bozzieUD

Please be careful if you're relying on fans and evap coolers to keep your pets from overheating . A few years back when in the middle of a heatwave (Black Sat) I heard of a lady who left her 2 SWFs out under her pergola with fans on. There was a power outage because of the heat and the fans stopped. Her dogs where found dead when she came home from work that night.

It's a phenomenon called 'blame the victim', Trudy. A scenario that lives in the head of the person who blames the victim. Totally and absolutely agree with this comment. I might add its usually bullies who are afflicted with this phenomenon. Keep fighting the good fight Trudy. Thanks everyone for your support. I generally come across two types of off leash dog walkers, the ones with the excitable dogs are the bullies, they seem to be very defensive if anyone objects to their dog getting up close and personal, it's like they've come out to get in a fight, and having their dog off leash works for them every time, they have this superior attitude that shouts "I've got a big dog be careful what you say to me". Then there's the other type who walk passed with their dog like a shadow that doesn't look left or right, those I like, however both types are doing something illegal which may one day be also classed as menacing. Bullies are angry at the world and want to pass on their pain to anyone they come across who seems weaker than them. You love a stereotype don't you. Huh? Just calling them as I see them!

It's a phenomenon called 'blame the victim', Trudy. A scenario that lives in the head of the person who blames the victim. Totally and absolutely agree with this comment. I might add its usually bullies who are afflicted with this phenomenon. Keep fighting the good fight Trudy.

Yes accidents happens. But we don't need to go and drive on the wrong side of the road just because we're confident drivers. If people want to live on the "wild side" they should do so in their own little space and shouldn't be putting the public at risk. Now I know people who've witnessed off-lead dogs tear up an on-lead dogs in front of it's owners. Guts flying everywhere. I've had many close calls myself. Little dogs rushing at us. My quick thinking has saved many off-lead dogs lives. So yes I do scan a head and I am aware of my surroundings. So I'd rather be aware then ignorant. I agree wholeheartedly, aware and alert beats the hell out of panic stricken. I can not personally justify carrying a maglite or a stick or cattle prod no matter how many unfriendly dogs we've come across. It honestly stinks of all kinds of crazy to me and I really have to bow out of this ridiculous thread now. It's infuriating from both sides of the argument, you should not have your dogs ambling free off lead, there's not any real need, however if shit happens and my dog happened to say get out after a break in, or snap his collar or something else happen and some loony beat him or sprayed him I would be beyond furious and as much as you have a right to defend your own, so would I. And I would. Friendly off lead dogs don't bother me in the slightest, but it's law as the majority are troublesome or less than controlled, but from the other side of the fence you really need to assess the situation at hand before losing your mind and whipping out a cattle prod. Perhaps if you really are considering arming yourself because walks in your neighborhood are so traumatic for you, it might be best to think about a dog treadmill or an acreage or something. I really would be more concerned about some unauthorised person carrying a concealed weapon than a dog. Oh and I'll just leave this here too, from www.police.vic.gov.au So what do you suggest us crazies do if a loose dog is attacking our dogs? Imagine I'm walking my 12 year shih tzu and some bigger dog rushes at us and grabs him and shakes him. What is the non-crazy thing to do in your opinion? Yes do tell Steph, we are all ears. What would you do in that circumstance? A concealed telescopic baton (If I can get my hands on one)would be my choice of weapon. Ill happily pay the fine. And since I'm a'crazy' the fine should be a reduced one. ;) ;) Oh and BTW for 12 yrs I lived on a small acreage. I had to fence in a large house paddock for my dogs. Had packs of the neighbourhood's dogs wondering through it looking to attack stock,native animals and my Border collies. Unfortunately there's no escaping idiot dog owners. Yep! I'm a special kind of 'crazy' when my dogs and small child are under attack!!

Its probably been mentioned before but has anyone got any ifo on these? http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=321207774289&ssPageName=ADME:B:WNARL:AU:1123 (hope this link works!)

