Little Gifts

I'm very sorry Cynthia. I know how much your dogs mean to you and how huge a part of your life an old dog becomes. Fly free Jeune.

Thank you j. I confess I read the entire article but didn't watch all of the video as I found it too sad. My bad.

I just want to add I hadn't heard that the dogs had been an issue before, running loose and attacking another person, when I posted the earlier link. Adds a different twist to things.

Here's a story from the owner's perspective. Very sad. https://www.9news.com.au/national/woman-mauled-to-death-dog-attack-jervis-bay-nsw-news/b67675a8-4f69-42fb-bc0a-264da5c7b50d

I did with Pet Circle for several years and my only hiccups were the delivery people and the strange places they would leave it.The only reason I stopped was because I changed brands when Jonah arrived and the price on it fluctuates a lot so I tend to shop around. I have a kibble bin so I know when it gets down to a certain level it is time to start shopping.

I'm not sure if you would also consider a Lab? Pauline and Pete from Tapua Labrador Retrievers are in NSW. They are very well known for their service dogs. The pups start training from birth for purpose (probably while still in the womb!), they win awards for both their breeding and acknowledgement of their service skills. They are here on DOL and also on FB. I've cared for their dogs as a house sitter and their are other DOLers who own them. I couldn't fault either the dogs or Pauline and Pete's skills and knowledge. They have new litters during the year but might also have adult dogs available from time to time that might suit your needs?

Never thought about it from this perspective. We always had expensive purebred cats back when I was growing up (they were just cats to me!) and my first dog that was purchased just for me was a purebred OES that we went and got from a breeder (still remember all the details about it). And we also had quality farm dogs that were carefully selected and paid for. But as an adult all my animals have been rescue and they have all been unwanted and chosen me. So I'm not sure I even have a preference but I recognise the value of both in our lives. I cringe when people bang on about adopt, don't shop, outside of the rescue world. I think well bred, purebred dogs play a very important role in our lives and the world - maintaining healthy specimens of a breed, particularly those breeds serving a purpose. I'd also much rather breed more towards health than show ring beauty but that is me. And of course I'd love to live in a world with more balance - less puppies and dogs overall ending up in pounds, shelters and rescues with no hope in hell of all finding a home. In my mind one major way to do that is reduce the number of poorly bred ANYTHING. Since puppy farmers produce far more of this type of dog they are first on the chopping block for me, followed by dodgy back yard breeders as both are deliberately producing high/higher numbers without any concern for the future health of the puppy or where it ends up. We just don't need any more of that type of 'product'. There will still be plenty of oops and sneaky litters so dog owners wont ever become an elite group. And given my love of shar pei you can clearly see when we have a meet up the difference between a well bred pei and all the others who supposedly had 'pure' parents. Then you have the clearly cross bred ones because pei will breed with anything! It's all there if you look. Not all have significant health issues but you sure reduce the odds significantly with more careful breeding. There is an important place for both but like anything we need to do it in balance so the animals themselves don't ultimately suffer our neglect and wastefulness.

Very sorry to read this. You have dedicated yourself to your fur babies and Bunter could not have had a more loving home. I know this one is going to hurt so take care of yourself.

Happy tears! I just love their relationship and loved that story! Thank you Boronia!

I don't think they will be banned either but if we, the people who attend these events advise the organisers now that we no longer want fireworks and want other entertainment options that are already out there, then it will be them who choose to spend their money in other ways. Otherwise we boycott these events and everyone who relies on them loses money and they get the message then. Councils are the first place to start because they put on NYE and local shows and plan well in advance. Write on their FB pages for a start. Oh and I should add that the business who create the fireworks shows also do the laser lights and music and some are moving into drones as funds permit so they will not lose their livelihoods. Can't speak about options for firework sellers though.

