disintegratus

No real suggestions here, but he's still young. My boy Thundercleese from around 15-ish months through til he was almost 2 coud not eat enough. As in, we were feeding him more than twice what the other dogs were, and he was still skinny as all heck, it was all just going into growing him upwards! Our neighbour actually called the RSPCA on us (not for any other reason than she was a meddlesome cow, we ended up in court with that nasty piece of work), but one of the reasons she cited was because he was too skinny. They said he could stand to put more weight on, but I showed the officer the portions we were feeding him and her eyes nearly popped out of her head! If everything else is fine (he's wormed etc and no vet issues) I'd suggest he'll grow out of being too skinny. As for eating things he's not supposed to, if you figure it out could you come here and tell my lot? If it's within reach of a dogs mouth here, it will soon end up in one if you leave it unattended! :laugh:

Hi! Slightly OT, but I was watching Bones and Thundercleese have Thursday afternoon dogfights in the yard a few minutes ago, and Bones actually bit her own tongue hard enough to make herself yelp. Such a stupidface!! I still love her though :p

I don't know, but I do know that alarm bells started ringing as soon as I read "co-founder of PETA..." Also, it has the potential to be easily misused. For example, someone with a grudge against a particular breeder need only throw one "treat" over the fence to destroy someone's breeding stock. I'm sure other people are better at training than I am, but personally I have about as much hope of mine not eating something edible in their own yard as I do of sprouting wings. (Not that I have breeding stock, but just as an example.)

I got mine too! I have put them.... Somewhere. I'm sure I will remember where eventually :p Either that or I accidentally left them on the kitchen bench and one of the dogs ate them...

I have a Thundercleese, named after a giant planet-destroying cartoon robot, and it suits him real well! :D Bones is the newest one, though she also answers to Stupidface, because she has SUCH a stupid face! I had two mice a few years ago named Ladder and Chair. So far though, I think our snakes take the cake for odd names. We have: Mr Sparkles (female) Pebbles Norman (as in Bates, he is a very angry Olive python) Slippery Gypsy (who went missing for 5 months after someone left her enclosure unlocked, but reappeared about 3 weeks ago in the lounge room no worse for wear :)) Tits Mcgee Chocolate Bear Lou Lasagne I also have a massive male rat named Britney :)

Beautifully written, but I was having a bit of trouble towards the end, it was getting very blurry... What a much-loved dog woolie was :)

Mine would probably trip me over, causing me to break my ankle, then we would all sit down quietly and wait to die, because they're useless, and I'd have a broken ankle. Though they'd be pretty good for cuddling up to at night :) Actually, I think that might be a bit of a lie. My lot would probably chase all the birds off the island, and get attacked by the wildlife (everything seems to know they're idiots and nothing is scared of them), and THEN, we would sit down quietly and wait to die. Does that make them less than useless?

LOL Seconded! :laugh:

A terribly sad incident, for everyone involved. I'm not meaning to start a riot here, but I'm completely ignorant when it comes to anything to do with showing. Doesn't temperament and behaviour feature greatly in a dog being judged at a show?? The little I have seen of shows indicates that the dogs have to stand there quietly while being poked and prodded etc. I don't see how a dog that's "dangerously out of control" would be able to be judged in a show ring? I know that on the street is a different time and place to a showring, but surely if a dog is as unpredictable as those mentioned, tendencies of that nature would have made themselves apparent, and the dog would not have been in a position to enter a show, let alone win anything?? On a side note, I understand fully why they were destroyed, and fair enough too, but god it's a shame, they're stunning dogs.

Well, duh!! I'm pretty sure most dog owners have known this for as long as they've had dogs :laugh: I know that while I'm in the house and awake (even if I'm sitting in my room with the door closed), I can leave whatever I want lying around, but god forbid I leave a bag of bread on the kitchen bench overnight. It took quite a few times of getting mad at my sister for finishing the bread and not replacing it before I figured that one out! Occasionally the pup still tries to sneak up on the bench while someone's home, but she hasn't grown a brain yet, she'll figure it out soon enough :laugh:

