Little Gifts

One thing I have always been confused about is people who walk their dogs simply to physically exercise them. They aren't allowed to stop and sniff things - they are pulled to go from A to B in a set amount of time. I've always let my dogs meander wherever they want on our walks (as long as safety is maintained). Jonah in particular loves a good sniff and it really gets his saliva going so he always needs a good clean up around the chops. Stussy just wants to be out front seeing everything. I normally have one arm pulled in her direction and the other out behind me while Jonah is still standing somewhere soaking up the odours. It's their walk, not mine. I want all their senses to be engaged. And both mine have jobs - jobs they are naturally inclined to that suit our household and fit their personalities. How boring would their lives be if they couldn't get excited about something or feel they had a purpose in our packs?

I hope this leads to something positive for all the breeding dogs and their pups! And for customers getting ripped off believing they are buying some expensive fancy breed.

So far we have had a recommendation for BVSC - https://www.bvsc.com.au/?fbclid=IwAR27u7HFzqsRortCibhGKud2YcvCtTdAz-OcYzm3GzcKjztkVcJrjE2gpLc Pei people are very particular about their vet care (pei have some unique health issues) so I do trust any recommendations passed on to me.

I am Brisbane southside but know lots of pei people on the northside so will do a group ask for you now.

I look at it this way. Anything 'created' with quality materials by a skilled craftsperson should have a higher value than something mass produced by unskilled labourers. Few corners are cut and they take their time to produce a final product that is both fit for purpose and intended to have a long and useful/enjoyable life. We pay more money for quality goods all the time - furniture, cars, clothes, handbags, shoes, homes, holidays, hell I even spend more on certain plants for my garden. Why would living creatures be any different? Farmers do it all the time too to secure just the right stock. So it amazes me some of the prices people pay for poorly bred or fancy cross bred puppies. Sadly price indicates nothing about quality and skill in the companion animal world.

People wrongly assume the microchip system works like magic but it also relies on new owners to ensure their pet is both chipped in their name and that address and phone information is kept up to date at all times. I had a foster dog transferred over to me (had all the paperwork) and a post came up about checking your pet's micro-chip details. My doggo was not there so I rang the company and was told there was something wrong with the paperwork so it never went through properly. But they never bothered to contact me on the info provided or the rescue group or even the vet who did the micro-chipping. I'd had the dog permanently about 7 months by then. And on lost and found pages you regularly hear about lost dogs with no collar on and the owner saying they've recently moved (although you'd assume the mobile number was still the same). So we also need to take personal responsibility for ensuring those chip details are always current.

Oh bless him! He is gorgeous!!! And looking healthier and happier already! How did the meet and greet go?

I'm so very sorry Rascal but don't regret for a single minute that you took her into your hearts and lives and gave her the love and care she deserved, even if it was just for a few short weeks. Run free now beautiful girl.

The info about affidavits disheartens me a lot. Actually it hurts. I'm a Commissioner for Declarations and got it a long time ago so I could sign work affidavits (which I did multiple times a day for many years). I took those documents very seriously. The staff who had written them took them very seriously too because our aim before the courts was to prove harms had occurred to children and to keep them away from that situation so that no further harm could occur. If it was not spelt out in those documents then we would be laughed out of court and the suffering of those children was on us. So shame on any person in power not making the same effort. Change your job if you don't care enough.

Oh Rascal what a wonderful thing you and your daughter have done! Welcome to your new life, Katie! And just a suggestion for the arthritis if you need it - Golden Paste and Antinol Rapid are keeping our old girl very nimble and pain free still even though she has a lot of arthritis.

