mita

I learned a trick from another owner of 2 small dogs. She has roomy crates, with soft bedding & toys set up all the time ... mainly with door open. Her little dogs treat it as their 'own places', day bed etc. They take themselves in, when they like. She always gives any treats inside the crates, so it's seen as a 'good 'place'. No drama to the dogs, then, when she wants them closed up in their crates ... like when tradesman working in the house etc. It's just the same to the dogs. But she isn't in circumstances where they'd regularly have to stay in the crates for hours.

China's the place chosen by the FCI for their World Dog Show in 2019. It's sparked huge criticism & some calls for boycott. The FCI & China are also the subject of outrage by the owners & breeders of Tibetan dog breeds throughout the world. China requested the FCI to change Tibetan breeds' place of origin from 'Tibet' to 'China'. And the FCI, without consulting opinions from Tibetan breed owners, agreed. This is breathtakingly arrogant. China, having taken over Tibet & crushed its independence as a country, is now trying to crush its history. Tibet's native dog breeds, developed there for centuries & having only Tibetan names, are now to be declared by the FCI as Origin, China. Would include Tibetan Mastiffs, Tibetan Terriers, Tibetan Spaniels, Lhasa Apsos etc. You can read about it here, with comments below from around the world:ir http://www.dogworld.co.uk/product.php/139004/FCI%20changes%20Tibetan%20breeds’%20country%20of%20origin%20to%20China UPDATE: Breaking news, 'UK Kennel Club will not be attending the World Dog Show in China'. Reason their treatment of dogs. http://www.dogworld.co.uk/product.php/139202/1/uk_kennel_club__will_not_be_attending__world_show_in_china/71992d4c75a0b7925e6e6724ea7528c1

I googled Renbury, then selected Dogs. A list of 38 came up & I couldn't see a Tibbie. Can you give me the link where you can see it?

I looked at the Renbury dogs & couldn't see a Tibbie or X. Could it have been reclaimed?

All 3 tibbies , Cookie the last, now adopted. People have been great spreading word, including the breed club. But the person at the shelter told me, there are more little dogs to come from that situation (I don't know their breeds). So please keep an eye on the adoption list at Bundaberg RSPCA (Cookie's pic is still to be taken off). http://www.rspcaqld.org.au/locations/bundaberg

I loved Leonard the poodle, too. From classics to rocking!

Yes, I reckon that it's better than a baby gate... which could be easily dislodged or, if low enough, jumped over.

Yes, some time back, I heard Dr Harry recommend putting a security or grille door on a baby's bedroom. Dog could see, smell & hear the baby, but not get near it when unsupervised.

Bears out that particular research finding that the husky breed came out in the least aggressive to humans group. (But as the researchers noted, there's still variation within the breed, as for any breed.) But babies & tiny children send out totally different signals. So different stimulus to dog. Which is why, generally, across all dogs, the babies & small children are the highest 'at risk' group. Do you have a reference for the arctic breeds being over- represented in serious attacks on them? Or has it been your impression from media accounts? It'd be good if there were stats like that, to show how people can't predict what their dog might do around babies/tiny children .... based on, genuinely, how trustworthy it's always been around humans. Whatever the breed or mix. I think this might be the fatal flaw for many people .... not realizing that there can be a difference.

That sounds great, Tassie. It'd make a good foundation for a reading with dogs program to build on.

Sars, would you like to see the Story Program combined with a Dog Education Program (how to behave around dogs). One of the Tibbies I know works in NSW schools in Dog Education. But it's a lovely idea reading to dogs. We used to suggest to remedial teachers, in the clinical part of their post-graduate work, to get children to have a 'practice' read with their dog at home, before doing their reading homework to mum or dad. One small boy reported that his dog fell asleep when he read to him. We asked what did he do then. He said, he kept reading, but in a whisper so not to wake his dog.

Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania questioning 6,000 dog owners (results published in Journal of Applied Animal Behavior): Breeds scoring low for aggression included Basset hounds, golden retrievers, labradors, Siberian huskies and greyhounds. The rottweiler, pit bull and Rhodesian ridgeback scored average or below average marks for hostility towards strangers. Scoring highest were dachies, followed by chihuahuas, then jack russells. But info like this can't be directly applied to everyday because: , owners made the breed ID (tho' largely members of breed clubs) & did the observing . 'behaving aggressively' what does it mean? Rushing, snapping, nipping, biting, attacking? . no background history patterns (like socialization) also surveyed . statistics don't predict for individuals dogs. And it didn't cover the situation of a dog being exposed to the 'prey-like' signals from a new baby. All of which shows how lists like this, can be wrongly applied to predict for particular, everyday situations. NEVER leave any dog unsupervised with a baby, sounds like good advice. Interesting read, tho'. http://140.122.143.143/yuyinghs/yuyinghsu/papers/DuffyHsuSerpell2008.pdf

There may be evidence that 'not recognizing babies as 'people' is pronounced in Arctic breeds. But 'not recognizing babies as people' goes across the dog population, because of what the unique sounds, smells & movements trigger in some dogs. So, while not arguing with your point, common guidelines should be followed in respect to generally managing dogs in households with a baby. Especially given that people can be lulled into a false sense of security because their dog has been totally trustworthy with humans so far. They need to be strongly made aware that 'baby' signals can be like a small, strange animal of prey.

