Little Gifts

As someone who has fallen in love with shar pei I've had plenty of people call my dogs and the breed ugly. Even more common is people not knowing what breed it is and me having to remind them of the toilet paper ad. I'm a bit on the fence about animals with disabilities and disfigurations. I follow quite a few with physical disabilities and find it inspiring and a reminder of the inner strength of some animals. But there is also a very well known rescue here in Australia that takes in a lot of popular breed neonates from breeders with conditions that other breeders would probably just euth (serious clefties). Every pup costs multiple thousands to raise and I've become turned off the constant trawl for cash because of how much it equates to for each pup. A small rescue could run their entire group for a year and help multiple animals for the same amount. It also gives some breeders an out for poorly bred pups. Not really seeing much educational value from the process either. The number of these pups is rising each year. I don't know how big the adoptive market for these pets is. But then I look at one the disability doggos I follow and I think well if they weren't give a chance they wouldn't be here living their best life now. Here is one pei boy I adore. Nuggy was born with chicken wings. He has a cart, he has an owner who converted her entire house suit Nuggy and other dogs with disabilities. He has enough personality for about 3 dogs and little holds him back - https://www.facebook.com/rubytwosdayandcheyenne/videos/786469769342543

Thanks Boronia. I'm going to check that out. I actually don't want to see an increase in the number of dogs euth'd but a stronger burden of responsibility on owners and ensuring there is an opportunity for circumstances around an incident to be fully explored so dogs with no history of violence, who may be reacting protectively, are not automatically declared as dangerous. It seems once declared there is no coming back from your black mark. There is no encouragement for owners to work with trainers and behaviouralists, learn any triggers and manage them. In all the instances it is the dogs that suffer. Plus we need to learn from the serious and fatal attacks and what failed for them to occur. I still often think of the DOLer who was out walking with her dog late one night, an old guy scared them all and her dog injured him. What she went through after that was horrible. There was context around that incident that the law didn't allow for. Her dog suffered, as did she. After she got it back she disappeared. But I still think about her and her doggo and hope it went well for them after they were reunited.

I had a pei that at times would attack my stafford (no other dogs). The triggers were different each time. I had 2 trainers and a behaviouralist assist me, the latter being the best. Great and easy to implement strategies. But sadly my girl had a number of demons (related to how she was socialised before she came into rescue) so we had extreme anxiety in certain circumstances, grand standing for attention and a lot of other things also going on that reduced her quality of life. We did a lot of mental puzzles with her to wear her out as she was terrified of leaving the property. They definately wore her out and she was getting most of her kibble/dry based meals in a puzzle. So that is something you could try too. My next pei boy didn't like certain breeds because he had previously been attacked by them. Not overly social with dogs outside his other breed but did live happily with other breeds of dog who allowed him his space. I never took him to dog parks (unless we were having a pei get together) because having multiple dogs come up to him at the same time was not comfortable for him. I always watched him like a hawk with the leash around my neck ready to remove him if I noticed any discomfort. I was careful to street walk him where there were no dogs rushing the fence and had several big parks to take him to but never parked near the dog park sections and walked by them because I never wanted to set him up to fail. I wanted him to have safe fun. While he wasn't aggressive as such I could tell when he became uncomfortable and he was ready to react if he felt he couldn't escape a situation. That didn't make an outing fun for either of us. There are things you know about your girl that are positive. You have to find ways to do more of that and not worry so much about the other stuff. Its her walk and exercise and doesn't need to fit a box. My boy loved sniffing and marking. I was always on the look out for new areas we could walk or dog parks more likely to be empty at certain times of day (we'd leash up and leave if someone else turned up). He had opportunities to socialise with pei he knew but really spent very little time in their company and rarely 'played' with them. So if your girl loves her ball focus on that for your outings - find a dog park that is less frequented and go in for some pure play. Not playing with other dogs doesn't make them less sociable. Those skills still exist, as do their likes, dislikes and discomforts. It's just about acknowledging what makes them most comfortable and enhancing those opportunities. My stafford was super social too and I could literally stick her in any situation and she'd make the best of it. But I'd never do that to my boy simply because they both had different needs. They quite often got very different outings to each other because of it.

