. My dog doesn't get to roam unsupervised at my mum's house because of this. And if a dog eats a rat that ate Talon - that can make the dog sick too. I heard three rats to kill it but - I wouldn't count on it. Racumen is supposed to be the best - ie it's the slowest acting and a lot more of it has to be eaten, but that means it takes a lot longer to kill the rats. And they all act by stopping the blood from clotting - so any bruising can result in haemorrage and death. It's pretty horrible. I'd rather use a rat zapper or rat trap.

That's fine until the Staffy kills something like a whole pen full of chooks. I'd try to get the rego number off the collar or their address and report it before something really bad happens. But I also got a gate for my yard to stop dogs from cruising in. I know a front fence is not common in the ACT. I might try sprinklers. You can get motion sensor ones. Not sure where but they exist. I hate how people trying to do the right thing (me) get labelled trouble maker... All whistle blowers must be shot not heard.

I don't know if it gives the dog "top dog status" but based on the link Secret Kei posted... the dog will think it owns all the territory it can roam freely over and may attack to defend it. http://www.dolforums.com.au/topic/235420-another-dog-charged-us-on-our-walk-getting-sick-of-it/page__view__findpost__p__5768645 http://leerburg.com/dogattack.htm You're in the ACT. ACT law says dogs are not allowed to roam the neighbourhood off lead. http://www.tams.act.gov.au/live/pets/keeping_dogs_in_the_act maybe contact the people responsible for enforcing the ACT law. http://www.tams.act.gov.au/live/pets/das Allowing dogs to roam - is dangerous to the dog, other dogs and people. It can cause car accidents, property damage and may be involved in dog attacks. If one dog disagrees with another dog about who is top dog - then you have big dog fights. And if a small or weak dog decides it owns a larger territory than its own back yard - then that can lead to trouble because that dog could try but be unable to defend its "territory".

My dog eats through most webbing type leads - she can do it in about three chomps - so I use a horse lead on her. Takes a bit longer to chomp through so she can't get started on it without me noticing. And it makes a great tug toy. I saw off a BC that had been charging and tripping other dogs at my park and the owner did nothing about it, so before this dog could get near my dog, I got between it and my dog, stood tall, stepped towards it and YELLED at it. And it turned and ran. Another dog that actually attacked my dog, I hit with the clip of the horse lead three or four times before it backed off and I could get my dog out the way. This was one crazy whippet cross iggy. My dog could have killed it quite easily and I didn't want that to happen either. And I've had reported a dog that bit me because I grabbed its collar to stop it attacking my dog. I mistook it for a friendly dog but it was accustommed to attacking dogs and people to get its way. Wasn't a hard bite - lucky for me. Most owners of dogs that attack - take their dog and slink off before you can get enough details to report them. And to show I'm not perfect. My dog tried to eat a guy in a wheelchair the other night. He went way too close to me in her opinion, but I had her by the collar so she didn't quite reach. But it did upset me that she tried. The wheel chair guy just kept going but now I have some more training to do, and I need to watch people don't get too close when she's that excited.

Peta wants to ban dog ownership and farming in general. If they had their way, we'd all be vegan and animals would be living a natural eat-or-be-eaten life in the "wild". But it's still a bad idea to let them lobby our political reps unopposed.

I know these are PC wrong but I like them anyway http://www.passiveaggressivenotes.com/2009/09/13/unattended-children-will-be-shot/ Unattended children will be fed to the guard dog...

Wouldn't most places that allow dogs - be not-carpetted - because that's easier to clean up. But you could always bring some mats.

The AMS ones are biodegradable. PS this site looks good but I haven't shopped there... http://www.earthbasics.com.au/prod10pbg1.html

I get given them by my local council. Ie they come and pick up the rubbish from our local park bins and top up the rolls of dog poo disposal bags, and if we ask - they hand over a roll or they hand over the fairly empty one still in the dispenser - given we go through 3 or 4 rolls per week at the park. And one of my friends gets given rolls - because she and her friends do the local dispensors around her council area. So she always has lots. But not the nice big labrador on tinned food capacity ones with tie handles like my council has. One person rang the number on the council bags and asked where she could get some - and they sent her a roll. There must be several hundred bags on a roll. They haven't got fancy scent on them tho, I really don't get the point of that. It's not going to make dog poo smell good. It will just make lavendar smell remind you of dog poo. The adelaide ones are AMS Animal Management Services 08 8383 6788 and I didn't tell you. Plastic shopping bags are precious here. And I can't eat bread as fast as my dog craps so there's not enough of those plus some have holes punched in them. I use the fruit shop bags for lining the bucket I clean up the dog bombs from the back yard into. So those go out once a week which is about as fast as I get them in.

Staffyluv Try to prevent it starting ie if you see a new dog coming or a trigger dog, catch yours immediately. Don't let him get so far away from you that you'd need a whistle either - not till he's better. I find my dog's long recalls are better if I've been doing lots of close recalls, especially at the start of the walk - ie keeping her close to me. It's easier for her to recall from 3m to 5m than from 20m with the treat lady in sight (evil woman who feeds all the dogs at our park). My dog spends the entire time the treat lady is at the park - on lead - cos neither of them have any self control. Them's the breaks when the distractions are too high for the dog to respond. Then it's all about managing the distractions and building up to good response again. But you have to put your dog on lead to do that. Just try to get in first. Ie don't let him off if you can see a distraction, and catch him before he spots any new distractions approaching. PS I find getting my dog to hold a drop when greeting new dogs can help her frame of mind. Though she usually volunteers this.