What a cutie and obviously a beautiful boy who will always be loved whether he is by your side or not. X

Here you go - China using drones to create a unique display to see in the New Year. Let's move with the times and say goodbye to fireworks. Tell your councils and major event organisers now so they have no excuse to keep using them over the coming year. https://www.facebook.com/jim.cook.14268769/videos/2935428783142444/UzpfSTU3MTgwNzgxNjoyNjE1OTE4OTExNzk0Nzgy/

Lots of people have been saying fireworks should be banned but I see it as one of those vicious cycles. People do make a living organising these events and food, alcohol and taxi/uber companies also benefit from them. Usually it is councils or private businesses engaging them (some are also state government contracted via festival grants) in the belief they are a public drawcard and they are locked down many months in advance. So how do we get the message out that the general public can still happily celebrate without them (if that is of course true)? Will they be happy with a laser light show and music instead? (I'd like to think so) because they are already being used in conjunction with fireworks so organisers could simply shift focus without a great income loss. I myself have not gone to see fireworks for many years because I know how much they can affect some animals. They are illegal unless you are licensed yet every New Year some idiot is letting them off in suburbs. How do you deal with stupid? I've never heard of anyone being fined for letting them off illegally either. Same with the Chinese lanterns and the impact they can have on the environment (as well as fire risk). And bloody balloon releases! Lots of impact on all of these but so many people still enjoy and participate. Can we change all that? It seems like such a no brainer to just cancel them and give the money to firies but it doesn't work like that. I do know people involved in these big events and they plan all year and they are a huge source of income for many industries. They only provide what is being asked for so if we are real about this we need to be asking for something different or things will never change. It seems so insulting that we were even considering having fireworks displays anywhere in our country when the other half of it was already on fire but they went ahead as planned and paid for. So now all we can do is see what changes can be made for the coming year and let our councils and event planning businesses know that is not what we want anymore. No fireworks for New Years or outdoor concerts or festivals or weddings or sporting events or royal/local shows. Even if still legal we have to influence them to find safer ways to entertain us. We owe it to all the lives and livelihoods that have already been lost.

Hi Taliecat. I must confess I stopped looking at any new posts in the Rainbow Bridge area after we lost Tempeh (almost 13 months ago now). I wasn't up for reliving the pain of losing a beloved dog, particularly when they were still at their prime. I am so very sorry for your loss and can tell you that even after all this time I still talk to Tempeh, feel her around me (she is happy) and also still sleep with one of her coats. It hurts noone and gives me comfort. It keeps me connected. I think about her now and smile because she feels happy and free of her demons. But seeing your post about Dozer also brings up some guilt because back in August my girl Stussy (12 and a stafford) had all these lumps come up suddenly and the ones I was worried about were nothing, but the one on her back was a low grade MCT. We had some issues post biopsy and she had to have it removed under more urgent circumstances but she sailed through it and her recovery. She has also been losing a little weight and getting a few brain farts since but there are no signs of it showing anywhere else inside or out. At the same time as Stussy was having her surgery another famous stafford, Tonka the Concreter (almost 9) had the same issue and surgery. He didn't survive his either. His family were devastated and the community who follows him were also devastated. I don't know why cancer takes some babies and not others. I really don't. And I don't know why great doggos get hit with such awful illnesses that they don't deserve. I wish our love was enough to save them all. So I'm very sorry for your loss as it hits close to home. All I can do is hug Stussy a little bit tighter in Dozer's honour. X

And you can work so bloody hard and use all your knowledge on a case and still not have a positive outcome. If you were a hairdresser and even 1% of your customers left your salon crying and grieving every day imagine how that would affect your psyche. I often think too after people lose an animal in difficult circumstances that they no longer want to deal with that vet, because it is easier to blame someone for a loss. And people talk so perhaps others avoid that vet too over another. So all your training and skill and career success is dependant on always having good outcomes, which is not realistic. They deal with life and death every day but they also deal with the different values owners place on those lives. They also see the irresponsibility impact too. A very demanding career choice but glad the rates are dropping - perhaps due to the exposure the issue has had.

Sorry, I know I am late posting. I have had fosters here very unmotivated by food (due to stress) but in need of some very basic training still. I think T put me on to lamb puffs and they always worked! I have fostered a breed of dog with some dietary do's and don'ts and we had no issue with the lamb puffs with any of them. You can break it into smaller pieces too and I like that it is dry so your hands don't get so yucky as it would with wet food.

