Plan B

eBay has always proved to be the cheapest: link.

Do what's best for you. You have a duty to your own happiness etc before you have a duty to anything else. You shouldn't have to always sacrifice your own wants and needs just because there are idiot owners and backyard breeders out there dumping dogs left, right and center.

Bullcrap. With ANY dog comes great responsibility. Every breed should be responsibly owned, regardless of power. Maybe then we won't be seeing so many unsocialised, untrained, yappy, aggressive, fearful dogs of all breeds.

Probably for the same reasons you yourself have listed. Privacy. It's exactly why many groups have a PO Box, so those disgruntled or (dare I say) crazies can't actually track down their home addresses. I think, in this case, you have to weigh it up. Do you want to adopt this dog? Do you want to abide by the group's conditions? If yes, then comply. If not, then move on. You don't have to give away any private information - but if a group requires a yard check, done by a volunteer, then you can make the decision. Like I said above, for the reasons you have stated, people in Rescue also have to be cautious about how much private information they give away. But it's slightly different. These people are rescuing animals and rehoming them and, if there's no need to compromise their privacy and security, why should they? Can you imagine the amount of disgruntled applicants who are denied? I can tell you that there's much more privacy concerns in being a rescuer than there are being an adopter. But, it's a choice. Saying that, I would also be a little worried if, after the initial application, you didn't know an actual full name of someone in the Rescue Group.

Edited.

Even though it can, I strongly agree that it is a natural thing. I personally can't understand how a dog can be deemed dangerous if it has attacked or killed livestock. It doesn't mean it's necessarily dangerous, just acting on instincts. Some dogs have higher prey drives than others. As for rehoming - I don't see why they couldn't be rehomed to capable hands/homes that are nowhere near livestock.

A quick update though I don't have many details. Horse was picked up by the AWL earlier today. :)

I think, so long as the dog is getting everything it needs while in care, nutrition-wise, you're fulfilling your end of the deal. Some adopters may choose to feed an entirely raw diet, some may choose wet food, some may choose the most expensive premium kibble in the world, and some may choose Supermarket kibble. Anything you feed the foster dog is most likely to change in their forever home, so I would just go with whatever you feel is best for the dog while it's with you. The only times I've let a foster into the bedroom [crated] is if there's been separation anxiety and we've slowly worked on that. I don't let fosters sleep in the bedroom, as I like to give that privilege to my own dogs, and reassure them that their place isn't being challenged. However, I don't necessarily see a problem with it either, so long as it doesn't cause problems between the resident dogs and the foster dog. My foster dogs are allowed up on the sofas [my dogs even have their own sofa bed in the spare room] but fosters are only allowed when invited. For me, personally, I like my dogs on the sofa, watching a show, etc. I think it'd be unfair not to let a foster up with me too but they do get taught boundaries - so that, if an adopter doesn't want them on the sofa, it's easier for them to keep them off. Yes and no. Depends what the first foster is. :laugh: Generally, it doesn't get easier to say goodbye, but you do start to realise that, actually, the first dog you fostered, you didn't need to keep like you though, because there are so many awesome, nice, dogs that just fit into the home along the way. You'll probably want to not say goodbye to a few... but the next awesome dog is just around the corner. Toilet trained, crate trained [i find it best to crate train dogs while they're with me, as not all adopters will continue crating... but I'm sure some vets and groomers will thank me down the line!], basic commands like 'sit' and 'stay', socialisation with other dogs and people, and manners. There's probably more I'm forgetting but generally the basics... enough for the dog to be a balanced, respectful dog, but I don't worry too much about fancier things like making the dog shake or line dance.

Clyde, we could only do that if we knew there was a Group or experienced individual waiting on the other side of it. We just couldn't take him out and then be left with nowhere to place him.

There should always be precaution taken with any dog. But a huge dog like Horse... absolutely a lot more. This is why we've called for experienced people. I hope people can just stick to the main post and, if in a position and have given it consideration, please let us know if we can help in any way.

Can we please not let this turn feral like most other threads? This is the reason so many people and rescuers avoid these forums. We're trying to find possible options for a dog that, having been assessed by our own Behaviourist, has so far shown no negative behaviours. His handlers at the pound have recommended he not go to a home with small dogs but also have not seen other concerning behaviours from him. We are not talking about an aggressive dog here. Based on the facts. Yes, the information from Dane Rescue that has been supplied has led us to believe that a Behaviourist who found him tied to their fence took him to Rossmore Vets and then Renbury and, somehow, managed to properly assess him during that period. Based on the information given, that is all we know of that. Another Behaviourist that went out earlier today for a different rescue group, who originally had a tag on him, has said he is very workable in experienced hands. And one of the main reasons relayed why he could not go to the rescue is because the person did not feel comfortable controlling a dog of his size. Our own Behaviourist said the same. This dog needs to go to someone who can be confident with him. Preferably a man, just because of the sheer size of him. Speculation does not help.

