twodoggies2001

It makes no difference what breed these dogs are. The thing is, these dogs ARE dangerous and should be dealt with accordingly courteousy of the owner. These poor children could have been killed had it not been for the absolute bravery of their father. In an interview with Neil Mitchell this morning, he said that one of the dogs was hanging off his chest. They meant business. One of them, according to the father was holding him down while the other was mauling him. Great teamwork! Whether it is the fault of the dogs or the owner, these dogs should be put down.

Before having mini schnauzers, we had the utmost pleasure of sharing our home with a standard schnauzer. These dogs are extremely intelligent and it has been said that they are the dog with a human brain. They do need firm hand, but your sister will be rewarded with a totally devoted companion for many years. We didn't have to command,we just spoke to him as if in conversation and he carried out what we wanted him to do. He was my soul mate and my velcro dog.

Ok, now let's look at it from the other perspective. I have two small breeds and while I was walking in the park not too long ago, a man with a boxer came up behind me. I don't panic and I allow my boys to interact if the other dog and owner are OK with that. One of my boys is 8kg. and this boxer was quite large, overweight in fact. He was friendly enough but was very rough in his approach. The owner kept trying to reassure me that he wouldn't hurt a fly, perhaps not, but I could see that he was about to hurt my boy. I asked that he be held back while I walked away and I was told not to be such a mother hen and baby my dogs. I don't baby them at all and let them get in and play with other dogs. My concern was that the way the boxer was pawing my boy was in fact an accident waiting to happen. Of course, this owner went on to tell other owners that I was paranoid, but what he didn't know is that my old boy is 13 plus years old, has only one eye and almost blind in that remaining eye too. In such a case, who else is there to protect him? Admittedly, I don't take him to the part too often now but still, I shouldn't have to ask the owner of the larger dog to hold him back. Don't get me wrong, I have had giant breeds, namely great danes in the past and still love the breed, but age on my side tells me to go smaller in size.

Mine go out and actually sun bake lying on their backs, legs in the air, and most times I go out and bring them in. I just don't understand their logic!!!

I am heart sick at what was done to these poor dogs. They are used as pleasure toys and disposed of when no longer of use. Not sure if anyone else noticed in photos but I don't think that all these poor dogs were actually huskies not that it lessens the impact of this horrific act of cruelty. Some of these dogs came across as not enjoying what they were supposed to do as in pulling sleds and actually looked quite frightened and sad.

Sounds like your dog may be the same as mine. Had a taste of the good stuff, and not prepared to settle for anything less anymore... I've left biscuits out for 2 days, and finally he will eat them after a particularly long exercise/play session but he is skin and bones. So now to keep him looking good, I am moving more and more over the raw side of things, and he is all the better for it. He has about 5 times more energy than what he did on the biscuits - I can take him to the beach now and he can swim for literally an hour and then do zoomies up and down the beach. He also defecates less, they don't smell as bad, and his coat is super shiny. Craziest part, it's actually costing me less to buy all the raw foods than what his premium dry food cost... VJB if you say she can't tolerate raw, are you open to cooking with a very tiny bit of raw? If she is OK with that, perhaps over time you can increase the raw. Jacqui 835 basically summed it up. If you can achieve this, you won't be sorry, and neither will your dog. One thing you must do is feed her edible bones such as poultry carcass, necks, wings, and pork, lamb or veal bones for the calcium content.

Do you have a problem with feeding anything other than kibble? If she is enjoying the raw etc. then I would go down that path. I am certain there are many DOL members who can give you more information and assistance.

It seems that she doesn't enjoy her dry food if she is just eating the fish. Why not try her with other raw meals and see if she goes for that? It could also be a problem with her teeth, so I would probably have that checked out.

Yes. My two are inside dogs as are most mini schnauzers I know. They just want to be part of everything within the family.

What a hero!!! I wish he would try doing that to someone his own size the creep. Poor doggie didn't even try to defend himself because he probably knew what else he would be rewarded with. I'd like to see the creep on all fours for an entire day, and see how he fares.

You have no issues with an owner tying their dog up outside in a public space on a 35 degree day for 4 hours without water? Perhaps the owner should also be charged with neglect for leaving his dog in the heat without water. This of course doesn't excuse what happened, and now because of this irresponsible owner's inaction a child has been mauled and a dog will most likely be put to sleep. License the owners, not the animals and make them sit a test on animal care, training etc.

Being a tiny breed is NO excuse for bad behaviour. The problem is that a lot of owners who have these tiny breeds treat them like fragile children instead of the dog that they are. A dog is a dog is a dog!!! My mini schnauzers are not treated any differently as far as obeying commands as was my Great Dane, now at the bridge. A small dog can, as we have already found out, wreak havoc just as much as a large breed. It's not cute to see a littlie baring teeth and 'attacking'. Most of the time it is in fact the owners and not the dog's fault for this sort of behaviour.

I can't understand how people can leave their dogs tied up and unattended while they go about their business. There is no way I would leave either of my two in those sort of situations for several reasons. I wouldn't know if anyone out there could be mistreating them in any way. I wouldn't know if they were being a pest to any pedestrians. Not that they cause any problems when they are with me, and then there is the thought in the back of my mind that anyone, so inclined, could very quickly untie them and walk away with them. Some kids are naturally drawn animals and therein lies the danger. The dog in question may have been fretting for his owner and therefore in an anxious state and along comes this child 'guilty' or not and has his cheek bitten. Now, because of the irresponsibility of the owner, the dog could be put down.

