Holmesy

Wow.. just wow.. I really hope that there is a special place in hell for people like this "breeder" Maybe i'm soft, but I can't even begin to fathom the lack of empathy, conscience, and just common decency that you would need to be so wantonly cruel.. The fact that she was allowed to continue operating after being charged, and did just that, beggars belief. If this sick person was punished to the maximum available by the judge, then the laws need to be changed. This person shouldn't even be allowed to own a goldfish, nevermind continue her puppy mill. The fine would be paid for in 1 or 2 litters.. I highly doubt that she would even be bothered by that fine considering the mass production of puppies going on at that place.. wouldn't even surprise me if she took into account possible fines when budgeting. Absolutely makes my blood boil.

I didn't think i'd need to ever require dog boarding as I try to make sure that I never go anywhere without my pair of gentle giants, however, I have just been asked to travel to Melbourne for a few days starting Monday.. yes very late notice but it's part of the work that I do, so it can happen very rarely. I can see a lot of posts here recommending the boarding kennel run/owned by someone on the forums named Pax. I live in the Campbelltown area and I am desperately seeking a reputable boarding kennel/dog sitter to look after my babies for a few days next week.

The last few posts have come pretty close to the mark for me too. I've had a bit of pressure from the family for the last year or so about trying to find another girlfriend.. really though, with my two beautiful dogs, I don't know if there is room for anyone lol :) I don't know about reincarnation. It's be awesome if it were the case, but I do think that sometimes you can get signs, or gut feelings or things similar, and these things shouldn't be ignored. Things will work out for the best, even if you don't end up with a new addition to the family so soon :)

The book "grow your pups with bones" by Dr Ian Billinghurst is a wonderful guide on how to get into feeding your pup a raw diet. I have both a Bullmastiff and Mastiff that I have raised using this book as a methodology. The bullmastiff is not exactly a giant pup, but my Mastiff, Alamo, is definitely a giant (currently 2 years old and 82kg). Reading this book was a real eye opener. The key to raising giant breed pups is to not let them grow too quickly. The rate at which their joints and bones grow means that if you grow them too fast, you're going to risk future joint problems. Even my vet recommended against using giant breed pup food because generally they have a much higher protein percentage in them compared to regular adult dry food. This might be ok for small or medium dogs, but for giant ones, you really really really need to not have them grow too fast. Their joints cannot support that kind of weight as they're growing. That being said, making your own raw meals can be a chore in itself because it's not just throwing your dog a bone or chicken wings.. they do need vegetables mixed in too to get the right balance of vitamins and minerals. Best of luck with your new pup :)

I was really hoping i'd see more really positive posts about this treatment as Linda has recommended that my dog be treated with these vaccines on a 6 monthly basis too. Unfortunately for me, after 2 rounds of the skin testing, there were no conclusive results as to what is causing her bad reactions. Probably grass pollen, but nothing highly reactive in the test results. I am hoping the vaccines will at least lessen the discomfort a little bit because I am really reluctant to have to use cortizone to control her reactions or use any other immune suppressants.

Hi Simply Grand, I am not a breeder or anything but I do own a 2 year old mastiff and a 3 year old bullmastiff. I would recommend going with the normal or adult food rather than the "puppy" formula. Because of the growth rate of Mastiffs, you really don't want them to be growing too fast because their joints and bones need to be able to carry the weight, if they grow too fast, the joints will struggle. Your pup's joints will thank you later. The puppy formula dry food tends to have a much higher protein content than the adult version.. from all of the research that I did before I got a Mastiff, you want to have them grow as slowly as possible! (Although they still grow really quick anyway lol) Hope this helps.

Not like they don't already have enough bad publicity and people that seem to actively dislike them

I am a bit skeptical about the authenticity of the OP. This to me looks like a bit of a troll post. Anyone who reads this forum knows that there are a couple of groups that are 'pro big dogs' and 'pro small dogs' and 'pro bully' as well as 'pro swf' This thread was always going to go down the path that it has done. You should be wary of any dog that is unknown to you. All dogs can be dangerous of all breeds and sizes etc.

