HeavyPaws

Every two weeks for the past four years I've driven past this huge trailer-trash looking property, and they've had a big sign {like a church sign or roadworks sign} at the gate advertising a different breed of puppy and kitten every month or sooner. If I slowed down enough and had a crane-and-nosy, I could see rows of runs behind the bushes and rusty cars, and sometimes I'd see dogs in this small paddock looking area. Please note that I DID think it was fishy, and I reported it to the RSPCA no less than three times a year since I first noticed it, every single time was "Oh, that's a worry, we'll look into it". When I ask to keep undated with the investigation, I've had a range of responses that go from "Sorry, that will be classified information" to "We'll send you an email" {never received a thing} Still they kept advertising all these different breeds and litters so obviously nothing was done about it. Last night I drove past it for the first time this month, and they have a puppy-kitten sign out but a lovely new sign next to it, saying _____ Boarding Kennels. Puppy mill turned boarding kennel? I'm afraid I don't understand if a place like that is even able to become a kennel. Should I make an effort to report it once again {I was actually going to pose as a potential customer and insist on seeing the grounds} or do you think this is perfectly reasonable and I'm actually a crazy animal-welfare nut who sees puppy mills in every darkened garage corner? Also want to add, I'm not going to say where this kennel is or what the name is. I don't want this to be a situation where the possible-puppy-mill sold the property to a respectable business owner who is going to renovate it into a lovely kennels, and I ruin their business by mentioning that they're a puppy mill to the dog community.

A Miami neighbourhood was left horrified on Thursday morning when they woke to find dozens of dead, headless animals littered along their street. In a scene reminiscent of a horror movie, the bloodied remains of the animals were laid out over nearly two blocks in the residential area. Decapitated goats, cats and different kinds of birds like pigeons and hens were strewn along the street in what some residents think may have been part of some kind of witchcraft or a religious ritual like Santeria. Police are investigating if the bizarre find was in fact something more sinister or an early Halloween prank. Santeria is a centuries old religion where sacrificial birds and animals are an offering during ceremonies as believers worship saints and feel they are cleansed of all evil. Resident Marioly Perez who woke when she heard screeching tires said she was terrified at what was outside her front door: 'Nothing had a head. I have never seen anything like this. It's scary'. Onlookers said that there was also a 'very large' animal that no one could identify. Some neighbours said they saw five people dressed in white and others heard a loud bang and the sound of a speeding car's tires peeling away. When they walked out of their homes they were faced with headless carcasses and body parts all over the road. Perez said as well as the unsightly images the smell was suffocating as it appeared the animals may have been dead for a while. Josefine Pita who also lives in the area said: 'We all love animals here. This is very, very depressing. You don't know what kind of crazy people are around your neighbourhood'. She added: 'It's very, very scary because you don't know if they are going to steal your animal'. Miami's Sanitation Department arrived to clear away the bodies and intestines while the Fire Department hosed down the street to get rid of all remnants of the blood. Warning, link to article contains graphic pictures, may distress Headless animals in Halloween prank

My old kelpie cross used to watch the sheep trials with my grandfather on the telly. As soon as the herd would go off screen she'd dash around the tv to herd them back. Moon gets put off by children wearing masks, particularly children she knows wearing masks. We took her to Kaylee's preschool at Christmas, all the kids were wearing reindeer masks. She knows all the children and will go to them if you say, for example, "Go to Mitchell!". That day they'd call her and she'd go to them, but look around like she wasn't sure this strange creature was the one who called her. She was very, very unsure and hid in the book corner for most of the day.

I can imagine the birds calling the hotline "I can't take it anymore! I'm gonna do a Bonnie!"

I have to admit, guys, ever since page 1 I have been dying to dog-prank you all, and post a hideous oodle-something and insist it's a very rare breed and lead you on for pages.

I've heard a million times what a great body she has. All the bogans are willing to tell me "Aww mate dat's an awesum dawg, she's got a huge head and it'd bite ya in two!" She's very stocky, very strong looking, plus being very tall for a bitch, and well muscled from daily runs, she looks like "one of those dogs". Plus people tell me she's the biggest staffy they've ever seen because she's 'blue'. Uhh nope..merle God only knows what they were going to put over her to get "big" puppies. My poor baby was traumatised! The burger went uneaten! Also, lappiemum, what's Deliverence?

