Her Majesty Dogmad

Yes, I was thinking today that she would be one to talk to. Dogmad, I will PM you tomorrow if you don't mind. I have a few questions that you may be able to help with. No worries, I'd be happy to help. I remember how devastated and scared I was with the diagnosis so I really feel for you. :)

Yes and you could say "shouldn't be in the dog park" but the problem is, they always will be just like anti social dogs will always be taken to shows like LMSW posted about. Different things trigger different behaviours in dogs. The safest thing a small dog can do is mix with other dogs the same size. Even if the bigger dogs are OK with small dogs, there can still be an accident if they are all playing - the small dog can be seriously injured by accident - similarly so can the sighthounds with thin skin In any situation, yelping dogs can turn on prey drive in an instant and it can be too late. I don't know why a Lab killed a Toy Poodle in the local dog park a few years ago but I knew the Toy Poodle, he was the sweetest little chap on the planet and had mixed with my dogs without an issue. I wasn't there at the time so have no idea what caused that. Needless to say there have been deaths and maulings aplenty at the two most local dogs parks since they opened.

That's who I have used on several occasions. I had an Italian Greyhound with IBD for 9 years, it was a hard path - took a year to diagnose and meds were very challenging for some years. Initially he was put on Cortisone and Hills Ultra ZD diet - I was told that was all he could eat and he hated it. As he'd been a cruelty case, including starvation, it was very difficult. IGs are also food obsessed. Anyhow, after 2 years of struggling with Cortisone (which turned him into a monster), a new vet tried some old drugs and he finally ended up on Salazapyrin (spelling might be wrong), 3 times a day. He was pretty good on this unless when we were out walking he picked up people's discarded food before I could get to it first. If he did manage to do that he'd often end up on a drip for a week .... As for food, over the years I read internet forums and discovered vegetables (esp sweet potato) would add a bit of variety. About once a week i'd add something like tuna to his dinner as that was a different protein and he was good with this. Good luck!

Yay Andrea!

I'd recommend going to friends with large gardens, it's a change of scene and there's plenty of room to play - my own dogs are all over 12 yrs of age, my 2 foster are a bit younger but I don't want any of them terrified or injured - that's what will happen if I go to a dog park - it might only be one dog, could be more that are the cause of this but it only takes one dog to kill yours, break it's back or whatever, when you have small dogs. I recommend you don't go back - Toy Poodles are like fluffy toys to some dogs - it can set off their prey drive - as per your experience. Your dog is lucky to have survived.

Always hard to get a Blue Mountains homecheck. If you don't find anyone, perhaps ask her to send you perimeter photos of the back and front yards first and then make the trip based on that?

You can actually Google "taking dogs into bear country" and come up with some websites with opinions from people who live in bear areas or have experience. Quite interesting reading. Some people would be prepared to let the bear kill their dog so they could get away. Some value their dogs too much to put them in harm's way. I'm with the latter. Its why I don't walk my dog off lead anywhere, especially not on busy roads like Pennant Hills or Ryde Roads but I see people doing it every day ... I also don't text whilst driving or drink and drive. My own car was written off in June, I lived to tell the tale - luckily. The texting P Plater was also just fine ...

I'm not a fan of the bible except for the line "an eye for an eye" in some situations. :D

There are two dog parks where I live - I've owned large and small dogs - all picked for their fantastic, dog friendly dispositions and I am constantly fostering a dog usually. I am a very experienced dog owner and know the signs to look for when trouble might be brewing, your average dog owner is not that aware and doesn't know what to look for or what to do. Most of them have been standing around chatting when I've gone in. My own dogs don't like parks particularly but but in the last few years I've had a couple of fosters that needed to be able to run free so I risked it. I was lucky with one dog a few times, no problems, then the last time we went in as soon as we got in the gate he was monstered by two German Shorthaired Pointers, I simply couldn't get them away from him - he's 10 kilos and older aged. No sign of the owners and yet it isn't an enormous park. I dragged him out of the park to get him away from them as I knew they were over the top - as well as being undesexed. The very next day they attacked a Cattle Dog. The other young dog I took in was a very sweet little girl, very sociable but she was harassed by a Beagle and started to scream and then suddenly several dogs were after her right round the park. She was simply terrified - luckily I managed to eventually grab her, hold her up and get her out the gate before it turned into an attack - the other dogs could sense her fear and the squealing was bringing out their prey drive. I used to go to another much larger park when I had my Cattle dog cross who died in 2010, my dogs used to stay together as we walked around and socialise with other dogs as they appeared. A guy used to sometimes arrive with 2 female Jack Russells and one of them used to make a beeline for my female dogs and have a go - every time - while he stayed the other side of the park. The day she picked on my cattle dog she ended up sorry for herself - not injured but surprised, my other dogs had never retaliated. I had asked this man a million times to get his dog under control as it always attacked mine. He told someone else in the park that he was carrying a knife, that my dogs were awful dogs, flea ridden (rubbish) and dirty (rubbish) and he didn't like them or me. Needless to say I didn't go back.

Iggy Rescue are working on a home for this little girl! We have a foster carer lined up until she is ready to go. Gosford Pound have been awesome to deal with!!

Tony Abbott doesn't give a flying f--k about animals - that's plainly obvious from his stance. He backs live export all the way - no interest in stopping the vile cruelty that is meted out to the animals that get sent off on ships and planes. It's disgusting. I certainly didn't vote for him.

