Nic oh lah

I'm fascinated with Mal's - i'm a big-dog girl so i prefer them over Huskies for that reason, but I have to wonder at the fact that any Sibes or Mal's I see in rescue say "only to home with breed experience" and that noone should take on one of these dogs without breed experience - how are you supposed to get experience with the breed unless you start with one? Anyway. Just a thought. Like, really - how much more difficult would a Mal be than a GSD? Just curious.

I don't think people should give advice if they're not willing to read one long/two short paragraphs. I appreciate everyones advice. And this advice was really sound from 16paws. Anyway. Thread over - I talked to the neighbour yesterday rather than writing anything down. Police advised whether I gave them written notice or not they are still illegally trespassing on my property which they can be charged for. So i told them exactly that.

Haha - would love to see them try to outrun the Greyhound.

Problem being they're jumping over our boundary fence by going over their garden shed. Morons. And using our framework to get back over. I have signs on our front gates saying "Warning - Dogs on Premises" but they're not going near the front fences.

Hehe - yep - i did use paragraphs when I typed it into word, they were lost in the copy and paste.

I guess because I tend to be the balls with these kind of things - he's a big softy, seriously, huge softy. He's done all his stuff for becoming an officer but decided to join in another area, contact centre work taking police reports, calls and triple-0 calls and stuff. He decided he couldn't point a gun at someone - i could have told him that. He honestly is the sweetest guy, but such a pussy, lol. I will ask him to come with me and chat to these people. I always tend to do anything that needs done, he's so supportive and devoted but hes such a freakin wimp. He's a consoler and a supporter, but not a doer. I wish he was sometimes and that I could just hide and have my man deal with stuff like this but its just not him. Does he not have issues with them trespassing on your property? He does. He would love for me to deal with it! His main concern is not upsetting them and having neighbours ticked off at us. He's a lovely hubby but hes so freakin worried about upsetting people. Sigh.

I guess because I tend to be the balls with these kind of things - he's a big softy, seriously, huge softy. He's done all his stuff for becoming an officer but decided to join in another area, contact centre work taking police reports, calls and triple-0 calls and stuff. He decided he couldn't point a gun at someone - i could have told him that. He honestly is the sweetest guy, but such a pussy, lol. I will ask him to come with me and chat to these people. I always tend to do anything that needs done, he's so supportive and devoted but hes such a freakin wimp. He's a consoler and a supporter, but not a doer. I wish he was sometimes and that I could just hide and have my man deal with stuff like this but its just not him.

I'm sorry i'm getting all emotional and ridiculous. Its hard to step back when you're scared. I am being naive - I am naive! I've never had to deal with this before which Is why i'm asking advice from all of you. I bought my job into it as from a legal point of view my advice to others, and the advice of my boss just now when he saw me shaking and upset after reading this thread, is that yes, obviously you admit to nothing, and dont say more than you need to, but do give full disclosure, eg, explain that it is dangerous to enter a yard with strange dogs and to warn of that. I don't care if the neighbour gets torn to shreds, I just want me and my dogs to be safe at night. But you are right - I will make it very short and sharp and ask him to respect my dogs and my property and stay away or my hand will be forced to press charges.

Thanks 16paws - good advice. I will follow it. Again I just want to reiterate to everybody that I am not a crap Paralegal - please don't keep flaming me in light of legal advice etc etc, I am just a woman who is terrified that a drunk freind of a neighbour will disregard my dogs, jump the fence and grab me in the night. I know it's irrational. Fears ARE irrational. I was attacked by a group of man as a teenager and I will never forget it. So yes, i am irrationally paranoid that another man will come after me in my own home, and I am very frightened. It doesn't matter that as a legal worker I should know better, at the end of the day i'm not thinking in a rational sense as a third person to the issue because it's me, its personal, its my scarred memories and deathly fears, and its my home that's being invaded. Well - its my yard, not my house, but i still am really upset as i feel really invaded having someone on my property without my permission. My Hubby is starting with Qld Police this yr because he wants to help people that have things happen to them like what happened to me, which means night shifts. I am getting braver and braver since that night when i was 18 but i'll never totally heal and I can not just "suck it up" and act like nothings wrong when i feel so so upset by it. I've tried not to be emotional about it but i'm terrified and i dont know what to do, i'm afraid of provoking the neighbours for the same reason, i dont want to be vulnerable because im scared. Now i'm horribly embarrassed that people i know are aware that this happened to me as i try to move past it but i feel like i have to put my hands over my head and defend myself because i am bloody good at my job, but this is not about my job. ETA - I'm so sorry that my hurried letter penned in a fit of tears and anxiousness is not going to win a nobel prize for ingenuity and grammer - since when is posting on DOL a lesson in Grammar? I posted for some support and advice, not to be hounded for my grammar! Forget it - who needs it really. I have met some lovely people on DOL but sometime you just feel like people love to get the boot in and jump down other peoples throats.