There was a case in QLD I was following - a once well respected rescue who I think got in over their heads and when that happens who do they go to for actual help? Anyway the person running the group had many charges, one of their children (who lived on the premises) had just turned 18 and was also charged with multiple offences. Case was in and out of court up here for at least 2 years and suddenly the main person plead guilty to a portion of the charges, the rest were dropped and surprisingly all the charges against the 18 were dropped too. I'm not saying the main person wasn't guilty of some of these charges and needed to have done something to address an untenable situation before the RSPCA got involved but their previously well respected life was turned upside down, and that of her two young adult children. As a case winning strategy the RSPCA would've dragged it out as long as they could, this person had no hope of getting a job (or her adult child probably) during that time, they lost their accom when the shit hit the fan, they lost their small income, high needs animals who had been in their care for a very long time and of course a lot of long term supporters, so pleading guilty was the only realistic way forward. Was justice served for the animals? I doubt it. There is no deterent for this person to not start rescuing, working with or owning animals again at some point in the future with her skills and contacts and if things go wrong again they would do even more to hide it. Instead of upholding the law the RSPCA focus on manipulating the system and that is doing very little in terms of punishing or reforming the guilty, deterring others from committing harm to animals and it sure as shit isn't saving many animals before things get to the point that permanent damage is done. And don't get me wrong - I believe this person has caused harm to vulnerable animals in her care and was doing an awful lot to hide it, but I also know they did a lot of good for quite a while prior and had their been options or supports to help them at a critical time I don't think things would have deteriorated to the point they did. But who could they even talk to? The signs were there and building but it's all got to get critical for the poor animals before the RSPCA even bothers to step in. I also think this person needs some form of punishment so they never go down this path again but to strangle their entire lives and that of their children and just keep them in limbo for several years just disables people from doing better and finding rehabilitation. It creates bitterness and inertia. It's all kinds of messed up and again when are the animals being put first in any of these scenarios? RSPCA blame the legal system for lenient punishments and tying their hands but they also have the power to seek amendments to the legislation they use if that legislation is not keeping up with the times and public expectations. And they also have the ability to build a stronger case as soon as possible after the investigation commences and primary information is gathered. How a case is stronger before the courts after one or two years is beyond me. If it was shocking enough on site to remove animals (and put them to sleep because they were too harmed) then it is strong enough to take before the courts for a decision within 6 months. You owe the animals who lost their lives that.

I used to volunteer at their old Fairfield shelter in QLD. Things could be different now (doubt it) but the seized animals were kept in small concrete runs all locked away down the back. We could see the entry area quiet clearly but I don't know any volunteer who was allowed to go down there and clean, feed or exercise those animals and I never ever saw a staff member down their either. I mean you could hardly find a staff member in the areas you did need them so you can just imagine how little contact and stimulation those poor seized animals were getting. Not their fault they were part of an investigation but they were certainly suffering for it. How can they 'save' an animal from a bad situation and just put them in another? How can they have the audacity to charge that kind of money and provide so little as far as assisting that animal to recover from the alleged neglect or abuse? Bloody terrible. Just one in a long list of reasons I stopped volunteering for them. So much unnessecary suffering and negligent decision making for the animals in their care. Another thing that bugs me about them in QLD is all the govt money they put in for and receive from the gambling funds (mainly for equipment and buildings). I used to know someone who processed those and one of the approvers on the panel favoured the RSPCA so they got money every single round they put in for. Hundreds of thousands of dollars over the years. Probably still happening too. But it's all bullshit. Imagine the work independant rescues could be achieving for actual animals if they had even a tenth of the same incoming funds as RSPCA. The organisation either needs an entire overhaul (at their bloody expense with all their millions in the bank!) or they should be shut down. I think it should be the latter. They lost their way a long, long time ago.

