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Thank you, I'm sure he is better off now. Yesterday we had an amusing incident that highlighted the fact that I couldn't look after him adequately. Oh and I would carry him outside on a blanket (so he didn't need to negotiate the step) and then I would stand him up. He would balance him self and i also think clear the opiate haze then take off and toilet. Yesterday he didn't take off so I laid him down which was definately a choreographed effort, the choreographing went haywire and he ended up laying on top of me. I couldn't get up as my legs were under me (heel on my backside) he was pinning an arm under him and my other arm was pinned underneath me and him. OH was in the shed with the radio on and son was inside playing the piano I was calling out but noone could hear me OH came out to get something and found me. I could have wiggled out of it with a great deal of difficulty but I was concerned about hurting Boof so I decided to wait as I knew someone would find me eventually. During all this Boof in his usual manner went "ok this is what we are doing now" and proceeded to appreciate the raised veiwing platform.

I made the decision this morning and gave Boof his wings. He had hurt himself twice since I was on here last and the specialist basically said it would be very difficult for him for quite a few reasons and the probability of the op being successful because of the fact that the after care would have been very hard for me, both time wise and physically weren't in his favour. He seemed like he was starting to get depressed also. Thank you for your support it definately did help.

My head does totally agree with all that you have said. I have done a pros and cons list for both him and us, being as practical as I can, rating them is a good idea. If he can't get up and down that is a big problem. He is on pain meds and anti inflamatries and is not an overly happy lad. He doesn't seem to be bouncing back as well as he did the first time. Having said that he got by himself about 1/2 an hour ago. I have had a Lab that had the cruciate op, she coped much better as it was alot easier than it is for him, as her centre of gravity was a lot lower and she had 4 legs and I didn't have to help her get up and down. Since I can compare how the two dogs managed so differently this is one of the reasons my head is saying I'm not sure. As I said I am a long way off giving up so I will talk to a specialist and see what they have to say. Thanks for the advice and sharing of experences it will give me something to think about should I need to make that decision.

Yes I would have to set a limit, but that would depend on what the specialist said. Thanks for the heads up on these procedures.

Hi I have an 7yr old greyhound with three legs (left front is missing) a few weeks ago he tore his cruciate on his right back leg. With rest he was recouperating well and then he hurt it again and now we are back worse than before. In fact he is really struggling to get up or down (we need to assist him) once he is up and moving he can cope on his own. Shaking is very hard for him and toileting he working out. Now the problem I am having is wondering what to do should it come down to the cruciate not being able to repair as he does need to use that leg a bit more than a 4 legged dog would need to. Plus being a tall Greyhoud makes it a little more difficult for him as well. The logical side of me sees my option as euthanasia because of the difficulty that I would have providing adequate after care for him if he had an op and the pain he will go through (and may continue to have) to achieve very little improvement and possibly compramising other body parts. He may also injure the crutiate again and again. The vet also hinted tactfully that this might have to happen. I'm not a spring chicken and he is a 37kg dog. My heart is saying no to euthanasia we will just work it out any problems when they arise. I'm far from giving up on him at this point but I'm just wondering if this was you with your dog what would you do?

These are the rumours from years gone by, I doubt these days it would be done. If the bodies were found the dogs are chipped so the owner could still be traced. It is also the not the trainer (unless they are an owner trainer) that determines the fate of the dog, it is the owner, they are their dog/s. A trainers opinion may help but a smart owner would try another trainer first before giving up on the dog.

Thanks Pers that is a good idea I will suggest that to her. Yes she was a good girl and a good bit of problem solving I thought. My boss is very proud of her and she apparently did get some roast chook :) .

Hi Wilma is owned by my boss at the kennels I work at, she is the house dog. My boss was asleep and at about 3am Friday morning my boss woke up to Wilma running into her bedroom barking then taking off to the other end of the house. She repeated this process several times and my boss got out of bed and followed her only to find her 83 yr old father, who is an amputee (leg), on the floor with a serious gash out of his leg. Apparently he had fallen while getting up and caught his leg on his walker as he went down. He called out but my boss didn't hear him, so Wilma took it upon herself to alert my boss to his predicament. Poor Wilma her intelligence has been called into question on the odd occasion, but she showed us :D

I'm very sorry, . You gave it your best shot, this world needs many more dog owners like you.

It will take some very special magician to prove this dog was vicious. If growling is directed at a stranger it's a big heads up the dog isn't happy and if the growling doesn't work the dog may up the ante. A stranger walking up the driveway generally provokes a very different attitude in a dog compared to the same dog walking around the neighbourhood with it's owner or neighbours visiting the owner .

Sorry, I was a bit abrupt but it really peeves me when people critise organisations whose hands are generally tied with many constraints. It's great that she is fostering, good on you (collectively) for turning the discussion into an enlightening one.

Can't help re FB, but you could tell her to put her time where her mouth is go down there and help with the animals and if it is so bad she can make suggestions/contributions to improve their conditions. Spouting stuff on FB won't help the animals that are there now, plus she will be able to make informed accusations.