Dog shot by police Policeman shoots dog during arrest in south-west Sydney Posted October 11, 2013 10:02:03 Map: Sydney 2000 A policeman has shot a dog that bit him several times while he was trying to arrest a teenager in Sydney's south-west. Police say the 15-year-old tried to run away yesterday when officers arrived at his Rosemeadow home to arrest him over a stabbing at the weekend. A Staffordshire terrier attacked the policeman as he was trying to handcuff the teenager. Acting Inspector Paul Kremer says the officer was forced to act. "The dog managed to survive the injuries so far and is currently being looked after by the local vet," he said. "We've spoken to the officer obviously since the incident and he's expressed... basically he was in absolute fear for his life at the time of the shooting. "The only way the police officer was able to stop the attack from the dog was to draw his firearm and shoot the dog." The dog bit the officer on his chest and arm, and he was treated for minor injuries at Campbelltown Hospital. The boy was taken to Campbelltown Police Station where he was charged with robbery and wounding offences. He will face court today. As an addition to the news story, the local paper reported that police are covering the Vet bill for the poor dog that was shot. The are where this occured is a pretty rough area. And this was not posted to paint police in a bad light either :p The police officer was bitten twice before drawing his weapon and they're also covering the vet bills.

I just finished ranting in that dog attack thread when I saw this one. The problem will probably only get worse.. As more stories of bullmastiff attacks are published, more BYB will advertise "bullmastiff" puppies to appeal to thugs and people looking for a guard dog rather than a companion pet, thus these bully x-breeds will then be in the news again under the name bullmastiff, because that is what the owners believe that they are.. Then the vicious cycle will continue. I'm not blind to the facts though. Purebred bullmastiffs are a large, muscular and powerful breed of dog, that are very capable of inflicting a lot of damage to people or other animals. I have been around dogs for most of my life (i'm 38 now), and my 2 current dogs (mastiff and bullmastiff) have been e by far the most passive/calm and gentle dogs that i've ever owned. The only thing that I can do, is take my well trained and socialised dogs out into the public when i walk them, or take them to the dog park, and show people that bullmastiffs are not the vicious killers that the press seems to make them out to be.

Sigh.. Yet another non-bullmastiff "bullmastiff" attack. I guess the bullmastiff is the new pitbull as far as the media are concerned. I actually got into an argument with my cousin today when she posted pics of her "bullmastiff" on facebook. It was white with grey splotches and had a bully face, so, clearly a bullmastif! Another sad incident that could have so easily been prevented.. Will probably cost the bully x-breed its life and traumatize the poor child for life too. I can only shake my head and wonder when people will understand that dogs and children don't mix unless under very close supervision (or at all if you don't want to risk losing your dog at all) And yes I am biased because I think that I have the gentlest and most easy going bullmastiff alive. I do understand that this breed does have the potential to do a lot of damage in the wrong conditions, however, the recent spate of bullmastiff attacks, are not even purebred bullmastiffs.

Much better :). If bullmastiffs grew to the size of that one in the picture, the press would have a field day :)

Not to derail this thread, but you're wrong too Blackjaq, which goes to show just how hard it is to define the breed unless you're fairly knowledgable. The picture at the top is actually just a Mastiff (or English Mastiff depending on where you are). The picture in the article is most definitely a bullmastiff, but i've never ever come across a grey and white bullmastiff. Mine is fawn, and there is no way you could possibly interpret that colour as white or grey. I think that one of the first replies to this thread said it best when they said that the dog in question was probably a crossbreed (possibly a bullmastiff crossbreed). This thread does highlight the number of judgmental people that use this forum. It is sad that the poor little dog died, and the owner is understandably devastated (as any of us would be if we lost our beloved dog) We don't know all of the circumstances, other than the allegations made by the victim's owner. Shouldn't matter about the type of neighbourhood, or the wealth, or how the victim's owner looks, a small dog was attacked and killed by an out of control dog owned by somebody else. Sometimes reading this forum is like watching a soap opera on television. Of course, with yet another "bullmastiff" dog attack story in the news again, my poor poor Tin Tin will be assumed to be vicious because the press says so.

