Skruffy n Flea

this mix makes me feel sad --- but not nearly as sad as when i see and or remember what appears to be a bc x corgi... shameful really jmho

I thought there'd be something in this for everyone, so --- just sharing The most dangerous dog breeds are any 'breeds' that have been produced by bad breeders, have been raised incorrectly and are owned by people who have no knowledge and/or no interest in taking responsibly for their dogs. Badly Bred: Consider Cocker Rage Syndrome. One of the worst breeds for unprovoked, uncontrollable aggression is the Cocker Spaniel - you know, that cute little golden dog with the big heart-melting brown eyes and the soft fuzzy ears. The "rage" is caused by indiscriminate breeding to produce animals disregarding genetics - mating the wrong dogs. These dogs suffer from a blind rage, almost like a fit, and once the 'fit' is over, they return to their lovable, cute little fluffy selves. Other breeds suffer from Rage Syndrome too, again due to breeding for coloring, confirmation or quantity, without regard for temperament or genetics. Pit Bulls, the current villains of the dog world, suffer a similar fate at the hands of 'breeders' raising dogs to fight. A combination of breeding the most vicious dogs and breeding the survivors of the various fights, creates dogs that are hard-wired to attack. Rescue groups come into 'save' these dogs, and without proper evaluation, they unwittingly turning loose time bombs on an unsuspecting public. And of course the great American public, SO well versed in animal ownership, paint ALL Pit Bulls with the same brush - vicious monster. Like it or not, there are MANY wonderful Pit Bulls, bred intelligently and handled correctly - just as there are many great Cockers. (I was shocked by a suggestion that the first step to becoming a breeder was choosing a breed you liked! Courses in genetics and understanding bloodlines would be my first suggestion, followed by a internship with a rescue group.) Badly Raised: The first six to nine months of a puppy's life are critical. Puppies need guidance from their mothers, from their siblings and from their early handlers. Too many puppies are bred in stressful situations, taken from their mothers too early, have little or no contact with other puppies, and have insufficient or incorrect handling from their humans. If the mother isn't relaxed and secure during pregnancy and while caring for her pups, pass her fears to her pups, possibly producing fear biters. Imagine how stressful it would be to raise litter after litter in a puppy mill, surrounded by chaos, often starting too young and ending too old. Puppies learn bite inhibition by playing with their mother and with other puppies - without this interaction, they can continue to bite and snap in later life, when it isn't quite so cute. Humans can teach puppies not to bite, but puppy teeth are sharp, and a puppy that is big enough or persistent enough can do some damage. If a dog hasn't learned that biting is unacceptable, they can become dangerous. Without proper handling and socialization, puppies are often afraid of new situations, which in turn may trigger fear bitting. Without proper evaluation and placement, they may go to unsuitable homes, where any problems will only be made worse. Left alone in cold cages, surrounded by other nervous dogs and with indifferent handling, a pet-shop puppy doesn't have the opportunity to learn how to be a balanced dog. Badly Owned: Too many people select dogs because they feel sorry for them, because they like the 'look' or because they want an aggressive looking dog. Rather than looking for a good breeder, having the dog evaluated by a trainer or, heaven forbid, without researching breeds and training, people pick the wrong dog for them, then wonder why their dog is aggressive and attacking other dogs or the neighbors. Many people select dogs they can't control - if you get a large, strong breed, you need the strength and fortitude keep them from taking over your 'pack', often by aggressive biting. When the puppy finally goes to a permanent home, most people don't properly handle their new pets. How many people pick up a fearful or aggressive little dog to 'protect' it, which actually reinforces the dog's fear or aggression? How many owners use 'negative motivation' - yelling, a couple of swats with a newspaper or even a swift kick to 'correct' a dog, which can make a nervous or fearful animal bite first and ask questions later. And the thing that drives me the craziest, are the dog owners and parents who allow children pull ears and tails, poke eyes, steal toys, stray near food dishes and clamber over a dog - any type of dog. Not only does this teach the child bad manners, but if the dog takes offense and corrects the child as it would correct a puppy (or worse), it is always the dog's fault, they are labeled 'dangerous' and punished or put down. True story - I have a new rescue, a Shepherd mix (Shepherds are on many dangerous dog lists), who's temperament is still unknown. Our nephew let his 9 month old son start to climb on her saying, "Oh, don't worry, he's used to big dogs!". What if she wasn't used to little kids! Needless to say, I removed the dog from harm's way. What makes a dangerous dog isn't the JUST the bred, it is complicated mix of genetics, rearing and ownership. Don't condemn ALL Pit Bulls because they are vicious and go for a Cocker because they are 'cute'. Don't support bad breeders - look for a reliable, knowledgeable rescue group or breeder rather than a puppy mill or a yokel with a hand-painted sign in the front yard. Don't go into dog ownership blind, do your homework, make informed decisions about your dog, and use some common sense. And remember, how ever it happens, 'dangerous' dogs are created by humans - it isn't the dog's fault. Humans MUST take responsibility and put an end to the practices create dangerous dogs, regardless of the breed. here's the link!