It's incredibly hard! I've gone from having this tough nut who hated personal space and loved everything and every one to one that still wants to be who she is but who feels frail and vulnerable within herself and doesn't know where to turn. Things that never caused her angst are now real fears and she doesn't know how to calm them. So many things she used to take for granted now frighten her. But having said that her good times far outweigh the bad stuff still. She spends her days chasing birds from the yard and following Jonah everywhere (she doesn't want to miss out). She still loves her walks but is getting bowled over at the dog park now with her back legs so weak and having lost weight (she has to be in the thick of the scrum) and gets sensory overload after about half an hour and tilts towards crazy (off home we go!). She prefers my sister over me when she is distressed but still sleeps with me again part of the night. Loves her food, still trying to get to the compost for a snack! I know things will continue to change and possibly deteriorate but she's been such a great dog for me and all the fosters who have come through here that I want her life to be as pleasant and rich as it can be despite the changes. So I just want to do what I can to be there for her now when she has been there for all of us. One the hardest aspects for me is she did love verbal praise and being touched/manhandled/kissed. And she got praised a lot because she was still deep down a very naughty and easily distracted dog. So she can't hear any of that at the moment and she is still not liking much touching so I feel that is an important chunk of comforting and joy she is missing. Hopefully I can find a way to turn that around.

Thank you to you both. It feels like this time around with an oldie was so different to last time. Then I just responded as things changed but this is a different dog with different strengths, needs and weaknesses so I want to keep a few steps ahead and make transitioning a bit easier for her. She loves life and everything about it but has definately lost some confidence and developed a sort of vulnerability over the past couple of months. Safe and happy is what I'm aiming to maintain for as long as possible.

I've changed my touch to be very gentle now and that has worked. I'm also restricting to shoulder area. She was actually avoiding me and I had no idea why but I think my old way of interacting with her was just too rough for her old lady body. She'll sit on the lounge or sleep on the bed again with me now and I try to just leave her be. Just gentle rubs on her inner thighs (her sweet spot) when I can't help myself. With her outside barking this afternoon (twice) I just walked out like I was doing something else and she saw me and came running. Once she came running over to me and once she got close I acknowledged and rewarded her then she followed me straight back inside. And that fridge analogy is a great one. Luckily we don't use any personal perfumes or air fresheners but I am going to start kind of assessing our environment for odours that might be distracting. I brought flowers in tonight and now I'm thinking that could be confusing. I'll just keep working my way through it and keep doing what we can to make things easier for her. Thank you for your advice and expertise!

Interesting and useful info Dogsfevr. Never thought about it like that before. To be honest I was never much of a talker to my dogs and just gave hand and verbal commands. But then fostering shar pei who were often quite fearful I found myself talking calmly to them more as I couldn't always get close and often they lacked training to even know basic commands. But then when we foster failed Tempeh and an animal communicator said she would benefit from being talked to more (she was anxious about loads of stuff). The communicator was correct and I turned into one of those people who told my dogs everything! Now of course Stussy has no clue what I'm saying when I talk to her and she seems to find it very confusing - in her mind I just seem to be staring at her or going mad at her or something. I'm sure her hearing was diminishing but whatever she still had just went suddenly. We saw the vet straight away and had it confirmed that it can happen like that. Luckily there is someone home most of the time but the good thing is if she sees us go out the front door she stays inside waiting for us to come home- no wandering outside that I am aware of (our good neighbours would let us know). And we always check the weather before leaving so they have options. She's not yet wandering aimlessly but since we got the workshop/shed built (a year ago) she seems to have developed some confusion on which 'house' we are in, so she stands in the yard between the two and concern barks until someone turns up and waves at her (we do have a big empty L shaped yard). Then she comes running all smiles. I don't want to be seen as rewarding her new strategy but I'm also not sure what else to do. Unfortunately I think I've been trying to make a game of it to reduce her anxiety, like we've been playing hide and seek. Do I just go out casually so she can see me rather than go out and beckon her to come to me? So I guess I'm not rewarding what she's doing if I let her know where I am without actually engaging? It's so hard because I want to comfort her because she seems so confused, but I also don't understand why she has suddenly become unsure about which part of the 'house' we are in. She can literally be laying in the same room as me, get up and go outside to her new spot and I hear her barking. That to me is like her nose not working either? Poor bugger. One good thing though if I go down the hand signals route is that Jonah is now 10 and we can teach him too so he might be better prepared. He already has one problematic eye that I make allowances for. Thank you everyone for all the useful information. I really appreciate it and am gathering it all to work out the best approach.

