Adnil444

So very very sorry to hear of your loss. This is just tragic and so preventable.

Very smart indeed - has he ever fallen in and you have thanked god for having a life jacket on him?

I agree - well said.

Love it - a pink dummy!

I want one (or two) of your dogs - just gorgeous. They always look so happy, friendly and healthy and obviously having a ball (pardon the pun).

I love your photos grumpette - you have the most wonderful rotties.

Love the photos - just gorgeous.

So sorry to hear this. Glad that you were with him at the end.

Here is a photo of my dogs in one of the pens - we are about half way down the pen and the photo shows it about two thirds across. Sorry, the photo didn't upload. P2040186.JPG

Thanks aussielover. No my dogs are not DA. In fact they are very good with other dogs. But I worry about strange dogs after hearing so many horror stories and would like a large place where I could get my dogs and their playmates together for a play date or just do some focused training. You would love the pens at St Ives then. It is great to meet there with other dogs for a play - I do that with dogs that I know and my dogs get on well with them. It is safe, easy parking, well fenced and watered and apart from obedience days, you can pretty much go there and never have to wait to use a pen. If the odd chance that all pens are being used - I take mine for a walk around the grounds (on lead only). There are usually some horse events on the other side to watch, or just walking the bush paths is nice. I know some people that use them that have very DA dogs but still want them to be able to have a good run and these are perfect.

Thanks Adnil444. Can you book these pens so that others don't get in? I normally take my dogs to the dog park in our area very early in the morning or late in the evening when there are no other dogs usually. But I still have to keep an eye on all three gates all the times to ensure we have enough time to get out if other dogs are approaching the park. That means that I can't really focus on training or playing with my dogs. Hi, you can't book them, but once in, you can control who comes in or out - when I have my dogs in the pen, and someone comes along, I just say, sorry (one of mine can be a bit dominant at times). They either use another pen, or wait until one becomes free. But really, I never have to wait to use one. But they are for public use so you can't really stop people from using them, apart from asking nicely and hoping people will be understanding. They've even had trouble at agility trials with people using the pens next to competing dogs, even when there are signs saying the pens are booked and the public cannot enter. They're also not very big, not much bigger than a backyard really. I don't think there are any areas in sydney similar to keppala in VIC. Are you looking for a private area because your dogs are DA or because you want to do training without distractions? I have heard that Deep Creek in Narrabean may become the property (with sole access rights) of a training club in the near future which may be something to look into. It's a nice area with a creek, waterfall and large grass area, most dogs love it. However it is heavily tick infested and snakes have been sighted. It is not fully enclosed and only about 500m back from a very busy road, so only suitable for dogs that are under pretty good control. No you can't stop people from using them, however I don't know of too many people who would take their dog into an enclosed pen after being told that the dog inside may not be the friendliest. They are actually a lot bigger than a yard. My dogs (large) get a gallop up very easily and I use the ball chucker and they have a great time. The middle pen, yes is a bit smaller (not in length but in width), but the other two are quite large. I also train at the club and when the pens are booked for obedience classes, no one is allowed to enter the middle pen - if people do, they are asked to leave as having obedience classes on either side with the middle pen having unleashed dogs is a distraction. I have never had any issue with asking people not to come in with mine. Actually they are happy they have been told - something I know I would be happy to hear from another dog owner. Deep Creek at Narrabeen is also where my other obedience club trains (Manly and District Kennel Club) and it is owned by Pittwater Council - they will not give this land up. The club has an application in at present to upgrade the club house (at the club's expense), however the club will only ever be allowed to lease the clubhouse, never the land and it will be at the discretion of the council. It is a training ground only, not an off-leash ground at present. Yes it is a great area, and I think the last time dog ran out onto Wakehurst Parkway and got killed was many years ago now. However, this is a real possibility if something goes wrong at the training grounds. Ticks unfortunately are a problem for most parts of the Northern Beaches and something we all have to be very aware of.

Thanks Adnil444. Can you book these pens so that others don't get in? I normally take my dogs to the dog park in our area very early in the morning or late in the evening when there are no other dogs usually. But I still have to keep an eye on all three gates all the times to ensure we have enough time to get out if other dogs are approaching the park. That means that I can't really focus on training or playing with my dogs. Hi, you can't book them, but once in, you can control who comes in or out - when I have my dogs in the pen, and someone comes along, I just say, sorry (one of mine can be a bit dominant at times). They either use another pen, or wait until one becomes free. But really, I never have to wait to use one.

Hi, St Ives has dog pens (around the other side from the main oval). These are booked on Saturday from 12-5pm for dog obedience classes, and I think on Wednesday night for Agility classes, but other times, they are open to the public to use. There are 3 pens that have high fencing and water/taps in each, as well as poo bags. Hope this helps.

Hi Jen, I hope Riddick is ok - such a wonderful boy. I will keep an eye out for this guy - I don't use the oval but the pens, but if the dog went for Rosie, she would go back (I think). I will let the others I know that use the oval to be on the lookout. What a moron. He needs to face up to reality that his dog is aggressive towards other dogs and manage it. Rosie can sometimes be "rough" with other dogs, and I would never put another dog or her in a situation that I can't control. I use the pens as I have control over who comes in and can stop others coming in with us if need be. Big hugs to Riddick.