Beat you with my story. Pulled up at a nsw service station, we were on holiday. I took Moon out of the back and walked her over to the designated dog tree. A guy followed us over and pulled out his wallet and goes "She's perfect for breeding, how much?" I must have looked like one of those paranoid mothers when a strange man walks past the playground, shoved her behind me with my hands holding her collar, stricken with horror look on my face and said "Not for sale, she's not for breeding" Anybody who knows dogs can see she's badly bred. She's merle, for one, has a saggy tuck, has ears that sit across her head like a bandanna, her front paws point inwards, her tail looks like a grey cricket bat and she has a back on her like a 30 year old draft horse. THEN His wife walks over and goes "Oh, we have a perfect match for her" "No, sorry" Husband pipes up with "Don't worry, the pups will be purebred, our boy's a Champion" Yeah, I totally believe that one. Now I'm trying to get around the tree with my 65 kilo, 37 inch high dog behind me, who's trying desperately to get to the wife, who's thrusting her half-eaten burger at Moon and coaxing "Here, puppy, come here..", while going "No, sorry, I'm not a breeder, no, sorry..." over and over The husband then offers to fill our car up plus $500 in cash for her right there. I say no. He makes that offer again and throws in lunch. I say no. So now it's lunch, petrol and gas, $800 and another $200 when they get home. NO. We finally end up piling back in the car and driving off, with him still shouting out offers.

I'm ashamed to admit it, but yes. She stops, listens, makes a strangled half-howl, and then snarls and turns sideways to bite her own legs. Once her teeth make contact she yelps, then crouches down whimpering. If she's facing a mirror or reflective surface she'll bark at herself until the howling stops. She also does it during the intro of CM shows. Maybe she was abandoned at birth by a pack of wolves, and has traumatic memories

Yep, Moon. Oh, except for the afraid of moths thing. And the barking at sky writers. And how she attacks herself when she hears videos of wolves howling. And how she farts after smelling eggs cooking. And how... Ugh. Okay, she's not 100%.

Two of my relatives have made the {bad} decision to buy a puppy. Thanks to the recent puppy milling ads, they've done research and absolutely will NOT buy from anyone but a registered, responsible breeder. That's the only plus in this entire story. They're set on a particular breed, will not consider anything else. They love the unique look of the breed and won't sway from it. All my suggestions for more energy-suitable dogs were met with big "no, no way, it HAS to be....." At this point in their lives, I know a puppy wouldn't be the best thing for them. They've just declared their second bankruptcy and are thinking of selling their house to pay their debts off. They have no money at all, I've loaned them $2000 just this year so they could pay their bills and eat. Yet they desperately want a puppy, and when I brought up the money issue, outlining all the costs of a dog, they said they'd just lie to the breeder they chose and make them think they had plenty of money. The breed they've chosen is fairly cheap, and they've scraped together money to buy the puppy straight out, but they admit freely they won't have the money to desex, vaccinate, go to training or buy reasonable food. My question is. If you knew someone who would be an absolutely horrible choice for a puppy, who was planning on lying to a breeder regarding their level of ability to care for a puppy, would you call/email the breeders of that breed and let them know not to sell to the people of that name? Or is it one of those things you just shrug and say "Well, nothing I can do" and let them and the puppy suffer for their lie?

I once read an article about how far a range of people/animals walked. It amazed me that the average housewife in the 50's would walk up to 30,000 steps a day. They had a calculation for how much more a working dog worked than a farmer. Something like clocking up up to four hours extra work a day and a couple km's extra. And all for a pat and a bone!

I agree about the 'old times' thing. I grew up as a feral child on a farm and I learned early on to interpret dog body language. When the dog had enough of being run around the paddock by 10 screaming kids, we'd know when to leave it alone. It took being nipped a few times, but that was it. We were told "don't touch the dog's food", we did it, we got nipped, we cried and were told "See what happens?", we didn't do it again. We learned the emotional thresholds of dogs early on. We'd be stacked on top of the heeler giggling and poking and suddenly all back off because it let us know that enough was enough. If we ignored the warnings we'd get nipped and barked at. He loved playing but when he'd had enough the meaning was clear. Now dogs are something you can go into a store and buy, it's like a new baby "hug the puppy, chase the puppy, touch the puppy's food" and when puppy has had enough and is presenting signs of getting reaaalllyyy sick of being picked up and dragged around, kids have no idea what's going on and end up getting bitten. I've been called dog whisperer by my friends because I know when to leave the dog alone when it just bites everyone else. It's not magic, it's not whispering, the dog went stiff then stalked off to the corner of the porch. It's not some grand magic trick, it very clearly told me "NO MORE" and I listened. Yeah, if I follow it and bend down to pat it, it will bite me. Education starts in the home as well, with dog-savvy parents that teach their kids to behave around animals. Even my 4 year old can tell when a dog tied up outside the store doesn't want to be approached. She'll go around it in a large circle and leave it well alone. She's friendly and playful with dogs, and can get rough, but she's never been bitten. Why? because we've taught her dogs are animals, and they can hurt you if you don't respect them. She always backs off before it gets too rough, and she'll walk away from a dog that's giving her the warning to back off. I love the idea of groups going to preschools and teaching children how to behave around dogs

