Bug

Disgraceful that Ballarat City Council spent $100,000 on legal fees to try and kill a dog they considered to be a restricted breed but they do not have the resources to rescue a kitten. Surely they could have hired a cherry picker! Ballarat Courier 7th September 2012 IT WAS all hands on deck this week during a mission to save a tiny kitten stuck 10 metres up a tree in a Ballarat park. A group of walkers banded together in the three-day effort to save the kitten that was stuck in a tree in Victoria Park. The Ballarat residents spotted the black and white cat up the pine tree in the middle of the park on Monday. Passersby made several attempts to bring the feline down – including tempting it with food – but the cat could not be coaxed down. Calls for help to animal rescue, the Ballarat City Council and the RSPCA Ballarat were unsuccessful when they were told no resources were available to help. In the end, members of the Ballarat City Fire Brigade came to the rescue. Ballarat City senior station officer Mark Owen said when animals are stuck up so high, firefighters’ resources were the only option. “When we got the call of course we headed out in the truck to help out,” Mr Owen said. “It was an opportunity for a quick training exercise and the Bronto ladder platform was used to rescue the poor cat from the tree.” Firefighter Patrick Shawcross was the one of the two firefighters who headed up in a cage to retrieve the cat. “It cat had crawled into the tree and was at least 10 metres off the ground,” Mr Owen said. “The poor thing was shaking like a leaf when it came it down.” Unfortunately, the cat wasn’t microchipped and was taken to a shelter soon after. Mr Owen said animal rescues weren’t in the firefighters’ job description, but they were always happy to help out. “For some reason or another, (the cat) didn’t want to come down, but I’m glad it is in safe hands now.”

What is the new legislation dangling over our heads?

I don't pay my membership to dogsvictoria for them to use my money to support seizing pets that have never bitten anyone. Or are dogsvictoria and this panel of judges going to be paid by the councils or government. It is a disgrace that they would be part of any legislation which is proven to be ineffective and just kill innocent pets I joined dogsvictoria because I love dogs regardless of pedigree. It doesn't take a pedigree to give love!

Graeme McEwen, chair of the Barristers Animal Welfare Panel (BAWP) will be talking about BSL on the 7.30 report tonight(Fri). BAWP successfully secured the release of Butch who was seized under Victoria's BSL laws. Butch was held for a period of 305 days during which his owners were not allowed access to visit their dog. The City of Ballarat has admitted to spending $100K defending this case.

Ritva Raita from Finland died on Friday. Ritva was a well-known all-rounder and had judged Royals at least once in most States of Australia. Was last out here a couple of years ago when she judged in Victoria

Is there anything that the dog world will not bitch about! It appears that it is now necessary to have a time clock at ringside and clock on and off as you exhibit just so someone can claim to have the first. Time has nothing to do with it. Poor old Perth has no chance of being first at anything as they have a time disadvantage. Tasmania has no allbreeds show this weekend. It does not matter. It is an achievement to get any title (with competition) and you should be happy to have a dog that has won enough to be a Supreme. Sadly there are many great dogs of the past who more than met the requirements for Grand and Supreme titles but will forever just be plain old champion. Fight about who was first all you like but it really just means you were lucky or able to show at a show midweek or a show where it had a small entry and got to your breed alphabetically before another show reached your breeds judging. All this discussion does is show the dogworld at its absolute worse.

Up until sometime in the early 1960s it was possible to obtain a dog from the pound, have it inspected by 3 allbreed judges and if they considered it to be purebred based on phenotype then it was registered as 'pedigree unknown'. The British KC also allowed dogs of pedigree unknown into the stud book until about the same period. Inspection is used in development registers in Australia. Sometime in the 1970s in Victoria there was a Rottweiler breeder who was found to have had at least one litter crossed with Doberman and many of the dogs from this were in the ring . I believe they were deregistered. The ANKC and its member bodies is simply a keeper of stud books. The integrity of the stud book is paramount but it is simply a record of parentage as supplied by a breeder and sadly this IW issue shows it not proof of anything. Does this have implication for those breeds which may need to use ANKC registration to prove they are not a restricted breed or cross of one? There are many breeds which are known have had other breeds introduced in to them over the years and no breed which can prove they have not had it happen. DNA does not prove breed but it can prove parentage. This is a terrible situation for IW breeders. They are the custodians of their breed and they should be allowed a say. When breeds were officially permitted to deliberately crossbred it was with the agreement of the breed clubs. What is terrible is that the offending breeder was a member of the disciplinary committee and instrumental no doubt in handing out penalties to people who committed far less serious 'crimes' than proven cruelty, theft and falsification of pedigrees.