Truly terrifying Noishe. Its amazing how much strength you have when the adrenaline kicks in. Glad your boy was okay. I just cant believe people can be so horrible as to walk away. Well I can, as it happens all too often.

Well I'm glad I've got through and made myself understood, I'm not the only one on this thread who feels the same way. But thanks for keeping count. : ) Hey Trudy, Thank you for making the effort to reply to everyone. Its clear that some people have never been in the position we have been. Its also clear that some younger, stronger people don't have the fear us more 'mature' less strong people have. The feeling of helplessness is truly debilitating . I spent 2 hours giving a statement to a council ranger last week. She told me to always carry a large stick as dog attacks will never stop. Some of the stories she told me were truly horrific. Shealso had a little dog herself who had been badly mauled. It never seems to stop. The only good news she had was that since desexing of pet shop puppies had been made compulsory in our area a few years ago , less strays were roaming the streets . Less strays mean less attacks so at least thats a bit of good news. :)

If that's a pic of you in your avatar, you look like a youngish fit bloke. More capable of defending yourself & your dog than perhaps a lot of others in this thread. It can be hard to imagine being vulnerable when you haven't been put in that position a lot. Exactly.

Not everyone is an expert in canine body language. You have seconds to react and for some people their dogs are already reacting. If you don't want to see someone go to town on your dog, you know what to do. And if everyone DID do the right thing, the 'vigilante justice' you speak of would be utterly unnecessary. The solution is so simple, WHY won't people simply obey the damn leash laws? Totally agree. With 25 yrs in the dog world and a good many of them as a trainer let me tell you I would have shot those feral dogs if I had a gun. When your dog and yourself are under attack you don't give a sh$t what the owners will say. You are in SURVIVAL MODE DAMN IT!!! I've been off work for almost a week due to injuries and I'm bloody over it!. Unless you have been in this position you have no idea what its like. I will arm myself with something in the future. I will protect my 6yr old son, dog and self the best I can. Please keep your dog under control, as the next time it happens I promise I will use whatever I can to stop the attack.

I'm really sorry to hear of your experience, I absolutely empathise with what happened to you as I had a similar thing happen to me, it was only my strength that allowed me to do battle with the two large dogs that attacked me and my non reactive bomb proof Shihtzu. I think it is very restrained of you to suggest carrying pepper spray. I didn't walk my dog for 12 months, and if I had been forced too nothing less than carrying a 357 magnum would induce me to step out of the door with her on my own. No one knows how it feels to be attacked by large dogs out in the open until it happens to them, it was the single most terrifying experiences of my life. At the time I thanked God I didn't have my 4 year old granddaughter with me. I hope you recover quicker than I did, to be honest I don't think I'll ever fully recover, the care free days of walking my dog are over for me, now I'm constantly on the alert for those superior dog owners with their off leash dogs. I carry a spray called Spray Shield, its harmless to dogs but does have shock value, not sure it would help with the super aggressive dogs but its better than nothing and its legal, unlike pepper spray or a 357 Magnum. :) You were quick Trudy.:) I actually edited my original post to say I wish I had a hand gun a few minutes later. I wouldn't have hesitated for a moment to use it. You're right about it being one of the most terrifying situations to be in. Its your strength against the attacking dogs strength -with the life of your dog at risk. Whats really rocked me is that I never walk the footpaths and I wouldn't dream of using an off leash park. I walk at Dogs Vic KCC park almost daily as Im 99% sure I''ll be among responsible dog owners. Problem is I have now learned the gen/public are bringing aggressive dogs there because they cant walk them on the streets!! What hope have we got? My husband works on construction sites and Ive asked him to ask the lads for something I can protect myself with. No it wont be a gun. ( as much as Id love one) but it will be something to bring back my confidence to walk my dog. Good luck to you, Trudy Unfortunately too many idiots out there with their 'sense of entitlement' putting our dogs and ourselves at risk. .