That was my thought too, the head also looks similar to a FC's.

In essence I agree with you but what about the breeder who breeds responsibly but has sold the dog to people who have decided the dog needs a better aggressive response. I believe there are people out there that get their jollies off by owning a dog that is aggressive. Plus I don't believe that all dogs can be bred to be unresponsive to all provacation from external influences, unless we give them labotomies at birth. There is also the factor where a dog has been bred for a purpose has shown no inclination to do what their ancestors have done, then years later (one dog was 13)the "drive" has come to the fore and they have shown enough talent to make their ancestors proud. I believe given the right circumstances Fido can turn into Cujo just as Little Red Riding Hood can turn into the Wolf. People need to be made aware of this. Personally I would rather see efforts being put into erradicating the drug trade. I would put money on it thsat one shipment of ice coming into the country would either directly or indirectly kill and profoundly affect peoples lives far more than all the aggressive dogs in Aus put together. Never see much about that in the news.

That's what concerns me the most. A child has died, and people are in a frenzy to look like they're doing something productive about it. How many knee jerk reactions have happened about dogs in the past few years, more laws that don't get properly policed. Knee jerk reactions is the biggest problem. Extreme reactions with very little thought put into them. Education of dog awareness in conjunction with training are areas that I think need to be expanded on. Getting message through can be challenging though. I sure there are dolers out there (particually puppy class instructors) who have been asked by Joe Blow what do think the prognosis (behaviour/temperament) is and you have said "if you do or don't do x, y could happen". The owner has gone "no not fido, that won't happen" " or "I have had a dog/s before that were ok with that" and then 6, 12, 24, months down the track has thought to themselves "yep the writing was on the wall for that one." Even people you have given advise on their selection of dog for their lifestyle, prior to them getting a dog. With both senarios it can be frustrating as the dog is generally the one who loses on the ownership deal, unless they can be rehomed.

Just recently I have become involved with Greyhound Safety Net, I have found them great.

I have made a harness for two dogs that have had this op, they are $15 pm me if you are interested.

Thats great JB! Ignoring is good, I'm guessing they know exactly what the other is doing even tho they don't seem like they are watching. Mia looks lovely, very much like my latest foster, Bunny, down to the dilated pupils. :)

Fantastic regarding GAP! Could you have a play date with the greyhound at daycare for a couple of hours at your place with the dog's foster person present? Just as a bit of trial to see how Roo is with dogs at her place.

Yes, that's them in a nutshell, generally :) My boss has some bitches he has bred with and when deciding if to mate a bitch, one of the things he takes into consideration is her demeanour.

Don't know if cooking while alive after being skinned is true but I used to work with an Asian girl and she told me of some horrific things they do to dogs. I agree like those fur covered cat ornaments. Being aware has prevented me from purchasing one, otherwise I probably would have, thereby supporting their practises.

After Roo a Grey will be a walk in the park. Not being experienced enough to cope is the last thing you need to be worried about, greys are very easy to live with. I agree with HA you don't even notice that you have 5 dogs I also have a 12 year old Kelpie and a 8 year old ACD I couldn't stand having 5 of them they would drive me nuts (unless I worked from home or didn't work). When the ACD came she was very stressed and was constantly pacing except when asleep. The greys calm demeanour has certainly helped her settle.

Hi I think the right Grey would be great for Roo, I think they are the most laid back dogs you could ever wish to meet once they are comfortable, which really doesn't take that long. I have 5 and I have rescued and rehomed several more and I also work at a greyhound kennel, so have met a lot of greys and yes while some can be silly at exciting moments, particularly when they are young. They do settle down and become couch potatoes I have two (aka stupid 1 and stupid 2). I have a Kelpie that isn't overly fond of dogs but she is actually very accepting of the greys being at her place. I believe that is because in most situations they would rather avoid a conflict than get into one. As I was reading the help save my girl thread I did wonder if the right grey would be good for Roo to show her that your absence is no biggy and chilling out is the best way to get through the day, dogs learn alot off their pack be it human or dog. Fostering is a great way to find a suitable dog to see if it may help Roo. I have found the males generally to be calmer than the girls but that is a generalisation some girls I have known have been very calm and some boys silly. I definately think it is worth a try.

At the kennels I work at the last 4 bitches we have had whelp there they have had 8 pups and one girl only had two. If you go through litters that have been registered as race dogs (Greyhound data base) I have found that litters on the larger size seem to be common. Having said that I've been looking at certain dogs in certain lines so maybe genetics plays a part in that ???

Sorry going OT here but re the bolded bit, I watched a doco where they had "trained" elephants to track ivory poachers. The motivator to follow these people over 100's of kms over rough terrain for several weeks was their "empathy" for the decreased elphants. They took the elephants to the site of the slaughter (they didn't know these elephants) and allowed them to scent the remains and then when they were ready they would track the poachers. For the doco they set it up using remains from a real slaughter and an ex poacher utilising all his skills. I'm not an expert on elephant body language but when the poacher was in sight the elephants definately increased their effort to get to the poacher and they did seem agitated.