When you got your first male of this breed from your co-owner you obviously had done your research and had enough judgement to find a responsible breeder who offered you a 'show quality' pup that fulfilled its potential. You should trust your own judgement to do the same again. After 4 years in the breed you have some idea of what you like and what health checks to are desirable in the breed. Look at what other bloodlines have been successfully combined with those you already have but remember that when breeding, the dog in your backyard is not always the most suitable choice for your bitch. I agree with other comments about explaining to your co-owner that you have waited long enough. Find out where you stand with co-ownership but I am sure it is true that registration papers are not proof of ownership - just of registration but you do not want to get into a situation where you are stressed about losing the dogs you love. As suggested, try approaching your co-owner and explaining nicely and if it does not work then cut the apron strings and venture out in the world of showing and breeding without your mentor. Trust your own judgement but realise that after only 4 years in a breed there is still a lot to learn. There is a big difference between mentor and control freak. People should be given advice but you can't breed for other people. Your co-breeder seems to be like so many in the dog world today - cannot see any good in anything that is not in their own backyard. A word of warning. You have had a bad experience with co-owing males. Co-owning females is a minefield!

Toothless dog laws bite councils Paul Tatnell From:Herald Sun May 11, 2012 12:00AM STRICT new dangerous dog laws are under pressure, with a key test case showing that councils are struggling to enforce them. The problem is proving a dog is a restricted breed. Michael Ozzimo, of Altona North, recently won a long legal battle with Hume Council to get his dog back. The tough new laws, which allow councils to destroy any breed on the restricted-dog register, were introduced after the death of toddler Ayen Chol. The council claimed Mr Ozzimo's unregistered dog Tess, found wandering Meadow Heights alone, was an American pit bull terrier, a restricted breed. Mr Ozzimo said Tess, 2, was a staffy and bull mastiff ridgeback-cross. He challenged the council in VCAT last month using blood tests and a veterinarian's letter. VCAT member Dr Rebecca French agreed and ruled the dog had to be immediately released back to the care of Mr Ozzimo. The dog had spent five months in a pound. "She was very happy to see me, but not as excited as me," Mr Ozzimo said. Municipal Association of Victoria CEO Rob Spence said the case was a warning. Councils were already wary of trying to lock up what may be a restricted breed because of the cost and time involved. A Hume council spokesman said it was seeking a meeting with the Department of Primary Industries. A spokesman for Agriculture Minister Peter Walsh declined to comment

The thumbnail image on Weekly Times online was the pitbull teeth bared photo usually found on front page of Herald Sun for the past decade to illustrate dog attack/pitbull stories!

Using people with no knowledge of dog shows and what is happening is a disaster. Videos of a dog show should show what the judge sees - standing, coming, going and around the ring and then the placings. People who do not understand shows often do not get the footage needed as a record of the show. If I buy a video I want to be able to see what the dogs looked like, how they moved and how the judge made the decisions.

Black Standard male imp UK Intermediate in Group Black Toy Gr Ch Garwey Scallywag Aust Bred in Group Dalmation (Marshall) Minor in Grp Boston Baby Puppy IN SHOW

Ballarat pit bull saga continues BY EVAN SCHUURMAN 05 Mar, 2012 10:20 PM A BALLARAT couple are becoming increasingly frustrated by long delays as they desperately try to bring their beloved pit bull home. David and Megan Thurston have been without their dog Butch for more than five months after he was seized just hours after the amnesty for dog owners to register restricted breeds came to a close last October. They are now fighting to stop Butch being put down. Yesterday the Thurstons’ lawyers appeared in the Supreme Court in Melbourne for a directions hearing, which was adjourned for another directions hearing next month. “There’s been hearing after hearing, today was the Supreme Court,” Mr Thurston said. “There seems to be a bloody hearing every week or every second week. “As far as I know Ballarat City Council won’t give up, they’re just not going to back down. They’re just fighting it to the max and for ridiculous reasons.” The couple have two legal proceedings under way, one in the Supreme Court of Victoria and one with the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal. They allege that Butch is not a restricted breed, but if he is judged to be one, then they will challenge the council’s decision to refuse to register him. They are also seeking declaration that the council’s decision to seize and retain Butch was unlawful. “They said they’d use our dog as an example and they’re doing it. It’s just unfair,” Mr Thurston said. “He hasn’t even licked anybody out of place, or barked out of place. We haven’t seen him since (he was taken), he’s not our property any more. He’s sick, he’s got food allergies, and we’re not allowed any contact. We were at least buying him food while he was in Ballarat.” Pit Bull Association president Colin Muir said he was disappointed the council had acted “completely opposite” to their stated position, that they wanted to do everything they could to help the Thurstons. “The council has been given the ability to work their way through this, but they won’t engage which I think is an outright disgrace,” Mr Muir said. “The way the legislation is structured, prior to the changes if an owner appeals a matter it would be finalised in a maximum of 60 days,” he said. “Under the new system it goes through VCAT, which I think is better in some ways, but there is no end date in sight. There’s a huge cost to both council and the owners.” The City of Ballarat declined to comment.

Breed lectures are generally directed at trainee judges and the lectures must only make reference to the requirements of the ANKC breed standard. Personal likes and dislikes should not come into it. Where there is a difference in colours, size, or other points between the USA and UK standard then the USA standard must not be used. Australia has the UK standards. The UK has country of origin standards. We do not share USA standards except for those breeds which are American in origin - Aussie Shepherds being one. In Australia if you are breeding, judging, exhibiting you should be aware that the measuring stick for type is the ANKC standard which can be found on their website.

Ferals and bogans in my area also. Some own big xbreds, some own little white fluffies, some own purebreds of all types.