Little Gifts

Wonderful news! I'm very happy for you, the family, Sid (who better get used to having his picture taken!) and of course Lola. I still miss seeing Harry on DOL but look forward to seeing lots of Sid! He is a total cutie pie!

I agree. Think about the common things we complain about - they relate to an owner's management of their dog, not the dog itself. So of course everyone gets punished when things go wrong because the bad owners don't give a toss.

This will sound gross but when my dad was a kid he was a King Scout and spent a lot of time roughing it in the bush. He caught a snake in a creek one day to eat and when he gutted it open out popped all these live frogs! And when we were older we used to have green tree snakes by the house and they'd swallow the frogs whole - we'd hear the frogs screaming. So I'm sure Archer's froggy is dazed but fine!

I think dogs are still considered more in terms of being working animals than pets in Australia and that it goes back to our farming heritage. We've never really had kings and queens in their finery strutting their lawns accompanied by their pampered pooches over here. We all come from working class people who owned very little, had practical jobs and worked hard. Dogs were meant to be outside and eat the left overs. They weren't pampered and either served a purpose of guarding the family/house or being work dogs on the farm. You spent your hard earned money on making a better life for your kids, not any stray animals they might bring home. And now we are the result of all that hard work. We are having less children, have higher needs and wants, and more disposable cash. What can we spend it on to make ourselves feel good? Having travelled in third and first world countries, particularly the older european countries, loads of people own dogs in the UK regardless of how big a yard they have and they even take them on holidays, including overseas hols. Dogs have shifted from being owned only by royalty, hunters and farmers in these older countries to being owned by the 'common people'. These dogs now live warmly indoors in lovely kitted out crates and get taken for walks even in the most ghastly weather. Travelling with your pet is so normal that I don't think I have stayed in a B&B in England that didn't accept dogs. Imagine how heavenly that would be here! No phoning around and searching the internet desperately for somewhere you can take your beloved fur babies. I can't however imagine any of us taking our dog to say NZ for a holiday but that is in effect what the English do when they do their warm weather trips in Europe during the summer for thousands of extra pounds. But even these countries have expanded what is acceptable in terms of dog ownership. I'm sure regular pet owners of the previous generation didn't spend money on pet insurance or consider the Bionic Vet a viable option for their lovable cross breeds either. So I think we are just a few steps behind is all. I think we are undergoing a shift in Australia and some of it has to do with people having smaller families (inc extended families), with pets now finding a space within the family unit rather than sitting outside it. I think as a society we are just not as advanced in our relationship between man and dog yet and that we are at the cross over point - hence all the rules to still try and keep a safe distance between the two species in public. Maybe in another couple of decades here in Australia we will be able to take our pets on public transport (like in London), keep them with us in our retirement villa, irresponsible pet ownership will be openly frowned upon and the companion animal (rather than the old working dog) will be valued and embraced by society and not just a few animal lovers. But let's face it, at present, for a land girt by sea we have an awful lot of beaches off limits to dogs. That sums it all up for me.

We bought a beach shade - which is like a half a tent, from an op shop for $5. We use it down the beach and camping but depending on the height/size of your puppy pen you could rig one up around part of it to give extra shade and rain protection as they are quite high and long. They are designed to withstand some wind and they can be pegged into the ground as well. If you have an Anaconda nearby I think they have them in their current catalogue new for about $20? You could go and have a look at one set up and see if it would suit? My other suggestion is to look for old tents at an op shop or on ebay as the top of a dome tent with the flexi-poles, pegs and tie down bits might also be a cheap option. They don't resell for much.

Three dogs (one of the shep/husky mega shedding variety), two messy sibling sisters and lots of messy visitors in our household. My poor mother got conned into buying a door to door sold upright Kirby with boxes full of attachments for $3,500. Gulp. Anyway my Wertheim was in the shop for repairs so I borrowed the Kirby (and instruction manual) and fell in love. It converts to a carpet shampoor. It converts to a hand held. I converts to a sander (not that I have a use for that but some might). So I did what any normal person would do and got a second hand one off ebay for only $350!!!!!!! I spent another $100 on ebay getting some of the missing attachments, lots of original bags and shampoo fluid but that is still way cheaper than what I would've paid for a new Dyson or Wertheim! The thing I've discovered about the Kirby is that no-one seems to know how to use them properly (including my mother still) so they don't use the accessories and they hardly even use the vacuums themselves so a second hand one is often like getting a new one. Apparently they last forever and I have noticed a big difference in the amount of debris they pick up over my Wertheim. They also fluff the carpet back up. They have a headlight. What's not to love! If you don't mind reading a manual, pulling it apart and adding other bits and pieces you will actually find it does the jobs it says it will very well. Heavy if you have to lift it up and down a lot of stairs though.

