Her Majesty Dogmad

Wow, nobody actually knows what the situation was but the two dogs should be declared dangerous? Dogs of all sizes and breeds can end up in a fight, especially if they are unknown to each other, there is no human supervision and the possibility of toys or food being present has not been ruled out... A well placed bite from a staffy (or an equally or bigger sized dog) could accidentally kill a dog, even if that was not the intent of the bite.... I think blaming the staff is appropriate, but not the dogs, surely.... The owner says that her dog (which was used to being with other dogs) was mauled to death by two stiffies. Dogs can scrap but they don't all maul other dogs to death. If it was my own dog doing that, it would be put to sleep, there wouldn't be any need to declare it dangerous. If a dog is capable of mauling another dog to death then don't you think that something should be done to prevent it happening again? And yes - the staff ARE to blame for allowing it to happen but it doesn't mean that the dogs are OK going forward. There are plenty of times/places where dogs are together in groups and dogs all survive intact. I know I'm not meant to laugh but that had me giggling. Sorry DM! Bloody autocorrect and you are quick of the mark MUP!

Wow, nobody actually knows what the situation was but the two dogs should be declared dangerous? Dogs of all sizes and breeds can end up in a fight, especially if they are unknown to each other, there is no human supervision and the possibility of toys or food being present has not been ruled out... A well placed bite from a staffy (or an equally or bigger sized dog) could accidentally kill a dog, even if that was not the intent of the bite.... I think blaming the staff is appropriate, but not the dogs, surely.... The owner says that her dog (which was used to being with other dogs) was mauled to death by two staffies - that is what she was told. Dogs can scrap but they don't all maul other dogs to death. If it was my own dog doing that, it would be put to sleep, there wouldn't be any need to declare it dangerous. If a dog is capable of mauling another dog to death then don't you think that something should be done to prevent it happening again? And yes - the staff ARE to blame for allowing it to happen but it doesn't mean that the dogs are OK going forward. they should have closed down or changed the way they operate but from reading their ads, it doesn't sound like they have. There are plenty of times/places where dogs are together in groups and dogs all survive intact.

Shared this gorgeous boy :) Could I be bold and suggest a name change to "Kipling"?

He's absolutely gorgeous, really just the sort of dog I love - what a face, adorable. I can't believe he hasn't been adopted. Maybe change the write up slightly, I couldn't tell if he was good with other dogs, housetrained etc etc.

That's odd .... in someone else's house , he goes looking for the dog ? I find it very odd too and very rude and disrespectful - honestly he's been asked not to do something and ignores your request? He might seem harmless but i'd go with the dog's behaviour - he has to have done something that you are not aware of. Never force a dog to interact with someone they feel like this about. Trust your dog's instincts - unless they are like it with everyone and the dog has a serious issue. I can't believe people sometimes.

so sorry, you did your best for her. RIP little one.

Ken is one of those rescuers with a giant ego, we see a lot of it these days. They appear, act like they are the ones that know better and do the best job and then they disappear because it turns out that it's bloody hard to rescue. And no matter how many dogs you take - you can NEVER take them all Ken. Stop attacking other rescue groups who are responsibly rescuing the dogs that they can - that is the trick to it. Don't over commit, don't take what you can't manage.

I'd seek your vet's advice on the smaller breed desexing. Terriers are pretty feisty. If there is a serious scrap the small dog won't win.

I have a male mini schnauzer who was desexed at 6 months and when he was around 5 1/2yrs old we introduced a male mini schnauzer who was 8 weeks old. We didn't have the youngster desexed until he was 14 months old and never had any problems between the two of them and still don't. The youngster turns 2 next March. Incidentally, we have always had desexed males and never encountered problems, but as you said, it could be a schnauzer personality thing, because I have observed with others that they just don't seem to have conflicts. I am a rescuer - I've got tons of experience with both desexed and undesexed dogs and mixing the two together. Personally I prefer males and always have more than one. I desex all the dogs that come here because they are on their way to a new home and need to be housetrained. Believe me I've tried housetraining an undesexed dog as I have to wait for a vet appointment for various reasons - dog is not well, vet is too busy and so on - this can be two weeks or more - i have never been able to override the male hormones and desire to mark territory. Once they are desexed then it's so much easier to housetrain. Sometimes there are no problems with the undesxed males with my own dogs, sometimes they are more dominant. The OP is probably a standard dog owner so I'm providing some suggestions, it may be fine but equally it may not. A female is likely to be an easier option. Much depends on the breed and temperaments involved, as we are not there we can't tell.

I wouldn't do it personally, any reason you can't take on a female? That would really be the best. Issues can occur more with some breeds than others. Presumably it's another large breed you are taking on? Is it another Lab?

well if it's a joke then it's wasting the time of people like me who have more than enough rescue work to be getting on with and I won't be amused.

Sometimes you have to adjust your ideal lifestyle to cope with your responsibilities. I used to be up at 5am to walk my dogs as I had to leave at 7am to get to the city for my job. I had a local job but was made redundant and the only work I could get was in the city so my whole lifestyle had to change - either that or sell up and give up the dogs which I wasn't prepared to do. I tried getting dog walkers and sitters as I felt so bad being away for 12 hours each day but they were still happy, they were old dogs and were very loved and the dog walkers/sitters caused stress to my dogs and me. As others have said there are units in the city or close by where you can have dogs - Pyrmont has a whole place especially set up for dogs and their owners. My friends live in Surry Hills and adopted a dog from me, plenty of places to walk and it's actually very dog friendly round there, probably better than here at Hornsby.

