Her Majesty Dogmad

I really like the Swiss German Shepherds (white), I'm not sure if they have been recognised as an official breed yet but the ones I met had lovely temperaments.

Sounds like the other thread where the Staffy on a lead took the head off a Pomeranian in it's front yard. There was a follow up to that story in the UK newspaper yesterday, the owner of that dog had a previous conviction for having a dangerous dog that had attacked. It also reports that he threw the headless dog's body under a parked car. His female friend had the attacking dog on the leash but couldn't hold it, prevent it from pushing fencing to get to the small dog, what bulls--t that is. The attacking dog's owner made no attempt the stop the attack. I have walked far bigger and stronger dogs than that, including bull terrier types and yes, you have to hang on hard but I was no bigger/stronger than the woman who had the reasonably small Staffy on the lead. And then there's the Dane Bouris story, takes his registered dangerous dog (due to a previous attack) to Byron Bay, lets it off the lead and guess what? It does what it did before - attacks another dog. He's been fined $7500 but quite honestly, he should be banned from ever having a dog again.

Yes, being "nice" isn't everything .... :rofl:

No. It is irrelevant how well behaved your dog is. It is against the law, yet you frequently do it? It's not acceptable even if you have the most perfectly behaved dog in the world. Why can't people understand this? It's has no effect on you so why would you seek to deny me what I feel is a basic requirement for both myself and my dog? I go to great lengths to make sure my dog is well socialised, well behaved and well trained. Each to their own but, having a dog restrained continually does not in any way fit into my philosophies of owning a dog. Have you ever exceeded the speed limit while running late to work? Not quite come to a complete stop at a stop sign? Driven a car while tired? Paid a tradesman cash? Not worn a helmet on a push bike? Stayed a little bit to long in a times car park? Etc etc Just picking up on your "having a dog restrained continually does not in any way fit into my philosophies of owning a dog". They have a garden to be free in and other places, I get really fed up when I see dogs off the leash in public places. I drive down a busy 6 lane road to get home each day and there are a couple of dog owners who walk their dogs on the pavement off leash ... Now that might be safe but if you work in rescue like me, you would have heard numerous stories such as "I taught him to walk off lead. He was 9 years old. One day we were walking along the road and he suddenly ran into the traffic". I'm not making this up and have heard it too many times. You are responsible for your dog's safety and it's not only wandering into traffic that can be an issue. My vets have a sign up "all dogs must be on lead, cats in a container". There are stupid people who don't believe in that either. Not only is it totally disrespectful to others but it's dangerous. I was in there the other day and a JRT cross came in off the lead, raced over to my two dogs sitting by my feet and sniffed and said hello. The owners came in and said "oh good, he's been friendly. there was a time where he would have had a go at dogs like yours". What if my dogs had been larger and DA? I asked why he wasn't on a lead and the man said to me "we don't like to put any pressure on him". What a load of bollocks. I couldn't reason with these stupid owners.

Maybe you could try Beagle Rescue in NSW?

It was in the Sydney Morning Herald today this the owner of the dangerous dog was none other than Dane Bouris. You simply can't judge a book by its cover, can you? All the money and probably all the education in the world and someone still behaves in this way ....

Poor girl, on a chain too .... Hopefully a rescue group can urgently stop that pregnancy.

How about "Jazz"?

eeekkkk - perhaps the dog wasn't being fed enough ....

I would be taking this further, it is a totally unacceptable situation.

Great patience is needed to toilet train a puppy - they are babies and don't always know in advance when they need to wee and just go. They can develop a problem if any punishment is associated with this. Best to use praise and reward when puppy does the right thing rather than saying "no" or making a thing of it when the puppy has an accident inside. I should add that I have looked after puppies in the last few years, for a few hours at a time and been kept very busy with the wees and poos - they just keep coming ... I have a method for training adult dogs which has worked on ex puppy farm / breeders' dogs that have ingrained habits formed over years, also on very old dogs that have previously never been in a house. Happy to share with you. A puppy takes longer generally because of the urgent need to go, we get busy, miss the signals etc and then there's a little accident. Here's my method - repetition is the key, over periods of time which vary from dog to dog: 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 dogs 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.