Last Saturday my young Aussie was attacked at the Dogs Vic KCC Park by 2 dogs who BROKE out of the off leash area . These dogs ( owed by Non-members) ran approx 40 metres to carry out the attack while we had our backs turned -walking away from them. Several things contributed to my dog and I surviving the prolonged attack relatively 'injury free'. Firstly I had my dog ON LEASH. If he was walking free these two Am-staffs (in appearance) would have run him down and tore him to pieces . ( My young dog doesn't have an aggressive bone in his body.) Secondly he has a thick coat. The dogs were biting and swinging off his rear end and only had mouthfuls of hair. Clumps left in the park! Thirdly I hung on to my dogs collar and kicked the attacking dogs for all I was worth. ( my dog's life depended on my strength ). There are many things I could write about this attack and Ive spent the week at doctors, council, and reporting to Dogs Vic. All I keep thinking is' thank God 'I had my dog on lead and didn't have my 6yr old son with me. And frankly the way I feel at the moment ( I know this will pass) I wish it was legal to carry Pepper Spray and a hand gun!. At this moment in time, I couldn't care less if I injured or even killed the attacking dogs.

Have you ever tried to shop with a 2-3 yr old?? Its the worst thing ever and if I have to give my son something to eat to shut him up in the supermarket ,I will. I am after all paying for it!! Seriously some people ought to mind there own business. I'm sure all the child haters would prefer my toddler to be happily munching on something than screaming the place down. Sheeze, you just can't win. AND don't ask me to bring food from home as the supermarket workers think you may have stolen it . AND don't ask me to feed my child before or after I shop, they are not machines that are programed to eat when you want them too, as much as I would love that!. I would of course prefer not to have a hungry kid with me at all when I shop ( just to keep you happy) but thats impossible. SORRY !!! Yes actually, I've always done the shopping with my now 3 year old and we love going together. I usually have food and a drink with me wherever we go but if I get caught out and she is so starving that she cannot wait (which only happens if she chooses to skip a meal I've made for her, because you can easily feed your child regular meals) then absolutely I will take an apple through the checkout before I allow her to eat it, to do otherwise would be stealing and that isn't something I want to teach her is ok. Just today we were shopping and a girl about 3-4 years old was wondering around helping herself to hand fulls of grapes over and over while her parents said and did nothing, which I found absolutely disgraceful. You can win, it is entirely possible to do one, or all, of the following: Not shop when your child is starving, take your own food with you and/or pay for something before your child eats it. And it is everyone's business because when people steal it all adds up to the increased prices we all pay. Nice to be so dam perfect. If I buy a pack of 6 rolls and my son ( in the trolly)( who hates shopping) wants one while I'm shopping AND the registers are busy I will damn well give it to him. Do Not call me a thief. I have worked for Coles for 20yrs. Do you think I would risk my job by stealing from my employer? You would be just as judge-mental and whinging if I had a tired crying child. And to suggest that giving a 2yr old a roll is teaching him to steal is laughable. Wish I lived in your perfect black and white world. My God, just another sanctimonious ridiculous mother.....later, I'm out of here..

