Alkhe

DNA tests aren't particularly accurate - I was looking into getting my Poodle X tested just out of interest, to see what other breed/s were in there, but decided against it after reading so many stories like this. Sure, it could be that there was a randy dachshund that somehow got into the pedigree some how, but it might also be the fact that the tests aren't as robust as they would need to be yet. Also - most breeds were developed from combinations of other breeds, so as I understand it, if particular breeds were used in the development of another breed, they may turn up. A woman at my park got her Koolie/BC type dog tested and it showed the main breed as being Poodle. This dog looked like a Border Collie but mostly white with some merle patches and blue eyes. Poodle? Yeah, maybe way back.

I used to be in this camp too, despite our first two family pets having been pedigree dogs. I had never met any other pedigree dogs, so it never occurred to me that they weren't NOT show dogs - and one friend's attempt to convince me that it was terrible to have gone to a backyard breeder was completely futile, because continually using the term "backyard breeder" to someone who has no idea what that is, and why it's bad, is about as beneficial as telling someone they shouldn't have bought a red car because it's "red!!! Don't you see? Your car is red!! You should've got blue, why'd you get red?". It's kind of meaningless if you can't explain WHY. I have certainly convinced a few people to go to registered breeders by showing the difference between registered breeders' attitudes to their dogs, than other websites etc that disguise what can only be breeding factories or random matings to sell to online buyers. As individuals, word of mouth and actually speaking to people, using your own dogs as ambassadors for their breed and registered breeders over BYBs is the best thing, imo. I'm not sure that I have much faith in canine associations' capacity to change this, because if people aren't aware them or don't care, and don't care about dog showing or breeding, representatives of those things aren't going to mean anything to them. That may change, but by and large, people respect and seek out the opinions of people and organisations whose opinions they respect and value. If you're coming from a low base or are an organisation that isn't even on the radar for most people, representing something they have no interest in or experience with, you're at an immediate disadvantage.

Urgh. Just appalling.

Oh god, I am so sorry Perry's Mum That is just so devastating :hug:

What about taking her for a walk in a pram or trolley? I know of a few very old or very sick dogs whose owners took them out in prams so they could have a smell and enjoy some sunshine etc. A woman at my park whose Scotty had some sort of front knee surgery used to come to the park in one of those double level wire type shopping trolleys, which was great :) She would sit in her bed in the top basket and the woman's other dog was able to run around and play while she get to get out of the house a bit :)

He sounds like the perfect owner for a senior dog! There's no reason why a 'new dog' needs to be a puppy, there are plenty of older and old dogs in rescue who would be perfect for a home with an older person and a lap to cuddle up on.

At first glance I thought that photo was NSFW

I've met so many wonderful people through our dog park, and confide more in them than a lot of people I know in my daily life. It's nice though, there are a lot of dogs there now that are around the same age, lots of whom went to puppy school together and play so well together. And a set of older dogs owned by people who have been living in the area for a long time. Recently a woman at my park had two heart attacks, and another dog park person is looking after her dog while she is in hospital - there is also a man who is in and out of hospital, and a bunch of people are there to make sure that his dog is looked after. Once when my sister was looking after my dog Maggie, she took her to the park and a whole bunch of park goers converged on her thinking she'd stolen Maggie! It's nice to know that if Maggie DID end up being stolen, there are hundreds of people who know her and would wrench her back for me! :laugh: Some of the owners still fondly talk about dogs they used to know 10, even 20 years ago - I think it's lovely that there is a community of people who all know, love and remember dogs that passed so long ago :)

It's probably just the same mild side effects that can happen from any vaccination, but are more exaggerated in toy breeds? Eg when you get the flu shot and feel like you've got the flu the next day :/

When you say 'in their care', do you mean owned by the organisation, or is this related to where the animals are being housed? Ie, one foster carer with 3 entire females in their care is different to an organisation with 30 dogs that are physically housed in a number of carers' houses, 3 of which may be entire females housed in different locations. Is this distinction not made?

I wouldn't worry either, and I've got a Boston too! Except she's 5 years old, and doesn't show any signs of abating.. :laugh: When I first got her I was paranoid about everything weird she ate, and she's been to the emergency vet a few times. But unless it's something that is actually toxic, or likely to cause an obstruction, I just keep a watchful eye on her and pay attention to her eating and drinking etc. :)

Holy sh*t, those poor hips..

Oh, I totally agree that the ranger is doing a great job, and I'm really glad that this girl's story is out there :) I'm just really aware of the fact that in my area, a lot of people hate staffies and staffy type dogs - and every bull breed looking dog is labelled a 'pitbull' and the rumours start flying. So the more dogs that are labelled bull breeds, the more dogs there are to be scared of :/ 90% of the dogs I see around here are oodles, and god forbid a staffy comes to the dog park.. a few people in particular snatch their SWFs to their chest and high tail it out of there!

