Redsonic

Great photos!

Looks like he has a double suspension gallop too.

Is he a Portugese Podengo?

I reckon if I threw my dog's poo onto the street, you wouldn't need a police cordon to evacuate the place

Border Terrier:

Their wire fur. If you don't roll their coat to keep it short it gets quite long and scruffy. You can brush it and two seconds later they look scruffy and unbrushed again. When I stroke my Frenchis fur its sooo smooth and soft and then I stroke Poppy's fur and its like stroking the head of a broom! In saying that she looks extra cute at her fluffiest so its a catch 22 lol.

The wire coat is one of the (many) things I love about my Border Terrier. Given the number of people mentioning shedding as a downside, I consider myself lucky that I can take my terrier to the park and "pluck" the longer outer coat. I do this every 2 weeks or so and all the hair gets left outside to line the birdies' nests. He rarely picks up prickles or burrs, always looks clean, and dries super fast. If you want somewhere soft to stroke, his velvet ears are lovely :)

What's not so nice is the farts. Oh boy, the farts….

has anyone tried coconuts? I'm not sure I'd go unsupervised with one of these but potential to keep a dog entertained for hours...

I mean that pod thing that comes off a palm tree.

My terrier found a coconut floating in a tidal creek near us. It came complete with the fibrous outer coating which he had enormous fun ripping apart. I took it off him when he got down to the hard shell though, as I think it would break a tooth or cut his gum.

The raw coconut looked like these:

I can't understand why people EVER think it is a good idea to restrain a dog on a ute via a collar and chain (no matter how short). Hanging risk aside, how safe would you feel if your seat belt arrangement was a loop around your neck?

A firm harness with short tether, or crate or, better yet, ride in the cab.

You see so many dogs standing on hot aluminium tray bodies, blinking out the dust in their eyes as the spilled feed gets blown around the back. We really need to rethink our "Aussie dog on back of ute" myth.

Happy to make an exception for farm dogs on farm property - they are working and it is by far the most practical way to bring them with you.

Thanks for sharing. What a wise story

Arctic breeds are virtually not reported when it comes to serious attacks on people over 2 or 3 years old, but over represented in attacks below this age.

Bears out that particular research finding that the husky breed came out in the least aggressive to humans group. (But as the researchers noted, there's still variation within the breed, as for any breed.)

But babies & tiny children send out totally different signals. So different stimulus to dog.

Which is why, generally, across all dogs, the babies & small children are the highest 'at risk' group.

Do you have a reference for the arctic breeds being over- represented in serious attacks on them? Or has it been your impression from media accounts?

It'd be good if there were stats like that, to show how people can't predict what their dog might do around babies/tiny children .... based on, genuinely, how trustworthy it's always been around humans. Whatever the breed or mix.

I think this might be the fatal flaw for many people .... not realizing that there can be a difference.

Google Karen Delise and Fatal Dog Attacks.

I have a copy of this book for sale if anyone is interested. Well worth a look.

Thanks CC. Must learn to search forums before posting

Awful for the family:

ABC News

Newborn undergoing surgery after being bitten on face by family dog at Campbelltown in south-western Sydney

By Clare Mathie and staff

Updated about 3 hours ago

A seven-day-old baby is undergoing surgery and is in a serious condition after being attacked by the family dog on Sydney's south-western outskirts.

Paramedics were called to the home in Campbelltown about 3:30am after the baby girl was bitten on the face by the family's Alaskan Malamute.

Police Superintendent Wayne Benson said the child's father heard the child screaming from her bassinet.

"The mother's woken to feed the young baby, she's fed bubs, put bubs back in the bassinet," he said.

"Then the father's heard the baby screaming, looked up and saw the dog, the family dog leaning into the bassinet...and then he's taken action from there."

Police said she suffered serious injuries to her face and was taken to Campbelltown Hospital before being taken to Sydney Children's Hospital in Randwick, where she underwent surgery.

Her injuries are not believed to be life-threatening but a hospital spokeswoman said the infant was in a serious condition.

The infant's distraught parents are by her bedside at the hospital, Superintendent Benson said.

"We're all parents and you can only imagine what that poor family is going through at present."

The Alaskan Malamute is a domestic dog that is similar to arctic breeds like the Siberian Husky, but heavier in structure and bred for power and endurance.

Superintendent Benson said the dog was a loved family pet who lived inside the home.

"The bottom line of it is that sometimes these things occur; they're terrible accidents," he said.

"They are family pets, cherished members of the family."

Neighbour Dennis Pallos said the attack came as a shock as the dog was normally quite placid.

"The dogs are fantastic ... it's just one of those things that can happen," he said.