I'll raise on that. Earlier this year I saw a heavily pregnant girl smoking at the bus-stop....in her school uniform.

We have the dreaded Mr Bee. When Mr Bee first joined our family, it was because he was free. But his welcome was short lived when we discovered that apart from being about a forearm's length long, he made a loud "BAH-ZZZZZ!" when given even the slightest pressure on his belly. Moon was overjoyed that she had a new toy, and she second she bit on him she was in love. As soon as Mr Bee touches her mouth, she rears up and down and leaps in circles like a Spanish Riding Pony. She runs across couches, tables and benches, trailing a "BAH-ZZZZZZZZZZZ!!!!" the whole time, tail whip lashing everything in sight, drool splashing everywhere, claws scraping on wood, and when she drops him she barks and barks and barks while play-bowing. Mr Bee was banished after an hour. Her sole birthday gift is the entire day in the backyard with Mr Bee.

I know they're at PJ's Pet Warehouse in Sunbury. I saw them there and was considering it, but decided that it would affect the noise.

When I found out I'd need a service dog within the next five-10 years, I began teaching Moon 'useful tricks' to prepare myself for training a proper service dog. Note, they were NOT intended to pass her off as a service dog so I could get into shopping centres with her, airlines, etc. She goes on lead where dogs are allowed and stays home when dogs aren't allowed. She does not wear a vest and I do not claim to have a service or assistance dog. With that said, I wanted to teach her helping skills so it'd be easier for me when I had to train a dog to help save my life. She knows shake, sit, down and stay, but in addition she knows: * On {stand on something and sit} * Open {she can open pull-down handle doors and push doors, but can't do knob-handle doors} * Back it Up {walk backwards} * Touch/Push {push something with her paw or nose} * Let 'Em Know {bark} * Whoa {this took the longest, she has to press close to my leg and stay there} * Would You Take this Please? and I'll Have It Back, Thanks {carry something in her mouth and at second command she drops it} * Too Far For Me! {she stands on her back legs to get something off a shelf for me} * Too Bright! and It's Dark! {turn off and turn on light switches} She knows sit, wait, open the door and steady {whoa} in sign language too. We use nontraditional commands, but I understand them I looked up the commands and ways to teach them on Youtube and visited a lot of forums asking about assistance dog commands. She also knows swear words. For some reason, when they're accompanied by her name {"Useless Mutt!"} and a flying missile, she runs away

Hmmm... Rabbit-lined Uggs Fully Sick Red Nose Fookin Massif Dog Rabbit-lined Uggs Wait Till Ya See How Many Puppies I'll Throw Rabbit-lined Uggs This One's For Me Bro Rabbit-lined Uggs Wot's Hip Dyslexia Den? Rabbit-lined Uggs Imma Regista You When I Get Fined And those are just five of the 12 puppies from the first litter... Feel free to contribute more... /end thread derailment Rabbit-lined Uggs Fuk Mate DidYa C Those Footy Scores Rabbit-lined Uggs Kebab 2 CureA Hangova Rabbit-lined Uggs My Mate's Mate HasA Rabbit-lined Uggs Halfa CanA Hairspray Goin 2 the Club Bro Rabbit-lines Uggs GotA Sik Idea Whattabout a Hottub ontoppa the Caravan

Sounds ace mate maybe we can arrange a breeding to my Ch. Woolie's CarPark DoYa Lyk My New Uggboots?