:thumbsup: She's an example of the ever expanding label of 'Bull Breed' too. What a sad face she has. Lovely to see she has so many donations and offers of assistance though - hope there's someone who can take her on. God, I know! Seriously, sometimes I think people conflate 'large' or 'brindle' with 'bull breed', too.

I guess two things spring to mind for me. One, your dog was the one who approached their dog, so if anything happened it'd probably be your fault. There are hundreds of vent-y posts on DOL about people (particularly with reactive dogs) being approached and rushed by off leash dogs. I actively keep my dogs away from leashed dogs in off-leash areas, on the assumption that they're not off-leash for a particular reason. It's just safer and less stressful for everyone. Maybe they were waiting for you to leave, so they could give their dog a run while the beach was free. I dunno. To be honest though, like Yonjuro said, I don't think either of you were particularly in the wrong. Neither of you had 100% control over your dogs but really, neither or you had NO control over your dogs either. Yours had good recall, theirs was on a lead and the guy was obviously paying attention and stepped in when he felt he needed to.

Yup, I reckon that's a really good reason to go for a cuddler. You can get an el cheapo structured bed too if you want, but cuddlers are awesome for a variety of sleeping positions :D

Oh sh*t.. me too.. sorry, thread! :laugh:

I have little dogs so it's probably not that helpful, but I highly recommend snooza. Really durable and retains its shape, easy to wash, etc. Also, we've got close to a dozen beds scattered around various parts of the house, and the snooza is always very popular :laugh: We have a cuddler (I assume, based on the photos on the snooza website) which is great because it is the bed that our fosters sleep on. So tiny fosters can just curl up in hte middle, and bigger ones can stretch out and still fit, which wouldn't be the case in a more structured one like the buddy's bed. (excuse the toilet paper on the floor. thanks to fostering, we're in a constant state of toilet training. )

I just find it despicable that pounds don't at least attempt to give every surrendered animal a chance to be rehomed. It should not be the owner (or ex-owner) who determines that, based on how much they pay. These are animals going into a pound facility, not a tip. It's just pathetic that pounds still operate along waste management principles. ANYWAY. RANT RANT I could go on forever. My local pound is the Lost Dogs Home unfortunately, and I can't find a surrender fee for them.

Hmm, yeah now that I think about it, it completely makes sense. I tend to view things through my own lens of winter = cuddling on the couch with a bunch of dogs, which is .. the best thing ever. I wonder if it's breed/type related too; I deal in SWF types and often older ones at that, so people not wanting to go out walking wouldn't have really struck me as that important! But there you go.

She doesn't have time for DOL! :) :laugh: good woman!!

Ooh I just found it! It's the first one on the ten.com.au website, if you go to the Bondi Vet section. And he's the first dog on the show :) Who is Denise on DOL? http://ten.com.au/watch-tv-episodes-online-bondi-vet-video.htm

I was speaking to another foster carer the other day, who has had her current foster dogs for months, without much interest at all. She mentioned that someone else she knew was in a similar position, and that there just aren't that many adoptions happening at the moment. I'm just wondering, anecdotally, has anybody else observed this? Is there something about winter meaning that people aren't as interested in adopting, or.. something? I hadn't really thought that that would impact on the rate of adoptions, but perhaps it does. I'm just curious, that's all. :)

Because if someone told you how much it would hurt, you'd never have agreed to foster in the first place! :laugh: I know exactly how you feel, we've got our fourth little foster here at the moment, so I'm pretty new to it too. Our first foster stayed with us for almost 6 months, during which time we had a giant total of ONE application, which was totally unsuitable. Apart from that, not a bite until the perfect application came along. When I dropped him off at his new home, I had to pull into every single petrol station I passed because I was sobbing and blubbering so much I couldn't even see properly to drive. It was just so hard, and after that long he was so perfectly settled in at our house - letting him go was devastating. I still choke up when I think of him sometimes (he was rehomed in March), and I get a lump in my throat every time I go past the contact lens in a pharmacy, because I had to buy drops for him every week for 6 months, and seeing all the drops just makes me think of him. I don't know that it gets easier, just that you get more accustomed to the feeling of saying goodbye. Getting updates from their new families is great too - all of our ex-fosters are in awesome families who keep in regular contact, one who facebooks, calls and texts me pics of her little guy all the time, and gives me weight loss progress updates :laugh: . That is the most rewarding thing. I could so, so easily have kept our first foster, and also our third one, and the one we have right now - god he is amazing, I have to stop myself getting completely attached because he's just the perfect little dog. He fit in so wonderfully here within a second of walking into the house. He went up for adoption this week and I'm torn between wanting him to get adopted right now, because that will stop me falling for him even more, and wanting him to stay with us for months and months, because I love having him. I can't win!! I just keep telling myself that if we kept him, we couldn't foster. And there are just so many dogs that need a leg up in the world, that if we can help just a few each year it's worth it. So as long as we can keep doing this, I'll keep sucking it up and letting them go on to their forever homes :)

He is adorable. How old is he? Sometimes pics just show so much of a dog's personality.. I can just imagine what he's like from those pics :) Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2