"They are a lovely young couple and I suppose we've just got to be wary about these things. It's just a shock.

"If someone walks by the house [the dog] gives a little bark like our dog does, but that's it, you wouldn't call it an aggressive animal."

Don't leave dogs alone with kids under 9: vet

Veterinarian Kersti Seksel said dogs needed to be carefully introduced to new additions to the family.

"What we recommend you do is that you bring the child's dirty nappies home beforehand," she said.

"You get [the dog] used to having the sounds of a child around just to see how they might react."

Dr Seksel said no child under nine should be left alone with a dog.

The dog is still at the family home and Campbelltown City Council staff are yet to speak with the family.

Superintendent Benson said the police were working with the council on the appropriate steps of action in relation to the dog.

"Our main emphasis, the family's main emphasis, and I imagine the community's main emphasis is making sure that bub is OK," he said.

According to the council, the dog may be declared dangerous - which would place restrictions on the animal.

Alternatively, the owners may decide to surrender the dog and in that case it would be euthanased.

I know it was wrong to allow the dog access to the room with the baby, but I can understand an exhausted mother in the middle of the night forgetting to shut a door.

I hope bub will be OK and not too badly scarred. I hope the family are able to manage the dog rather than euthanase it, but it is understandable if they do put it down.

Owner takes her case all the way to the high court:

ABC News article

Sounds like the owner was totally irresponsible and I doubt she deserves to get Izzy back, but glad the court saw sense and reversed the verdict in favour of the dog.

Lovely dogs; I always like seeing working Labradors; so lean and muscly! Makes up for all the overweight ones you see.

I wonder why search and rescue dogs are usually medium to large breeds? I would think a well trained terrier (for example) would be great at getting into small spaces to locate a person/body. Also smaller and more convenient to move about in a helicopter/plane.

I read on the Daily Mail site that the groomer who clipped the dogs was supporting the cause to let the dogs stay. I wonder if she has thought how her life (and that of all people who work with animals in Australia) would change if rabies was introduced here?

I think a criminal act has been perpetrated and think the owners should be deported as well as the dogs.

Tibetan Mastiffs in the news again:

Oregonlive.com

What a lowlife (Dutch's owner I mean). She obviously knew Dutch was a problem to the neighbour yet habitually let him wander. There is so much to read between the lines here, and I suspect there is a completely different side to this tale. 22500 supporters of her petition just shows how gullible people can be.

She is asking for jail time for her neighbour but, depending where she lives, her neighbour may have acted perfectly legally:

VIC Govt Act

Who the hell takes their (declared) dangerous dog on holidays and thinks that they can relax the restricions on it because they are on holidays... the dog should have been muzzled and wearing it's special collar at the very least!

Hope the hit to the hip pocket hurts enough to wake them up to responsible ownership.

T.

Agree about the holiday attitude. I bet the caravan park they were staying at (if that's where they parked their motorhome) would have been thrilled to know they had a dangerous dog with them.

Does anyone know if the dangerous dog legislation has local, state. or federal jurisdiction?

A nice story on ABC News:

Hounds4Healing

Hounds 4 Healing: Canine powers help old dogs of war deal with post-traumatic stress disorder

By Allyson Horn

Updated about 3 hours agoFri 7 Nov 2014, 10:03am

The love and loyalty of a pet dog is proving to be remarkably effective in treating post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among former soldiers in north Queensland.

The Hounds 4 Healing group was set up by former soldier Matt Campbell.

He was wounded during tours of Afghanistan and was diagnosed with PTSD when he returned home.

"I sort of fell in a big black hole," he said.

"You don't want to go out of the house, you don't want to drive anywhere.

"I become angry with the world, I became angry with my family."

Mr Campbell said he turned to his dog Bobby to help with his recovery and found the change in his condition was remarkable.

"If I didn't have Bob I don't think I'd be here," he said.

"She allows me to get out and about and do stuff but if I start to have dramas, all I have to do is concentrate on her, even by hanging on to her collar or just by patting her, she'll just bring me back to there."

The Hounds 4 Healing program has linked rescued and street dogs with PTSD sufferers in Townsville.

The program's been supported by the trauma recovery centre run by the Townsville Mater Hospital.

Jane Keast from the centre said thousands of ex-soldiers suffered from mental illness.

"It's a big issue. The statistics that float around is between 5 and 12 per cent of people in the military will develop PTSD," she said.

"That may be a total underestimation as well."

Ms Keast said she had noticed the healing powers of the dogs.

She said the animals brought about a remarkable change in the recovery process.