The treats are still in their full packaging and don't show any signs of having been opened. Should I feed them or throw them? Maybe break a tiny bit off the emu stick and see if there's any reaction? There was no reaction to the toys apart from Mr Hotdog already gone to Squeaky Toy Heaven. I washed them off and squirted hot water out of them to clear them out in case. Erny and Fifi , this goes for both of you- I've read your posts before and they always contain sound advice and well thought out responses. If the post had been 'OMG what a weirdo don't ever talk to them' I would have dismissed it as rude, but the way it was put wasn't miserable at all. There is nothing miserable about thinking in the way of safety. Imagine if you'd kept the post to yourself, and I fed her un packaged treats and she died of poisoning. Giving somebody advice about the health and welfare of them and their dogs when you clearly know what you're talking about is a good thing. It's more miserable to ignore a gut feeling just because it isn't your problem.

Thank you for adding that Erny, I appreciate it. I'm cautious anyway so I'll be approaching this slowly, but I would like to thank them for the gifts at least. I'll be open for any creepiness however.

Just half an hour ago I got home, and there was a box on my doorstep/porch area. I hadn't ordered anything but Mum sometimes sends me things she's bought on ebay that she thinks I'd find useful, so I wasn't too surprised. Until I opened it! There was an envelope inside with a letter that says: 'Dear lovely owner of the Great Dane. The park you visit every day is opposite my house. Your beautiful dog 'goes' under the tree near the road and you always pick the poop up. You always have your dog on a leash and it is always well behaved. Seeing it reminds me of my dog from when I was young and it makes me happy to see a loved animal. Thank you for being responsible and giving me a smile while I do my gardening {smiley face}' Inside the box was a plastic packet of squeaky 'Junk Food dog Toys': a chicken drumstick shaped toy, a burger toy, a hotdog toy and an icecream toy. There was also two Black Dog smoked lamb necks and two packets of Black Dog emu sticks. The park is about four doors down from where I live and I know where the tree is so tomorrow I'm going to go at our usual time and keep an eye out for someone watching from a house and gardening. If you're a DOLer, thank you! It made me feel so special!

Yeah mate but you gots to give us the puppies from your first litter, and the litter has to be born before the dog's first birthday. If you want, I'll offer you this lovely breeding pair. The parents were litter mates, but it's alright, they're designer dogs so they don't get genetic mishaps.

We did the one where you hide a treat under a cup. Moon barked at the cup, play bowed, and then barked some more.

Not serious: Nah bro Big DubbleYa's got a sale on now and you know the cheaper the better right Serious: I forgot about Homebrand, to be totally honest. I'll change my tactics to include Homebrand instead of Woofbix. Side note, the Asian grocery near me sells dog food in a can for 30c a can. It's flavour can only be determined by the cartoon dog on the front, who wears either rabbit ears, cow horns or mop of wool on it's grinning head. I think it's called Lucky You Puppy. I think my pedigree pups may benefit from Lucky You.

Aww mate we gots a grate offer on right now, buy one get one free. Y's know our stock is top quality coz if it dies we'll replace it. Now what kinda people would we be if we didn't offer that kind of thing; replace your worn out, boring dog with a new, exciting puppy! And we'll do that every year if you want, join our Puppy Savers Club and every time you return a puppy you get 30% off the price of your next one. Sweet deal bro! Our dogs are fully sik, they're tough as sh*t and will maul the ever loving crap outta people who wanna steal your sweet as 40" plasma, but the kiddies can whack it in the face with a plastic golf club and directly scream into it's face "bad dog!" afterwards and it won't do sh*t. We gots some grouse offers on at the moment of fully trained, awesome dogs. First up we got the Crak Hore Puppi, it's specially trained to help ya shoot up when you've collapsed in the caravan from ya last overdose. It'll bring ya round with a shot to the neck before the coppas rock up. Also, it has this hollow area inside it where you can hide ya stash; quite easy to use all ya do is open the trapdoor and stick your hand down the tunnel. Comes with red headlights that double as festive Christmas lights for your drug den. Only $200, $100 if you promise a litter before it's a year old. Second we gots an grouse offer, the Child Friendly Perfect Dog. Purebred Australian Staffy with some of that awesome dog next door put in. Top bloodlines. We kept it pure of bad influence by keeping it locked in the spare bathroom with a slab of Chum and a bucket of water. When we take it out at 8 weeks {if it's alive}, it'll be awesome for a suprise gift for your ADHD 6 year old or your surly teenager. Here is a picture from when we let our last one out of the bathroom, it's flying with glee towards our daughter $haniqua, practically convulsing with the desire to kiss her to....uhh....death. $300, but $200 if you can promise two litters before it's a year old. With every purchase you get a free retractable lead and a sack of Woofbix, plus a printed bit of paper with the name of your dog/s on it.