I'd be disappointed that the breeders either did not notice she was deaf or they did and sold her without advising she has differing needs. Under consumer law you have been sold a 'product' that is not fit for purpose. Obviously you don't want to return her and get are replacement. So I'd be contacting them once you have evidence of the deafness and asking for a partial refund. You will need to seek a professional skilled in training deaf dogs so you can both develop the skills you need (as opposed to just going to your local doggy training school). Perhaps you can do that homework first and identify that cost as what you would like for the refund, plus the testing fees. She will be loved regardless, but keeping her safe and looking to you for visual cues is obviously needed.

My old girl developed fears after she lost her hearing. She also developed Sundowners, which is a type of dementia. I tried a DAP diffuser and it seemed to work a little so I also got her a DAP collar (so we could alternate). That didn't work at all. After about 6 months the diffuser wasn't making any difference either. After a recommendation on here I bought some Vetalogica Tranquil Calm chews and she religiously had those every day for several years and I believe they helped her just take the edge off everything. One of my other dogs was very scared of thunder (and even heavy rain sometimes). I had an old, thin blanket that was very heavy. We used to drape it over her and sit with her and it helped her a lot. Often it would be summer storms so we'd have to put the air con on too so she didn't heat up. So you could also try something with weight, the kind of weight that if you didn't position it properly the weight would cause it to slide off. (so far more than a beach towel type weight).

Love it! What a fantastic story! Thanks Boronia!

I felt ACA weren't totally on their side though saying she would have to sell her designer handbags to pay the bill. It is a lot of money. But it is also specialist surgery requiring lots of medical testing to determine the issue . Even without the emergency side of things it probably would've cost them about $20,000. Sell a handbag, luv.

I'm in the Logan area of QLD. We currently have a huge stray dog issue. Every single day dozens of loose dogs (and cats) on roads (cats are supposed to be contained on their properties like dogs in our area). I've personally tried to find the owners of 2 deceased cats without any success. I am probably only 2km from our local council pound yet have never seen a ranger out and about and have not heard anyone post to say they've come and picked up a stray dog or attended an incident either. It's all local people doing the catching, containing, micro-chip checking and dropping off to somewhere safe (vets are preferred around here) or asking if people have cameras to show evidence of an incident. People are getting fed up with it, particularly when they put effort into trying to find the owners (even of deceased animals) only to see them out and about again the following week. There is no authority enforcing diddly around here. I've started to think we have a new issue arising from the cost of living and housing crisis around here. Pets not being contained appropriately because people are unable to choose the type of housing that best suits their needs and they have to take anything. Or people keeping pets illegally so they can't contact their real estate for fence repairs or changes because they are not supposed to have a pet there. More animals loose just equals more potential for an incident. New laws are a waste of money when existing ones are not being enforced.

We have a big underground power thingy at the end of our long drive. Every single time without fail Jonah ran up the drive and that was his first stop because he could smell 'stuff' on it. He'd race up, be sniffing the air like crazy and then realise "Oh yeah, that's my old pee!". Then he'd pee on it again and we could continue our walk, but we could never walk past it at the start of our walk. When we went to pei catch ups (the only time her really went to dog parks) he was so invested in all the smells that he salivated. He would be worn out on the trip home, not from running around with the other dogs, but from circling, smelling and scenting.

We've got a massive loose dogs issue happening where I live over the last 6 months. I'm starting to think it is related to the rental and cost of living crisis - people working longer hours to make ends meet (lonely dogs), living in not quite perfect accom for their actual needs (taking what you can get rather than what you need) and also living somewhere where you are not supposed to have pets so they can't ask for proper fence changes without getting sprung.

I bought some to try out with Jonah but we never started. Keen to know more Dogsfevr on what has worked and what hasn't for your pup.

Great news!!!!!

How are Bunches and Beatrice this week LMO?