OK, you're entitled to your opinion. And no it doesn't sound professional as i'm not writing a formal legal letter, i'm writing a note to the neighbours thats freindly but covering my ass. You say you "don't mean to criticise" and i'm the person to give "specific legal advice" so i'm not engaging an independant solicitor, for goodness sakes. I just wanted some opinions here from the point of view of "am i being too harsh / not harsh enough" from other dog owners who could imagine themselves in my situation - i'm not asking for a work evaluation - so really I find it a bit annoying that you would suggest i'm unprofessinal and not qualified to write my own letter. And if I was sitting down to write a legal letter of demand and instruction I wouldn't be coming to DOL for advice on it! Agreed with the "dangerous due to dogs" being left out- honestly, i want to scare them off at the end of the day as i'm upset with strange men coming into my yard in the night, they could be staring in my lowset bedroom window when my hubby is on nightshift for all i know, and it wouldnt be hard for them to get through a screen window or something - they're rough as guts and i'm not wanting to get them offside, but i dont feel safe with them entering my yard. I shouldnt have to be scared for my safety or that of my dogs in my own home.

In regards to the legal advice - i'm a Paralegal so operate in law for a living, and legally this covers my ass which is my main point. I'm trying to make it really "i'm worried for your safety" but i'm more concerned about mine and my dogs. And inregards to inferring that she's dangerous - i've spoken to the Police about it who have agreed with my opinion from a legal point of view, which is that I have given them full discloure, so they are now responsible for their actions. I will cut the point about growling though and try to shorten it, but they need to be told. I want to chat to them too to keep it freindly so i might make the letter really short and to the point as some of you suggested "Entering our property is trespassing and could be dangerous due to our dogs - please do not enter again. If you need something from our yard please knock on the door or leave us a note in the letterbox if we're not home. Thanks - Nic." And then i'll chat to him and explain that he's been lucky thus far and sophie will defend herself, and let him know that i have spoke to the police about it to make sure we're looked after and that they need to stay away.

Background - Stupid neighbour has jumped into our yard after a tennis ball for the 2nd time last night and AGAIN narrowly avoided being part of Sophie's balanced diet. Contacted Police to make sure if we hadn't been home and it happens again we or our dogs arent responsible. They said send them a letter signed by us and a JP being written advice and then if it happens again we can charge them for trespassing. Opinions please on the letter I have drafted! I want to still be freindly with the neighbours, I want them to get the point, but still be cool about it??? Please let me know what you think.

Happy Birthday Shyla, from Sophie!

Boy or girl? Enjoy every minute of it! They are unbelievably cute when they are puppies. theres 2 boys and one girl. we'll decide when we see them. Well get a girl and do non fix her - we can get some puppies later ))) Margererka I would strongly advise you don't use this forum to organise back yard breeding - this makes me maaaaaaaaaad. Welcome Lotto - so exciting to have a puppy on the way! Welcome to the forums! Responsible pet owners are welcomed here with open arms!

Ooooooooo.......... pretty! People laugh at me. My GSD has her pink collar, her pink lead, her pink nametag with pink rhinstone, her pink and purple tennis balls, her pink water bottle..... what can I say, she's a girly girl, lol. I've already told my freind Sam who makes Cool Coats that Sophie's will be hot pink and black please, hehe. I will need to get my order in! I should mention i NEVER wear pink, just my dog, lol.

To make money (also just adding........... I so need to meet Oberon one of these days!)

You get extra points for being an awesome steward though.

Disgusting isn't it. I've found that some parks are just like that. We frequent one called Kroll Gardens at Redcliffe in Brisbane - it's 5acres and i've never found a stray poop. Whereas when I went to a DOL meet at a nudgee park there were like 5 different patches. Yuk. I know people can't watch their dog every second of the day, but surely you'd notice them stopping, sniffing and dropping one. I keep an eye on Sophie for the first 15mins we're there because i expect that her running round for that long will start motions etc, so you keep an eye out for it. People are just so gross.

Haven't seen it but would be reluctant to feed my woofer anything from a can at woolies unless i was mixing it in with her kibble for a really occasonal treat.

I tried to post something helpful but it just makes me sick. These people should be locked up (River Gum i'm referring to). It's heart breaking that dogs are dumped to die because of well meaning people wanting the "cutest fad" puppy. And please let her know that if she shows up to a dog club and uses the term "Spoodle" someone (like me) will just laugh at her. Seriously - it's a joke. These dogs are cute, lovely mutts from illbred miserable bitches and studs. To purchase a dog from them is to support the exploitation of innocent animals. Support a registered ETHICAL breeder or save a life and rescue - money in these peoples hands is as good as a nod of approval for the exploitation of dogs.