I like stands with doggie treats on and flyball/agility demos plus rescue groups - especially the Greyhounds - providing info on what they do. I do also enjoy seeing breeders and fell in love with the Dandie Dinmont breed at the last show I went to. A few years back I went to a fantastic show in Galston and they had dog races. My vet does Earth Dogs and is in your area, maybe they could do an info stand - great for terriers and maybe not all that well known? Have a vet stand (or two) with vet surgeries that are local doing quick checkovers - this would be great for people who may not ever look into their dogs' mouths etc.

This is appalling. If the authorities won't act under these circumstances then when will they? What are you supposed to do to keep your dogs safe?? I can't believe this stance when VIC has dangerous dog laws, it simply defies belief that they wouldn't prosecute the owners of these dogs with all the evidence that these are really dangerous dogs attacking yours ....

Is anyone in the North Curl Curl area who could do a homecheck for Save our Strays? Thanks in advance

Usually yes although it doesn't always make a total difference. I'm surrounded by people who let their large dogs roam - usually outside of council hours. My council suggests taking photos with a date/time stamp and sending in. It's not only about the safety of my own dogs - it's about other people's dogs, people who are terrified of dogs of any size, the loose dog's own safety from other dogs, people, traffic etc.

Did anyone see the news last night on Channel 7 about NSW Dog Laws not being strict enough? It does contain a video of a Staffy mauling/killing another dog in its own yard and apparently the same thing happened in the same place, 8 weeks before: http://au.news.yahoo.com/video/nsw/watch/18171619/nsw-dog-laws-not-tough-enough/ There is a picture of the dog that killed the other dog being led away. Not being a breed expert, it certainly looks like a purebred Staffy to me. Hard to see what the dog was like that it killed, there was only a flash of white in the blurred pictures. RIP poor dog, whatever you were. I'm sure more information will come out in the next few days.

:confused: The majority of people looking for dogs on gumtree have never had to go through any sort of questioning as to their suitability as a pet owner, and most sellers on gumtree would happily let the person have the dog without any information. How does what you have just said indicate dog fighting in any way, shape or form?! What it indicates to me - judging by the responses I got when I questioned the people, even in a simple way - is that there are people out there prepared to come and collect a dog at the drop of a hat and most likely not because they want to offer the dog a great home. Of course there are other reasons that they could want any dog, dog fighting is just one of them. I actually know someone who is related by marriage to a person involved in fighting his dogs (this is in Sydney). She told me that he "really loved them" and I said how is that? She explained that he broke his own dog's neck when it was badly injured after a fight and it was hard for him to do as it was his favourite ... I asked for details of where this person is but said person wouldn't give them to me of course.

Glad the authorities are now handing out some decent fines but that doesn't make up for the victims' distress, it simply shouldn't happen. This particular attack shows that the owner of the already declared dangerous dog doesn't give a crap about anyone else and happily places them and their pets at risk. They deserve massive fines and some jail time wouldn't go astray.

I am trying to help a small dog at the moment, owner had advertised on Gumtree. She kept getting text messages in the vein of "I will come and get the dog now". What sort of person doesn't even ring up and enquire about a dog, arrange to have a look at it before deciding they'd like to adopt it? Ask questions, talk about themselves etc. I also experienced this type of response when I took over the advertising of a dog for an owner, putting my own no. on the ad so I could help with finding a good home. I ask the Texter some questions - where are you located? do you want to ask me anything about the dog? etc etc. Didn't get any responses that brought me any satisfaction that they weren't up to no good. I'm pretty sure there are people out there who would just hand the dog on, no questions asked.

Sorry Mantis, it's another news story. Don't make it all about your dislike of anyone who posts a news story, particularly me - you act as if I actually invent them .... Why not report me to the moderators? Posting a news story - NO MATTER WHAT THE TOPIC - is the point of the news forum. You just choose to highlight one aspect of it.

