Little Gifts

Do people actually think they are scary? Have they seen how hidden away those teeth are? I suspect it is the drool that puts them off!

I take the pei to a groomer and since the hand accident have also taken Miss Stussy for a bath. I always stay and help and the staff there are fine with it even if they are busy. I once left Stuss with a groomer for maybe 10 mins to get her toenails clipped and she has been terrified of having her front legs and feet/nails touched ever since. Something went down in those 10 mins that created that fear. I know not everyone can stay while their dog is groomed but it makes me and the dogs in my care feel better. I don't expect a staff member to keep a pei amused for 10 mins while their malaseb wash stays on so I figure I am helping them whilst actually doing it for the dog. Plus I don't want them developing anxiety about a wash. All that pampering should be a positive experience for a dog.

Oh god Caz I am so sorry for you and Buddy. That is just the worst tragedy and like you I can't stop thinking about what a terrible ending for a beautiful boy. I am so angry for you and Buddy right now. I hope you will pursue some of the suggestions people in the grooming industry have given you on here so this business has to change its practices. That is basic common sense - don't leave a dog unsafely unattended and out of sight. If they had no cage/crate then what about a floor tether? Even the average dog owner would not be stupid enough to tether a dog on a table and leave it for a couple of minutes out of sight, let alone 3 HOURS!!!! What the hell did they expect he would do all by himself? And how could someone not have noticed sooner? I'm sure the owner and staff were horrified this happened but they brought it on themselves and if they are truly apologetic and love dogs then they will never, ever put any animal and family through this again. And if he had to wait over 3 hours for any attention that also says to me that they were overbooked (unless of course you had certain time arrangements made with them). Horrible news. You, Leah and the other fur kids are in my thoughts tonight. XXX

I'm one of those who had all year to do it and didn't finish it! I did four of the assignments and never submitted one! Mind you the work I did still helped me become a better foster carer! Plus we have the wonderful foster carer manual that another DOLer (name currently escapes me?) made. I can imagine trying to recruit at pet expo's or even the Royal Easter Show or the Ekka here in Brissie and then those who follow up their interest getting offered training (which could be based on the manual?). It would have to be somewhat generic and could be run by ex foster carers even - the pros and pitfalls, what to expect from the rescue org, issues that might arise with your foster dog, where to go to for help, etc. The next part would be to disseminate potential carer info to member rescue groups who look after specific geographical areas. No point being a carer for a shelter if you have to drive a long way to pick up dogs or see vets. It might also get groups talking and sharing more, particularly if they identify specialist carers/ones with sought after skills (or even the ability to quaratine?). Then you also have breed specific skills that might mean you get offered a dog from a breed specific rescue rather than the one closest to you? There could also be a carer database created? With the age of computers you could even do Skype training in remoter areas. That's kind of how it works with foster carers for children. A seperate group of people are generally responsible for recruiting, training and identifying the right placement for the child while other workers deal with case and court matters - spreads the workload and also ensures that a carer gets a say in agreeing to each and every placement and is provided standard/set info about the child with each placement made. Imagine that with dogs!

I saw a 7 month old pug today (who is very small for her age) wearing the teensiest hot pink puppia harness. It made me laugh when I think my hunka chunka sbt also wears the same harness in the same colour but a larger size and makes hers look like a muscle tee.

Im not sure where you are coming from on this but Pacers never trained foster carers - all of the courses are done via the MDBA - still are. Edited to add the MDBA is still doing what Pacers did just not under that business entity. Sorry Julie - 2 seperate points there. I think it would be great if a coordinated foster carer recruitment drive and training could be done in any state (like they do for foster carers for children). The MDBA course is fantastic but I suspect not everyone would have the time to do it independantly, but if suitable people were recruited and then trained a one or two day course you'd have new carers available across a geographical area immediately. As for Pacers I thought one of NARGA's goals was emergency financial assistance in the incidence of natural or personal disaster but it is emergency financial assistance to a rescue group - I read it wrong. I also read your thread about the ending of Pacers wrong as well as I didn't realise the MDBA would still be doing the same work. See what happens when you stop using your brain? I can't even spell words properly most days! And did you all know that NARGA once stood for the National Association of Retail Grocers of Australia!

My 16 year old stafford girl got body slammed accidentally by my other dogs into a new ceramic pot plant container near the front door. It smashed against the wall and cut down over her shoulder. Off to the vet straight away and we faced the same problem so they gave her a local and put 8 staples in. She didn't bat an eyelid. It healed well and again she didn't seem to notice when they removed the staples. She also had he tip of her ear ripped in a fight the year before and it healed well, without stitches (we were camping but gave her first aid to stop the bleeding and some pain meds). It healed with a gap where the chunk was ripped out but no probs with infection or ongoing pain. She was a very tough cookie, covered in battle scars by the time she went to the bridge because she would never back down if another dog started something with her. Good luck with your old boy. Try not to worry about his age but just the injury as his age wont stop him from healing.

Thank you HA. Not wanting to stir the pot, just interested in knowing more. I've always thought it would be great if we could do things like recruit and train new foster carers collectively as that means more dogs can be saved if there is somewhere suitable for them to transition to. And it is sad that Pacers had to cease given the need still exists. Obviously a lot is linked to money.

I've joined up and have put my questions in the guestbook as I don't have full access to the forums yet. I'm not doing this to cause conflict - I genuinly would like to know, especially when they have a couple of goals similar to MDBA Pacers yet it has had to shut down.