Touches a real nerve with me since I have a beautiful bullmastiff girl with an extremely gentle temperament. She is not a fan of strange people, but she does not bark or lunge.. she just keeps her distance while keeping an eye on them. Thankfully I allow full access to my front yard so the situation from this article wouldn't happen to me. If something like this happened in my back yard though, i'd probably end up getting shot by police for attacking them. I know the police are just doing their job, and the full details of this incident are not available at the moment, but if ANYONE.. police or not try to or actually hurt either of my dogs while I am present, I am going to do my best to hurt them. I am not trying to be a tough guy.. my dogs are my family. Sad situation for both parties. I am sure the police officer felt bad about killing the dog after he/she saw how much it upset the owner to lose her best friend. The shoulder cam for police is a great idea.. I know that it's been trialed in one of the states of USA with a huge amount of success. The number of police related complaints has almost disappeared from that precinct since the trial began. That's not just because police have to do the right thing, but also because it's on film, people can't level false accusations against the police for brutality etc. Police Camera Trial

As part of my morning ritual, i stop and grab a takeaway coffee and a muffin from the local bakery that I walk past on my dog walking circuit. I tether my two pups outside while I order coffee and the muffin. I can see my little monsters from the window and have my eye on them all of the time. My two are very people and dog friendly and generally sit patiently waiting for me. My only concern is that some people are afraid of dogs and my pair are large dogs (bullmastiff and mastiff) and might scare them from shopping. I would never leave them longer than 5 minutes and NEVER out of my sight. In the area where I live, they'd likely get stolen if I let them out of my sight at all.

It's not a breed thing. My bullmastiff is the softest, most submissive dog that you'd ever meet. Some dogs don't appreciate her in your face bull breed play style, but she does take the hint if the other dog doesn't like it. Not saying that all Bullmastiffs are that way, it's a combo of the dog's personality and how well socialized it has been from puppyhood (not just other dogs, but exposure to people and noises, strange objects and other animals etc) That dog is lucky (or unlucky) to still be alive. Sounds like it's only going to be a matter of time before it hurts someone or something and finally gets pts. That breed combination is a very very strong animal and unless the owner is very strong, i can't see him being able to stop his dog if it reaches a high level of arousal. If you can't convince him to adhere to the imposed rules, maybe you should try to get him to consider having the dog pts. Sounds harsh, but if those rules aren't being followed, the dog will end up getting pts at the cost of another innocent dog or possibly kid's life.

I had a bit of a laugh when I read this thread, because I was about to create a similar thread on behalf of my Bullmastiff. She has experienced the same thing over the last couple of weeks. Very itchy and has small rashes under her arms and legs. The vet said that it was probably an allergic reaction to grass or pollen at this time of the year and recommended that I try anti-histamine tablets or paw paw skin cream. I haven't tried either yet, but the rashes seem to be clearing by themselves.

Maybe i'm a bit crazy but I love that dog smell. As much as I keep my house as clean as can be with two large dogs, my family always tell me that my house smells of dog. Unless i've been out of the house for a few hours, I don't notice any smell. When I do go out for a few hours and come back though, I can definitely smell that doggy smell and I like it.. it smells of.. home :) I have to agree with the majority of the people that have replied here though. My house, my rules. If you don't like the doggy smell, then we can meet at an alternate venue. I'd say that the only exception would be someone that has severe allergies or fear of dogs, and then I might be flexible.. that being said though, if I knew someone with any problems like that, I would choose to meet them at a different venue rather than put my dogs out.