Sandgrubber my dad - an animal lover all his life, was followed and attacked by a dog and had a big chunk taken out of the back of one leg. He could see it was going to happen but couldn't do anything about it and had nothing to fend off the dog. Now he doesn't like animals much at all. I know it is a fear thing. Even with our dogs he doesn't want them coming too close and wont pat them. Attacks can change people psychologically as well as physically. Lots to be lost from such an event and not much to be gained really for the dog or people involved.

I have been thinking about this case still and checking in on people's opinions. I said in an earlier post that if any of my dogs attacked and harmed a human being I would have no hesitation in pts. I stand by that still. Having been on the receiving end of a home invasion my dogs at that time went beserk and chased the intruders quickly from the house to the degree that one broke an ankle falling from a window. My dogs did not make contact with the three individuals involved but if they did I would expect them to stand guard over them at the very least and perhaps to nip/grab onto their clothing at the very most. I would also expect with the training they have to return to me and leave the offenders if I gave them a command to 'leave' and 'come'. Even under those kinds of circumstances. I would not ever expect my dogs to physically attack someone even if they posed a threat to me, so why would it be ok for them to physically hurt someone out in public when I'm not around and they aren't needing to act protectively? If they do then to me that indicates an unpredictability and I believe that most people would not be committed to managing that dog appropriately for the rest of the dog's life. In five years time they may just forget to close the gate and the dog could do the same thing again. So stress, threat, duress, whatever confronted this dog made him a danger to people and moving him to the bush (as suggested in another post) is just being in denial. Animals and people need to be able to live alongside each other safely under a range of conditions. I have also been in a situation where I tried to restrain a stray dog from going on to a busy road. The dog growled at me indicating it was feeling threatened so I moved back. I think most dogs give indications of how they are feeling before attacking and if not then again you have that unpredictability factor.

I can just hear that poor puppy screaming not knowing what it had done. I hope he heard it too and it haunts his dreams.

I adore, ADORE my dogs. I chose not to have children so when I talk of family the dogs are part of that. If I felt one of my dogs had been wrongly accused of something serious would I fight it? Of course I would, and I would do it with fact and persistence. But, if one of my dogs 'accidentally' attacked another human being whether they caused a serious injury or not I would put them down without waiting to be asked. Dogs need to live side by side with humans and if they become unpredictable and a threat to humans then they have crossed a line. You can never guarantee a dangerous dog will not be a risk to others for the rest of its life particularly when you don't minimise the dangers by desexing, training/behavioural work and secure containment. It is not always enough just to love a dog. This is a very sad situation for all involved but Prodigium you and Rocky have shown you are not dog experts simply by having a bitch on heat around an entire male, both of which got off your property fairly easily. There were bound to be consequences to what happened next despite how much you love your animals. Learn from this experience and please try and listen to the advice of experts regarding dog behaviour because most pet owners (including myself) know very, very little of what our dogs are capable of. And if Kunsah is still out there somewhere then the minimum that should happen is he is desexed, has a behavioural assessment by a qualified person and is kept in a secure location. Another 'accident' is not acceptable. Your bitch should also be desexed so you don't get lured into easy money by back yard breeding. Leave the puppy making to the professionals.

This is a beautiful story. Even though he has the bone cancer it is still beautiful. All dogs have to pass on at some time and even though you might have Mack for a little less time than you'd like your love and care now far surpasses anything else he has experienced with previous owners. This is the time he will remember and this is what he deserves as a companion animal. To me that is beautiful. I am glad you found each other. (and yes there is something in my eye right now....) Alyson XXX