Love it - great work. I can't imagine my girl ever accepting chooks. Yes love the names too!!

I hope they find Jackson, safe and well. Any update?

Good post Megan - I agree with this. It does take such a long time to get our dogs to a certain standard. I think some people have unrealistic ideas that they can have a dog up to a certain level within 1 year. Most people at an OB club are there to learn the basics of having a pet dog - they couldn't care less if asking the dog to sit and it sits crocked - the dog sat when asked, so that's great and so on.

Hi, I've gone from a 3 dog house to a 1 dog house in just under 6 months (my 14 yr old mini schnauzer was pts in Feb due to ill health and my dobexkelpie was pts in June due to cancer - he was 4.5 yrs old). My remaining dog, Rosie (dobexrottweiler) had never been alone before, and I thought she would struggle, but she is doing really well. She would not adjust to another dog easily - she was the last one to enter my house and was 10 months old when I rescued her. She is now 4, and she is a bit reactive to some other dogs and I wouldn't trust another dog with her alone (at this stage anyway). I would hate to be in a situation where I had to manage 2 dogs all the time if they didn't get along. She has play dates with other dogs each week and with just the one I am now concentrating on getting some obedience titles with her (we got our Rally Novice this year, now working on CCD). I actually find 1 easier, cheaper, cleaner etc. I used to vacuum 2-3 times a week - now only once. The food bills are halved, the vet bills halved, the pet insurance has decreased by two thirds. My backyard can now get back to the way it originally was (it is like a moonscape at present). It did take a lot of extra time to do separate walks, training etc - I made sure that I did activities separately so they wouldn't suffer from separation anxiety and they all were fine doing things alone, or the one being left behind. I can now devote more time to her than with the 3. Don't get me wrong, I loved having the 3 - they were a joy together and watching them play and interact was great. I think it would be easier to have multiple smaller dogs - feeding 3 small ones would probably be the equivalent of feeding one large dog, small dogs don't cause the damage to the yard like larger dogs can (the weight of them running, turning etc did awful things to my lawn - lol). I can also ask my mum to mind just one dog, but with multiple it does become harder. My dogs came with me everywhere and have access to the house/yard all day when I'm at work. When I leave Rosie alone, for any length of time, she gets a frozen kong, hidden treats, etc. But she has settled down now that she is 4 and is quite content to sleep either on my bed or sunbake on the back deck. She gets to play with her doggie friends each week and she is walked twice daily. One day I may go back to having another dog, but for the time being I'm really enjoying spending my time with just Rosie.

Hi Dogmad, this is great. I have a bag of "dog stuff" - including some really good coats for a large, medium and small dog. I also have some brushes (never used), collars, leads, bowls etc that I have collected or have been given over the years. I have now gone from having 3 dogs to 1 dog in just over 4 months this year and I would like to donate these things to a rescue/pound. Once the address is given, I will parcel all the items up.

Well, that was helpful I tend to agree with Pockets - I too would always say blame the deed not the breed, but in nearly every case of a dog attack it is a bully type dog - the general public does not care on iota if it is a pure bred or not, as far as they are concerned, the dog(s) involved are bully breeds or crosses of such. I also agree, in the right home and environment, they make wonderful pets. It is time to make the fines so hard on these morons that have these dogs. In this case, the minimum punishment should be that these dogs are PTS and the owner made to pay for the training and replacement guide dog for that young man. That would certainly teach him and his idiot friends a lesson. No one should have to go through what this poor man and dogs had to. At my mum's local dog park this week, another dog attack - two am staffs, that should never have been in a dog park, chased and attacked a small dog, totally unprovoked. The police and rangers are deciding what to do with these dogs - IMHO they should be PTS. The owner knew his dogs were not trustworthy, but still took them to a public space and let them offlead. Morons!!

I disagree here. My young 4.5 yr old dog - very fit and healthy developed diarrhoea which turned out to be cancer (he had it in the lungs, liver, spleen, intestine). This was over a 3 week period. He had not been sick before in his short life. The tests etc cost me over $2200.00 and I got back $1800 within 10 days of the bill being sent to my insurance company (Bow Wow Meow). I have never had an issue with the insurance policy and have found that the few times I have claimed for my other dog (which have been for large amounts), I am quickly paid. I don't have the thousands of dollars sitting there to spend on these unexpected vet bills (don't think many people would) and I can claim up to $12K per annum.

So sorry to hear this. RIP Penny. I'm pleased that you got to be with her and say your last goodbyes.

Hi my mini schnauzer suffered from epilepsy from the age of 4. She lived to 14.5 years old. Her seizures were very traumatic and she had "cluster" seizures, where she would come out of one fit, then almost immediately go into another. She was treated and medicated and she was pretty much seizure free from age 4 to about 8, then she started to have some more, so the vet increased her medication and no more seizures at all. I would most certainly be seeing another vet and getting your dog medicated. Even on the medication, which I was told may shorten her life (14.5 yrs old isn't too bad!), she lead a normal, healthy life.

Hi, I would be taking your little one to the vet. I have just been through this and the end result was heart breaking. If I were you, unless his poo is back to normal, I would be taking to the vet.

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