Have you ever tried to shop with a 2-3 yr old?? Its the worst thing ever and if I have to give my son something to eat to shut him up in the supermarket ,I will. I am after all paying for it!! Seriously some people ought to mind there own business. I'm sure all the child haters would prefer my toddler to be happily munching on something than screaming the place down. Sheeze, you just can't win. AND don't ask me to bring food from home as the supermarket workers think you may have stolen it . AND don't ask me to feed my child before or after I shop, they are not machines that are programed to eat when you want them too, as much as I would love that!. I would of course prefer not to have a hungry kid with me at all when I shop ( just to keep you happy) but thats impossible. SORRY !!! Geez no need to blow a gasket. If you had been following the thread you would have noticed that Liz is not a child hater and has some of her own. Perhaps she can explain how she manages it. I think the bigger problem is the people who don't pay for things they eat. When OH worked at Woolies they used to have to throw out a lot of yoghurt because kids used to come along and break the lids on them. Hmmm...yes, I wouldn't have been able to feed the family if I hadn't taken my kids to the supermarket with me. The trick is to never go shopping hungry. That applies to mum too. It's amazing how much junkie snack food one buys when they are hungry. ;) As to keeping the 2 -3 year old happy I found a "special" toy, reserved exclusively for outings and not from the regular rotaion made a huge difference. Also when the kids were that young they sat in the trolley and played with the toy and did not run around the shop attacking produce and stock. The "outings toy bag" is is also helpful when visiting others or going to appointments. I'd keep a spare bag with "outing toys". Also when shopping I never purchased too much in the one trip as it gets boring and tedious for everyone. With kids you are often out and about running errands and a quick duck in to the supermarket is better than a huge massively filled trolley. Also easier to deal with when you get home and have to put it all away. My apoligies LizT, and yes I have my "outing toy bag" just feeling very touchy about the constant judgement people seem to enjoy heaping on parents. I feel I'm one of the few people who an relate to both sides of the fence, decades of being childless, and a new life of being a mother. I became a mother 6 weeks short of my 44th birthday. (that may explain why I have no in built baby sitters so I can shop in peace) I have to tell you if I felt judged for being childless and considering my dogs as my family, that was nothing compared to becoming a mother. And it starts the very moment you fall pregnant, I never knew there was so much nastiness out there (as you experienced on the plane) its been a real eye opener. BTW I would have been happy to sit next to you and your baby on the plane. Better than the drunk bloke I had to sit next to from Sinapore to London last year. He refused to move out of his seat so I could get out and go to the toilet. He insisted I climbed over him so he could sleep off the booze!!! Worst flight ever!!

Have you ever tried to shop with a 2-3 yr old?? Its the worst thing ever and if I have to give my son something to eat to shut him up in the supermarket ,I will. I am after all paying for it!! Seriously some people ought to mind there own business. I'm sure all the child haters would prefer my toddler to be happily munching on something than screaming the place down. Sheeze, you just can't win. AND don't ask me to bring food from home as the supermarket workers think you may have stolen it . AND don't ask me to feed my child before or after I shop, they are not machines that are programed to eat when you want them too, as much as I would love that!. I would of course prefer not to have a hungry kid with me at all when I shop ( just to keep you happy) but thats impossible. SORRY !!! Coles has an excellent shopping delivery service, order on their website and they deliver to your door for about $10 extra. I hear Woolworths' one is good these days too. I for one plan to do the vaaaaast majority of my shopping this way once I have a kid! I hope for your sake they improve their service by the time you start your family, I have tried both, plus one ( I can't remember their name ) Green Groceries are us? I tried them for about 10 mths. Every 2nd order had several items 'out of stock' or miserable fruit veg. Found I was having to go out to shop anyway to replace them. Though I may have to start to use them again if I'm now being judged for opening a packet of bickies before I pay for them. All to keep the peace in the supermarket! Could always just leave them with the grandparents/aunty/baby sitter on the day you do the shopping, don't have to bring them with you I wish I could but there are no grandparents or aunties 'on call' I'm not that lucky. So yep I do have to bring him.

Have you ever tried to shop with a 2-3 yr old?? Its the worst thing ever and if I have to give my son something to eat to shut him up in the supermarket ,I will. I am after all paying for it!! Seriously some people ought to mind there own business. I'm sure all the child haters would prefer my toddler to be happily munching on something than screaming the place down. Sheeze, you just can't win. AND don't ask me to bring food from home as the supermarket workers think you may have stolen it . AND don't ask me to feed my child before or after I shop, they are not machines that are programed to eat when you want them too, as much as I would love that!. I would of course prefer not to have a hungry kid with me at all when I shop ( just to keep you happy) but thats impossible. SORRY !!! Coles has an excellent shopping delivery service, order on their website and they deliver to your door for about $10 extra. I hear Woolworths' one is good these days too. I for one plan to do the vaaaaast majority of my shopping this way once I have a kid! I hope for your sake they improve their service by the time you start your family, I have tried both, plus one ( I can't remember their name ) Green Groceries are us? I tried them for about 10 mths. Every 2nd order had several items 'out of stock' or miserable fruit veg. Found I was having to go out to shop anyway to replace them. Though I may have to start to use them again if I'm now being judged for opening a packet of bickies before I pay for them. All to keep the peace in the supermarket!