"Not only do they help get people out into the community and doing things that they might not normally feel comfortable doing, they also help ground people," she said.

"If you just lean down, pat your dog and just connect with the dog, it's the reality of what's happening here and now.

"It takes you out of that hyper-aroused state which a lot of people with PTSD experience."

Mr Campbell and said he would like to see the program expanded across the country.

"On my darkest, darkest days Bob's been the only light in the tunnel," he said.

"If my dogs only change one person's life and stop them from falling in that big hole, well I've achieved something that I never ever thought I could achieve."

They are the reason this dog has a destruction order. Not the council, the meter reader not anyone else but themselves. If they had of kept the dog confined as they should, there would never have a dangerous dog order. If the dog had been confined as per the rules it woudl never have been able to bite the metre reader.

Having said all that, how freaking dumb is the meter reader to go past 4 sighns and two gates - which incidentally should have been padlocked.

I would say that the meter reader felt safe because the council specified dangerous dog signs indicated to him that the dog would be confined in a pen. The council report that the dog was to be kept confined to a pen under the house at all times when not under direct supervision. It is the householder's responsibility to make sure that their meter, letterbox & front door are accessible.

Bruce's owner:

"We still struggle to believe that people want to kill Bruce when he has never bitten or attacked anyone or anything outside his yard," the Facebook post states

How on earth would the owner know that Bruce has never bitten anyone/thing outside his yard? How can the owners know what their roaming dog gets up to? The dog and his owners first came to the council's attention because Bruce was roaming and there were complaints about the dog being aggressive.

Council spokesman:

the owners of Bruce have a long history of non-compliance dating from early 2010 when Bruce was reported as roaming and complaints were received about the aggressive nature of the dog.

I have a squeak killer too who is 6kg - and we also store the survivors in a safe place (the freezer :laugh: ) your BT sounds like a machine!!

Try the Dexter elephant version - squeaker is protected by the elephant feet. In my local shop it was also cheaper than the isqueaks and cuz balls.

Thanks for the recommendation Pie. I have noticed that if the squeaker is protected (like it is with the Elephant's feet), it is harder for him to locate and destroy. I will give the Dexter Elephant a try!

I just played the original poster's Youtube vid and my Border Terrier leapt out of my lap and ran to look at the toy box!

I tried the bad cuz with him once. He destroyed the squeak in less than 2 minutes. It is his mission in life to destroy squeaks - cheapies last less than 20 seconds and I have only found a very few that last more than one session (we take "survivors" away from him to fight another day). Fortunately, he still loves them when they are dead (I call them "the thing that used to squeak").

He has also destroyed the 2 Chuckit toys I have bought for him (both floating fetch toys). We are about to claim the lifetime guarantee on a Bumi and have had a Bionic tug replaced under warranty (the new one quickly failed too). Given he is only 9kg, I don't know how owners of larger dogs cope.

And yes, he only gets toys during supervised play!

http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/woman-charged-with-murder-of-boy-3-in-oberon-20140916-10hgmy.html

Mother now charged with the murder.

Thanks for the update. It would seem the police were suspicious from the start. Poor kid must have had a miserable life. Certainly a short one. I hope justice is served in this case.

Story here, with lots more pics:

http://sfglobe.com/?id=336

Meet Patrick. At first, your heart will cringe at the sight of him. Patrick was found wrapped in a garbage bag and stuffed down a chute. A garbage truck was ready to take him away, until he was rescued at the last moment.

It's not certain how Patrick ended up in the trash, but we know his previous owners fastened him up to a railing for more than a week.

Here he is all recovered

I find it astounding that his lawyer mentioned that it was the fact that the dog had diarrhoea and messed on the carpet that sent the surgeon into a rage (not that we're admitting guilt, of course). If he has that sort of response to a sick dog, it is hard to imagine much (any?) empathy with sick patients. I would have thought a medical professional would have taken a bit of a poo mess in their stride.

Casper needs paw protection for a different reason. He drags his back paws and causes injury to his knuckles and claws (even on grass). I wrap a layer of vet wrap over his feet and cover it with a couple of strips of cloth tape from Bunnings (similar to duct tape). I have to cover his feet from the back of his pads to the top of his knuckles but in your case you could just cover the pads. I use a strip of elastoplast tape on the top part of the vetwrap to stop the "booties" coming off.

WSM, you might want to try these:

Available through Therapaw

I think that if dogs had written that article, they would have added:

I hate it when humans bath me in smelly shampoo;

I hate it when humans engulf themselves/the house in smelly sprays.

We rarely think about how sensitive the dog's nose is, and how strong some of the synthetic smells we coat ourselves in must be to them.