Maeby, I agree. But I think it's not only significant events that have changed the way we view the world, but the way the world has changed, and the way we access it has a lot to do with it. Not that long ago, stories like Nigger's would have happened all over the place, and no one would have thought it odd. In those days, if that dog had been beaten to death on it's daily walk, or if it had been stolen, it would have affected only the immediate community. So the rest of the people all over the world would continue allowing their dogs to do it with no worries. Nowadays, if a dog farts in Nigeria, we hear about it on the other side of the world, instantaneously. As a result, things that used to effect only a small group of people (one family, one town etc) are having a much wider impact a lot further away, spreading worries and fears a lot further, a lot faster. So we're basically growing further and further into a culture of fear. Add in to that that the vast majority of people these days are massive self-entitled douches (which I think coincides with the time when ye-olde parents stopped beating the bad out of their children and started teaching them instead that the world owes them a living, and yes, that is a WILDLY INACCURATE GENERALISATION), and you have the current trend of "I have to quit my job and eek out a living working only 3 hours a week because I can't leave my precious Foofy-bear at home by himself for more than 20 minutes at a time in case someone steals him"

I agree, I can't stand it when people make themselves feel better at the expense of animals. Poor dog, pts already

:laugh: That's gold! Every time our floor gets swept, we end up with at least enough for a Pom, if we've been slack and not swept for a while, it's about the size of a samoyed!

I'm not too concerned about how "junkfood-y" they are, after all, my dogs eat heaps of stuff, half the time I don't even know what it is! I keep an eagle eye out when we're out walking, but they find a myriad of treats right here in the back yard!

I cooked some food at my boyfriend's place (no dogs) with all the ingredients bought fresh and opened at his house, absolutely no chance of coming into contact with any dogs. There was still hair in it :laugh: You get used to it. Even my mum's house, where she practically vacuums the hair off the dogs before it's had a chance to come into contact with the floor, there's always dog hair in something!

I think it's generally not a great idea, and wouldn't be encouraging people to do it, but as with many things, there's a time and a place where it may be appropriate. I have left my fear aggressive boy tied up outside a shop technically unattended. I'd just walked about 3km with two dogs to the chinese restaurant (at about 9pm), I tied them to a tree as far from the entrance as I could (where I could still see them), and literally ducked inside for about 1 minute to order my food, pay them and ask for a plastic container because I'd forgotten their collapsible bowl. Worked out well, though I wouldn't make a habit of it. Also, by the time I walked home with them (including a detour because there were some other people walking their dog the same direction I was going and Thundercleese wasn't having a bar of that), my food was cold and I had to microwave it.

It would be nice to be able to have a stress-free holiday, not having to worry that the dogs have gotten out, hurt themselves, broken stuff, broken themselves, destroyed the house... then having to take extra time off work when I get back to set the place in order again. I would be able to open my front door without a wall of furry bodies standing directly behind it. But why would I want to come home if my dogs weren't here to greet me? I would be able to walk barefoot through my yard. But I also wouldn't be able to stand at the kitchen window and watch the dogs kicking the crap out of each other and having a blast. I'd have a lot more time, money, freedom. But what would I do with them if I didn't have my dogs???

I have a dog I can't let offlead anywhere, and I still enjoy him immensely aside from his fear aggression issues, he's one of the best behaved dogs I know, and I honestly could never ask for a dog more devoted to me :) I imagine (pure speculation here) that most of the reason he would be fighting the conditions would be because he doesn't want his dog to have to sleep in a cage outside. I don't blame him, I'd do the same thing. I would have no issues with any of the other conditions, but to me, a dog with that history should not necessarily be forced to live in a cage. The dog has not gone out actively seeking things to attack, nor has it been wandering at large when it has attacked. I agree that's it's bloody stupid for the vet to have taken the dog off lead to weigh him, I can't fathom a reason he would need to do this. Even when I've taken cats or ferrets to the vet, I take the animal out of the carrier, keep it contained, weigh the carrier, then weigh the animal in the carrier. Tada! No need to have an unrestrained animal AT ALL. unless he's using heavy gauge chain, I can't see lead/collar weight adding anything significant to the total weight anyway. I think the owner does need some attitude adjustment in terms of not disciplining his dog, but I think a session with a good behaviourist should see to that :) As for the OP's original questions, I think any dog can be a good dog, breed has very little to do with it. I think THAT DOG can't be trusted ever, just as due to his history, I will never trust my boy off lead in a public place; but I think to say that a particular breed can't be trusted is a broad and damaging generalisation, and a very upsetting attitude coming from a dog lover.