an update ... please!?!??

i tried just now to check the site --- no luck! i'd like to look at what's available first

oh, what an awful time your boy --- and you --- are having what are you feeding him? fwiw: STOP using topical chemicals immediately --- that's my experience [i have 2 dogs and one has a propensity to scratch incessantly with BOTH licking their feet] try comfortis [monthly for fleas which also claims to settle skin flea issues] --- i'm changing my worming regime when it comes time and as for yearly vax, i'll titre test before i put my two thru that again... do you feed raw!?!? i use barf and supplement my dogs' serving with a small amount of artemis and the occasional serve of nature's gift [amongst other low offending treats] ... i have also put both on a 1/2 tab per day of claratyne with a squirt of nutricoat also once per day --- after one week, my itchy boy is starting to finally settle and both are showing less eye weeping than before... for my boy byron, it would most definitely seem to be a flea bite allergy but for my girl bella and her licking, it is likely ocd and i will keep that for another time... my boy also does better on raw chicken [as opposed to cooked] so that too is something to consider... MB, i really feel for you as an owner caring for a dog that suffers that much ... there are several ways you can alleviate your dog's condition but my best advice is to get your vet's advice and follow it to the letter... if i've been able to provide you with any help at all, i'm glad ... your vet tho will be the best help of all

srsly, that made me laugh out loud... irrespective... OP: as long as peeps are respectful to the rules and to DOL you shouldn't have any issues... lately, i haven't seen any disrespect! just sayin'

i'm so sad reading this whole thread that i can now barely ... i have 2 dogs [one adopted] and now one cat [a pound save] and before joining this forum, i'd never ever ever heard of such things! but curiously, i am not surprised --- another reason i prefer animals to humans... having read every post in this thread the worst phrase used is get rid of --- unbelievable! i get rid of rubbish... back in sept '84, an uncle of mine passed away. i was living in coffs harbour, away from home running a small business and missing family --- a staff member took advantage and offered me a small kitty; a ginger, just like my recently departed uncle ... kismet!?!? i put the word out and he was named 'thomas o'malley [per disney's animated film aristocats] kat esq' and he was about 6 weeks old; i fell in love with him --- so many memories, laughs... in '88 we moved from coffs to the gold coast and so did tom. in '92 we moved to cairns and so did tom. in 94 we moved back to the gold coast, and so did tom ... then in '96, we moved to sydney and so did tom --- living in the same place until tom passed in early october 2003. we still live there... the point to my story is that never once did i consider there to be an alternative and never ONCE during any of those moves was there any discussion as to tom's future with us OTHER THAN the cost to kennel him, or to transport him... however, some peeps have legitimate needs; others should be banned and themselves sterilised --- but the big question here is: what is best for the animal? srsly, i'd prefer that the large majority of numnuts make those numnut excuses so that their relinquished pets can now be enjoying the life they now have... jmho

a teaspoon of acv to their food, along with a 1/4 spoon of fish oil

i could look at pix of her for ever i could sit and watch vids of her and ringo for days on end... i LOVE jacks ... they reside in my heart...

brilliant

oh, and wouldn't that go sooo far to lifting jane's spirits what a courageous lil chi she is ... and what a wonderful story

such an awful thing to happen... i know tyson will cope and i'm very happy to hear that he's on his way home to the comforts he's known with this loving family i can't recall who posted it, but strengthening the main fence and then putting in a secondary barrier sounds like a good idea AND the positive mental effect that has on the family will only go to helping tyson in his recovery... i don't know what to think about the dogs responsible for this carnage but as for their owners, i have a helluva lot to say ... just not here... dogmad, that story you recounted sent me cold...