That's what I don't understand about this whole thing.. they were having a gunfight in a parking lot of a family restaurant trying to kill each other. Just because they hit someone in the crossfire doesn't take away from the fact that, although he wasn't the intended target, they were still shooting to kill each other. Their attitude during the trial indicates that they have absolutely no remorse for the life that they have taken. How they could even get such light sentence to begin with just boggles the mind.. another example of how the judicial system is fatally flawed in some areas.

Again, a lot of the blame goes to the media with their bad dog identification in almost all dog attack stories.. The papers usually call the dog breed a Pit Bull Mastiff.. So if you're a Pit Bull owner, a Mastiff owner, or a Bullmastiff owner, your dog is thought of as a dangerous dog breed. My bullmastiff is the biggest sook and most gentle dog that i've ever owned. When I take her for her daily walks, she gets a decent amount of attention from people as we walk. It is interesting to see some of the reactions I get from people after they've been patting her and then ask what breed and I answer Bullmastiff.. they pull their hands away and ask if she's aggressive? This is after they've been fussing over her for a minute or two. Not saying all Bullmastiffs are as gentle as mine, but I haven't seen an aggressive Bullmastiff (doesn't mean they don't exist of course) Hopefully you'll find somewhere to stay that has no problem with your gentle slobber machine :)

Shutting the doggy door was not going to be an option for 3 reasons lol.. 1. Alamo wees when he gets frightened, 2. Dogs do need an escape route and 3. If I locked the doggy door I think that Tin Tin would still plow through it. One time I accidentally left her outside with the doggy door locked.. she broke doggy door off trying to get back inside. I will try your suggestions aussie and megan thank you. I think I was a bit premature the last time I tried and turned it off after 20 minutes or so.

Hi everyone, I am not sure if this should go into the training forum or general but I have a bit of a problem with summer fast approaching. I have a year old Bullmastiff and a 5 month old Mastiff and whenever I try putting on the air conditioner, they both go into a wild panic and charge straight for the doggy door. They will not come back inside until the air conditioner has been turned off. It is a little bit funny to see two rather large dogs flee at the sound, but on the other hand, it's going to be a hot summer and i'd rather not have to endure it without air conditioning.. and in all honesty, if I cannot overcome their fear, I will not be switching it on. A bit about the air conditioner.. it is just your standard reverse cycle wall mounted air conditioner. It's actually very quiet.. just a low humming. I am thinking it could possibly be creating high pitched noises that I cannot hear that is hurting the dogs but I am not sure. Although it's usually very quiet in my house, both of my dogs have no problems with the washing machine which is a lot of noise. They do have a problem with the vacuum cleaner but that's another issue. Has anyone had a similar problem and are able to share how they helped their dogs overcome their fear? My dogs are both very very food driven, but even food does not seem to win the battle over the air conditioner.

Tragic . I was thinking the same thing also Snook. Dogs seem to be able to sense to a degree sick people/animals. The first thing that I thought after reading that article though was, geez that is a very small paved back yard to be keeping four pretty big dogs.

The poor woman. I couldn't even imagine what she must be going through now. It is quite amazing that she basically put her life on the line to try to save her beloved furbaby)considering her age and size. I have a Mastiff and a Bullmastiff that I take for walks twice a day and although they are large dogs, I am still extremely wary about unleashed/uncontrolled dogs of ANY size. My two dogs are just big marshmallows and I honestly think that even if they were attacked by a roaming SWF, they'd probably lay there and get mauled rather than consider fighting back. Thankfully i've only ever been accosted by roaming dogs a couple of times (one beagle, one cattle dog and a fox terrier) and I was able to read their posture/intent and get between them and my dogs and shoo them off. (I'm a reasonably large guy) Any dog that is uncontrolled and roaming free is a problem, regardless of the size of the dog. It saddens me to see almost every dog attack story that appears in this forum end up turning into a pissing contest about big dogs vs little dogs

Thank you Pax. I will give her a call.