Please don't flame me for this because I am commenting on QLD and not VIC but housing commission (known as social housing up here) work on a priority list so a homeless person is certainly identified as having very high need. And the kind of accom offered to a single person is different from that offered to a family so they wouldn't be competing or bumping each other off the top of the list. I always worry with homeless people because how does someone let them even know if accom becomes available unless they can afford a mobile phone or they have someone who can recieve mail on their behalf? Often people think they are on a waiting list but they have come off it after not responding to offers of accom or providing all the paperwork required. If you are speaking to her again encourage her to contact housing again or to get her social worker to do it on her behalf. There are inherent problems with people with mental health issues remembering appointments or being able to maintain a tenancy, taking their meds, etc. A lot of people living rough also find it difficult to follow the rules of shelters and govt. Certainly owning a pet doesn't exclude her from crisis, short term or long term accom assistance but she is obviously fearful of being parted from her dog and a shelter will still have health and safety concerns for the other residents (ie no dogs sleeping with the people). The other thing you can check with Housing Comm in your state is if there are any community housing organisations that you can provide her information about. Community housing is operated by non-government organisations for marginalised people and often it is short to medium term with the view of getting people out of a crisis and into longer term accom. It also enables people not good with dealing with govt a community based option. Often people living rough have a range of support needs and all these can be case managed by a community org. Hope this helps in some way. Good on you for caring. It is hard to see people like this.

Thanks everyone! Guess I'll be checking out the yucky meat section this weekend!

HugUr she gets chicken necks regularly. Pers what do you mean by 'meals on the bone'? Are you talking about a bone that still has a lot of flesh still on it? Is there a specific type of bone you'd recommend? We do bones but not ones with much meat so that could be a good idea to try.

I've just noticed that a couple of teeth up the back on my 3 year old SBT are looking a bit blech. I got a couple of different tooth brush styles and some poultry flavoured dog toothpaste to give them a clean. She is fine with the toothbrushes (the finger one seems best) but she ran off as soon as she tasted the tooth paste. This is a dog that eats anything and everything if not monitored but she doesn't like poultry flavoured toothpaste? Well that's a new one and I know what I can rub on things she shouldn't be eating now! So I was wondering what other options DOLers could suggest. Can you use normal people toothpaste? She has licked some off the bathroom floor before so I know she likes the taste but that doesn't mean it is any good for her or her teeth. Is there anything natural that can be used or any pet toothpastes that might be more minty and less poultry? I am reluctant to use a product in their water due to health issues for an older dog who drinks most of the water in this house. And yes she does get bones and pigs ears and the like - her front teeth are beautiful but just a couple up the top at the back look icky.

As a pup my pied SBT was called a border collie.

Very sorry for you and Jack. The heat can be brutal but I know that Oscar had the best home ever with you and your family. Icy peas! Nummy-num.....

We had 2 SBTs, a husky/shep cross and a foxy cross (supervised by 3 adults) down the leash free beach area. We'd been there for several hours just playing and enjoying the company of other lively doggies. Two SWFs came down the beach with their owners and once near our group came over snarling and carrying on so one of my SBTs defended us. Mine didn't go the other dogs but stood in front of us with her hackles up and fight face on. Of course the owners of the SWFs accused me of being a terrible owner letting a viscious dog loose on the beach. At first I felt guilty because I obviously have the stronger dog, but then I thought about it and told the guy that next time his dogs did that to me I wouldn't be calling mine off. Some people just don't realise that the behaviour of their dogs sets off the behaviour of other dogs. If a dog can't walk past another without a strong reaction then they should never be off leash regardless of size. And if you want to get your dog out of its fear and aggression habits then you need to put some effort into doing it safely and non-confrontationally in a controlled environment first. Off leash parks are not for experimenting.

I'm so jealous!!!!!!!! I live in Brissie too so I hope the business does a super trade and more jobs come up and I get one too! Although I am used to my rather pleasant salary and I expect they wont want to pay me as much for having fun! But still, there will be puppies to sniff.........

Rach I was hoping you wouldn't see this! I bet you run around the house hugging all your fur babies after reading it. Why couldn't they just rehome them? I hope they are found and are never able to own an animal again let alone profit from them.