I rehome dogs for owners all the time. It's a common request that they want to see their old dog - if there are new owners that the former owner doesn't know then I always ask - so far the answer has always been no. If they are your friends then of course you will be in touch. It would not be fair on the dog to keep popping in - at least for the first two months and maybe not at all, depending on the dog. If he is a "faithful friend to the end" and devoted type then this may well continue to make him unhappy. If he's a happy go lucky loves everyone dog then it's about 2 months for them to settle in and feel at home. Then they will probably be fine to see you. However I would still not like to think that you were taking him away from his new home for a night and so on, that would be confusing. Last year I had a very odd case. A gay couple had rehomed their two dogs via Gumtree with the proviso that they would have them for the weekend every fortnight. The new owner had to drive from Sydney's outskirts to the city centre and drop them off on Friday night and then go and collect them on Sunday night. The guys took them away for a fortnight every year. This bizarre arrangement lasted two years. The dogs were basket cases and kept escaping from their new home. Finally their behaviour really deteriorated and the new owner wanted to get rid of them. I had to deal with the new and the former owner and the former owner still owned them - FFS. I found them a home where it took quite some time but they eventually settled. None of their former owners get to visit - for the dogs' sakes.

Jules80 - I have sent you another PM - can you please contact me asap? :)

I've replied to your pm. Italians are a breed apart, they are not like other dogs at all. I don't recommend them to most people because they have a lot of idiosyncracies - I love them but they aren't all that easy sometimes and most people want easy in a dog. I've got a dog that was a breeder's dog for 11 years, she came and settled here although the toilet training was hard and she has some bad habits, she is a most delightful and friendly dog. I'd recommend a behaviouralist but it needs to be someone experienced with the breed. The worst thing you can do is get Bark Busters in ...

I'd say eyesight could be one cause or you might be right, senility or even a brain tumour. My 7 yr old dog bit me several times for no reason at all and completely changed personality with lots of other behavioural differences - loved one of my other dogs and then suddenly they didn't get on so well at times. Went to 3 vets and they all thought brain tumour, as time went on other changes occurred such as fits and incontinence and those changes are associated with brain tumours. I've had lots of dogs that suffered dementia (I mainly rescue/adopt old dogs) at the end of their lives, none of them became aggressive. Most of them had significant behavioural changes but only in one or two areas - they will wander off as they forget where they are. Another one also started toileting inside having been extremely clean in the years I'd owned her. Another couple got lost in the night, stuck in a corner and so on. Always best to see a vet ... best wishes, it's not easy on the pet owning journey at times.

Thank you - they are really lovely!

Well I hope to God that NeedyPaws have had a thorough quarantine practice happening with the dogs they took out so that it didn't spread the Parvo further within the community. If they didn't then their own home plus any foster homes (not sure how many are involved, maybe it's just Ken) will be contaminated for years to come.

And how does she explain that away I wonder ...

Agree with this, psyllium is also worth a try.

That will leave a huge hole in your life and your heart after so many years together. Hugs to you, be kind to yourselves.

I'd be interested in SAS' program. I'm doing my own program which is giving him very little attention, completely ignoring all dogs for 15 mins when I get home and for 15 mins before I go. I practice coming and going at different times, mixing up the cues to my disappearance (I have to go to work every day). I leave the radio or tv on and he's been dipping into my dirty washing basket (not content with the nightie I left him) and selecting some of my undies to get onto his bed - eek. The Iggies love underwear, another foster used to grab bras and sleep with them! At night he'd love to sleep on my bed but I've got him in a crate, since day one, all covered over. He now goes in by choice. He also chooses to sit in a different room, on a different part of the sofa to me (instead of on top of me), I hope we are on the up and up. I've been teaching him housetraining and how to use the doggie door, Iggies are very slow to learn and this generally takes about 2 weeks, he's going well in this aspect.

Following on from the other thread I started on this dog with pancreatitis, I am seeking experiences with Prozac. This dog was surrendered by an elderly person who had some mental issues and the dog has been in their home for 6 years and picked up on their anxieties. This dog has separation anxiety, he's not interested in my other dogs and I found out he can climb trees and scale fences when you leave him. Since he's been here he hasn't done that but his behaviour was very anxious for example if I sat down he'd fly at me -landing on my poor little dogs who are half his size and knock everyone out of the way, he never relaxed and I was terrified he'd get out of my yard which is secure but if he can climb 6ft fences he can obviously get out of most places. I went to the vet and he has put him on a course of Prozac. Since he started on Wed he has calmed down to the point where he will now sit on the sofa and stay there if I leave the room. He is also sleeping through the night in a crate now. I have dealt with mild separation anxiety many times and given advice to people on what to do. I did have a severe case with an elderly dog and tried Clomicalm, it didn't work and the dog was doing serious physical damage to itself and I took advice from my vet and had to let her go after trying for some time. That was an owner surrender who didn't tell me the truth and this is another case. I was wondering what other people's experiences were with Prozac, how long did the dog stay on it (or did they have to be on it permanently?). Obviously this is going to be a very challenging rehome but I want to give him every chance.

What amazing memories captured so beautifully. The happiest of lives filled with love, sadly for us it is way too short. RIP beautiful girl and hugs to you.

Thanks very much everyone for the advice. I bought a 3.6 bag of Hills food - $63!! And some cans. Then I cooked turkey mince, rice and veggies to provide variety. This dog is 9 kilos and has a voracious appetite. Anyhow, he likes the food but I've got bigger problems with him as it turns out. The owners didn't tell me but he has separation anxiety as well. If I'd have known that I'd have said I couldn't take him as I work full time - he climbs trees and scales 6 foot fences ... I've been to the vet and the vet recommended under 10% fat in the diet and I'll get some Supercoat and give it a go. He's also been put on Prozac to calm him down which is helping. I'll start a separate thread later.