One of my vets is holistic and has worked with me before in that way so they don't push the harsher meds unless they see them as the best option. They are very supportive of trying a range of treatment options.

Thank you Deeds! We tried the Hills BD for 3 months and there was no noticeable difference so she is back on Canidae or Black Hawk now. Haven't seen the Bright Mind one so will go searching and give it a shot. Happy to try anything for her.

Thank you for all that info PK! She is getting close to needing medication for the dementia. Still manageable with supplements and diversion but only just. At the moment she only has Antinol Rapid for her arthritis and a tranquility supplement that I think Boronia put me on to to assist with the Sundowners. I'm pretty sure she has cataracts (they started a few years back). She still does well in minimal lighting and she can definately see bits of grated cheese on the cream tile floors! She is still very active but prone to a few accidents if her legs don't keep up. She has always been naturally inquisitive which leans towards naughty so leave and no/naughty commands are still necessary! I think my two main areas I'd like to communicate clearly is when I'm going out (and she is not coming with me) and when she is in the middle of the yard barking for someone to come and get her. She is no longer enjoying much touching unfortunately and when she is asleep she gets a fright from it but if I don't tell her I'm leaving the house she just runs into the back yard and barks for me (neighbours not loving that concept). She also gets confused about where we are in the house (or the shed) and stands in the yard and barks for us. It sets off another neighbour's dog and the neighbour between us has already had a grump about it. Apparently she has an irritating bark. I think it is time for a full vet assessment so I know how to move forward and maintain what she has but after it was suggested I can see that sign language could be a great solution for her. She has a lot of FOMO (like her mum) and always wants to know what's going on and where everyone is. She's got to be in the loop! Not being able to suddenly hear seems to have resulted in other behavioural changes and a lack of confidence that I'd like to turn around as much as possible. I never started any scent work with her but it is probably a good time to start. She is wanting like 4 meals a day now and I figure at least 2 of those could be be snuffle mat sessions! That would keep her busy for a bit! Again, thank you for all the advice so I can start researching.

Stussy is now 14. About 4 - 5 months ago she lost her hearing suddenly. She was checked by our vet who said this can happen in some old dogs. Her eyesight is fair still but to get her attention from a distance you have to go large with your gestures! She is still very active and still capable of learning new things (like how to open the baby gate so she can get to the bin!), using a doggy door for the first time, stairs and ramps to get up and down from furniture. She is really struggling without her hearing and of course she has Sundowners and aspects of CCD (doggy dementia) although she has not been diagnosed with that. Without her hearing she is barking a lot more for attention and to find where her peeps are. With the dementia she often leaves our side and goes looking for us, which results in her just standing in the yard and barking till someone comes. And it doesn't matter what I try to get her attention when she's sleeping I always frighten her. So I'm wondering if anyone else has a similar experience and has any info they can offer me regarding sign language options for a deaf dog with less than perfect eyesight but who is still trainable? In particular I'd like to find ways to sign come, leave, good dog/ok, no/naughty dog, walks/car/outings, treats/food and maybe even something to indicate when I'm going out without her as she finds that very confusing. All in a larger than life way so she can see without being super close. She knows hand signals for everything else but these ones were always more verbal commands. I really think she misses knowing what's going on and is living in an unpredictable world at present. Here is my Silly Sausage.

I heard that Boronia and have some to try but I still wonder why her brain has all of a sudden told her to do it, particularly when we have increased her diet quite a bit already.

