Jed

If she were my dog, I would get an opinion from another/better/specialist vet, and do not discount a brain tumour. Sorry, but it is possible. Ithink you need to know what is the matter with her.

Scabby b####rd. I do hope they catch him before this poor dog meets the kind of fate I imagine. The lowest act imaginable.

As a breeder who is particularly fussy about where my pups go to live, I would certainly never ask for a photo of the prospective owner, or their home. So what if they look like Mrs Pitt and live in a mansion? They still might kick the pup down the steps every morning. The only way to know them is to have conversations with them (and not in a nasty way), or to have them visit...and hopefully both, although that doesn't work for interstate sales. I guess it is up to breeders to behave as they see best - but it is also up to prospective owners to accept or reject the conditions of purchase.

Oh, ari.g, such sad news about Nelson - he was so much part of our family. Rest well, lovely boxer boy, may your paths be paved with carpets, and treats fall from the sky in your new life over the bridge. Such a long and wonderful life too. And ari.g, he has left you something of himself to remember. I shall miss hearing about him. I didn't realise he was a Skyvale, ari.g. She bred some lovely dogs.

Good for the Council for reinforcing their legislation. Wish others would take the hint. And good for the court for setting a penalty which will make others think carefully. Simple - if your dog bites people, or dogs, have it under control ALL the time or don't have it. Some owners obviously need assistance to grasp the seriousness of their dog's behaviour.

NO There is too much scientific research which suggests juvenile desexing is not good, and early desexing leads to very poor coats. I don't think most experienced Cocker breeders do juvenile desexing. I know cocker pups are difficult to find in SA, but I would look elsewhere, rather than have the problems which early desexing will bring. I don't breed many Cocker pups, but I encourage my pet buyers not to desex until 9 - 12 months old.

$50,000 fine sounds good to me. And how about a few lashes? 20 perhaps. Disgraceful to starve the poor dog to death. Rescues need to be very careful about where dogs go - as breeders need to be careful about where pups go. Sometimes, people are not who they demonstrate to be. Regular checks are probably a good idea. I am rather bemused that rescue didn't have a system in place to do something, when the fosterer said the dog was somewhere else. Sometimes pts at the pound is not the worst option.

Sorry about your problems. Neither "congenital" nor "genetic" is the same as "hereditary". For you to have any recourse from the breeder, you would need vet statement/s stating that the problem was hereditary. It also appears to me that perhaps the breeder considers that the "half price pup" was compensation for the problems you have had with the first dog. I also think that perhaps they do not know much about either problem, and find it all too difficult. But - that's just my opinion. Very trying and frustrating for you - but your dog is so lucky to have you to care for her. I used to breed horses, and a glorious imported mare - well known in the breed worldwide - she had offspring in Europe, America and NZ, arrived to have her foal, by a very nice horse, and to be re-bred to my stallion. The foaling was uneventful, the foal very nice ... but something was wrong. I wasn't sure what it was, so I phoned my vet. Naturally, I had to handle the foal so the vet could do an examination. During the handling I discovered what was wrong - the foal was blind. Vet concurred; we had an eye specialist for an opinion. Blind as a bat. We could see why. This type of blindness is practically unheard of in horses and in fact neither I nor my vet had ever seen it before. Perhaps it was hereditary - who knows? The foal was a lemon. And yes, I would tell the breeder - in a non critical, non judgemental way.

I believe it is because PIAA (voluntary body for the pet industry which a lot of pet shops are members of) have a large $$ base and have done lots of lobbying - "loss of jobs blah blah", so have talked away any chance of any polly putting this one up. Money rules!! And of course the sale of pups in pet shops should be banned. Government needs to have it belted into their heads that dogs are not agricultural animals, we do not eat them, and we should not farm them The issue is not important to pollies, it is all driven by lobby groups, and it is not a vote getter, so whoever shouts loudest gets their way.

Thanks for your post Karentrimbo. Welcome to the forum You said May I ask please what it is you believed pedigree dog owners/breeders/exhibitors wanted?

I am pretty sure Murdoch would do them. There are also certified people who will do the tests,which are simple mouth swabs, and send them off to the lab for you. Perhaps contact the Cocker Spaniel Club of WA (WACA would have the contact details) and ask them. It's too easy peasy if you can find someone to do the test and not expensive.

Thanks for that info, VM, I didn't realise they were by Ashka. I do like the Redcrest dogs.

What's the name of his son please?