I certainly wasn't being rude nor intended to be. I've rehomed many dogs over the years and was just trying to help. I've just rehomed a dog that was advertised by a rescue group for 18 months - not 1 enquiry. I've rewritten the profile, changed the name slightly - admittedly I have also housetrained the dog as I had him here for 3 weeks - and changed the photo. I've been getting enquiries at the rate of about 3-5 a week for the last 6 weeks. Not an easy dog to rehome so until this week, hadn't had the right enquiry - I had been honest in the profile but people hadn't read it all ... Of course you would have put heaps of training in to the dog over the 6 months, I certainly wasn't denigrating your considerable efforts but what I did see in the profile - that he is difficult to manage on the lead, at 30 kilos it would be putting many people off. I had just thought that it might be an idea to train him on the lead so it wasn't an issue. I have rehomed a dog of 30+ kilos that was difficult on the lead (for the owners) - with full disclosure - didn't have the dog here and it was a challenging situation - she was living on the end of a rope at the owner's place. After the first week the new owners were ready to return her because she'd pulled the husband over at the sight of a small dog. Luckily we got a behaviouralist involved and it worked out.

I agree with this. I rescued a small dog in June most likely from a puppy farm - he's got many issues but pulling like a steam train on the lead is one of them. Until I can get him to dog training (which is a challenge in itself due to distance to travel and the fact that he can't go far at all without vomiting up last night's dinner ...), I don't feel I can rehome him. I have told everyone that he's at least a 6 month prospect (it's been 6 months) due to all his issues. Much worse with a larger dog, people can get pulled over or put their back out. Maybe contact some local dog trainers and see if anyone would be willing to help a rescue dog without any charge or minimum charge? Or local dog training clubs - there could be someone willing to take him to training and work with him?

Oops!! Thanks Stan's Mum - geographically challenged!!

I'm sure that you are going to be successful, why not run the profile past normal dog owners and ask them what they get from it? Might give you some more useful feedback from the sort of person that would be browsing. Does the breed mix put them off? I know that in Sydney, Kelpie x isn't always popular. I've found homes for some of my dogs by chance meetings at different places, you just never know. I think a really good photo makes all the difference so looking forward to seeing what comes of the photographer's visit.

PAWS rescued a little Tibbie who has a prospective home at Anna Bay nr Port Stephens, NSW. Can anyone help with a homecheck? Thanks in advance.

Sandgrubber, there's more than one poster saying other posters shouldn't have an opinion - I think everyone's entitled to an opinion. Like me they have probably read repeated news stories about the rescue of people being unprepared to go on various trips in places that present danger in different parts of the world. Personally I don't care if their stupidity kills them (I do feel for their grieving loved ones). What I do care about is if they put other people at risk who have to rescue them OR as in this case, they put innocents like pets and children at risk. No need to take a dog on a trip like this, in bear country - it's highly risky. What would we all have said if he'd taken a young child with him? It happens. Edited to add, I do think there is no point in posting any stories if the ONLY acceptable response from forum members is going to be stuff like "that's awful", "how sad" - I personally like to read what people think, providing it isn't offensive.

Yes Kirty, I laugh quietly when I get calls from people wanting the IGs because they don't shed. I'm normally covered in white Iggy hair as Diamond drapes herself all over me!

What a piece of trash this woman is. She wouldn't have been short of money either - no excuse in the world for the suffering these poor creatures have endured. She's just vile, I hope she disappears off the planet, slowly, limb by bloody limb

The traditional non-shedding dogs are generally recommended for those with allergies. I always say if people are allergic but want to adopt XYZ dog, they need to spend an hour being up close and personal with them. I also recommend they have blood tests etc - it's surprising how many people say they are allergic but have not been tested. I am a very allergic person but a dog has never set me off. I'm generally OK with cats but one cat who loves to sit on my lap and is very sweet, sets my asthma off almost immediately - i'll never understand why!

I'd give a few things a go, the blurb is quite long. He's a handsome boy but then I like the brindle look. I'd try and get one main pic where he's standing and looking right at the camera. Then I'd have a pic with a smaller dog as you say he's living with them and perhaps one with the kids. I like the one where he's shaking paws as it indicates he's well trained. For the photo, I'd try putting some props around (and on him - some sort of hat or something? - tinsel as Christmas is coming? you can say i know it's early but ...) I'd rebrand him with a different name but you can still call him Bandit at home. You could go with something similar like Mandrake or Banjo even but also something entirely different. At Iggy Rescue we advertised a dog called "Sebastian" - I thought no one would really like the name but we've had a huge response of people that love the name! What people like to know about a dog I've found, is the following: 1 are they good with other dogs/kids/cats? 2 are they trained (ie sit, stay, come when called, walk well on the lead) 3 are they good in the car 4 housetrained 5 do they play ball or with toys? I try and make sure I cover that in a couple of paras. Then I go on to the other stuff - if they are happy with the initial part they will keep on reading hopefully.

Yes, I regularly browse through all the available dogs - I am a rescuer and like to know what's out there as I get quite a few enquiries from people overwhelmed by the amount of dogs available so I try and help them and have rehomed quite a few dogs from other rescue groups in this way. I'm tempted myself when looking at dogs with other groups but usually manage to resist ... pound sites are a different matter!

Good post. Why should everyone have the same opinion? Not the point of any public forum, corporate meeting or situation in life where you are given the opportunity to speak. :) No need for people who disagree to be unpleasant but then that's what the world is coming to these days.

Yes, check out the Labrador Rescues around the country - all inundated with unwanted Labs - which is totally shocking to those that know and love them. Maybe you'll be able to find a wonderful dog through them - the Lab NSW Rescue gets the whole range - pups through to elderly dogs, all very deserving.

As a rescuer, I constantly get dogs desexed and have big dentals - one or two have lost 10+ teeth. Better for the dog not to have to have too many anaesthetics. They may need pain relief for a few days if they lose a lot of teeth and you are best to keep a female dog a bit quiet for a few days, no walking for 2 weeks after the surgery. If the teeth are really bad, most vets will put the dogs on antibiotics for a few days before surgery.