Stussy (recently turned 14) has started eating poo - hers (avoids Jonah's even though they eat the same thing). It's like she doesn't remember she already got fed (we are now at 2 meals a day and 2 snacks a day because of weight loss). I actually caught her tonight eating only 15 minutes after she'd had a big dinner! Doggy dementia sucks! I also had a big wake up call with her only about a month or so. She's always been a tough nut and liked rough house kind of cuddles, kisses and scratches but a couple of months ago when she started to deteriorate mentally I noticed she was avoiding me on the lounge and bed in particular. If I touched her she'd get up and move. I suddenly realised how gentle I am with Jonah compared to her so I lightened all my physical interactions with her and we are back in love again! I think she was starting to feel vulnerable around me because I was being too rough on her old body without realising. There is just so much to be mindful of as they age and you have to constantly be looking for clues. I hate that their minds fail them before their bodies too. I'm glad Sooty finds comfort in your care. X

I would love to see the RSPCA more accountable for what they do and don't do but most of all I'd love for them to actually be doing all the work to protect all creatures great and small that their donors think they are with their millions. And if they are going to farm out a lot of animals to independant, unfunded rescues to foster, rehabilitate, vet and rehome (while patting themselves on the back in their stats) then they should also be sending some money with the animal. I don't think they do anything well anymore and haven't done for a long time.

I was always very security conscious at work (because of violent clients) but at home I was very cruisy (living on farms and acreage over the years didn't help!). But after the home invasion I had security screens put on everything, even solid glass panels because I felt they could be easily broken. And once you have people in your house you feel they know what you own and might come back. They had been working systematically through my entire upstairs house - looking under mattresses even. My computer was all unplugged and sitting on the front verandah, jewellery boxes were sitting on the front lawn. How did I not know they were there? I had to leave the whole lot like that until the police came the next day for finger printing so all night I was worried they would come back for it all or someone else would steal it (I had a security guard friend doing regular drive bys). So the fact I couldn't clean up and reclaim my life that same night and that the police didn't even have time to come to me when I was in need also made getting over it difficult. I'm still overly security conscious but Jonah is very responsive to stranger danger and has a scary bark!

I saw this on FB. Amazing story! I had a mother and son stafford rescues. The mother came to me just on a year old with a phantom pregnancy that didn't end up being so phantom! She started to whelp the same day in my care and ended up needing a cesar. The chonk of the litter was quickly adopted when he was old enough but at 6 months developed severe epilepsy. I still had his mum as she had post cesar complications and a hard time of it health wise and we bonded through it. The son was going to be pts so I said I'd take him back too. He was heavily medicated for those first few years but kept safe and loved while we worked on a better way of dealing with the situation (which my amazing vet did). At the time I lived on a small acreage property and my parents also lived on a small acreage property next door. I'd been unwell for a few days but finally felt well enough to sit out in the sun to at my lunch (cup of soup and a bread roll)/ I started walking down my front stairs and my leg went through the gap and I flipped, cracking my head on the brick wall on my way down and landing on the pavers unconscious. Apparently my scared, medicated boy ran next door and was making high pitched barking noises and running to and fro my parents house towards our shared fenceline. They sensed something was wrong and drove over and found me. His mum was sitting by my head watching and sniffing me. Apparently it wasn't until I was moved that she went in and ate the bread roll and licked up the soup! I'd injured all four limbs and needed medical attention for a while to recover. I still have a big dint in my leg from the fall. Fast forward a couple of years and both dogs and I were living in the suburbs. We'd had a big day and were all half asleep on the downstairs lounge (split level house). Suddenly the dogs went from 0 to 100 going beserk and flying upstairs. Three men were upstairs ransacking my house for valuables and had been working their way through all the rooms. The dogs chased them out of the house - one from a window (he was later caught with a broken ankle from it) and two from the front door. But instead of chasing them up the street, once they were all off our property the dogs ran back inside to me. By then I'd grabbed the phone and run and hidden in my back yard petrified. Even worse the police could not attend (it was hours before they arrived) and the Triple O operator had me walk with the dogs for protection back through the house to make sure they had gone and lock up the house again. It was terrifying. Changed my entire life. So those two little rescue dogs with their issues saved me twice. You often hope your dogs would be there for you in a moment of need and mine were.