Keira&Phoenix

:thumbsup:

Cannot stress enough how important it is to buy a pup with papers knowing that you live in Victoria. The new legislation means that if a ranger shows up to your house because you have registered a Staffordshire Bull Terrier at the property (or a nasty neighbour calls the Dob in a Dog hotline) and they look at the dog and deem it to actually be a "Pitbull" and you have no Pedigree Papers they can seize your dog and you then either have to follow the rules for having a Pitbull (muzzled in public, always on leash in public, special enclosures, signage on your fencing and higher registration fees as you have a "dangerous" dog) or you have the dog PTS. Please go to a Registered Breeder and get Pedigree Papers. I would highly suggest you do some research on the new laws as well so you are prepared if a Ranger ever does come a knocking. In relation to finding an ethical breeder (not all Registered breeders are ethical), please make sure they do health testing on the parents (I am unsure of what tests are required for Staffs, a more experience Staff owner could tell you) and that they do not breed for Blue dogs ie: any kennel boasting about Blue pups or with Blue in their name is probably not the way to go. Anyone who has blue pups should not have bred two blue dogs together for health reasons. Blue pups will often end up with a lot of skin issues (related to the gene that causes their coat to be a dilute) which can be stressful, costly and painful for the pup (and you). Please also look for a breeder who breeds for a good temperament. Staffs are awesome, friendly dogs but like all dogs if badly bred (ie: breeding dogs that have behavioural issues) they can have behavioural/temperament issues that might be impossible to stop or fix. Ie: you want to see the parents interacting happily with the pups, other dogs, people etc. If the breeder keeps one or both of the parents isolated then I would ask why. Don't be afraid to ask the breeder questions, don't get overly personal but make sure you ask questions. And expect a lot of questions in return. Please also make sure you start socialising and training your pup as early as possible (not at 16 weeks after all its vaccinations, you miss a critical socialisation period by doing this) be smart about it ie: don't go to dog parks (lots of possible diseases) instead organise play dates with dogs that you know are friendly and vaccinated and remember socialisation isn't just to dogs and people, it is to other animals, and to different situations, household objects etc. Good luck

I agree with everything Melz replied to you. And on that topic I am more than happy to volunteer my time and my dog to give you a face to face, hands on experience with a "pitbull". . If you are interested let me know.

I really doubt Bully Sticks (or any other treats) would make it through customs.... Why did you edit? What did you say? :p I just added your name so it didn't look like I was laughing at Sway Nope they will be confiscated Thanks guys. I had a friend who wanted to buy some but neither of us was sure if it would get through, I suspected they wouldn't.

http://www.pethomesdirect.com.au/ Mine came from above. Good crates, very good pricing and he is in Moorooka so you can pick it up.

Hey guys just a quick questions. Does anyone know if Bully Sticks will get through customs? Or will they be stopped?

Yup - mine got a bit pricey as I bought some stuff for the car! http://www.cleanrun.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=product.display&product_id=2817&ParentCat=320&string=PacSac%20Reversible%20Travel%20Dog%20Bed these beds were too good to miss. So cheap and a great size for the C crate, back of the car or in the house!! SO much cheaper than buying any other bed here! And this seemed sooo practical for the back of the car! http://www.cleanrun.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=product.display&product_id=2820&ParentCat=528&string=travel%20cargo Oh no I totally want some of these beds now! Dohh

A ridiculous amount of toys off clean run lol.

Sorry you got bitten . . . did you report it? Are you sure about breed id? Can you guess the mix of breeds in these dogs? Which are Labrador Retriever mixes? The Herald Sun article says the dog was thought to be a pit bull X . . . .not sure where you got Labrador. No the article says labrador

Actually some older calmer more authoritive dogs will often use humping as a way of telling over aroused dogs to calm down and as mentioned earlier it can also be because the dog humping is over excited and is expressing that.

3500 sounds about right from a good ortho vet surgeon. Please see an Orthopedic vet, especially if your dog has arthritis. You really want it to be a good job.

Nope definitely not a cattle dog. He is a brindle Amstaff or cross of. Very pretty dog.

Weird! There is a house around the corner from where I live that has a gorgeous young crossbreedaswell. I have seen 3 small children all under 12 walking this unneutered male dog. I have also seen this dog wandering this road, I pulled over because I saw it out one night and saw it run back to its yard, a yard whose gates are ALWAYS open, I drive past to work everyday and the gates are always open. Wonder if one of you are talking about the same dog as me.

Dr Karen Davies has described how “for the first time in 20 years I am questioning if I still want to do this job” euthanasing a sweet natured dog that unfortunately met the current description of a ‘pit bull’. So, why didn't the vet declare that the dog wasn't a restricted breed and saved his life when the legislation accepts breed identification from a vet? I can't see how anyone could hold the vet liable. Just because a dog isn't a Pitbull doesn't mean it can't bite.... But legally if a dogs owner asks for the dog to be PTS then the vet has to do it, it is not in their power to then turn around and not follow through on the owners request. There would be repercussions for that if ever found out.

