Alkhe

I think I read the OP differently to everybody else - I read it as a general question/suggestion to rescue groups, that when rejecting applications for a particular dog, they include some sort of suggestion about other rescues in the area. Ie, more than just a 'no', but 'you weren't selected for this dog, but perhaps have a look at group XXX or consider this other dog that we have in care'. Something like that? I didn't really read it as a gripe at not having been given the particular dog?

Some breeds really aren't built to be outside dogs though - greyhounds, whippets and iggies are 3 perfect examples.

ARGH so small! He's beautiful :heart:

Noooo, Greyhounds couldn't ever be outside dogs

No please, continue ... I want to know where it goes after on the bed but not in the bed :laugh: Well, we have one bed sleeper and one pillow sleeper here. I do have a friend who dog-sat a Frenchie that liked to crawl up into her owner's nightie and lie er, betwixt her bosom.. my friend found that one out the first night - it was something the owner had failed to mention :D

I like a good 'about me' section too - a history of involvement in the breed, how you came to be a breeder/involved in the breed, why you love it, etc. Those sections often end up being a good insight into the kind of requirements the breed has, and the people it might be good for. Also, if you are going to have 'available dogs' or 'litters' etc, make sure you keep it up to date and don't have a page that says 'we are expecting a new litter of black puppies in March 2010' or 'latest news' on the front page with results from something 2 years ago. If you're not going have a page that gets updated often that's fine, but make sure it doesn't have info on it that will date. That makes me think the breeder isn't active or interested anymore.

Also, a great many people start off intending to have an 'outside dog' but that all changes as soon as said dog comes home. It's a slippery slope from outside all the time, to sleeps outside, to sleeps inside, to sleeps inside but not on the bed, to sleeps on the bed but not IN the bed, to.. well, until you're me :laugh:

Wow, 18 months seems like a good run regardless - I wouldn't have expected it to last that long, tbh. I think we're going to have to invest in some, we only have a courtyard with a raised flower bed partly around it, and the courtyard's getting a bit yucky. Hmm. Thanks rebelsquest :) (also, anything that requires a trip to bunnings is something I'm down for :laugh: )

Oops, missed that. Thanks! Vinegar, hadn't thought of that one.

I was wondering about the smell too, DD - has anyone got any insight into this? How easy is it to get rid of wee smell on fake grass?

Silver! There's something special about silver poodles and other "silvery" coloured dogs like Weims. I also love blue brindled dogs, but don't really see many.

Pretty sure she's talking about where a health issue is bleedingly obvious..

LLDR (yellowgirl) are in SA. Newcastle is north of Sydney :) Omg, oops! I thought they were in NSW this whole time.. what an idiot! I've been following them on FB for forever :laugh: my bad!

Little legs dog rescue ? Only littlies :) I don't have first hand experience with them but they seem fantastic from what I gather. Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

Wrong. That's what AR wants you to think. And you could elucidate the "terrible breeding practices" of which you speak? There is no denying that a small number of breeds are facing large scale health issues or just simple diminished quality of life because of breeding for the extreme. Neo mastiffs are one. Unless the pb world as a whole stops excusing these breeds then yes, you will get an overarching body stepping in and seeing the demise of the purebred dog. If the purebred body publicly accept and actively work towards improving quality of life for these dogs then people won't feel the need to constantly put pressure and impose on the pb fancy. AND they'll stop extrapolating it to all breeds. There has been so much of it in this thread. Denial of any issue in any breeds. That just makes the general public think the rest of you are just as bad otherwise why would you excuse it? Even if it isn't the case, the whole group ends up being put in the basket. +1.

And you're a pug person, aren't you? See, why can't more people be realistic and acknowledge that are some breeds that have various issues! It doesn't have to mean you're anti-purebred, anti-breeder, anti-breeding, anti-whatever. Denial that there are issues is the kind of thing that makes your average person on the street think that purebred dogs and breeders are idiots/cruel/etc, and avoid them. I'm not even a breeder and I spend a lot of time talking to people at the park, at work, wherever I go, about the virtues of purebred dogs. But that also involves going yes, there are some dogs that are just poor souls that shouldnt' have to live, their lives are obviously just so uncomfortable. That's not animal rights hoo ha, it's common sense, and empathy.

asal, I must say that I agree with Sheridan here. I don't even know exactly what happened to you but to be honest I find your posts extremely hard to read and verging on irrational. I read a lot more than I post on DOL, and I find myself skipping over your posts because I can't decipher what you are trying to say, and cringe when basically a seething hatred of a grand animal rights conspiracy is all that really comes through. It's a shame, because you're obviously very passionate and have a lot of experience. I consider myself somebody who is very passionate about animal rights. There are kooks in the animal rights and welfare world as well as the show world, and every other group or people in the world. I think that on most accounts I understand the different sides of the dog world coin, and have sympathies that lie with breeders and rescuers, and can see the forest for the trees where it seems a lot of people can't. But I just.. don't understand you.

I'm with Real and haven't had anything but good experiences so far. A member here has recently had some issues in having their claim accepted, but that is the first negative experience I've heard about, really. So far I'm very happy with the customer service, pay outs and speed of pay outs etc, and would insure with them again if I needed to insure another dog.

I'll totally do it! It will be interesting for the researchers to look at the kind of thing that people send in, when asked to send just 1 minute, too.

Oh god, i'm sk sorry Sheridan I don't know you at all really, but have definitely learned a lot from your posts and Grumpy's thread. RIP old man. Look after you, Sheridan. Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

How gorgeous - I had nothing to do with her but I do remember reading about her on DOL. Gorgeous gorgeous <3

I am gobsmacked at how many Great Danes you have assisted to rehome - I had no idea that there were so many out there! Unbelievable. I don't know why, but I have always thought they were a relatively "rare" breed and any rescue or breed club would have a waiting list a mile long. There you go. I suppose that's what happens when you live very close to the city and see mostly small dogs.

Sorry to hear about your issues with Real, donatella - I am with them too and have never had a problem at all, and have received $ from my claims back within about 2 working days. Much less than I was told to expect. I even received a $50 cash back cheque in the mail earlier this year, for having had insurance with them for 12 months, despite having claimed in that time. I've been really happy with them so far and have never had to provide more than just the claim form with vet notes on it.. that said, I did make a claim last week after Maggie ate a Christmas pudding and had to go to the emergency vet ( ) so who knows, maybe I'll be quizzed more for this one. I'd definitely chase it up, this is the first negative issue I've heard of with respect to Real. :( I thought I was onto a good thing with them!

The thing I am worried about is the implications for legitimate, law abiding and ethical rescue organisations. Unfortunately it can only take one bad experience with a dodgy rescue to prevent some pounds/organisations/people releasing dogs to OTHER rescue groups. What's to stop a pound going "well, we released a dog to rescue X and look what happened - it got shuffled around from owner to owner, and nobody even knows where it is anymore. Rescues are bleeding hearts with no understanding of how the system operates here." It doesn't matter what a good rescue does, if that's the attitude of a pound, and the experience they've had, it affects OTHER, legitimate rescues. Damage done. I am beyond caring what happens to this "rescue" and Greyluvr. It's the consequences for everybody else that now concern me. The way the law (and society more broadly) work tends to be that when something goes wrong, laws and requirements will be put in place or tightened to prevent it happening again. In this case, some idiot acting illegally and naively, and flouting laws, regulations and practices has already done the kind of damage that may come back to bite EVERYBODY on the arse. The damage is done. I wish she'd just float away quietly and let everyone mop up the mess and move on from this.

You look so, so different to the picture I had in my mind! You're gorgeous, and so is Bella :) Great job