erinonthefarm

Thanks itsmeg

I'm heading up to Darwin in April and hoping to go to some shows, just wondering where to stay with the dogs (I don't do camping unless I really have to!). It would have to allow pets indoors. I've googled pet friendly accomodation in Darwin and found some reasonable sounding places so if anyone has any recommendations could you give me your thoughs, also I know in Alice Springs that many hotels and motels will bend their normal no pets policy for people travelling with show dogs......are there any places in Darwin like this?

Nothing very constructive to add except

My inlaws are the same as your bother and his wife, but I just smile and laugh like a crazy dog lady when they say anything about the dogs being inside. They will like it or lump it right!

I thought it was a bit odd... anyway hope he is in a good home now. I find it hard to believe that a responsible breeder would send someone two dogs when they only wanted one!

Hi all, been absent for a while, but thought Id ask around regarding a docked 6 month old black and tan Dobe which turned up in Alice Springs. The story I've heard goes that a elderly lady bought a puppy of someone interstate, when she went to pick up the puppy there were 2 puppies in the crate?! She kept both for a while but then as they weren't getting on as they came into adolescence she surrendered one. I think the story sounds like BS but I wonder as the puppy had a docked tail it is either a NZ import or a dodgy back yard job. There aren't many dobes (especially with docked tails) in Alice Springs. Do many people dock illegally in Australia? I know loads of people don't tell breeders when they can't handle the dog anymore and try to quietly get rid of it, but if it were one of my pups I would want to know, althought the puppy was adopted very quickly.

Keep your dogs away from children then? I would presume having the dogs behind a fence on your property would be considered keeping them away from the children! The dog's clearly not safe and kept away from the children if they are climbing the fence. I find it astonishing that you've turned this into it being the OP's fault for not keeping her dog safe. The dog is in its own yard. The kids have no right to the backyard. I've edited that post- now reads the dog is not kept away from the children if they are climbing the fence, I don't think I ever said the kids have a right to be in the backyard?

I have lived here for over 15 years and I own the place outright... I won't be moving. In saying that, the back neighbours have lived there for about 10 years or so... In all that time, they came around and asked us to stop the dog barking, we explained it wasn't Ollie as he is inside when we are not home... We suggested it was probably the dogs next door to us.. A disagreement ensued between my husband and the other guy when the other guy suggested our 'insert expletive' dog is a menace and disturbs his peace... OH told him to take a flying leap (not necessarily those words).. They left and about a week later we found the chunk of steak in the backyard with what looked like green stuff (we assumed ratsak).. We told the police at the time and nothing further has happened in all those years... I took the big fence down on my side as the kids are older and jump in my yard to get toys when they get hit over the fence... I thought I was doing the right thing by the kids as I really don't want to see them get hurt... It was an old mini orb fence and rusty on the edges... I don't think for a minute that Ziggy is in any danger whatsoever.. If I did, I would act accordingly. I think the kids were probably playing with him through the fence and my son saw the end of it... These kids don't come across as horrors.. They are just little kids... I think it is unfortunate that they were poking the stump through the fence and Ziggy got it,mthey are now down a stump for their games... Ziggy is not a danger to them coming in the yard (my concern was them hurting themselves on the big tin fence as they are little kids)... I don't want to approach the parents as there was that one issue years ago... It is easier to let it be... Ziggy ends up with extra toys (if i dont get them before he chews them up and give them back to the kids) and I don't have to have a disagreement with my neighbours... I believe kids should be taught how to approach the owners of dogs and ask if they can interact with the dog before touching it... However, not everyone views dogs like I do and I realise there will always be inappropriate people who let their kids run up to unknown dogs... Lucky for me Ziggy is pretty bombproof when it comes to kids... My hackles go up when people start talking about physically abusing other people, having been on the recieving end of that myself as a child, a little more tolerance in the world would be a great thing. I think this whole thread pretty much turned into a hypothetical scenario not really related to Ziggy and the kids over the back fence- Sorry Ziggy for stealing your thunder! I hope he enjoys his manna from the heavens (or over the back fence)

Keep your dogs away from children then? I would presume having the dogs behind a fence on your property would be considered keeping them away from the children! The dog's clearly not safe and kept away from the children if they are climbing the fence. lol, that's screwed logic. if kids climb into a dogs yard you can't say the dog isn't being kept away from children. maybe the child should be tied up so it doesn't climb the fence! Yeah, but if you can't change the kids behaviour then that is the situation if the dogs safety is a concern. Children used to get tied up, probably not an acceptable practise nowadays :laugh:

Keep your dogs away from children then? I would presume having the dogs behind a fence on your property would be considered keeping them away from the children! The dog's clearly not kept away from the children if they are climbing the fence.