Have you ever tried to shop with a 2-3 yr old?? Its the worst thing ever and if I have to give my son something to eat to shut him up in the supermarket ,I will. I am after all paying for it!! Seriously some people ought to mind there own business. I'm sure all the child haters would prefer my toddler to be happily munching on something than screaming the place down. Sheeze, you just can't win. AND don't ask me to bring food from home as the supermarket workers think you may have stolen it . AND don't ask me to feed my child before or after I shop, they are not machines that are programed to eat when you want them too, as much as I would love that!. I would of course prefer not to have a hungry kid with me at all when I shop ( just to keep you happy) but thats impossible. SORRY !!!

Named my new Aussie pup, 'Edge' after U2's guitarist. :D

+ 1 It might make you wonder. Talk to enough vets, kennel owners and groomers and you might form a different view. They're there for dogs and they'll do what ever it takes to keep the dogs calm and often that means owner out of the picture ASAP. A no fuss departure where the dogs are taken from you is pretty common for a lot of such businesses. A teary owner saying fond farewells stresses a lot of dogs and acting to prevent such a possiblity would be pretty common I think. I have worked in groomers & have a few friends with kennels & seen the good & the bad. It didn't warrant this kind of behaviour or lack of manners to keep the dog calm in this case. If the owner is a wreck or neurotic it needs tactful handling anyway not rudeness & abruptness, which is basically what you are excusing when there was absolutely no need for it in the first place. +1

Hi skunk, contact Western port dog club direct, www.westernportdogclub.org.au/ they are an Obedience club situated at the Vic state dog park. Just started puppy class there myself last Sunday.

I know I do because I'm respectful of the fact not everyone likes dogs. Also its just good manners in my mind.

Just found the neighbours Choc Lab out on the road, He was frightened and aggressive. Thankfully I know him an was able to get him into my back yard. Managed to find the owner at a house party. Damn fireworks...,

yep, I hate NYE fireworks and so do my dogs. If I'm camping, my dogs get put into the back of the car. Ive even put them in the car (in the garage) at home when I have had people over for NYE. The dogs are happy because they love the car. The car also muffles the sound of the fireworks and partying. The only problem is they expect to be driven somewhere! They soon settle down and go to sleep. BTW I have crates in the back of a duel cab. Its very comfortable for dogs.

Aww that is so lovely. That bought a tear to my eye, It been my first Xmas in over 25 yrs without a dog by my side. Miss my beautiful boys dreadfully, and miss all the things I loved about them. Anyway,new puppy on order so will have plenty of things to love about a new boy soon.

Yup, what a saga that was, it put me completely off the rescue group, which was one I had previously supported. Jules, I don't think that is offensive at all, as you are not saying a shelter/rescue dog is the only way to go. The current one I have seen doing the rounds on FB is "don't buy while shelter dogs die" and the comments following are stating that getting a dog from a breeder is in fact "killing" a shelter dog. That kind of comment is unfair, untrue and unwarranted.

Hi Lappiemum, I don't suppose you or anyone else kept a copy of that facebook exchange? One of the worst comments and I quote: "For the safety of my 'mutts' I won't be attending the Big Day Out. God knows what those 'Genetically Modified Dogs', the so called Purebred Dogs, might have that could contaminate them. ...." Actually came from the secretary of the local obedience dog club! ( an affiliate of Dogs Vic!) As an Ex 10 yr member (of that club) I have already registered my concern, but without any proof nothing can be done. I know one thing , while she still holds that position I wont be entering any trials there. God knows what I would say if I bumped into her!