Glad you decided to do up a flyer. I doubt there would be any reason for the police to stop you from posting the flyer but as Mita said it is up to you whether you wish to run it past them or not. I also think it is a good idea to add the bit about if someone else has received a similar threat to report to Council and Police. Good on you for doing the right thing and trying to stop a possible tragedy.

Did you see which house he went into? Just so you have his address, the more info you can provide to the council and the police (if you report him) the better. If you report him to the police they may decide to make a quick visit to him and have a chat and that may stop him considering using baits. Maybe print out some flyers to post near the gates to the dog park in question, warning users that a neighbour of the park threatened to lay baits and for them to be very careful, look out for anything unusual and take their dog straight to the vet if they have been there and it starts to act unwell. At least with flyers up users of the park will see them as they walk in and can make a decision whether to use the park or not etc.

First thanks for your replies! Ackkk, this is the worst time for this. I am about to move back to my parents (joy for me) and my Mum isn't really a dogs in the house person so it is likely she will have to be crated and just get walks when I am home, and just let out on leash to toilet. She is going to go nuts. Not on anything at this stage. Ok, well I am lucky enough that I live close to two of the best Vet Chiro's in QLD. SO I will try to get her in to see one of them asap. If there is something out of alignment that has contributed to this then they will find it and fix it. What is a greyhound laser? Looks like lots of rest for the munchkin and a cancelled Agility course Pretty upset about that I was really looking forward to doing it with her and had to put it back once already. Miss doing training courses with her, she is such a hard worker.

Took Miss Phoenix to the vet last night because she has been favouring her left foot and sometimes limping on it for the past week or so. I checked it out myself when she first started favouring it and could see that one of her toes on her left foot was clearly pretty swollen and tender to the touch (some days it is obviously more sore than others..) Originally about 3 weeks ago I caught that foot with the back door, as I went to open it to let her out she stretched and I got her foot, she was limping for about 2 days but then was fine, I figured it was just bruised. But then 2 weeks later she started limping again. So we saw the vet and he checked it out and said the way she is walking on her foot (she isn't walking on the pads like normal she is walking on the back part of her foot) and from the way the toe is sitting and is swollen that it is more than likely a torn flexor tendon. He said that for a person surgery would be performed but that because she is a young, very active dog it isn't really a good option. He was concerned though that the injury might cause problems down the track. He also said that because of how she is walking it might cause a dermatitis on her foot, as she isn't using the pads but is walking on the skin. Basically said to keep an eye on it, if it swells anymore or she starts to get dermatitis to bring her back. So has anyone had a dog do this? If you have what did you do...wait it out or surgery? If you just opted to rest it and wait did it heal well or did you have ongoing dramas? Any information and advice would be handy. She is a very active dog and I don't want her to be forever hindered by a sore foot, I am also afraid that if it is torn and she pushes to hard she may sever it completely....

Boys can we stop with the insults and stay on topic. You are derailing *another* thread.

You'd have to imagine horrific facial injuries to a one year old in a pram isn't caused by a dog being boisterous. That is true Roova but other news sites have reported the incident differently and reported that the toddler only had scratches to the face, some also reported that the toddler was walking not in a pram. So how do we know what actually happened? We don't and we probably never will because as someone else has mentioned the story dropped off pretty quick. I think the originally story that had Pitbull in it was exaggerated for effect, reporters are well known for those sort of tactics.

If you already have a car and no loan (assuming based on your OP which said you only have to pay for food, fuel, dog) and no outstanding credit card debt then there is no reason you cannot live on 32k a year. That is a net pay of approx $550 p/w, which is low, but if you really want to do it and will love it then it is worth it. You just need to make up a budget and stick to it and make sure you don't stretch yourself beyond your means. As someone else pointed out emergency and 24 hour will pay a bit more. I also like the suggestion of getting an Manager/Admin based qualification as well so you can go for Practice Manager roles down the track. If you can afford it then go for it. I have gotten myself into some money troubles and because of that I am stuck working where I am until I dig myself out, but when I do I will be moving onto something I am currently training for a really love.

