Alkhe

Four Paws in keilor!! I travel from Brunswick every week and probably drive past 3-4 dog schools on my way there, but it's absolutely worth it. Also, there are lappies there! And a Toller pup and... I want to meet satu... :p Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

In principle I agree, Plan B - but I agree with HW. In practice, it doesn't really happen like that, and the threads are basically people complaining about BYBs, undesexed dogs and irresponsible owners. It's the same thing everyone has heard before - yes, too many BYBs, if only people didn't BYB, if only people thought these things throguh, if only people were more responsible pet owners. Etc. I get annoyed when long-time posters get antsy about new posters starting discussions that have been had on DOL before, because things can be talked about more than once, and we can all share and learn etc. But threads like this don't really contribute anything except some shared sense of indignation and clogging up an active forum. If you see an ad that you're concerned about, contact the breed rescue. Contact someone on here who may be able to help - post in the breed thread or PM someone. Be proactive about it. If it's really necessary, maybe we should have ONE thread somewhere, where people can post if they're concerned. And while we're at it , ONE thread where people can b*tch about people they see at the park/in daily life with untrained dogs that offend their sensibilities, so we don't have thousands of threads about them! On another forum I'm on, there is a 'vent' thread and a 'feel good' thread, which eliminates this kind of duplication.

If DOL members are looking for a dog, they're not going to find one from gumtree, via the forum. I don't think any rescue is so under-capacity that they're going to fill up holes through FTGH ads they're alerted to via the forum! As tdierikx said, we all know that gumtree exists..

:thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: EXACTLY!

+10,000. It's basically just hand wringing and/or upping post counts. Annoying. If you want rescue to intervene, great - make some calls, send some PMs and emails.. put some wheels in motion!

We used to live next to a girl with a Malt x Shih Tzu type dog (she got him from the RSPCA, where he'd ended up due to being a little Houdini!) and no matter what we did, he would find a way to get under, around, through etc the fence to come visit us. After a while we stopped bothering even patching them up and just enjoyed having Louie visit us all the time.

Yeah, I saw Sibes and GSDs in the Melbourne Central one a few weeks ago. And some teenage girls going "I could just come in here and buy one with my birthday money!!". Nearly died, walked away...

I've already tried both groups with no sucess but will try the rottie thread. Thanks. Damn I hate feeling so useless in these situations. I'd be more than happy to take on an older foster but have just actually signed up to foster with a rescue, and am waiting on a call from them wiht a dog that is ready. I'm sure there will be positive outcome here - at least he is safe for the moment.

Good on you LMSW, and I'm really happy for you that hte council are taking it so seriously!

that's amazing! Reminds me of these sweet cross stitch hacks.. crapestry.wordpress.com made from what would have been There is also a smoking dogs collection.. And 'guerrillas in the misc' collection.. Anyway. I'm going to refrain from posting the entire blog's worth of pics, but you get the drift.. :D

I don't know anyone in these groups personally, but they do take on older dogs and use foster carers - Save a Dog Scheme - www.saveadog.org Vic Dog Rescue - www.victoriandogrescue.org.au I suggest contacting them and if they're unable to help wtih taking her on, they may at least be able to point you in the right direction or to somebody who may be able to help or foster. PErhaps also post in the Rottie thread here and see if anyone would offer to foster her and get her listed on PetRescue?

I thought about this but I was advised it could potentially jeopardise my case against this guy. Especially if I have to take him to court over the vet bill. I'm going to wait to talk to the council and see what they say first. I spoke to them today so I know everything is moving. Hmm maybe a flyer with a description of the dog, the guy and his car wouldn't count as deformation... I am honestly afraid of what this dog will do to a smaller animal, or one that can't defend itself like Riddick It was seriously scary how intent it was on damaging my boy. I would definitely refrain from doing anything like that - as tempting as it is, you really need to "be the bigger person" and just let the council do its work. I know it's frustrating, but you just have to let it play out or it may backfire

I'm pretty happy with owning my own house, which means I don't have to worry about landlords and pet friendly rental etc. This is pretty much my dream, with respect to dog ownership! Having my 2 girls living with me is perfect, and we will have a foster soon too. Living the dream! While sometimes I wish the yard was bigger (we have a small courtyard out the back) I actually love going to the park, and there are plenty of parks and a river close by. I've love to not be allergic to dogs, so I could have any breed I wanted. But on the other hand, I don't know how I'd ever choose between them all, so.. having my options limited isn't so bad after all. I'm happy with my Poodles!

I am so sorry LMSW, and I really hope Riddick is back to his old self quickly. Good on you for getting his rego - don't give up if nothing is done about it on Monday, give them a call and chase it up. One of my dogs was attacked at a park a couple of weeks ago too (not hurt, thankfully), and I too was yelled at and berated by the owners, who didn't even see it because they were sitting in the middle of an oval yelling distance away. I honestly can't understand it - if my dog attacked another dog I would be devastated, completely apologetic and beside myself. I'd be driving them to the vet, paying for it and calling a behaviourist straight away, or somehow dealing with my own dog's issues or my management of her. It's unbelievable that people don't have a look at their own ownership and management skills in situations like this.

