Her Majesty Dogmad

Thank goodness, this was way behind the times in the UK, many pet shops closed down in the 80s and 90s.

There was a British documentary made a couple of years ago about a chain of vets - think it was Greencross. They had evidence that they had been performing unnecessary procedures etc etc, none of it was good ...

I have 4 dogs and 2 are scared of storms - they are the terriers and both need medicating. I don't normally get much sleep if the storms are in the night ... Strangely enough, the Italian Greyhounds are a highly strung and nervous breed but I haven't owned/fostered one yet that has been storm phobic, they just don't worry about those things. :)

Well done Mita, that's a much kinder option for the dog but possibly also better for the husband and wife. if the wife feels that way about the dog, it could be a source of some unhappiness if the dog has accidents etc which would be best avoided at that time. I have rehomed a dog previously to a terminally ill young man, it was quite awful however his wife was on board and the dog would be hers as well. He only had weeks to live and he was in his late 20s, it was his last wish. He was in obvious pain whilst I was there but the whole family and friends had turned out to see him made very happy.

well done Garnali!! That's brilliant news.

I wonder if the RSPCA in NSW or VIC would help? They do have a program for owners in strife and I've referred a few people in this lady's situation there already this year, it gave them time to get themselves set up again.

Another vote for Angus Martin. Highly recommended. And me too!

A little old dog I rescued last year is moving to San Diego with his owners in January. He has had a rabies shot and has a health certificate and that's it, he will go straight home with his owners.

Not much because I'm in suburbia. Even when I visit friends in a rural area,I won't allow mine to go barking crazy - even if they let theirs do it. Some of my neighbours here have barking dogs, I don't like it if it occurs early in the morning or during the night but it doesn't worry me if it's in the daytime. That said, when I had two young fosters that played and barked, I did get a complaint so I've never had young fosters since then and never had another complaint. Everyone has different tolerance levels but I don't believe in pushing my luck.

So young, what a tragedy and loss. RIP Viva. Hugs to you.

I'd also advise against walking them - what if one slips its collar and takes off? It's a huge responsibility to have 3 ...

Do you have a dog or dogs yourself? Are you having to keep them separate? Do you have a doggie door? I've got multiple dogs here, they just take themselves outside using the dog door. I have a very elderly dog who is fragile and he's inside a dog run when I'm out, he can pee if he likes but he usually chooses to hold on because he's housetrained. Did you friend leave suddenly due to some sort of emergency? I provide a lot more information to friends when they are going to take care of any of mine and I also try and find a situation that I know my own dogs will cope with rather than a different environment where they would be a problem or feel stressed - ie they are inside dogs so I wouldn't pass them on to someone who was going to keep them outside because I know they'd bark - bark to come in and bark at things during the night.

Hugs Maree, dear little Poncho RIP.

Like any good dog rescue, a horse rescue that is ethical and principled should be working in the same way - don't take on too many, don't get those you rescue into the wrong mix and constantly monitor those you have and feed them, take them to the vets when needed. Once you get past a certain no. you'd have to be paying serious amounts of attention to them and checking them regularly so that any illnesses or wounds didn't go untreated. Leaving them starving and dropping dead, for the bodies to fester, hardly sounds like a good rescue does it? Why these types of people cannot be controlled and monitored properly - to stop them doing this - is beyond me.

Sorry, I wasn't suggesting you were going to do that, just giving an example :) I'm sure she'll find her voice - they soon learn. My current fosters were a joy on the lead until I started walking them with my Jack Russell - suddenly they've found their voice when they see another dog now

Sitting with her all day won't help, I promise. Try getting some Rescue Remedy for you and her - maybe you are feeling stressed and she's picking up on it? You've done a great thing, you've given her a chance at a happy life so try and relax and give her space - that's no 1 otherwise she may come down with separation anxiety because she'll have had so little attention at the puppy farm and then you give her lots and she wants more so gets anxious. I'm just going through a behavioural modification program with a dog from a normal home but one that gave him over the top attention for 5 years and he was a mental mess. He's now on Prozac and has gone leaps and bounds in 3 weeks.

She will learn from Georgia but def. give her space for a couple of weeks ...

Now that I have a really bad back, anything over 7 kilos is pretty hard for me and seems big. Currently fostering a 10 kilo dog and having to lift him around at times has made my back very sore - thank God for the physio today. I've owned a couple of dogs over 20 kilos but those days are gone unfortunately. I also rescued a grey of 34 kilos that I had here for a week, he was beautiful and the size didn't bother me, he was a gentle soul.

So very sad, we love them, work hard with them and will them to make it and then something rotten happens and we have to say goodbye. Sorry you had to go through this. At least she was loved by you and the other volunteers and passed on knowing that, surrounded by people who truly cared for her.

Shocking, what does someone have to do to get prosecuted ...

I've got an ex puppy farm dog here as a foster - 6 months on and he's greatly improved. He's not my first and not the worst either but they do take a lot of time and patience. I recommend for the first couple of weeks to not do too much with them or overwhelm them with attention - I hardly touch them (this advice comes from a behaviouralist and it works well), keep to a simply routine and just try and teach them some housetraining etc, this may take quite a bit of time unlike a normal dog that's lived in a backyard. Give them a safe place to go to - the crate is a great idea! My current foster is still pretty nervous but not like he was at first - he'd never seen a car, bike etc etc. Good luck!

It's disgusting beyond belief. I'll never set foot in Bali and this is just one of the many reasons.

As a rescuer, what most people want to know is - are they housetrained, trained to sit/stay etc, play ball/toys? good with dogs/cats/kids, good in the car/on the lead, storm phobic or any other issues? I'd recommend changing the profile, changing the name - just to give it a fresh go.

I think you might have some unrealistic expectations of dogs... Dogs kill each other fairly regularly when their humans do not control them properly, and it's not just staffies either. Small dogs are probably in more danger than big dogs... And plenty of dogs are either DA, reactive or have high prey drive (making them prone to try kill SWFs). These dogs exist and I bet some of the DA dog owners here might disagree that they should be put down on these grounds. Presumably these owners also make sure their dogs cannot hurt another, but some of them have also come forward here and said their DA dog was put with others in boarding... How devastated do you think those responsible owners would be if their dog killed another while they were away and thought they dog was safely contained at a kennel and unable to harm any other animals? Having their dog declared dangerous on top of that would help nobody. Reading what you have written, I can assure you that I have a lot more knowledge of dogs than you think. And please, don't put words into my mouth - I did not say that those dogs should be euthanased - what I said was that if they were my dogs, they would be euthanased and I have done that with two dogs I considered unsafe for rehoming or keeping in my own home due to their aggressive behaviour. I agree, if people have DA dogs and have given strict instructions to kennels that this is what they are and they should not run with other dogs, they'd be very upset if their dog had been given access to kill another dog. But dogs that kill other dogs are quite likely to do it again (I also have experience of this situation from a place I volunteered at). Someone here lost their beloved and innocent dog. This place and any others that puts people's pets at risk should not be operating.

Yes, it is not slander if it is a true story and why anyone would make that up with all the detail, I don't know.