Really frightening story: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2375811/Pack-dogs-savages-stepmother-Maria-Arcos-Houston-Texas.html Housekeeper, 52, fights for life after pack of 15 stray dogs 'eat her to the bone' as she waited for a bus in broad daylight 'They were eating her - the dogs were eating her to the bone' Stepson describes horrific attack that left stepmother in critical condition Maria Arcos, from Houston, was left with horrific wounds covering her body The ordeal was so traumatic the 52-year-old suffered a heart attack By Stuart Woledge PUBLISHED: 08:30 GMT, 24 July 2013 | UPDATED: 10:41 GMT, 24 July 2013 2 A woman is fighting for her life after suffering a heart attack brought on by a horrific dog attack that has left her with severe wounds from head to toe. Maria Arcos was set upon by a pack of at least 15 dogs while she was on her way to start a new job on Monday morning. The 52-year-old, from Houston, was passing through an underpass when she was surrounded by the pack of strays, the ring leader of which is believed to be a pit bull cross. The wild animals savaged her, pulling her to the ground and biting her arms and legs. Arcos was left with severe wounds and is now in hospital in a critical condition. Her family fear the attack left her so badly injured she might not pull through. Her stepson Oscar Reyes said: 'They were eating her - the dogs was eating her to the bone. 'They bit her arms, her legs, her neck. They cover her. 'Supposedly in 48 hours, if she doesn’t get better, she’s not going to make it.' During the frenzied attack, Oscar claims his stepmother's clothes were ripped off and she now has severe wounds covering most of her body. Although she was still conscious when officers arrived, the stress of the mauling caused her to have a heart attack. Her family are keeping a constant vigil by her hospital bed. Oscar added: 'They already have a lot of problems and then this happens. It shocks kind of everybody.' Police officers came to the house to break the shocking news and Oscar has been tasked with letting the rest of his family know, some of whom have not been at home. Arcos' horrifying ordeal occurred at about 6am on Monday near Lyons and Eastex Freeway in the Fifth Ward. She had been walking to a nearby bus stop on her way to start a new job as a housekeeper, but only made it halfway there. She was walking through an underpass when a pack of mixed-breed strays, said to number at least 15, set about her and pulled her to the ground. She was only saved when a railroad worker witnessed her being savaged and called for help. City of Houston animal control manager Chris Glaser said: 'Most of the time you won’t have them acting out in an aggressive manner like this. 'Usually you’ll have one or two, but an attack like this is very rare. 'It’s a pack mentality. That can happen when there’s an aggressive act by one and it continues. 'With that many dogs on her, she was being dragged up and down the street.' Animal control officers traced the pack responsible to their den underneath a nearby mortuary. They trapped the dogs in and have been trying to lure them into a single trap using food as bait. So far they have captured five of the animals from underneath the mortuary, two of which are puppies and only about four months old. Glaser said one of the dogs, a pit bull mix, appears to be the leader of the pack. He believes at least ten dogs are still hiding out underneath the mortuary. Officers are visiting up to five times a day to check on the trap. Glaser told KHOU 11 News all of the dogs would be tested for rabies and possibly destroyed.

RIP Bernie, what a character. Hugs to you, hard when we lose our pets after many long years together.

So very sad, poor frightened girl. RIP Cloud. Hugs to you PM.

isnt he gorgeous!!! I will enjoy following his journey to rediscover his life and his waistline. It was wonderful to see the lovely Amanda today and add another rescue to the list of those working with the somersby shelter for the benefit of the animals. One little brick at a time and we are building a stronger rspca/rescue relationship. Amanda is awesome! :D

Sorry - I couldn't post but there is a very active Facebook page (I'm a member) for GSPs in trouble: Go onto Facebook and search for: GSP Rescue Victoria Australia members are everywhere and they do their best to help dogs in other states.