I would also suggest have a look at a rescue dog - it's a common misconception that rescue dogs have behavioural issues or have been abused - some have, by all means, but definitely not all. The best option would be to meet some dogs that have been in foster care, rather than coming straight out of a pound or shelter. The foster carer will then know the kind of home and owner hte dog would be best suited to. You may have a problem adopting a dog if you're under 25 though, you're right - I'm 26 and was facing that too, when I ended up getting my dog! That said, I have a Toy Poodle and a Poodle x - I live in Brunswick and would be more than happy to meet up and let you meet my girls and have a play etc. They're aged 4 and 11 - the 11 year is far more energetic and sprightly than the 4 year old :laugh: I think a Mini Poodle would suit your situation perfectly - as could a Toy, but Minis are that little bit bigger and may make a better exercise partner? Both Mini and Toy Poodles can be great exercise partners - just.. not mine.. :D She'd be great if you were into competitive eating though, if only they had titles and competitions for that.. The grooming can be expensive but I've been doing it myself for about a year now, which has basically eliminated that cost. I got my 4 year old Maggie (Toy Poodle) as a 'mature dog' from the dogzonline.com.au listings, when she was 3 and had had puppies. She was being rehomed by a breeder and fit my circumstances perfectly. I didn't want a puppy but got a lovely young little dog who I go to dog school with weekly. I would definitely, definitely go this route again and get another 'mature' dog through Dogz Online. Also, 'mature' can be as young as 4 or 5 months - some breeders list their older puppies in the mature area once they're more than baby puppies. Anyway - PM me if yuo would like to meet some poodles ot help make up your mind! :)

Man, I just litter trained my rats in like.. 2 days, and all I had to do was buy a little litter box and move their poo into a few times! I wish dogs were as easy as that! I was hoping for a silver bullet in this thread - alas.. I have the same problem, though one dog likes to poo in an area I like her to poo in, and the other likes to mix it up. Damn her! ;)

If you're engaged, does that mean you'll be moving in together soon? If I were you, I would definitely keep him at one house - even with the best intentions adn attempts at consistency, it will be really hard. Puppies are hard work regardless of your situation, but toilet training, basic obedience, establishing a routine.. these things are so important, and you're going to make it much harder on yourselves and the pup if the pup has 2 houses. And even with teh best of intentions, the pup will definitely be confused. He'll have two sets of rules and he'll be just a baby, working out one set of guidelines is hard enough for a little guy! My partner and I were in a similar situation, living apart while I got my dog and now living together. They're 'my dogs' but now that we live together they're 'our' dogs - though chipped, registered etc in my name, I pay for 90% of things, take them to training etc. My partner just loves them and ruins all my good work :laugh: There's no reason why you can't both reap the benefits of dog ownership with the pup living with one of you, and spending time with both of you. And if you're going to be living together in the near future, I think it's better to set his routine now, as easily as possible, and then if it changes down the track, adjust as and when it happens.

I hope you find a good one! My park is the best thing in the world, I LOVE it. I credit some of the dogs and owners there with helping my formerly terrified and shy little dog come out of her shell and learn to interact safely with other dogs. I've met some lovely, lovely people there who I probably share more with than anyone else in my life (bar my partner). Occasionally we get an uninterested and irresponsible owner who doesn't pay any atteniton to what their dog is doing, but they soon get hte message that that behaviour isn't cool here. It's not cliquey and new people and dogs are welcomed with open arms, but not people who don't pick up after their dog, or look after them while they're at the park. One my little dogs was attacked the there other night by a dog whose owner was sitting in the middle of an oval about 30-40m away. It was very scary and thankfully my dog is ok (I pulled the other dog off her quick smart - thanks adrenalin!) but it's not going to stop me going back there. I made my feelings well known to the dog's owner, and there were enough witnesses that I'd be VERY surprised if that person comes back. Really, going to an off-leash park is a calculated risk, but in my opinion, so is everything in life. The amount of joy that it brings me and my dogs, I'm not going to stop going for anything.

Yeah, it's so hard when shelter and pound workers end up getting caught in the middle of an important discussion about "the system" etc - it's easy to shift the blame onto people who are doing their best in the system they have to work within. I have no doubt that you and your colleagues and other volunteers did and continue to do an amazing job :)

Aussie, I don't think anyone means to denigrate or offend you and other shelters workers who are as dedicated as yourself. I myself have had different experiences with the one shelter I had to deal with - if I didn't know better, I'd assume they were actually doing everything they could to NOT reunite us with our lost dog. I was assured numerous times on the phone that no dog matching our dog's description, collar or microchip details was there. NUMEROUS times. It was only when my mum went to physically check herself that we found him - he was there, with his collar, council reg tags and all, microchip details up to date.. I hate to think what would have happened if mum hadn't been so stubborn and desperate, and gone to check anyway. It's obviously not the way all pounds work, but my experience isn't an isolated one unfortunately.

I use Advantage and Drontal :)

Pretty sure I can do all except this coming Sunday :)

Just to give a nice happy ending - Geoffrey's actual owner (the one overseas) emailed the "foster carer" and apparently has found somebody who is well aware of his "more troublesome qualities" and wants to take him on permanently. So, happy ending Thanks again for your help :)

Oh wow, that's an amazing outcome! Very happy for you :thumbsup:

I'm not 100% sure but I would assume that he's council registered.. what I'm planning to do now is send her another email with a set of instructions and options, which will include getting ownership of the dog, and explaining how fostering works. I'll make contact with a few rescues today and see whether they are amenable to having her listed as a foster carer for htem and listing the dog. I was hoping there would be someone on here who is involved with a rescue who'd be able to help with teh last step :D Just so it's not cold-calling! THanks again for your help everybody :)