Her Majesty Dogmad

That's very tough MUP, whether you are attached to them or not it is still a sad and needless waste of a life and a trauma for those who love animals to go through so it still cuts you, some deeper than others. Thank you for offering comfort to those animals who didn't get out. More people need to know about this happening, it goes on day after day all over Australia. Very sad.

OMG, for the last year or so there seems to be so many very elderly dogs being left in pounds. PAWS (Tania) just took a 14 yr old Dachshund cross from Hawkesbury last week and any group that takes seniors generally, has been overwhelmed by them across all of the Sydney pounds and other pounds. Very sad for the poor old souls who deserve nothing but love and a great home for the whole of their lives.

I'd recommend volunteering with a rescue group rather than at a shelter or at least if it is a shelter then it has a very low euthanasia rate. You can also see outcomes that will help you feel positive and which you have contributed to in part. years ago I worked at the AWL - I'd walk the beautiful dogs - most large and very large dogs for up to 6 months, every weekend and sometimes during the week. I honestly adored them. Most of them were put to sleep and after nearly 3 years, I was an emotional wreck and unable to continue. A couple of years later I started with a rescue group and it was a lot more positive. Since 2004 I've done a lot of rescue myself and it is the worst cases that I can't save that still affect me years later. If you truly care deeply for and love animals, it will always be hard.

Wow, he's gorgeous! Don't see many of them around these days, I'm sure either the breeder or a breed club might have the perfect home waiting for a young dog like this. I can't believe that just a few months after getting him, his new owners didn't want him and didn't let the breeder know.

I do blame the owner in this case, says he "tried to fence every part of the property ... but the dogs had crawled through a gap". "Tried to" isn't stating that secure fencing was achieved and although difficult on acreage, if you want to have dogs that can't get out, then you have to deal with every possibility - gaps, low parts and so on.

Jesus, if you've got dogs like that FFS keep them in.

I wonder if the little boy had met the dogs previously and thought he'd be safe to enter the yard as he knew them or something? I think it would be hard to stomach keeping your dog alive, no matter how much you loved it, if you witnessed it attacking a child (or anyone) so viciously and having to beat it off. I was talking to someone last week who was trying to rehome one of her two dogs. The dog she was planning on keeping was a dog that had ripped into her other dog causing it to require surgical treatment, same dog had killed 3 of her cats and generally left her and her friends a bit scared whenever it was around - growling at them when it was in the house etc. It weighed 50 kilos she told me. I said it was plain dangerous, an accident waiting to happen and she should euthanase it. She was indecisive, felt she couldn't do that. It's people like this - who don't do the right thing - that put everyone at risk.

My friend's partner in Melbourne has 2, one is a grumpy old fellow of 15 yrs but the girl was one a friend in Sydney had rescued who needed a great home and she's very sociable so if you don't have any other options, send me a pm - he's a huge Corgi enthusiast and would probably enjoy meeting someone with the same passion.

Not the case at all. She is very willing to pay any costs as you can imagine it's quite distressing to have spent that money and not even have a diagnosis to be told oh well we can do this blood test and see what comes back. She lives near Rockhampton for those asking to be more specific. She is quite frustrated because all of his tests have to be sent back to Brisbane which is obviously taking time too. One of her friends mentioned that her dog displayed similar symptoms and it was discovered she had a brain tumour so she will be asking her vet to look in to these things. Of course having similar symptoms doesn't mean they have the same thing though. When my dog had a brain tumour I went to 3 different vets for their opinions, without telling them and they all concurred independently that his symptoms were most likely a brain tumour. He didn't have bloody poo but had a myriad of other symptoms that increased/changed over a couple of months. You can Google some symptoms and come up with possible answers, perhaps driving him somewhere else even if it is a couple of hours away?

Yes, unfortunately those puppy farmers and other unscrupulous types constantly watch Gumtree and other sites for dogs like this. You rarely ever get called back. I generally avoid Gumtree, it's just too upsetting most of the time. I do send emails advising people on how to rehome their dogs with some handy tips - sometimes I get abused, mostly I get no response. I can only hope that it wasn't too late.

According to the report the boy entered the yard. The dogs didn't jump the fence. I know, that's why I was saying that education is needed on how to interact with animals, esp. dogs that are strange to you and not to enter yards with dogs in would be on the list. The fencing just seemed pretty low to keep big dogs in - it had a sign on the gate - but it was hard to know if that was the side that he entered from or if there was a rear yard that the boy went into.