Oh Cas you have been having a terrible time of it lately. It must seem like too much to bare, but once an animal lover, always an animal lover. I've had 2 nubians over the years, both raised from babies - Ba-Ha and George. Oh they were both so naughty but I loved them to pieces for their personalities, good looks and soft fur! Both had their fair share of serious scrapes so I know how you feel. Some of my favourite pictures of George involved him wearing a newspaper he had eaten or dragging a pot plant down the stairs for a secret snack. My most cringeworthy story is about how he got into a garbage bin full of alcoholic punch that my housemates had left on the back verandah to ferment. George did a fart and blew diareha (sp?) across the entire length of the back verandah. I was scrubbing for hours. So Donkey, say hi to George and Ba-Ha for me but don't join up and form a demolition gang or anything because we still need that Rainbow Bridge!

Raz (or maybe her husband?) came up with Roger Ramvet. The name I call him is the Bondi W*nker as I don't have that much confidence in him as a vet either. Actually I'm dissappointed because I think he could do so much better. You don't see my beloved Bionic Vet looking at the camera whilst standing over the operating table and saying "if we don't do something immediately then this dog is going to be in real trouble!" Der.......

A female vet I knew socially used to have a real issue with dead beat pet owners. I remember the story of a puppy who'd had it's leg broken when a door was closed on it. Instead of taking it to the vet the owner sticky taped paddle pop sticks to it. Of course the pup's health detiorated and by the time he took it to the vet it had been in incredible pain for a couple of weeks. My friend gave him an exorbitant price to repair the damage or the pup could be pts for free. He chose the latter as she knew he would. She said her conscience wouldn't let her fix that puppy and then send it home to an owner who would not follow whatever post op care was required. She said that pup was in for a life of neglect and suffering with a person like that and she didn't want the pup to suffer anymore. Not everyone will agree with this approach but that was how she took control and coped. I have had the same vet (and vet nurses) for 20 years. They adored one boy I took in to be pts and talked me out of it. They said they weren't ready for him to go. Sent me home with drugs and a new appointment time. I spent 2 lovely days just lying around enjoying his company and took him back and he passed over the bridge quietly and comfortably. They wrapped him in a colourful blanket I'd brought with me, took his collar off and then wrapped him in calico and then plastic and carried him to the car for me. No charge for the pts and the next work day flowers and a card arrived at home. All the staff had personally written on the card. Totally unexpected, but I've been at that surgery on numerous occassions when other people were bringing their beloved pets in for the last time. You can tell. I guess some vets and vet nurses are able to make something beautiful for the owner out of something so sad. Angels!

Extended on the 'we are humans' bit, we are also individuals, with our own quirks and personalities, strengths and weaknesses. I certainly don't see my dogs as humans but believe they also are individual within their pack, with their own quirks, personalities, strengths and weaknesses. The family I was raised in always had dogs. They were all outside dogs, including working dogs. Their basic care needs were met, some were dogs we played with and some were not. None were allowed in the house and all seemed to understand what they could and couldn't do. I got my first own dog that I chose as a teenager. She was and OES and she was one wierd dog! Even though she was an outside dog she was allowed to come into the loungeroom and stay on a specific mat for a period of time at night. She used to sit on a chair on the verandah and on the front steps like a human with her back legs dangling down. She loved baths (which she got a lot of as she was allows burying stuff in the dirt). She loved rides - in the car, in the wheelbarrow, on a trike we had since we were kids. And one year she was clipped back and kind of lost her mojo so we came up with the idea of her wearing an old woollen jumper of dad's. She lived in that thing and used to confuse the postman when she'd sit all human like on the top step of the verandah. She avoided all other dogs and animals. I'm really not sure she knew what she was. We didn't make her like this - this is who she was. Over the years I've had several more dogs and all bar one have been no frills type dogs who were not big on cuddles or mollycoddling, and certainly would not deem to don clothing even if I tried. But my most recent addition (an SBT) LOVES clothes on her body (but nothing on her head). She loves stuffed toys, and tug toys and balls. She is very inquisitive. She wants to smooch everyone and can't just sit like a normal dog - she needs to be draped over someone and covered by something. Again, I didn't teach her any of this and she also does the same behaviours with the other dogs, not just with humans. I love it because it is so different from what I am used to. Could it seem like I am humanising her? Yes, but I feel like she indicated to me this is what she likes and who she is. I feel like I'm just supporting her to be herself and she is a much more content and confident dog for it.

I watched the entire show ahhing at the puppies (it's my weakness) and cringing at Roger Ramvet's crap advice. The only useful thing he did show was the annual cost of owning a new dog. Hopefully the high figure will put off a few people whether it was accurate or not.