@lavendargirl It's amazing how much being forgetful can help your dog's sep anx. pack everything up put it in the car. Except the dog, who is by now sulking on the couch. Well she's stuck in that pancake pose elbows sticking out, chin on the couch, just watching me. go back for hat. go back for phone go back for sun screen go back for drink bottle of water go back for a cooler bag and ice pack. which gets dog up cos you went to the freezer where the roo chews live - and that reminds you to give her one. go back for last minute pee cos you never know when your next chance will be... after a few days of that - she was pretty much over pork chopping cos I was leaving her. What really sets her off now is if I shut her in but I don't leave - I stay out in the garden and do weed killer or talk to lawn mower man or shed clean out: front and back shed doors open so dog can escape to street if she's out. But again, she just needs more practice.

http://www.herbalsupplies.com.au/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=41&Itemid=110 I got mine - loose petal tea not tea bags from my local health food shop that also sells all sorts of slimmers powders - urk. It was next to the cammomile tea. Hilda Hermes brand. The website has a how to find a shop link. Or you can ask your fave shop to get it in if they have any of her other stuff. Ok the how to find a shop link seems to be broken, so maybe phone her up or send an email.

I don't know anything about calendula oil but if it's anything like lavendar oil, or oil of cloves, it would be a super concentrate and you'd want to dilute it along the lines of 1/2 to 1/4 teaspoon oil to 1 litre of water (in a misting bottle). some of the oils can be quite corrosive in their neat (undiluted) form.

http://drsophiayin.com/philosophy/dominance/ Being on the bed or higher up than the human does not mean dominance. Dogs are opportunists. If you give them the opportunity they will take it. If you give them the opportunity to train you to do their every bidding, they will take that too. My dog doesn't sleep on my bed. She doesn't want to, I wriggle too much and when she tries to push me out of my bed, she falls off it. But she told one of my friends who tried looking after her, that she gets to sleep on his bed, and he believed her. It's not about dominance. It's about opportunities. And what the dog finds rewarding or fun or feels good.

My brother's staffy is a stinker, skin and farts - horrible. I have shared a room with her and her former doggy friend, but if I left the room I couldn't go back in till I'd aired it. Yikes. Been thinking about giving my brother a sack of black hawk to see if that makes a pong improvement over the supercoat or whatever stuff he's feeding her now. So not very keen to let her in my bedroom. My dog is fine tho.

Major difference between me, my dog and my siblings and their kids... I spend heaps of time in school with my dog. I even go to school without her to learn better how to train her to be a better behaved member of society... I don't think either of my siblings or their partners have done any courses on child rearing. Though my sister has a masters in psychology... She still manages to miss obvious things - like what behaviour are you rewarding with that? Ie her oldest was a velcro kid and she couldn't hand her off to anyone for a second. And the younger one loves to scream to get her way - and it works. On my sister. Not so good with me. I pay enough attention to find out what the matter is, if it's nothing serious (in my opinion not hers), do what I can to distract her, ignore her if I can't. I do not pick her up and give her cuddles for chucking a temper tantrum.

I must try the calendula tea on my itchy bitchy... At the moment she gets a rash from commando crawling on the back lawn and local ovals (mostly kikuyu). If we stick to the beach, the rash goes away - so it's not likely diet - cos that stays the same no matter where we go for walks. A recent stay at the RSPCA proved that commando crawling on concrete is also bad for the rash. I'm not very surprised. I went through a lot of aloe vera cactus - faster than I had it growing - this was pretty good on it, and then nappy rash cream with zinc in it (sudocrem) - seemed to provide a protective preventative coating ie she could crawl on the grass after I had made her belly china white, and the rash would not get worse. Also used Savlon, and panalog from the RSPCA vet, and some dog antihistamines from my vet, and some zyrtec from me. Not all at once. panalog seemed the least effective but I wasn't very scientific about it. She's a bit peely at the moment like she's been sunburnt and it's peeling. Doesn't seem to be itchy and isn't red behind the peel so not sure what's going on there. Sunburn is a possiblity, she does like to sunbake in the middle of the day, so I might have to be making more effort with the zinc cream. I mostly don't bath her unless she finds something very oily and stinky to roll in - like sump oil or that black stuff in the bottom of stagnant creeks. After the beach she gets hosed off with tap water, and she does like to swim in the salty stuff. That's about it for washes at the moment.

I like to take these on long haul flights http://www.amazon.com/Bose%C2%AE-QuietComfort%C2%AE-Acoustic-Cancelling%C2%AE-Headphones/dp/B0054JJ0QW/ref=sr_1_1?=aht&ie=UTF8&qid=1330775085&sr=1-1 There are worse things to be stuck next to on a plane than a small child - screaming or not. Like someone with an infectious disease. And being stuck there until quarantine give the all clear that someone has not been hanging out with sick chooks.

The standard translation I've heard for a play bow is "everything I do after you accept my invitation to play is just pretend". Is interesting dogs have a concept of both "fair play" and "just pretend".

is even more weird to hear. I guess I could make up papers for my dog too. I noticed dogs vic - has a how to buy a puppy description on their website. They are a bit biased towards the purebreds - can't think why but it's a start. I would like if my dog club website had something that came up when people type "puppies for sale" into their favourite search engine. I think that's half the trouble - what do people type into their search engine when they're looking for a puppy and what comes up? The other half is defining what a puppy farm is well enough to stop them. But still be able to supply deserving homes - their new puppy or dog. I guess if it was easy it would be done already but I do think we can do better.