I personally check with people for their permission before I put their photo up, because I'd be annoyed if they put up a picture of me without my knowledge. I'm not veto-ing so only the flattering pics go up or anything, it's just polite not to invade someones privacy.

I was shocked when Vader's went up the other day! It just looked so weird on a Greyhound! Like he was a bit of paper that had been folded and been in a pocket in the washing machine!

No - Lab_Rat did. I'm not even sure how how what I've said has been taken as if it were marked for you . Um - because you quoted my comments? Oh well - never mind.

All we (or at least I) are saying is that not all dogs might see your dog the way you do. I'm not saying your dog's intent is to provoke or stir up other dogs, nor am I "judging your dog" - if you think that, please point out where I've said it. But some dogs can respond differently to what you might expect to these signals, even if you don't think they mean anything of much. Some dogs respond to the uncertainty they recognise in other dogs, and not necessarily in an appropriate way, or the way we'd rather them. I would not deny that you know your dog - how could I? But can you deny that you don't know all other dogs? I don't want to make a bigger deal than I might have already, regards to your dog's hackles. But I was concerned about the complacency expressed in some posts about the presence of hackles, and them being "cute". Hackles are a sign of tension. They should not be disregarded, just because the dog is small. That in itself has not been expressed (smallness of dog) but it is the impression I'm getting. As I mentioned/asked in my previous post, would there be as much complacency about this signal of the dog's emotions if the dog were are larger breed? Discrimination of whether behaviour is ok or not often occurs in size differences. That's how and often why we have many 'snappy' little dogs ..... the early signals for fear/uncertainty were ignored and as time and experiences marched on, the behaviour escalated. I'm just saying "watch it" and take some heed in what your little pug might be saying. Doesn't mean you need to do more than what you already do (I couldn't know because as you say, I'm not there to see your dog), but don't dismiss it too easily. And i fully 2nd what erny is saying. Hackles ARE a danger sign, aren't cute, and that's why i've worked hard to understand why my dog is doing this and am working with her to get her to stop this behaviour. I am confident in her behaviour, but others arent and i completely respect that, and at the end of the day I know the hackles are a physical demonstration of some level of "usure" from my dog which i dont want to see. I've only had Sophie 3 months, prior to which she was beaten by humans, and had not been socialised with other dogs which i'm sure is a factor for this behaviour, but I know she's not aggressive and am trying to get rid of this behaviour by making careful introductions and letting her trust me. She's not aggressive or unstable, she's come light years since she's been with us, and she's a wonderful gentle social dog, and I am taking steps to have the hackles cease, but I just get annoyed when people hint that my dog is provoking other dogs etc because I'm careful about where and with who she socialises. I guess really she's being rehabilitated from an awful start to life, and this hackles thing is a throwback to her past. I want her to move past this but in the meantime I get irritated that people judge her as dangerous or aggressive for being cautious whilst submissive. However this week when we had a stranger invade our yard and I was home alone with only the dogs I was delighted that she got hackles up and defended me. She's a great dog. So basically, Sophie = great dog, Hackles = something I want rid of, and Hackles are never "cute". We all good? Edited for spelling -and to clarfiy that I never said hackles were cute, and that yes, my dog is friggin massive! lol.

All's i'm saying is that in my instance you should meet my dog before you make a judgement on her behaviour and claim that she is provoking other dogs. She's the one who ran up to Huga's little pug, lay down and licked the other dogs chin. She's NOT and aggressive dog, or an unstable dog, or a dog who is going to stir up other dogs with mixed signals. I know I get on my high horse about things like crossbreeds and other things that I will argue to the death so i'll just back off here and say Your opinion is Your opinion and you are entitled to it, but i'd challenge you to find a fault with my dog's behaviour when meeting other dogs - of course there are exceptions - for instance I have to call her and keep her with me for a slow introduction with blue heelers because these dogs she could annoy because she just follows them around nonstop and becomes really fixated on them IF i let her continue with that behaviour - but this is something i work with and it's only with 2 blue heelers that I know, and also Huga's dog Harry - every time he walked past Sophie wanted to follow him nonstop. This is because she gets confused by dogs that are extremely focused on a toy as I think she doesnt understand their behaviour. However if I see this happening I step in and intervene to make her know it's not acceptable and then she goes on her merry way and will play nice, not shadowing the other dog. And this little quirk of hers does not involve hackles up. Basically when another dog runs over TO HER she walks over to meet them, and whilst sniffing and licking her hackles raise for maybe 10-15 seconds, and then intro over, hackles down, lets play. I'm expecting to be slammed for trying to explain it, but I think that whilst she's being vulnerable with a new dog and licking under the chin and offering her submission to the other dog, her hackles are up as to not make herself vulnerable enough to warrant an attack from another dog. A word from me and hackles are down, and its a 10seconds thing when another dog approaches her for an introduction, she's not hooning around the park hackles up or spooked.