Her Majesty Dogmad

You don't walk the dog with two saucepan lids and I never suggested it - common sense people ... My suggestion was to do this from the other side of the fence - it works for me as a distraction to stop my dogs from barking. I thought the problem here was that the neighbour's dogs were scrapping causing a nuisance to the OP. My experience has been that none of my neighbours have been interested in dealing with any of their dog problems properly which is why one of the neighbour's dogs spent almost every day in my house causing chaos for about 2 years before they fixed the issue. With my next door neighbour whose dog drives me to distraction with barking through the fence, it is an easy fix that they are not prepared to do either.

because the people involved are passionate wonderful people who care very deeply and that often causes friction. I wouldn't even question that, but isn't it more effective to work together? I think you are exaggerating about every thread. It isn't realistic to expect rescuers to work together - we all have different ideas and standards - I work with a number of other rescuers all the time, most of them are not even on here. If you took 10 school teachers, they'd all have different ideas, so would 10 surgeons, 10 caterers and so on and so it goes with rescuers - it's quite normal that we don't all agree.

Get a crate and put the dog in it and allow the cat some space but also be prepared for the fact that they may never get on - this is for inside the house. You could get a dog run for the backyard. You will be up for some expenditure if you are going to make this work.

Someone told me that Iggies were being recommended on one of the breakfast shows last week - eek, just wait for it ...

It might Rosetta but what to do to stop the dogs fighting? Best solution would be to have a doggie door so the dogs would be inside more but if these people are renting that might not be possible.

So very sad, beautiful Jessie you were very loved, RIP. hugs to you. I lost my beautiful Cattle girl to liver cancer, sadly it seems it is common in cattle dogs.

Did you actually cat test the dog before taking him on? He could end up hurting your cat. There are some good suggestions above but my rule is that my existing pets must come first. Is your cat used to dogs? Owning pets is a huge responsibility, chaining a dog up is not great - the fence should have been fixed first. Sorry to sound harsh but the reality is that you really need to think things through thoroughly before jumping in and ending up in this situation.

This. I've never found a snappy or timid Cocker ever. I tried to help rehome one and the dog had what they call "Cocker rage", it wasn't nice behaviour - the dog was from a registered breeder. I've met many lovely Cockers though so important to find a very good breeder.

I don't know if this would work - two terrier types can be very difficult together for the redirected aggression when in certain situations - but get two saucepan lids that make a huge noise when clanged together and try that - this is something you can do from your side when they start a scrap on the other side. Water would be no good with Foxies but this might help. Dogs hate the noise - I have my dogs fence fighting with my neighbour's dog (not with each other) and barking and carrying on. Now, as soon as I show them the saucepan lids they walk away from the fence .... I tried water to no avail and then remembered a very naughty terrier I had years ago where nothing had worked until I read somewhere about making a loud, sudden noise hence the saucepan lids. He always stopped whatever he was doing at the sight of the lids.

Getting angry with him won't help - it might create a further problem, you need to understand the root cause of the issue. Also, did you live in an apartment before or have you moved from somewhere he could get outside into an apartment?? Moving house is a big adjustment for a pet sometimes, you do need to try and be a bit understanding.

I had a look at this site as a friend is getting her dogs' meds from there. The Cushings medication wasn't that much cheaper than from my vets but obviously there are great savings to be had for some. My vet wasn't very keen on helping me either ...

Italians have very fast growing nails, at Iggy Rescue we do get them coming in with nails that are far too long ... they need trimming every 4-6 weeks usually.

