KJJ

that is pretty much what I thought, when initially reading about this case I was not happy that a situation had resulted in the death of a dog and I fervently hope that there is a rigorous investigation of the circumstances (I for one would be demanding answers if this happened to one of my animals), but there is not enough credible independent information to form a valid opinion. Sure there are some rotten apples in the police force (as there are in any profession), but to tar every one of them with the same brush is nonsensical. There are a great many of those who serve that do a often thankless job with dedication to the greater good of our society (for example, I for one am grateful that that there are men and women whose jobs entail searching for those who produce child exploitation material - not a job I could ever do, but I am thankful that there are people who are dedicated to bringing the perpetrators to justice)

point taken RuralPug :)

I'm getting an impression of "if anyone disagrees with me, they are snide/ just don't understand/ are ignorant" but anything you write no matter how insulting is fine because you are making a point? For the record as far as I'm concerned you are entitled to your opinion - just as I am to mine :) (mine opinion includes not relying on youtube as a reliable source of information)

I got a furminator after hearing about it online in other forums for use on my BCx (also called Merlin :) ), after reading more about grooming on this site and others I switched to using an under coat rake (plus pin brush etc) and I would have to say his coat looks better now than it did using the furminator.

not sure what point you are trying to make there? I'm not offended, just expressed an opinion - as did you (so I assume you are not so thin skinned that you are offended by people expressing an opinion of the way you chose to express your opinion). As for common knowledge that "there are A LOT of corrupt police officers", I prefer to use actual data :)

Time will tell. I did :) - having only skimmed the thread it made me go back and check what had been actually been written (it seems rather rude and childish to alter someones words when quoting, so I wanted to clarify what had or had not been said)

try not to let it bother you - I find that often things online come across much harsher than they would in person (as you are dealing with just text, you are missing all the other things that come with communication in person, like nuance, expression, inflection etc). From an outsiders perspective I would say that you also got a hell of a lot of supportive understanding comments, maybe try to think of them and not dwell on the 'straight to the point' ones? Either way - I'm glad to hear that your girl came though the surgery ok and kudos to you (and your OH) for thinking about the welfare of your dogs and making sensible decisions

I still don't quite understand why 'price' seems to be taboo with some breeders? I'm quite happy to pay a premium for a puppy who is the result of a caring intelligent breeding program - but I would like to know what I am paying for and what a 'standard' price might be. If a breeder asked for more than other breeders but there were justifiable reasons for that, then I would be happy to pay that - I just would like to know, if that makes sense?

sorry for your loss, RIP Joey - you were obviously a much loved family member

best wishes for a successful surgery and good recovery for Juno :) (ditto for your boy Andisa)

thank you for sharing that, I was not familiar with his work - I love some of those photos, truly examples of 'a picture paints a thousand words'

if not confident with jumping straight into d.i.y raw feeding, have you thought of products like barf patties or k9 natural (I'm a fan of k9 natural - well not me personally, fan of on behalf of my dogs :p ) whoops - snap :)

well done Treble! but what a horrible thing to happen - glad Treble knew there was a problem (and as he matures I bet it will be even less likely to happen again)

you could take her for an emergency spay - that will remove any need for concern over the potential pregnancy (please note I am not saying that in a nasty way, but it is certainly what I would do :) )

I have a reactive dog (he is improving, but it's a work in progress), so only ever have them on lead and will cross a road or otherwise avoid other dog walkers if I can, I have had a couple of scares with off leash / roaming dogs (including one unfriendly entire male mastiff x, when that happened a nice lady driving past stopped her car and I used her car as a barrier between the dogs - she even offered to put me and my dogs in her car!). I now carry a sturdy umbrella (the type with a heavy wooden handle and a metal spike at the end) which can serve as a barrier and if absolutely necessary a weapon, it may look a little odd when its a sunny day, but at the moment I have the excuse that magpie swooping season will soon be upon us :)

personally if I walked into a yard with staffy types I would be expecting a friendly greeting (and possibly a look that says "did you bring food?"), but I am familiar with bull breeds having grown up with them and owning one now - if I were not familiar with them I may have second thoughts as the majority of press about them seems negative. Thinking it over I realised that when I grew up the entire yard was fenced (so any dogs would have access to front and backyard) and you relied on common sense and a possible warning sign when deciding to enter a yard, now I live in Canberra so the front yard and the backyard are separate so dogs are removed from people approaching the front door - as this becomes more common it may be possible that people will increasingly lack the ability to judge dog behavior?

very sweet :)

so glad to hear that both Scout and the police dog are ok

I use turkey necks and find they are enough to keep teeth in shape (for a staffy and a BCx)

a Hurtta waterproof fleece for Molly (the staffy) - it should make walks in the Canberra winter rain a bit more pleasant for her.

poor pup, how does someone not notice something like that? Mind you I clipped a nail for the first time in a year the other week - my dogs wear them down with exercise and also chew their nails (dew claws in particular), I still check them regularly though.

very touching - it certainly got to me, thanks for sharing :)

we managed to get one of each (best and worse) for families with children - a staffy and a BC(x), I guess they cancel each other out?

I get what you are saying - but I find it just as easy to eyeball the dog and think "hmm, I should add / subtract some food for a while to adjust the body condition" (exercise would also be part of the equation), different strokes for different folks I guess :)

I don't have a problem resisting the urge to over feed, I want them to have healthy long lives so manage their weight accordingly (I suspect the Staffy would pick being fat with a shorter lifespan given the choice though) I must admit to keeping them leaner in summer than I do in winter (I'm a softy :p ). Now if I can just be as disciplined with my own diet *sigh*