Woohoo we are on the same page! Even if we want BSL repealed for slightly varying reasons! (I love Staffy's (and Amstaff's) as well and would hate for them to ever go through what the APBT has)

Just jumped on DEFRA Can't find anything about an import on "dangerous" types of dog. http://www.defra.gov.uk/wildlife-pets/pets/dangerous/ http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/HomeAndCommunity/InYourHome/AnimalsAndPets/Dogs/DG_180098 http://archive.defra.gov.uk/wildlife-pets/pets/dangerous/ I read through all 3 of these pages. As per laws in Australia it’s illegal to own, breed from, sell, abandon or give away a banned dog, nothing else. Obviously by technicality this would mean you can't bring a dog into the country but there is no specific laws against importation, and as such nothing to turn over. Once a breed is no longer banned then you can legally own, breed, sell, abandon or give them away. You have your opinion on what the new legislation will mean and I have mine, no point arguing over something that we will eventually have clarification on.

I just looked at the Customs Act in the UK and can see no ban on importation of any breeds of dogs? Please provide a link.. It allows them to act in the case of a dog being a menace or dangerous not just to do whatever they please. The laws in regards to private property are supposed to help in the case of ie: if a child is attacked at home by the family dog, they can press criminal charges against the parents or owners of the dogs, where as before if this attack happened they could not. This will apply to all breeds of dogs. This is the best step they can take for preventing dog attacks, punishing the owners of any dog of any breed that is involved in an incident. They won't be able to just go around ordering the "Chavs" to muzzle a dog that hasn't had a complaint against it. Yes I do think it will make a huge difference, because responsible owners will be fine and the sh*tty irresponsible owners will not. At the moment responsible and irresponsible owners of only certain breeds are being punished and the irresponsible owners of other breeds are not. This will take a focus off PB's and onto irresponsible people, just like in Calgary, they will find these laws work a helluva lot better than BSL. I am not saying it will prevent all idiots from buying them but it will make some difference and more decent responsible owners will have them and more of the responsible owners will be able to take their dogs out in public and show people what they are really like. All BSL does is suppress the good, responsible, ethical breeders but your crappy BYBers are still out there breeding these dogs and they won't stop. It will make a difference, not right away but we all know Rome wasn't built in a day. The picture in the news story was taken by a Year 11 student who took the picture when the dog was wandering in their yard, her father then reported the dog to the council, that was an hour before the attack. It is the same dog that was seized after the attack. I never said it was purebred, I said Bull Terrier or cross of, it was rego'd with council as a Bull Terrier X so I would say it is a cross. I had it listed in with my "favourites" but it's gone missing. I tried a search & couldn't find it either. However, banned breeds are automatically banned imports, except under special license. Repealing the BSL wont necessarily lift the ban on the currently banned breeds. Nothing has been mentioned in this regard as far as I could see. I have googled the proposed legislation & while it appears as though seizure on appearance is to be given a miss, the powers of the ACOs & police have been significantly increased. It looks as though dog ownership will get a little bit harder, more involved & quite a bit more expensive. Compulsory 3rd party insurance for dog owners for e.g. So don't start your celebrations just yet, The blue bird of happiness may just crap on your party cake. I would say if the law is if a breed of dog is banned it is not allowed to be imported then when they are no longer banned, they will allowed to be imported. Either or I am sure there are loads of them already in the UK and I am sure breeders would find a way to get them in if they wanted. I would prefer dog ownership to get harder, move involved and more expensive, hopefully that will weed out the idiots who can't afford to have a dog or who can't be bothered putting in the time, effort and money required to succesfully raise a happy, healthy, friendly dog.

I just looked at the Customs Act in the UK and can see no ban on importation of any breeds of dogs? Please provide a link.. It allows them to act in the case of a dog being a menace or dangerous not just to do whatever they please. The laws in regards to private property are supposed to help in the case of ie: if a child is attacked at home by the family dog, they can press criminal charges against the parents or owners of the dogs, where as before if this attack happened they could not. This will apply to all breeds of dogs. This is the best step they can take for preventing dog attacks, punishing the owners of any dog of any breed that is involved in an incident. They won't be able to just go around ordering the "Chavs" to muzzle a dog that hasn't had a complaint against it. Yes I do think it will make a huge difference, because responsible owners will be fine and the sh*tty irresponsible owners will not. At the moment responsible and irresponsible owners of only certain breeds are being punished and the irresponsible owners of other breeds are not. This will take a focus off PB's and onto irresponsible people, just like in Calgary, they will find these laws work a helluva lot better than BSL. I am not saying it will prevent all idiots from buying them but it will make some difference and more decent responsible owners will have them and more of the responsible owners will be able to take their dogs out in public and show people what they are really like. All BSL does is suppress the good, responsible, ethical breeders but your crappy BYBers are still out there breeding these dogs and they won't stop. It will make a difference, not right away but we all know Rome wasn't built in a day. The picture in the news story was taken by a Year 11 student who took the picture when the dog was wandering in their yard, her father then reported the dog to the council, that was an hour before the attack. It is the same dog that was seized after the attack. I never said it was purebred, I said Bull Terrier or cross of, it was rego'd with council as a Bull Terrier X so I would say it is a cross.