I never said children should be able to torment dogs, only that they should be able to learn about the world without being monitored at arms reach, so take it down a notch Rebanne :) My children, visiting children and my dogs are always supervised closely together, so I personally have no problem. I have Dobermanns so appreciate risk managment and public perception of my dogs behaviour and am realistic about what would happen if I didn't mitigate the risk, even to children who I don't like (yes there are some!) because my dogs would in all likelyhood pay for it with their life. Personally I would be doing what I could to keep my dog safe from other kids in the OP's position, by making my yard unapealing to children jumping the fence, keeping my dogs secured inside when I'm not at home or moving house if need be, I have moved quite a bit and wouldn't hesitate if I had neighbours from hell and my dog might be provoked into attacking them or end up getting baited by them.

Keep your dogs away from children then?

like this

I'd be worried about being confrontational (by putting hot tape up where the kids can be zapped) if the people possibly tried to bait the dog. I'd be keeping my dogs inside when I'm not home.

No, neither are dogs. But dog owners are still held accountable for their dog's behaviour and expected to supervise them so that they don't annoy others, even if all they want to do is play. It is the parents' responsibility to ensure that their children don't bother others. If the children can't be trusted to listen, the parents should supervise them or take steps to ensure that their kids are not in a position to annoy others. Most people don't supervise their dogs all the time so I don't consider that a valid comparison, and in this particular case the OP has confirmed the parents are not concerned with what their children do and may have tried to bait the dog, so very different to parents who understand the right of children to play, learn, explore, learn consequence and develop normally without being monitored constantly and also understand their responsibility for their childrens behaviour when they are exploring their world.

I agree. The kids need to be educated and their parents need to be told. I have spoken to the kids dozens of times about jumping in my yard to get their toys - I took down a 6 foot iron fence so they wouldn't hurt themselves and just left the normal 1200 high paling fence - not sure what is worse, worrying about them cutting themselves on the iron fence trying to get over and back or tormenting the dog through the paling fence... The parents are total toads - these are the ones from years ago that we believed put a piece of steak over the fence with what looked like green ratsak in it.. Lucky for us Ollie wouldn't eat anything raw, so he never ate it and Dan found it in the yard... We can't prove it so we just stayed away from them - mind you they didn't have any kids back then... They also have a dog so I don't want any issues with them... I guess Ziggy will just end up with more toys How scary, when I hear about this sort of thing I'm glad I don't have close neighbours.

Lovely dogs.... be great if some were imported

Bit belated but here is my new baby

Parents should be slapped if they've never taught their kids not to torment animals, yes! I don't see how tormenting animals is "normal child behaviour".It certainly wasn't on my list of fun things to do as a kid. I agree, it may be the case that they are dodgy parents who will do nothing, or they may not have noticed and be happy to stop their kids from annoying the dog- you don't know until you approach them in a reasonable way about it.

Well I can see that there are many experts here on raising children of all developmental types, so I won't bother arguing about if you should slap someone for not treating the kids the way you think they should- I can definately see the world would be a better place if we all went around dictating to other people (with a slap or two for good measure) how to raise children. BTW I would be exactly as the OP, and be happy my dog took the wicket, I just don't agree with the venom leveled at parents you don't know, in a situation you have heard of second hand......

Parents should be slapped if they've never taught their kids not to torment animals, yes! They aren't robots, you can teach small children things but it doesn't mean they always do as they are told!

Well I'm sure I would get slapped by some of you then! My son isn't trying to torment animals but at 7 years of age, does not always understand dog behaviour and sometimes does things that the dogs might not like, he is always supervised with the dogs, but when he is outside by himself he often gets up to mischief..... For all you know, the kids could have told their parents that the dog ate their stump, and the parents may well have said "Serve you right, if you were poking it through the fence". You have no idea how the parents have handled the situation or if they even know! Makes me very angry when the kid hater brigage get going on DOL

I'm working on photos but a quick update, Savannah arrived, is very cute and well behaved. Toilet training is going really well, she doesn't sook when she is put to bed, her and my big dog get along really well......she's just perfect basically Only little tanty she threw was when I put her on a lead, then it was like trying to reel in a baracuda!

I'm getting a puppy this week too, I use a crate and a puppy pen, I'm home most of the time so I crate at night, in the morning straight out to the toilet, play, breakfast, toilet then rest in the crate and follow that cycle all day. Crate's make housetraining easier and quicker, as long as you don't leave the pup in for too long and it learns to soil the crate. The only time I use a pen is for if I'm going to be away for longer than the pup can hold on and then the puppy is given a bone to chew on and some toys stuffed with food in the pen, and also with the crate in the pen so they have somewhere familiar to sleep. I used this method with my last dog, with dogs before that no crate but I used the laundry like a pen. My current dog only had 2 accidents in the house, and that was when he hit adolescence and started marking! As far as exercise, gentle play for as long as the pup is interested or better yet training which is much more tiring for a puppy, is fine and makes for a happier puppy! Just don't do long walks, play excessive retrieval games or rough tugging as that might hurt the puppy's back and ligaments. A bone to chew on is good exercise for a puppy too Good luck, put some photos up of your puppy too please

We're remote from other large centres, but I would say this practice is very busy with perhaps 6 different vets that I have spoken to there, plus 2 permanent people on the front desk. Different vets who visit another town nearby (and they travel 700km to run a clinic there) charge $300 for spaying.