Happy birthday Ashka!! I have always loved this boy, and he is still beautiful - he has the most glorious eyes. May he have many more birthdays in good health. When you cook meat, the cooking destroys an enzyme dogs need to digest meat, so they don't digest it as well when it is cooked. Dr. Larry Glickmann at Purdue (USA) has shown that feeding raw meat strengthens the heart muscle in Cavaliers; thus assisting with MVD, or slowing it - or preventing it. Agree 100% with what cavNrott said re feeding veges. Veges are an important part of the diet, as they contain vitamins and minerals, and by adding them to the raw diet, the dog is getting a broad range of things he needs. Beans for example, are rich in sulfur and copper; spinach is rich in vit E; dark green leafy vegetables are rich in folic acid. Every vegetable/fruit contributes something to the diet.

Ah, that might explain it. Thanks, everyone

Does anyone know anything about the current status of Petstock? Have been trying to phone them for days - the phone just keeps ringing out. Have they gone broke? Does anyone know?

Heaps of "elderly" people own MF or TT, and seem to get on really well with them. The dogs are very smart and very switched on. I know a couple in their 80s with a female - she can run up and down the curtains, she gets her toys out of the box every am, and puts them back every pm when asked. Keeps the couple well entertained, causes no problems. They adore her. So many older people own them, I think they must be extremely suitable. :)

Best place Rosebrook Boarding Kennels 557 Burpengary Rd Narangba Ph 3888 1200 New owners - experienced and caring dog owners. Only place I'd send my tribe Sorry - meant to say - 5 minutes off Bruce highway.

Two entire males. One is 11 months, the other is 5. The 5 year old has sired quite a few litters. They mix with each other. We also have in season bitches in the house. Not sure what will happen after the younger dog has had a bitch. Face it when it happens, I guess Both are totally trustworthy in the house and neither lifts his leg on the outside of the house or the porch. Training is your friend :)

The same

Far too little far too late. Tens of thousands of dogs have died due to their previous stance. AVA has always been anti BSL. Kirsty Seksel was president of the AVA years ago, and said a lot against BSL Hi, PW, pleased to see you here. Course I remember Hugely and Graeme Smith. Lovely fellows. Hugely was the one who also bagged tail docking as "cruel" whilst owning several docked terriers; and suggested euthing a GR puppy on his radio show for mouthing.

None of the litters advertised are accidental. None of the people wanting to stud their dog are doing anything less than deliberate. And whilst I agree totally with what others have said about BSL, and spent years fighting it --- now that it is law, surely people would keep their dogs safe? And not advertise them on a public site as red noses or amstaffs with no papers. *sigh* What a treasure trove for some of the more bloody minded Qld councils. Poor, poor dogs.

My standard smooth dacshund, Cleo, lived to 23. She came from a very good breeder. She had 3 litters with no problems. She was my constant companion all her life - she arrived when I was 6. She competed in obedience. When she was young, she used to run around with me, (back in the day when kids ran around). She was last in every race and dog jumping contest we had. She once bit a friend who was chasing me around the lounge room and laughing - Cleo got up on the couch so she could reach!! When she was a little older, she had a carrier on the back of my bike. Then I got a car and she rode in style. she loved sitting on the parcel shelf. Like one of those nodding dog ornaments!! I used to compete at the Royal every year, and she came too. She wandered around, doing her own thing, and everyone knew who she was. She didn't cause any problems. One year she was trotting down an alley, minding her own business, and two young policemen thought they could collar the stray dog, so they set off in hot pursuit - looking over her shoulder and seeing the law in hot pursuit, she broke into a gallop, and did what any pursued young lady would do, she whipped into the ladies. The constables stood outside, asking emerging ladies to bring them the dog - of course, no one would!! She loved sitting in the stands, sharing a dagwood dog or a sausage roll. She coped with marriage (mine, not hers) and insisted that she still slept in the bed, under the blankets. She basically ignored the baby. All her life, she was sharp and clever. At the end, she was looking frail, although her heart was as strong as could be. She slipped a disc, so we gave her a ticket over the rainbow bridge. I don't ever remember her being sick, or particularly needing the vet. She ate scraps, raw offcuts from the butcher, bones, eggs, milk .... no canned or dry food then. And a pup from each of her litters was shown, and titled. There were no long haired dacs in Qld then, but there were a few in her litters, so she produced some of the first long haired standard dacs shown in Qld. Edited to add newspaper photo from the Royal - years ago. With the pony being shown, and dear Cleo. I lost all my photos, of course, but someone sent me this saved cutting.

Years ago, a friend came home, and 1 of her week old litter was missing from the laundry where they were locked. Mother was very agitated. Friend thought the pup had been stolen, and bitch was upset about someone intruding. Theft reported etc. Few days later, owner was home and the bitch was really carrying on. Laundry was at back of house, down a couple of steps. Older type house, wooden floors. Owner rushed into laundry, just in time to see a very large snake emerging from a tiny hole under the steps. There are more things that can happen apart from people.