And you can train or retrain a dog at any age - I have used my method on 14 yr old dogs that have never been in a house in their lives and it worked, here you go: HOUSETRAINING TIPS Ok - first thing to do is decide on the command (I call it “do wees”) you will repeat over and over. You have to really focus on the dog for about 2-3 days to be successful. You have a pocketful of special treats on hand all the time for the first 2-3 days. Walk the dog several times a day and every time the dog wees, you get very excited and keep saying “Good boy/girl, do wees, do wees” – give the dog treats every time. First thing in the morning, last thing at night and every time you see the dog eat or drink (both precursors to weeing) whisk the dog into the garden and repeat the command “do wees”. Get very excited and present treats every time dog goes. The dog’s aim in life is to please you. If the dog should have an accident inside the house – say NOTHING at all. The dog soon gets the idea that when he/she goes outside you are really, really pleased and he/she gets rewarded. NB: Please note that the smell of urine must be properly removed for any housetraining to be successful. There are products on the market such as “Urine Off” but they are very expensive. A mix of white vinegar and water is a much cheaper alternative and should work for tiles and other surfaces although you should always take care with wood etc. For carpet/rugs, I use either a mixture of Napisan/water or bicarb of soda and water. I completely soak the stain using a dab on technique with a cloth. When it is very wet, I use an old towel to soak up the excess moisture. Again, be careful on any expensive carpet/rug, I have never had any problems but I cannot guarantee any method here.

Have you got a doggie door so that he can get out? The likelihood is that he may be going over old stains from pervious owners OR he's showing some sign of distress over moving house and this is how it's coming out. You can get the carpet professionally cleaned but check they have something they use that removes the old smells. It could be almost impossible for you to try and find all the old smells until he goes over them. You can try a mixture of Napisan and water - pour over where he's gone, let it soak in for a few minutes and then get an old towel and stand on it to soak up all the moisture.

One of the dearest little dogs, such a sweetie, originally from Renbury. RIP Columbus.

I think the only policy to operate with - given the phenomenal numbers of deaths - would be to leave all feral cats and kittens behind. Tough decisions have to be made, rescue shouldn't be based on looks alone and I believe you take the mother and kittens as a group rather than picking the prettiest of leaving the rest to their fate ...

His mother lost 2 fingers, trying to protect her mother ...

Here's a link to a news article from today with more information on the dogs owned by the family: http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/lethal-dogs-in-disguise-pitbulls-registered-under-other-breeds/story-fni0cx12-1226896281001?sv=70c3e9f5f5e2944267724f316849822 I'd hate to be living next to these people.

I met a lady in the vets last week who'd adopted her little Maltese cross from an AWL pop-up adoption site, amazing. Can't believe people would protest about such a great idea as long as whoever is running the show can demonstrate that the correct level of care is taken when rehoming.

I use Woolworths Turkey mince, it's very lean as one of my dogs can't tolerate fat either. It was either my vet or someone on DOL who said usually fat content needs to be under 10% and it's hard to find brands with that but you can. Then I mix the low fat biscuits with turkey mince or tuna, plus veggies and it helps. Other than that, you could cook up rice, veggies and very lean meat or tuna yourself perhaps.

Just get someone recommended. I paid a fortune to a pest control company last year as I had rats and Mynah birds, they came twice and I still had the problem. Neighbour went up and said they'd put baits in the wrong places so put new ones down - end of rat problem. Got another pest company (recommended) out to deal with the Mynahs but they are back again this year - not paying another $350 ....

One of my carers is in a difficult situation having rescued a mother cat and 3 older kittens. Our kind vet took the two kittens although they are older than 3 months but the mother and father cat (who are also most likely to be mother and son which is ghastly) are residing in my carer's garden. They are around 1 yr and 9 months, a kind cat rescue paid for their vetwork and was going to take the female but has since been inundated and has no room. Both cats are nervous so getting a photo is proving very difficult. She can't keep them, they attack the dogs if they go outside in the part of the garden they are in which means the dogs' quality of life is really compromised. I have said she needs to face the prospect that they aren't very rehomable as they aren't sociable with people and no one will want an antisocial cat .... It's bloody tough for cat rescues and cats and kittens, simply not enough homes.

I do check their website most days and also, as a rescuer, am on a distribution list for dogs needing rescue. I can also visit on a Saturday morning (their opening hours aren't great at weekends) and have a look at any dogs.

I've given the Pound's contact details to the Club so it's up to them to investigate if they want to. I've never forgotten a conversation I had with a Bassett breeder a few years ago who told me that if anyone returned one of their dogs and it was over 5 years of age, they put the dog to sleep ... I value old dogs personally, no matter what breed/mix and as someone who runs a breed rescue (a breed without a club), we believe in helping our breed, no matter what age they are.

I love Bassetts but have no room for any more dogs here. I hope the club is better than some clubs I've contacted about dogs this age who've just replied that the dog is too old ....