good luck with the analysis and i hope it proves beneficial... as for feeding, the best approach from what i understand is to progressively introduce a new food to a dog's diet ... if you're feeding predominantly dry, then i guess mixing in a bit of raw would be the way to go until such time as your dog happily accepts the raw food on its own. don't forget to throw him some meaty bones either! dr billinghurst's barf recipes contain the essentials for dog health so find yourself a local supplier; petbarn stocks it [at least my local does]. if you think your dog is possibly allergic to lamb and chicken and does better on roo and beef, then slowly introduce roo and or beef to his diet ... don't however introduce the goat and camel, because if you need to put your dog on an elimination diet, those meats could be used to substitute the other meats in his diet because him not having eaten those meats in the past cannot therefore be a cause of any current intolerance. does that make sense!??! look also at the contents of your dog's dry food ... sometimes grains/wheats etc have an allergic effect on dogs. i hope it all works out for your dog mas

that's excellent news aj ... i didn't put byron on the elim diet; just cut out chicken [don't ask me why, i just had an inkling] and lo, behold! he is doing so much better :p his tear stains are clearing and his itch has diminished substantially! both he and bella ADORE chicken! especially fresh woolies bbq chicken! which we have every monday nite! grocery shopping nite! on the right side of this, i've noted that his itch 'acts up' in the next 24 hours if i've given him some cooked chicken, and that includes raw [me being one that considered the 'cooking process' alters the digestive effect as opposed to that in its raw state] ... i also wondered this past week how closely related chicken meat is to turkey meat; i still need to try it BUT to all extents, byron has a 'chicken' issue and it manifests within 24 hours yet subsides just as quickly. i bought a shitload-size bag of artemis weight management a month or so ago ... i've just checked the contents; gutted! he and bella both lick their paws fastidiously and in an effort to determine whether that too is alergy related, we've been able to redirect their attention fairly quickly and so believe that condition is related moreso to anxiety :D working on it! mas, i sooo very much feel for you ... i feel absolutely desperate with you. it is so awfully unfair for our dogs to have to deal with these sensitivities ;) but please, hang in there for your dog, be your strong self and show your happiness thru the sadness ... he needs you soooo much... but you don't need me to tell you that ... what i can tell you tho is that whatever your question, come here, to this forum ... we collectively can help you manage... introducing a raw diet, perhaps dr b's barf, might be an option, but there are a number of other options that could be more or just as effective ... it really is a matter of trial and error. vet's all natural has an alergy [!??!] formula that has had some success ... testing the effectiveness of a diet on your dog may prove to be, in the short term, a tad expensive, but then in the long run and when you figure it all out, you and your dog can start to rise above alergy and skin issues... i'm really glad that byron, being a rescue dog of unknown origin, has been reasonably easy to manage ... i feel so much for those owners and their dogs whose issues seem larger than life itself and i wish you all the very best, from the bottom of my heart... i hope none of that sounded too soppy but ty anyway for indulging me ;)

i've only read up to when it was announced that magnus had been identified so i'm not up with the latest... so now i'm numb, i wanna tho express my deepest appreciation for everyone involved, and to ... jane, i'll get to know you one day :D sorry, i'm too lost now, a light shines for all that were lost ... but never forgotten

i'd be interested in attending one at sydney ... fo shizle!!!

picnic blanket [rubber-backed] we've only got 2 swf dogs but we cut one picnic blanket in half and lay that over the length of the back seat, use the selt-belt buckle attachments and we're set! i don't like the buddy at all ... we had one that set up like a droopy hammock! good luck

Maybe you should gently hint that "regards" doesn't have a 'u' in it. *giggles* i wondered whether he had an accent

thanks for the replies :cool: for the few that said i should go back i appreciate the reasoning but srsly, i'd be too unhappy to hand over my hard-earned cash to his establishment and with gary as the chief cook in our house, i'd make a fool of myself trying to fool them that i knew a thing or two about 'cuts' thanks to those too that provided links and other avenues of supply; i will certainly be looking into using them :D ness, there's an IGA just up from this butcher!!!

direct cut n paste

thank you everyone for your replies ... at least now i can confidently say that bella isn't an all out guts and if she turns away from a food, then it's likely she knows within herself that it won't sit well with her

can anyone hear that noise!??! that's me screaming and this is the only way i can reply to your post ... sorry, but i can't read all the posts cuz it hurts too much...

bella has a gruff vocal, byron giggles ... sometimes we both think it's too much and separate but we are noobs... we make each other anxious! so i reckon if 2 dogs are enjoying each others company and no blood is shed, then leave 'em alone ... if you are really concerned, be there to supervise our two are alone together all day, unsupervised ... not cuddly buds, but great buds all the same, they have a ball together...

frankly, i don't know how i read that but srsly, if i was interested in a particular breed and i was that close to buying a pup, or taking on an older dog of the same breed and i was making initial enquiries, i'd be certain that my intentions were honourable ... i don't wanna give the breeder of my potential house friend anything other than positive vibes... honesty and integrity is paramount ... both sides. that's how i'd wanna be treated ... ergo...

dear yellowgirl, thank you for perservering and opening your life to saving this beautiful creature... some peeps need to be slapped frankly, but then sometimes, what's the firkken point *shrugs* one day i'll have the courage to own a crested ... i adore them, they reside in my heart