Gosh I feel so lucky. The specialists I saw last year with Stussy and Jonah (and still this year with Jonah) are so hands on and engaged with owners. Stussy's surgeon even carried her out to my car on 2 occasions (and I'm sure he had more important things to do). At the oncologist an intern comes out and sits and gets an update then takes him out the back. Then when he is ready to pick up the oncologist and an intern come out and we have a debrief. No rush at any point. I can also call or email about anything confusing or urgent and always get a response. It makes a huge difference when you are dealing with stressful issues. I have everything crossed that Bunches will be better from now on. X

I'm assuming this came out of the case where the meter reader was killed and I'm hoping they look at the locations behind attacks such as if the dogs were loose, family pet mauling a family member at the family home, family pet mauling a stranger at the family home, etc as I think the potential trigger for the attack is also very important to learn from. I am in the Logan area of Brisbane and at present we have a HUGE loose dogs issue. It seems to have crept in over about the last 6 months. Perhaps it is linked with the housing crisis and people having to live at places not totally suited to their circumstances or people lying to real estates about not owning a pet so they can't formally change fencing, but every breed known to man (including very expensive ones) are wandering the streets, some owners looking for them, some owners not and the finders desperate to make contact with them via social media so they don't have to drop at the pound. I pretty much see a loose dog in busy traffic every day I am out now. Don't see any ranger vehicles driving around though so I guess they are leaving that side of their jobs to the locals and social media to do (OK that's probably unfair but where are they?). Having owned a serial escape artist (I had to move houses to resolve the issue) it is hard not to be judgey, because it is the dogs who end up doing pound time while the owners just complain how much it costs to spring them and never fix the containment issues. So many people hate on pounds and finders who take them to pounds, but I understand not everyone can hold a stray dog indefinately and at least they aren't at risk of being hit by a car or being involved in a fight with another dog. Then of course you have the issue of unfriendly loose dogs or traumatised and difficult to catch ones (got several littlies hiding in bushland around here at present). I wish there was education (isn't that part of what the RSPCA get funding for???) to inform pet owner responsibility as there are lots of new dog owners out there who don't seem to naturally get it. That recent thread by the trainer of a declared dog trying to rehome it- he works in the industry and doesn't know the rules even! I thought we had mandatory micro-chipping up here too but still so many animals chips don't lead to an owner. There are so many other already legislated areas we need to tighten up around dogs that could reduce risks of harm to them, other animals and humans that I hope this taskforce explores too.

I'm just catching up. How is everyone this morning? Did you have to do the vet? How are your nerves? Do you need a few valium yourself?

They showed the dog finder lady scanning the chip on the first dog caught to confirm it was the missing dog. I assume they did the same with the second so perhaps it should've said the dogs were scanned for their microchips before they were returned to their owners?

That's how I read his initial post - she'd already been declared (so a previous incident), went to him and had some magic worked, went home and there was a new incident involving their child and she came back to him and now he was putting feelers out about rehoming rather than euthanising.

I saw the ACA story and it showed one of the rescuers scanning and confirming the dog chip on site just after it was recaptured. One of the poor dogs was very traumatised and just running and running out of fear from its rescuers and owner. It was dark before they caught him in the rain. The guy at the training facility was as fishy as can be too so I wouldn't be surprised if there is a connection discovered with the person who allegedly took the dogs.

She complained about at least one other passenger, who got moved to save their own sanity. The photos were beautiful but she complained about everything from the food to the size of the seats (she should have bought 2 seats of course but ignored our advice) and how far she had to walk to get to the toilet to how far away they kept the planes (she was being pushed in a wheelchair). She made a scene at departure that had airport security and guest services running. That stewardess alarm would've been constantly on! And this is the new and improved version of her!

Even heavy duty drugs wouldn't be enough to help a person cope with that scenario! She is actually a bit better now but I do have a funny story for you. Recently she and her son decided to do a flight over the Antartic. I think it was like 9 hours. We tried to talk her out of it, for the sake of all the other poor people on the plane. Of course it went tits up before they even made it to the airport so she didn't have one good thing to say about the entire experience. I wonder how many other passengers demanded their money back for that 'special' in-flight experience?