I think the owners surrendered the dogs to be put down, that's how I understood it on the news. If the dogs were being kept in the garden shown on TV, the fencing looked too low to hold a German Shepherd and if they were reactive to other animals or people going by, I imagine it could have been quite easy for them to get over a fence like that. Just waiting to hear more info if any is forthcoming ..

The owners have surrendered their dogs and they are going to be euthanased. It sounds like they were defending their property from what they saw as an intruder. I feel sorry for the boy, the owners and the dogs if this is the case. Only last week a kid suddenly leapt at my dogs as I was walking them along - my dogs are very good and did nothing but I took the opportunity to explain to the boy (aged about 9 or 10) - no parents in sight - how he should always ask the owner if he can pat their dogs and then if all is ok, how to pat the dog ie, never on the head. It happens to me pretty regularly at this park where I go once a week. We need so much more education of children in schools about how to interact with animals and care for their pets and explain that pets are a long term, lifelong commitment etc. Education is the key.

I can do temp care for Maree and I can pick up from Burwood, haven't heard back from my contact but they'll be happy for Maree to help.

I am sure I know someone who could help, an ethical rescuer.

I'd say it's urgent, she could end up injured or worse. Have you contacted some of the local rescues - I recently contacted a couple up there for a work colleague whose daughter had to urgently rehome her pet shop pup. Both were willing to help and I left it up to her.

By IBD do you mean Inflammatory Bowel Disease? I'm not fond of Kangaroo meat for dogs as whenever I've tried it, they don't seem to digest all that well and have issues. What other diets have you tried? If it is Inflammatory Bowel Disease, I had a dog with this for a few years and he was able to tolerate a few things quite well such as fish, he also had the Hills Ultra ZD etc. The medication that agreed with him the best was Salazapyrin.

Needs to go somewhere like SASH or a vet with all the equipment. Where in NSW are they located? I spent a year trying to get my dog diagnosed - he had bloody poos/vomit. after special diets and meds etc etc, he was finally given an endoscopy and diagnosed with Inflammatory Bowel Disease. He could not digest meat protein and had a stomach full of blood. This dog sounds very serious, I hope your friend can get him to a specialist asap. I can recommend one or two vets that I know might help but SASH is very good.

Absolutely essential - getting them cleaned up should be step 1! You can take them to the vet for an initial check up but unless the vet can bath/groom (some do) prior to surgery, you take them home and at least bath them and trim off the filthy matts/poo dags as best you can. Desexing surgery is invasive, it's more likely to lead to an infection if the dog is filthy. Obviously they shave the immediate area around the wound but there would be a huge risk of infection from the rest of the dog's body. Other than that, I like it!

Spot on. What a sad world.

Very sad that you have been parted from your beloved friend. Bone cancer takes so many Rotties, it's a cruel disease. Hugs to you.

Oh no, 10 is far too young. What a beautiful boy with a huge heart. Hugs to you at this very sad time.

Poor old Ted, he'll have left a huge hole in your life having been there for so long. Be kind to yourself, RIP Ted.

People might think it's not that cold in Sydney but it is in my area - freezing and we sometimes even have frosts. My neighbour's dog lived it's life outside with none of life's comforts and i'll never forget all his pain with arthritis in the last few years of his life. He was a mastiff cross and had to be put to sleep because he was crippled by 9 years of age. For a dog with a short coat it is very cold so I would definitely bring him inside. Whilst he might be restless at first, this is due to a change in routine most likely - I rescue dogs and they all take a week or so to adjust. Many have never been inside a house before. Beds should be raised off tiled or concrete floors and there are the microwavable heatpacks, fleecy blankets and a coat probably wouldn't go astray. Just because he's not complaining doesn't mean he isn't cold, he must be at this time of year.

I've got a house full of dogs like that, there's no teeth left to keep the tongue in. Not a problem but you will have to take extra care when you groom (or pay someone to groom) dogs with tongues hanging out because I've heard of accidents happening with people being careless. I find it to be a completely charming look and have no issues at all, I'd rather they had their tongue hanging out than suffer the pain of bad teeth. Mine are all rescued at an older age, all had bad teeth amongst other issues.