It's even harder to find that exact foster home too. But if you don't ask, you don't get. And if there's a chance that person or Rescue Group is out there, then it may just help a dog.

I will find out the specifics for you as I've been a bit rushed tonight and my partner has all the details but yes, there was a small dog test. I just need to clarify what that entailed, as he could only spend a certain amount of time there today. We're hoping he may be able to return tomorrow for a further assessment.

This is why I asked for further information. As, all I have right now is, this dog was dumped at your Behaviourists', taken to Rossmore, then to Renbury. And there were issues. Whereas, our Behaviourist did assess him and found none of these issues. Not to say they're not there - but people can only go off the information provided and it helps to have a clearer picture of that information to make an informed decision. But right now, nobody's talking about rehoming an unknown dog. People are talking about giving a dog a chance to prove he is rehomable, if those resources are available to do so. And if he is not rehomable, then he should be humanely put to sleep. Whether or not people personally think others should bother is of no concern to me. We were asked if we could and we're asking if others can also.

I think it's important to mention that several people watched our Behaviourist with Horse today at the farm and saw how well he was responding to corrections and commands. There's absolutely no need to be speculating about this boy based on him being similar to an aggressive dog you once knew. It is reckless and unfair to this individual dog. Comments like these help nobody.

At present, everyone who has come to us with information about Horse, that have been around him and/or assessed him, hasn't displayed any doubts. Sas, would you be able to message or email me with your Behaviourists details so we can contact them? Any further information would be much appreciated.

I'm not entirely sure if this is the right section for this but here goes. Horse, the dog, is currently at Renbury. He is a Great Dane cross and, as you can imagine, quite huge. This boy was tagged for Rescue but that Rescue has since taken their tag off of him as he did not pass their Behaviourist's assessment today. I'm not entirely sure of what that assessment involved, only that there were apparent negative results. Considering that feedback, Horse is now reclaim/rescue only. We got our Behaviourist out to the farm. He spent about 40 minutes with him, assessing him in a variety of different ways. The feedback he has given us is that, at that time, Horse displayed no negative reactions - even when confronted with a smaller dog, which had been a concern beforehand. This isn't to say that Horse doesn't have negative behaviours at all - only that he did not display any during the assessment. One thing that was recommend, and it's quite an obvious thing, is that due to his sheer size, he will need someone experienced and capable of handling him. Our Behaviourist has said that he is definitely workable but needs to be in a home that can handle this kind of dog. While we would love to take him on and assess him further, we do not have the experienced carers available. We would welcome anyone who does have that experience to contact us if they are not attached to a Rescue Group already who can help and are interested in possibly fostering this boy. For any groups out there that may be able to consider this boy, as a favor to us our Behaviourist has offered his ongoing help with Horse at a reduced Rescue rate, if that is needed. The option is available for Horse to go to his place for two weeks, as a sort of Bootcamp, and somewhere he can fully assess and work with this boy - or the other option is, if someone takes Horse into their home, and provided they do not live too far away, our Behaviourist can visit them about three times a week to assist them in his training and handling. I do have to point out that although our Behaviourist assessed him, and he found no negative behaviours, that doesn't mean they are not there. This is why further assessments would be recommended. Horse is due on Tuesday. From what we have been able to gather, the only thing holding him back is his size. If anyone can accommodate that, whether with us or another group, please do see if you can help. We will help in any way we can. If you need to email us, our address is [email protected]. Cheers. EDIT: The Renbury team will know a lot more about his behaviour over the past week so anyone interested should definitely get in touch with them also.

+1. I'm glad you responded so I didn't have to, as I would have wasted a lot more time on the poster. By this and previous comments, I'm absolutely confused why they are spending their time on a dog forum.

This is us now. Bear and Kooda were recently killed due to being of 'Pitbull Type' in Victoria. Neither had done anything wrong prior to their murder.

I was so annoyed with the poster that PETA were circulating, and the ignorant comments that followed, I wrote an article on our Rescue website: here.

I'm not completely sure - I haven't been able to find anything concrete that actually says that. The minimum age of 8 weeks applies to Pet Shops. But what is illegal is selling an animal without microchipping it first, and at five weeks, which vet would chip them? From the Companion Animals Act:

We never received our pledge. But I didn't see it until after the dog was in our care and didn't follow it up either. If you're on Facebook, she's quite often on the Renbury Page. You might be able to message her? :)

Pay?! Why would someone need to pay to be a foster carer?

Is there any chance he has a cut between his paw? Sometimes they can be really hard to spot. One of my dogs also had a hair actually pierce the skin, which made her lift it every now and then, and was almost impossible to see with the naked eye.

I think, if the ads are failing to get a clear message across, they are bad ads. For me, I find the comparison (no matter whether it's fishing or skinned/gutted alive) so offensive to victims of abuse, I immediately disconnect with it. These extreme shock tactics do nothing but put the message across that PETA are so out of touch with reality, they cannot be taken seriously. Put the plight of fish across, by all means, but do it in a way that will actually hit home and educate people - not offend them or cause a disconnect.