I don't really see the issue. The dog was secured, had water and shelter... The only problem I can see is the risk to the dog from external forces (people/children, roaming dogs etc.) If that's a chance the owner's willing to take, then so be it. Their dog, their choice. A couple of years ago, I went camping at Barmah on my own with my rotti x and dobe x kelpie. I had no choice but to leave them in the car while I went into the supermarket because we needed food for the next 4 days! I figured my car would be fine because of the two big scary-looking dogs in it. I left all the windows just closed enough so they couldn't jump out, and when I got back (probably 15-20 mins later), there was this little old man of around 70ish, armpit deep in my car giving the dogs scratches and belly rubs!! It was hilarious, they're such awesome guard dogs, but I'm glad he wasn't trying to steal all my stuff, because they totally would have let him! I personally don't tend to leave my dogs tied up outside shops, I have done it in the past and would for brief periods if I didn't have another option. But then again, no one would want to steal my mongrels anyway! I love my idiots:)

My big boy had some separation anxiety, and continues to have fear aggression problems. For the separation anxiety, he did kind of grow out of it to a certain extent, in that I did not go to extraordinary lengths to fix it. We did a bit of work on it, for example, teaching him to settle, then leaving the room for a few minutes. Once we'd gotten him to a point where he didn't have to hang out in same room as me, I'd leave the house for 5 minutes, then gradually made the leaving times longer. I think it also helped that he had 2 other dogs for company. Now he's fine, I can leave for any amount of time without issues. He still arks up when I take one or more of the other dogs out, but is not destructive or anything, I think it's more jealousy than separation anxiety as such. As for locking them in the house, if it's guaranteed that it's going to be no more than 8 hours or so, I would think it would be fine. The problems arise when unexpected things pop up, for example when Zehra had her cruciate ligament repaired she had to be locked in the house. Ordinarly she wouldn't have been cooped up for more than about 6 or 7 hours at most, but my grandpa had a bad fall and we all had to go to hospital for him, so she ended up being locked in the house from 9:30 in the morning til about 2am. I was soooo impressed, there were no wee-wees on the floor. That said, it's the only time ever she wasn't even the least bit excited to see us, just barged straight past and out into the yard to let go of the huge wee she'd been holding onto!! I swear she wee'd for about 10 minutes!!

They're all gorgeous! I'm not even going to enter because my lot are all wierd looking, especially when I take photos!! And Thundercleese, as much as I love him, is an ugly doggy. But I'm okay with it, because as they say, love is blind! :laugh: Stan's Mum, my Harley (dobe x kelpie) sleeps a bit like that a lot of the time, curled up in a tiny ball but with legs sticking out in all directions. I call it his prawn pose because he reminds me of one of those battered prawns.

Congrats on the not yet puppy! :D Personally I think ANY name being yelled over great distance is embarassing, like yesterday when I went to take Thundercleese for a walk but Bones decided to take offense to not being taken out, so she slipped past me and bolted down the street, something she hasn't done in ages. I tend not to use her actual recall ("come") when this happens as I know it's not reliable enough, so I was walking down the street yelling "Heeeerrre Booonneess!" while my dog was following some random lady. BTW I was walking because I have learnt the hard way that if you run, she runs, but unfortunately that does not work the other way around. If I start running in the opposite direction (to get her to chase me), she just looks at me with her stupid face on and keeps going on her merry way. I think Pip or Pippa is a great name, but she'll tell you what she wants to be called when she gets home :p Other puppy things to put on the list: easily replacable furniture :p Aside from that, I think you've got everything covered! :D

Sounds pretty typical of the large "charities" really. I doubt anything except re-adoption potential was taken into account by the vet either. Very very sad, and I hope the family do contest the will. My boss at work is the same, loves her little dog, and has set aside quite a sum from her will for the RSPCA, because she's too ignorant to know what they really are.

My dogs are on a diet of mostly dry (the pup is on Black hawk, the rest on kirkland signature), they get bones/chicken wings/lamb necks etc probably 2-3 times a week. A favourite is pig's feet, and at 70cents each from our local butcher, I'm not complaining! :D They also supplement their diet with sticks, dirt, and whatever gets left on tables within their reach, for example remote controls, empty food packaging, random pieces of paper. They are all doing really well, pup's growing like a weed, and is healthy, happy and super naughty (but I don't think that's got anything to do with her diet, I think it's just her vocation in life to test me :p)

Poor kid, poor dog, poor owner. I read through a few of the comments. Good god I hope stupid's not contagious, if it is, I think I've just caught a terminal case. Sometimes I wonder how people have managed to be the most successful species on the planet.