Roova

I read the original posted article and it certainly seems it wasn't a friendly approach by the dog (whatever breed it was). Either way it sounds like the child was hurt by the dog and it must have been a very frightening experience. Whether it flashed across the news or not doesn't change the fact some type of incident happened.

From what I've read in the past I'm pretty sure it's dogue (as in vogue)de-bor-doe.

I haven't read all the posts so hopefully no one else mentioned this but before making the move to vet nurse work I would be getting a copy of the award and having a good look at it. I can only compare to the medical industry but we have levels of pay based on skill level (not age). You want to know what is the most you can earn for knowing your job back to front (assuming you are going to be paid the award rate and not above it). If you don't the rules yourself to know what to expect and you find Mr Dodgy to work for you can be really disadvantaged. If Medical is anything like Veterinary the award has to be available to all staff and from experience the larger practices tend to be more on the ball with the rules and regulations. I would also make sure super is being on top of the $32,000 which to me seems pretty low and make sure absolutely everything which happens is on paper - you never know when you might have to refer back to a payslip from six months ago. I would also try and sus out whether Vet's tend to hire full-time/permanent part-time staff or whether they prefer casual. Casual can be more money in your pocket but obviously you have to save for your own time off work and you have less job security). If you find most only employ part-time staff members that might not be what you're looking for. I work in the Medical field and I watch the receptionists working so hard every day. The money being made is by the providers though. If you do take the plunge and try and get in to your own professional I don't think you would ever be sorry. Although the receptionists (in most cases) love what they are doing they are never going to make much more money than they are now. If you look at how many working years you might have ahead of you, you might as well be making good money if you can! If you're passionate about working with animals you might get just as much job satisfaction doing specialised work so I say go for it.. take the plunge! Good luck whatever you decide

You'd have to think most friendly dogs wouldn't be mouthing or pawing at a baby in a pram though. A friendly encounter with a dog wouldn't have made the news or needed a wrench to get the dog away surely?

You'd have to imagine horrific facial injuries to a one year old in a pram isn't caused by a dog being boisterous.

Can you do some training with him where your Mum or someone drives in and out while you're with him on the inside of your property? You could work on praising/treating him for sitting or at least staying on the inside while the car comes in? Life is obviously more fun for him on the other side of the gate, does he get walks or other training to give him things to think about? If you're on property and money is no object (haha) a cattle grid might help at the enterance? The only other cheap thing I could think to do is keep treats inside the car and you might need to hurl one out the window before coming in the gate to distract him for a moment :D

Great photos! Its amazing the different styles / positions. To me picture number six is picture perfect! Every time I look at picture number four it makes me laugh :D

I came across an ad for a $2500 French Bulldog puppy with no mention of health testing. I couldn't help myself and asked the seller what health testing the parents had. This is her reply: Hi, I have not done health test on the parents,but the only time i have to go to the vets,is when the grils have a c-section,the parent are very healthy as they run around in the back yard and are fine,here is photos of parents and i stand by my breeding *name*. Hmmmmm, I shudder to think how many puppies this person has sold!

Doesn't desexing serve the purpose of preventing unwanted puppies though (among other benefits)? Tail docking seems to not have a positive benefit other than making people like their dogs more. Dogs have survived with tails since their 'inception' - if they shouldn't have them for their own safety - wouldn't they have been born without them?

+2 I just wonder how can removing parts of a dog to suit what we want them to look like ever be justifiable?

I don't know if this would be too invasive or not, but another thing which might help the general public is if gazebos had a laminated sheet, or something along those lines, which shows the name of their breed and basic information about them available to look at. I've wandered around show grounds before and admired breeds but sometimes had no idea what breed I was looking at. In the poultry world (maybe not a good comparison) you often see breed information on cages. You can see what the name of the breed is, what colour egg they lay, basic standard information and other interesting stuff. I know I've often wanted to ask about a great looking dog but to interrupt a group of people sitting and talking seems too rude.

It would be interesting to find out from the owners if health checks/breathing checks were done on the parents. If they say they don't know you'd have to imagine there's a good chance they weren't. From what I understand one issue the FB can have is an elongated soft palate which then hangs in front of the airway during inhalation. The harder the dog breathes the greater the elongation of the soft palate. You can go down the surgical route for correction if necessary. I know selecting for good breathing is done by some breeders and it must make a difference. My dog can run with the best of them, get puffed and pant like a normal dog - I don't hear that gagging to clear an airway or see her bringing up foam and saliva when eating/drinking. Saving money by buying a pup from non health checked parents to save a few bucks is really not worth it when you might potentially end up with a dog who requires surgery. The prices between those who healthcheck and those who don't seem so much the same, a potential owner might as well spend a bit more time researching for the right breeder. :D (Im only new to this so I hope I haven't given misinformation!)

OMG That is dedication! 6 weeks is a long time to lose income over (and a big ask of employers too I would imagine). Every cent has certainly been worked for !!

Im lucky enough to have a Frenchie in my life and I would say she is the most beautifully natured, placid, easy to get along with dog I've ever had. She makes my partner and I laugh every day with her funny little antics and is totally lovable! I was also lucky to fall in the lap of a great breeder and feel happy my pooch will have a long healthy life because of her. It would be devestating to lose a dog to a genetic illness, especially if it was preventable and they should still have had many years ahead of them. Chris. maybe you could direct the people asking to the new French Bulldog Club of QLD website? They've listed breeders on the website who are endorsed by the club for breeding with the highest of ethics and integrity. The very first meeting is being held at Durack at 3pm this Saturday 5th near ring 5, maybe they are in a position to come along? http://www.qldfrenchbulldogclub.com/

I keep an eye on the ads too and have noticed there are very few which mention any type of health testing or health 'guarantees' and most don't have the price mentioned. A lot of litters seem to be around the 5 puppy mark and at $3000 a puppy thats potentially $15000+ for one litter! For $3000 a puppy you would expect health testing and wise decisions being made from scores before the litter was produced surely? If you spent that type of money and it wasnt done you might be spending a lot more in the future! I don't know how expensive C sections are (which I believe most have) or health testing - is it horribly expensive? When testing is done, it's only parent's who've been health tested isn't it? The pups would just have the normal vet check at vaccination time? Does this mean if you buy a puppy as a pet (which most are sold as) you should you also have it health tested at a certain age or do you just hope for the best?