Yes not really a financial win and certainly not a win for all the animals who lost their lives but it sets a legal precedent for other cases at least because we know it has happened before like this. I'd really love to hear from an RSPCA worker you know. I'm sure many of them have to be animal lovers and it can't be an easy job seeing neglect and abuse. Maybe they stay hoping to be part of creating internal change? Maybe they try to do their best in amongst all the bureacracy and bullshit? I have my own personal experiences having volunteered cleaning, feeding and interacting at one of the old shelters and also fostering for them. The longer I volunteered the more the gloss came off and I could see a very non-animal focused culture. Everything to do with animals with extra needs was just too much of an effort. Lots of bad memories and I've never understood why it was allowed to get like that and even get worse.

A win against the RSPCA. https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/court-finds-rspca-inspector-negligent-in-shooting-of-131-pure-bred-cattle-20150526-gh9yia.html?fbclid=IwAR1Hy--zEiTUgMbHbqMCevTwIFAe45fQHMf25KalD9sEuruBe_gyAxoaCmI

T and Asal - all the things I was thinking. I don't want it to be true but sadly I can see them doing it. I wonder why it hasn't been picked up out here?

*WARNING* Distressing video footage and photos in this link. Unsure if this is true but it doesn't sound that far fetched to me, having seen first hand how they treat dogs who were black tagged at one of their old and largest shelters in QLD. If an animal was not going to be rehomed or needed for a court case it immediately lost value and no efforts were made to provide it comfort or care - it had no value to them. Why would they change now? Shameful if it is true. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7733227/RSPCA-admits-sends-NSW-thoroughbreds-slaughterhouses-shocking-claims-racing-cruelty.html?fbclid=IwAR3aOKU8M32EIcBBcJgKMDD49h0-xiEZrTm9ksFTJfh_FC3zaC5QDB5EG5U

That is very true Moosmum. There are so many little bits of information that will make life so much better for animals with first time owners. Many of us have learnt it accidentally or the hard way over years of pet ownership. But imagine someone sharing all this knowledge so others didn't make the same mistakes, rather than just punishing after mistakes are made? The animals would certainly be better off for it and shouldn't that really be what we are aiming for anyway? I've also had Storybook Farm on my mind of late - a rescue that focused on animals with serious disabilities. I remember it being reported that the owner said some of the mess the RSPCA found from the raid was simply because special needs animals make more mess and that their area had not yet been cleaned. Then too shouldn't it be that special needs animals need a higher level of care? Same with breeding facilities. The risk to life of the mother and newborn pups is critical during whelping. Shouldn't that require a higher standard of care and skilled staff coverage? Instead we have basic bottom lines that don't necessarily meet every animal's basic care needs. If the RSPCA want to be leaders in preventative education for at least the general pet buying public then they could develop a program that could be localised and run in council areas so the information could be better targeted. But I guess it is what they see as their core business? Currently it seems to be fundraising.

This is part of the job I don't think they do well either. Lots of people don't seem to understand the difference between discipline and abuse, between meeting basic care needs and neglect or between attending to basic medical needs and it will heal on its own, but once informed, if they continue their behaviour they should be prosecuted. Once you know what is expected legally, if you knowingly break that law it is on you. This formal advice practise from 'authorities' has a purpose towards avoiding future harms. Same with pet ownership education - it is needed across the country as part of prevention but doesn't exist. Maybe councils would be better positioned to offer it but given how some run their pounds that's also a problematic solution. Imagine the offer of free council registration for one year if a person attended an honest and practical Pet Ownership workshop BEFORE purchasing a pet. A lot of minds could be changed or informed and resources for responsible pet sourcing could be provided. A lot of money could be saved by council, rescue and pet owners and pets and their owners might have a chance at better lives together. Surely the RSPCA has a spare mill it could put into developing that?

In QLD pokie money has paid for all the new shelters and offices. How many other charities out there have been so fortunate and still can't attend to their core business?

Wherever your expenditure is the greatest tells you what a large organisation is really all about. Used to see it in govt all the time. There will be more staff in their media and communications unit than than their will be inspectors, all housed in schmick facilities with modern technology while there are dogs lying in old hot/cold facilities somewhere still.

PETA actually sound like a voice you want to get behind there. Proactive rather than reactive is exactly how I feel too. Why all the crazy then? I agree with pretty much everything they said except the underfunding. RSPCA is the only charitable animal welfare organisation in the black and perhaps they should be diverting some of their pennies into prevention and prosecution rather than spending so much on their media and communications budget?