You would be agressive too if you had a giant standing near by. Michelleva you should have bit the owners for not teaching that dog some manners. Yeah I have three Chi's and I consider my dogs trained. . Just having a giant as you say standing next to you doesn't have to bring out aggression. You yourself stated that you have 3 chi's and you consider them trained. Good on you. Unfortunately, there are some owners of chi's who let their little darlings get away with almost anything, just because they are small. Personally, I would feel safer with a larger well socialized dog than a smaller cosseted breed. By the way, the rotty at the vet clinic was not bothering or being a threat to the chi. He interacted beautifully with my miniature schnauzer.

What's a little terrier thing? A small dog that resembles a terrier. Probably of mixed and dubious origins. Do mini schnauzers come under that category lol? The are terriers. Does it really matter? no : smile

What's a little terrier thing? A small dog that resembles a terrier. Probably of mixed and dubious origins. Do mini schnauzers come under that category lol? The are terriers.

On a recent vet visit there were two other doggy patients waiting to be seen. One was a rotty and the other a chi. Have a guess which one was the aggressive one who growled and caused uneasinerss duroing the waiting time?

What's a little terrier thing?

This is not a sensible suggestion at all. This type of thinking creates an us and them mentality between owners of large and small dogs. It's as bad as someone suggesting that eveyone own small dogs as they are unable to cause as much damage. If you are prepared to acknowledge that your little dog can be easily killed in these situations and accept the loss of a pet as a result then my suggestion may not be sensible I agree. However, if you prefer your dog not to be killed and have a fighting chance if faced with a situation like this, a bigger dog makes a lot of sence in risk management, in fact, a bigger dog will often prevent a like situation occurring in the first place as they don't present the prey trigger that a small dog does. The flip side of your argument is that everyone should own little dogs so that the potential to kill another dog is not there. I don't have a little dog, I have two very large dogs (so I'm not taking it as a personal affront), I just think it's a stupid suggestion. If peopole want little dogs they should be able to have them and not feel at risk. The issue at hand is containment, not whether people should or shouldn't have certain types or sizes of dogs. Of course people should be able to own and walk little dogs, but the question is, how do these little dog owners ensure big dogs dangerous theirs are kept contained and controlled effectively and the answer to that is: Good luck when the situation is completely beyond their control so it boils down to two alternatives. Get another small dog that could suffer the same fate, or get a bigger one that has a better chance of survival in the same situation..........can't see what is stupid about that idea??? Some people choose a smaller breed because they are easier to handle. I have, over the years come down in size from Great Danes to Miniature Schnauzers mainly because of my age. Does that mean that I should not have freedom to enjoy a walk in the park because there is a possibility of some irresponsible owner not making sure his/her dogs are properly contained when the said owner is away from the premises or when out exercising these large dogs, not having them under control. What it boils down to is the owner. Dogs can be a lethal weapon in the wrong hands, and quite frankly, some owners can't and don't see it.

That's a good idea. In Victoria, I believe it is the responsibility of the owner to keep said cat from roaming and technically, the cat should not leave the owner's property. Personally, I can't see why cats should be different to dogs. If a dog is caught roaming, the owner is most likely fined, so why not cats? Another way to confine them to their own property is for the owner to nail chicken wire to the top of the fence at an angle as the cats don't like walking on it.

I started this thread and am truly amazed at its development. I know that all vet receptionists/nurses certainly cannot be lumped into the same basket and of course, there are some wonderful ones as there are there are some rotten ones. I just happened to get the latter on that occasion. My gripe was that she WOULDN'T go speak to the vet and just told me to come in to the surgery late afternoon. This was morning when I called. I just couldn't get past her, even though she was told my boy couldn't urinate. The vet was not engaged in surgery or consultation at the time. She told me herself when I just bowled up . I would hate to think what would have happened with my boy had I not done so. Sure, I could have found another vet but I have gone to this one for many many years. As I mentioned before, I have the vet's mobile and home 'phone number and I must add that I have not abused that trust and called her, but it is very reassuring to me that I have the option and ability to do so if the need arises. If when I call the surgery and the problem can be solved without bothering the vet then that's OK by me too but if it's a serious problem then don't fob me off.

Most of the receptionists and vet nurses are great, as you say, but when you strike the odd one that doesn't help in a situation, and you feel there could be a problem, then you do as I did, take matters into your own hands. In my case, the vet was very upset with the lass, because she took it upon herself to trivialize the urgency of my boy's problem. Coincidentally, soon after, she left the practice.

BTW, for interest, did the vet advise that mini schnauzer's are predisposed to this problem? Once I got to see her, yes she did.

The topic started by Snook about her mum's little dog got me thinking about Vet receptionists. Some are great and some are downright awful. It brings me back to the time when my mini schnauzer Benson, who was all of 6 months at the time had trouble passing urine. At first, whilst we were out walking he was squatting constantly, and I thought he had a lot to pass. After a wile, I realised that he couldn't go, so when I came home, I rang my vet. Couldn't get past the b****y receptionist who told me surgery hours for morning consults were over and I could come in late afternoon because they were pretty much booked out. I wanted to talk to the vet and she wouldn't put me through. So, I packed my boy in the car and off I went to the surgery. It turned out that he couldn't pass urine because of a stone blocking his urethra and had to have a catheter inserted. I blew my stack at the receptionist and so did the vet. Had I waited for the late afternoon who knows what may have eventuated. As it turned out, my pup had a porto systemic shunt. After that episode, I was given the vet's mobile and home number if I needed. Sometimes the vets themselves just don't how the receptionists deal with the patients.

I sympathise with everyone - and dog - involved in attacks like these. It's horrible for everyone involved - the owner of the dead dog, the dog that had to die in such a horrific manner, and yes, the two huskies. It's not the dogs fault that they were saddled with an irresponsible owner, but they will now be the ones to take the blame for it (with their lives, most likely). Exactly, and that's why owners should be the ones to require a licence, not the dog.