Very cute, I bet he'd draw a lot of attention on a walk! :D

Thats where this becomes confusing because that exact question was in my original list! Seems what one question someone finds acceptable another person won't. One thing I've learnt is even if the breeder says 'send me your list of questions' as this one did, I should probably say I'd prefer to talk to you about them when you have time!

How about if the person asking is looking at the answer in context with the other questions asked? Potentially 20 dogs, not a member of any clubs and don't show could be enough of a reason to decide against buying from that person.

There was a thread on DOL I read at some point about someone who bought a puppy which showed aggression at a very young age. When they contacted the breeder they were told other puppies from the litter had the same issue and the puppy was taken back. The breeder said she would never be putting those two dogs together again. I ask the question so I can then lead on with has the breeder had contact with the puppies again, and how they went if show dogs. I figured this would show if she cared if the aim of putting those two dogs together was achieved. I keep my eye on the ads but most are surprisingly short and sweet. Most don't have price. Some give lots of info which basically cover half my list but I guess others leave it up to the buyer to ask what they want to know. Thanks Mell. When I spoke with ** she was amazing with my questions! So friendly and answered everything and more and I guess set me up that other breeders would be the same. She might have thought I was OTT but she didn't show it, bless her!

I don't mind answering any questions a breeder would want to ask me, but I definitely want to ask them back! She's taking my money and I'm potentially taking on a family member for the next 15+ years! If they want me to stagger out questions over multiple phone calls I'm not sure I'd want to do that. 'Have the parent's had health checks?', 'Ask me again next week'. Hmmm Yikes, I couldn't bring myself to do that. Its a factor but only one of them. I do agree finding out at the end they wand $3000+ a pup changes a lot of plans. It might mean budgeting another year (or more). I think I'd freak out breeders staring with that question more than I already am! The questions are mostly so I feel safe with the breeder, not that I plan stalking them :D It's a fairly rare breed and when I spoke to her on the phone she said she had a lengthy wait list. She couldn't stay on the phone long and said she would send me photos and I could send her my other questions. When she got them she could have replied with 'you have too many questions, phone me back about them' or maybe she just though I have a wait list and there's easier people than you out there, I couldn't be bothered. :D It's a lesson learnt either way which is probably a good thing!

As mentioned I do! I always phone first so I can talk with the breeder, tell them what I have to offer, and they can ask me questions too. Its the questions I've been asking the breeder I needed help with.

I can't tell you what an eye opener this has been for me. I'm new to buying a purebred puppy having been like any other, dare I say ignorant, backyard dog owners in the past where I would have bought from any old ad. with no idea of what might happen healthwise in the future. I really thought everyone was asking these types of questions and I didn't want to appear like I'd put no thought in to a new puppy. I appreciate you being so specific Clyde. As I said earlier I always ring to chat with the breeder so they can ask me questions too. I've spoken to more than one breeder and all but the last lady were happy to answer my questions - probably seeing them in a list does take the human interaction or humour part out of it! The questions was 'will they have seen other animals, eg chooks,cats. I thought it would be sensible to know if the puppies were exposed to other animals outside of their litter mates. A puppies reaction to something strange or different I thought would show whether they were timid or confident. Also I have chooks! I meant someone breeding for profit only. Fairly big assumption there! Your pooch would miss out on a childless couple with lots of love and time to give to their pets, living on a massive block who just want to be careful they're not buying of a less than reputable breeder.

Thanks everyone, I've gone through the questions and chopped a lot out. Assuming I'm chatting with a breeder do you think these questions are ok? I obviously wouldnt be reading them out like a robot but chatting about them. Does anyone ask anything of a potential breeder not here that I should be asking? I'm paranoid about buying from someone who has litters for the purpose of sale only. I really want to buy from someone who health checks (where necessary) and cares how their puppies are raised. The breeder is welcome to find out from me everything I can offer a puppy too! Are you a member of any Clubs? What do you like about the **? Have the parents had any health checks/scoring? What is the temperament of the parents? Have the parents been shown? Have the parents had a litter together before? How are the puppies raised? (Outside, inside, combination?) Will they have seen other animals, eg cats, chooks etc What age is the puppy released to its new owner? How much is the puppy? Is a deposit required? What documents come with the puppy? Registration (main / limited)? Vaccination? Microchip? Pedigree? Is there a vet check of the puppy before release? If kept crated/penned is there a separate area for toileting, ie do they go on grass / paper? Are they currently playing with kongs or chew toys? Thanks :D

Yep, over the top..thats me! I have to be very detailed at work and unfortunately it often carries over to my person life. It started out so small but every time I read the Dog breeds 101 someone would suggest another question so I added it to the list. I did have a good conversation with her first and she said send the questions through via email as she'd have more time to answer them (I did warn her there was a few of them). I had them in a table spaced out and it didn't look quite so harsh (well so I thought). I guess I also thought I was being responsible rather than cold and unfeeling She does have a website which I liked, hence calling her, but it hasn't been updated for a few years so I wasn't sure where she was at with breeding or showing. Definitely back to the drawing board to cut out at least half the questions. Thanks for the feedback.

What a little cutie! I see he's upgraded from a chew toy to a phone for his birthday