HA I'd be happy to contact them and find out more because I believe their goals are good ones but when I tried the contact page last night nothing came up. I might try and put a note on the guestbook and see if I can get contact details that way. I don't have any issues with anyone on DOL or any particular rescue group but am passionate about this issue and want to know more about who is behind it and what knowledge/skills they have because as I said before not all advocating is good avocating. Imagine the impact on rescue dogs in the public's eye if we have a self appointed national body at odds publicly with the operations of many rescue groups practices.

Ah we call them squirty bottle but say nothing - just squirt them and they look around wondering where the hell it came from. We have a squirty bottle in most rooms of this house.

"NARGA's goal is to provide a back up service to all animal rescue groups; to give them support and to nurture their growth and effectiveness. We will be the ultimate "one-stop-shop" for information, guidance, resources and referrals. We will be their "go-to" organisation for assistance and support." But who are they? What is their knowledge base/background? When I hit the contact page nothing comes up. Great idea but any reputable rescue would want to know who was the backbone of it if this organisation was going to lobby and represent them. Plus the issues are different in each state so I'd want to see quality reps from each state part of the organisation. The wrong kind of 'advocates' can just make things worse. From their guestbook though "Name: Hanson Comment: Just posting so the crazy stalker bitches on the Dolf forums have something to talk about to distract them from their pathetic lives. :)" Now how is that helpful or going to assist the site to look more legitimate? Bitch slapping before things have even started?

That video is so precious! It is great that they will get to grow up together.

Everything is so exciting and edible to a puppy! He's a poster boy for getting up to mischief! And what is a rubbish bottle (besides tasty)?

I forgot about that! They don't worry me on smaller/lighter dogs and I obviously didn't even register seeing one on Woo. It is larger and stronger dogs and ones that pull badly that scare me. I have this image of something snapping and the thin bit of leash whiplashing someone in the eye as much as the dog getting away. You see people holding those handles with all their strength trying to control their dogs by pushing the button down to stop any more leash coming out, like that is all they need to do to control their dog. It frightens me!

The mind boggles, PS, but also laughs out aloud!!! Surely your wrist is still strapped, so people would know you are injured ?? How awful for the little mini poodle to have to lie in the waiting room. I know whenever I've had to make an appointment for a euthanasia, I've been taken immediately into a waiting room. Yep I'm still in a cast thingy and looking gumby on that side until mid next week but no-one notices - people push into it all the time and gets the poops if I take too long trying to get my purse out of my bag, etc. As for the min poodle - from what I heard from the nurses they just turned up with it and only one vet was on. Also not regular clients. It looked like kidney failure to me. They usually have a special room set up for any pts that are booked in.

Even his bum is gorgeous!

I love all dogs and if I see one that seems interested in me first then I will always say hello to the owner and ask about the dog and usually they will ask me if I want to pat them. I never ask for a cuddle (even if desperate) and rarely ask to pat them myself - just wait and see if it is offered.

Oh those ears!

I'm afraid I was one of those irritating dog owners only this past Monday. Stussy has been sick on and off since Boxing Day so Monday we went in and they decided to test for pancreatitis, which meant we had to wait half an hour for the results. So I took Stuss through Red Rooster and I got some lunch, then we had a bit of a walk then went back for the test results. It was a very hot day so waiting outside or in the car wasn't a good option for either of us. The surgery was full by that stage and Stussy is an SBT who loves everyone and everything. There was a mini poodle, 18 years of age on a bed on the floor waiting to be pts and Stuss desperately wanted to go over to her to make her feel better (I could see in her eyes she wanted to give her face a lick/clean). There was a small black puppy and 2 kids and she so wanted to say hello to them all as well. Then someone with a cat in a little bed poked it's head out, but the thing that sent her over the edge was this grumpy looking man who came in and sat with the min poodle lady and for some reason Stussy acted like she knew him and went beserk - ear piercing barks, whole body wags. As I still don't have a lot of strength in my left arm I was getting her to sit and drop and shushing her rubbing her between my feet half under my chair. She didn't get close to any of the other animals or people but she certainly made sure everyone knew she desperately wanted to - like a kid in a candy shop. She even tried to get under the reception counter to say hello. As she had what ended up being a gastro bug she was also farting like a trooper and the smell filled the room. Luckily everybody was very good about her antics (and the farts) and none of the other animals in there were of the reactive type. Lots of apologising on my part. As for retractable leads - I think they are the worst invention ever and should carry warnings so that only small, non-athletic dogs are only ever attached to them. Unfortunately they make the leads big and chunky so people with bigger and stronger dogs think they are fine to use. An accident just waiting to happen.

Yep our latest pup is allowed on my bed if I read at night but is so used to sleeping in her crate she has now just been going in of her own accord and not bothering with my bed. In the mornings she is also allowed on the bed between when she wakes and when they get brekkie but she is often outside just playing in the yard by herself instead. I always try and keep the squishiest, comfiest bed in trhe crate for her to snuggle into. I am going to change over from a metal crate to a soft one soon but will leave it in the same position where she can see everything.

Oh that is so beautiful!!!!!

When you have a tummy upset and everyone makes rude gestures at you every time your bottom burps.

Amen to that. PS I'm already feeling a little bored with 2013.

Oh Lab Rescue that is terribly traumatic for you. I also remember the pups T is talking about and immediately thought of them when you mentioned the worming. I have no advice, sorry, but I would strongly consider what T has said re the worm products you use in future on pups. It certainly can't hurt.