Steph M

I agree, plus who loses? Of course the meeting is on our terms and kids have to ask etc but generally we are out for a relaxed walk, can't rush anywhere with Gus especially and I have no drama stopping for a few minutes. Its usually a nice chat with the kid and their grown up and everyone leaves happy. I find as well the inner suburbs are becoming more townhouses and apartments and you don't see many big dogs about so I'm happy if its one less kid who grows up not knowing how to approach a dog or being scared of them. As well as that I like proofing my dogs against screeching kids, Gus came almost preprogrammed with a love of kids the challenge there was getting him to calm his farm and not slobber on the poor kids so for a while we sought out kids to say hi to. Rosie was slightly more nervous, keen but wary and its important to us that both dogs be able to behave around kids and don't startle at kid sounds, we have our own now but even before Oscar we have friends with kids, family with kids, its just a nonnegotiable skill for us so we worked at it. Still do. Bunnings still isn't for me though as my dogs don't have space to remove themselves if they're uncomfortable and wiggle butt would take out the shelves.

Birth control pills, my new glasses, a foil dine cat food tin, half a bag of grass seeds...the list goes on and on.

and what's with this? from the same link "Ms Hungerford said her daughter is at home recovering from the bite today. 'She can't go to kinder so she's is a little upset,' she told 3AW." of course she could have gone to kinder, she has a sore knee, nothing more. Poor kid could be really shaken up, you never know. Physical injury isn't the only worry.

I don't see it as a huge issue either. You know they're safe, contained and not getting into mischief. Mine managed for well over a week with no walk before/after baby was born, they didn't argue too much as long as they had somewhere cosy to lie in the sun

And I guess people coming to pet stores probably assume there will be pets or at least might be more pet savvy than someone shopping at bunnings. Also there's no forklifts or big racks of timber/tools to go over in pet stores. I'm clumsy enough alone without my equally clumsy dog!

Don't get me wrong, I don't want it banned etc, I just won't be taking my clowns. They're too big to scoop up if there's trouble, its a totally foreign environment with other dogs in the same boat and I don't want to put them at risk as close to bomb proof as I think they are. Its not worth jeopardising that for us. Everyone else is welcome to go for gold, haha.

I actually find the bunnings thing really worrisome. People are not shopping, but taking their dogs there for a 'day out' or for the novelty. I'd rather them say something like we would rather you bring your dog in than leave it in a hot car, not BRING YOUR DOGS TO BUNNINGS! I feel like such a Grinch but I've already seen dogs off lead there, one dog visibly shaking and cowering (both in one trip!) and heard people excited to take their fearful dogs for a shop at peak time, its a recipe for disaster. Hopefully once the novelty wears off its better as its such an awesome initiative to not have dogs in cars but I'll be leaving the beasts home until then.

I'd apologise and say "I'm sorry. He's really keen to say hi, we are working on that" and keep walking. I have a big black excitable dog too but if he carries on he doesn't get to meet anyone. I remember how I felt when he was a puppy and a big dog converged on him, friendly or not, its not a nice feeling, but letting people know it's a work in progress will probably gain you some more tolerance.

No idea but if its any help we have a one eyed shih tzu and if anything else its worked in her favour, she gets a looot of treats in pet stores etc. Kids are generally curious but move on quick, I don't think anyone's been scared of her but people do always ask how it happened, she just gets a little combover groomed in to cover it, haha.

Could it have been a young one? They sometimes seem to not have learned to get out of the way yet and get curious.

I think in the case of mice and rats etc they're a pest species, so people can feel they're doing no harm. God knows when we were growing up our indoor/outdoor cats used to get multiple mice a week, as did all the local other cats I bet and it hasn't impacted the population much now! I have to admit Rosie gets the odd bird, probably one every 3 months? I'll look out the window and she goes from laying down in the sun to airborne to crunch in milliseconds. Thankfully though all she's ever gotten are those awful minah birds. We have a yard full of fruit trees so we get Rosella's and parrots, honeyeaters and cockatoos/major Mitchell's etc and she doesn't bother them, even when they're wandering between trees. Admittedly after watching what those awful minah birds do to the parrots and nests I don't feel so bad after, but it's not at all encouraged and she still gets called off if I see her thinking about it or with one she's got. Not sure how you'd combat that other than keeping her in when she couldn't be watched, which is not practical. she's half whippet and if that drive kicks in its probably insanely rewarding, and she is sneaky so will just wait til no one can see her like the bench surfing haha, we just make sure she has other outlets and a good run a day and generally no real problems.

Weight bearing bones spring to mind here as less digestible for one?

I'm feeding a baby ATM so excuse my short response but pups are a gamble, what looks perfect at 8-12 weeks can easily change as the dog grows, can I ask what breed or breeds?

Oh I hope accident! We don't want them!

So sassy! Haha. :p

I've always said anyone who pinched ours would bring them back again! They're jerks! Haha.

Was that from that Postsecret? That hanunts me too. I was going to post it here under a spoiler tag but its heartbreaking.

I have always wondered about this too. Or it's not worth paying to get them out because they are too old or too ill, or it's cheaper for the pound to put them down. Probably some from column A and some from column B. I don't judge those who can't stay but face that it needs to be done and get it done but that is weak and selfish.

I was thinking the same. Few hours vs few days is usually easier and cheaper!

There's a lot to be said for happy maternal hormones, I can tell you that!

Same boat here, we didn't plan on kids or not yet anyway but we did plan on dogs. Wouldn't change either for the world though, and like Huga said kids and dogs have a secret bond us adults couldn't replicate or understand if we tried sometimes. Not sure which is easier yet, ask me in a few years!

Mum has a Maltese who gets impacted anal glands and constipation after any bones other than a chicken neck twice a week, but our dogs eat loads of bone and never an issue.

Puppy pads can be problematic for some. (Mum has a dog who is 9 and will still piddle on Bathmats and towels if they're out as she had a puppy pad in the bathroom as a pup) I'd be letting her out in the yard too. Risk vs reward for me would mean getting her outside and peeing is more important.

Yep, I guessed it was something like that. I think they need a safer system, an uncrating room. Problem is in most states they're just sheds or warehouse type buildings. Hard to section off and even harder to imagine head offices paying for it. I absolutely agree though, the freight departments are very obviously not set up for live freight in a lot of cases and it's low on the list of priorities for freight companies as unfortunately it's not the majority of their work.

Its a stupid rule! I doubt you'd have any trouble. :)