Think about it this way - good or bad we all hold beliefs on where our limits lie. I worked with a woman who went on a child free cruise with her husband and lived it up. On a 4 day cruise they racked up a $4,000 alcohol bill. You and I would think that was incredibly wasteful but after her initial shock she said it was worth it. Her first holiday without up to 4 small kids (children from other marriages) and she unwound and lived it up and came back ready to face the onslought again. As Stussy was sick last year my non-animal loving neighbour (from a different culture) asked me why I just didn't get rid of her now she was old and costing me money. I suspect the look on my face surprised her because she came back a few days later and said she'd been thinking about it and realised she was placing her values on mine and genuinly felt bad about offending me. Last year with both dogs sick we lived on food hampers for a number of months because that was literally the only area I could cut back on. I was hemorrhaging money and went from 1 to 3 jobs to keep from going under. But that situation eventually settled and life is much more normal this year, even though as an oldie it has meant going back to full time employment. It will probably take me 2 years though to get back to where I was financially and I still lost one of the dogs but I have zero regrets. I know you wont either. Your friend doesn't really 'see' you very well if she doesn't know that.

I have a shar pei, now almost 11.5, who went through chemo (IV Vinblastine and Palladia tabs) for a high grade mast cell tumour last year. He is seeing an Oncologist at a specialist centre. I was told each fortnightly visit would be $1000 - $1200. Many were as low as $750. Surgery at the end of chemo to remove the shrunken tumour with good margins was $5200. Since then he has either monthly bloods or monthly staging. So with meds to last the month those visits are also around $800 and will continue until I think October. On top of that the Palladia has seriously affected his pigmentation (about his only issue throughout this whole thing) so he just had laser surgery to remove a whole heap of hemangiomas at a cost of $3200. I don't even want to calculate what I've spent. I was on the poverty line all last year (my other oldie also had a serious health issue that cost around as much) and ended up with 3 jobs just to keep the household bills paid on top of the vet bills. But I have zero regrets because he has handled it all like a champ and it did it's job. We've had no signs of it anywhere and no other health issues (besides the hemangiomas, but he was already getting those). Oh and I had no insurance because of his breed and insurance company exclusions. I'm a bit confused though when you say it is not working though. How has your vet determined and explained that so early? Because our tumour was outside (plus in a lymph node) we could see it shrinking by about the third IV chemo session. His bloods stayed within range the whole time (there was some movement of course) and we only had one vomit session and a few runny poos, all managed with a meds adjustment (his Palladia was reduced for quite a while). Our oncologist was adamant about making my boy feel as healthy as possible during treatment and we had days where he was acting like a teenager again. He lost some weight and a lot of his pei wrinkles but that's a small price to pay really. I do know I can buy all his meds (tablets, not the IV stuff) with an online vet far cheaper than they are dispensed by my oncologist and that is he biggest part of the bill. If I was really struggling I know she would write me scripts for the meds, but I just haven't wanted to interfere with a system that has worked so well for my boy. I don't think we've missed a pill in all these months and sometimes he has needed them 5 times a day (currently 3 times a day). I get a print out every single visit with his blood results and all his meds listed and when his next visit is due and why. Honestly I would be lost without such a professional group of people guiding me and predicting his needs. It's so easy to get in a head spin during this process. Here is a pic of him the week before his big surgery. We caught up with friends who knew him and they were all surprised how healthy he looked and acted for a dog with such a poor prognosis going through chemo. His oncologist is of course over the moon that he proved, and continues to prove her wrong. Good luck with your bubba!

So sad about this news LMO. Some amazing dogs get dealt real shitty hands. I've seen a few pei and kittens who have had their eyes removed. I feel scars like that are a badge of honour for their bravery and resilience. I personally have not experienced this but a small cat rescue group I support has had numerous ones. It is run by a vet nurse and called Gary and the Handicats. On FB under that name. I've met her when dropping off donations to her workplace and she is brilliant. Perhaps you could message her and ask about the pros and cons of it all? Over the years I have seen numerous cats and kittens on there who had to have one or both eyes removed. My only thoughts on a prosthetic is maintenance. Does it all need cleaning and lubrication? Without that eye I'm sure Bunches will cope fine - she's already doing without it really, but of course the surgery is the first hump to get over. Please keep us updated about her. Big hugs to you.

I've sent you one here on DOL but if you mean Facebook messenger I can give you my info for there. Thank you!!!