Yes, even if someone's dog has never shown a hint of aggression towards humans, babies smell different, sound different & make different movements. All of which can trigger a totally different response from a dog. The Mater Mothers Hospital in Brisbane makes excellent guidelines available to parents ... for before the baby comes home & afterwards. Like they have a CD of a baby crying. But still their leading guideline is 'NEVER (their capitals) leave a baby unsupervised with any dog'. They also provide a video. There was an article in the European Journal of Pediatrics which did an extensive survey of dogs' biting infants & small children. Findings were that 70% were preventable. The major common factor was no adult supervising at the time. http://brochures.mater.org.au/Home/Brochures/Mater-Mothers-Hospital/Dog-baby-and-you-bringing-your-baby-home.aspx

Tibbies don't turn up often in shelters. But RSPCA Qld at Bundaberg has 3 female Tibbies for adoption. I was told by the person who's adopted 1 (Lady, 7 yrs ), that they were surrendered from a situation with too many dogs. Two remaining are, 4 yr old Cookie & 7 yr old Spell(both desexed).. They look in good nick but was told (second hand) that they hadn't even been given names. Registered breeders who've seen their pics don't seem to question that they're very likely purebred. 7 yrs is not old for a Tibbie, it's a breed that ages well. We own a 15 yr old who's healthy,happy & agile. In the past I've adopted an 8 yr old. http://www.rspcaqld.org.au/adopt/search/AnimalDetails?AnimalId=432975 http://www.rspcaqld.org.au/adopt/search/AnimalDetails?AnimalId=432684 I'm trying to find out what other dogs came out of this situation.

Lovely stories. Thanks for posting!

By chance I've just been speaking to a registered tibbie breeder who basically said exactly the same about her approach to finding a home for her puppy. I call this being professional, whether you're a rescuer or a breeder. With the rider that rescuers have another compelling reason for a placed dog not bouncing , if humanly possible... the rescue dogs have already been bounced around at considerable risk to their adjustment.

That's so interesting! Thanks for posting.

Big 'Yes' to this.

While I largely agree with this, I think there's differences in what might be considered breed -appropriate shelter & care. There's differences in how we keep our tibbies as compared with how we kept out equally much loved working dog breeds. I just heard the specifics of why a rescue turned down what I'd expected to be an appropriate home. And I then agreed with their decision. But, again, I think your overall point is a good one & still stands.

I know people in Brisbane whose Tibbie was killed when in a boarding facility. He was in a separate pen but a bigger, agile dog in the next pen climbed the chain-wire 6 ft fencing. No denial in that case but grief & horror all round.

Wonderful! Thanks for sharing.

Great to see breed-savvy as well as breed-loving information being give in a neat summary. Good example of breed rescue at its best!

Yes. Once we considered adopting a cat from the Noosa RSPCA.... we were down the coast in Brisbane. RSPCA was willing to transfer the puss to the Brisbane facility ... after the screening processes were done. I've got a vague memory of reading in the RSPCA Qld magazine about a lady down south adopting a dog from the Brisbane facility. Lady paid for the transport in that case. Don't know what their current policies are, tho'.

Years ago, I was walking our two shelties. Passed a house with gates wide open & the home owner by the front steps. Blue cattle dog flew out gate, rocketed straight at my Shelley's throat. I instinctively put out my arm in front of Shelley. Cattle dog literally ran into my arm & bit it instead of the sheltie. To be honest, he actually looked startled himself that he'd bitten a human. Backed off & ran inside. I held up a bleeding arm & said to the owner, 'Your dog bit me!' She turned & went inside her house. Got home, phoned the council, spoke to a dog ranger & described what'd happened. I stressed that the cattle dog was attacking my dog .... not me. The ranger was chuffed. He said it was his first experience of someone sticking up for the dog that bit them. We agreed that the owner needed to get the riot act read to her, especially as she'd totally ignored my bleeding arm. Went to the doctor, got the wound treated, had a tetanus injection. Armed with that documentation, too, the ranger went to visit that lady & she would face a penalty. But he promised that the dog wouldn't be counted as attacking a human, rather being unrestrained & trying to attack another dog.