Her Majesty Dogmad

You need to feed him 4 or 5 smaller meals per day. Don't leave him with food, he needs to eat small meals. Puppy food is more nourishing and what many rescuers use for very thin younger dogs. It should take a while to get the weight on, can't be done too quickly. Also, if possible, restrict the ability to exercise if the dog is very active, rest in a crate at night etc. Don't take on long walks for the first couple of weeks - could be hard with a working breed though.

There shouldn't be any second chances given. If a dog has killed another dog then that should be that. In this case the owner deserves the $35,000 fine that can be levelled at her, well and truly, this was horrific. The amount of attacks going on in the same part of QLD beggars belief, absolutely staggering. I looked at this story and then two more about dogs attacks, all very disturbing.

If my foster dog isn't right for an applicant but they are a good home, or if there is someone who doesn't want to be confronted with Petrescue or pounds then i will find out what they are looking for exactly and then set about making a match. Whilst i've managed to find the ideal dogs to place with some people, they are often actively looking elsewhere (even if they say they want me to help them) and so i can spend a considerable amount of time to find what they are looking for only to find they have found a dog themselves. Rescuers have very limited time normally so it's something i actually gave up doing because i felt that it wasn't appreciated and people were quite happy to waste my time.

I'm looking for a securely fenced yard, free from poisonous/toxic plants and other hazards. I don't really feel the need to explain too much further. Basically the dog has to be safe, secure and loved - that's what i'm looking for. Usually, like most rescuers, I've invested in excess of the adoption fee into making a dog healthy and well - desexing, vacc, dental, heartworm test, grooming, antiobiotics - the list goes on, i've also trained and loved the dog - it's a massive physical, financial and emotional investment. If people aren't comfortable having a yard inspection then that's fine, they don't have to adopt one of my dogs - i'm not forcing anyone.

I've been to All Natural Vets nr Drummoyne on many occasions, they are wonderful but quite expensive. I now go to Activet in Carlingford who also offers alternative therapies such as Chinese herbs. He's also just a wonderful and caring vet!

That's a great example of what happens when there's no careful screening & matching and no home checks. It doesn't rate being called 'rescue'.... should be called 'dog endangerment'. As it puts a dog squarely at high risk for bouncing back into a rescue/shelter or pound & at worst case scenario, being put down. Fair enough that even with the best adoption processes, the trial period might not work out for some. There's always some risk .... but your example shows when the risk goes thro' the roof because of plain laziness & lack of foresight for the dog's welfare. Not fair to a well-meaning adopter, either. We had a call this week from the adopter to say she had returned the Jack Russell and thinks she has been very stupid. Yes, she made a mistake but it is also the job of a good rescue organisation to make a sensible match. That poor dog is now back looking for a home, you'd have to wonder just how many times a dog could be placed incorrectly and returned as that is a real possibility when dogs are handed out to the first person that asks to meet them.

As a rescuer i've also had many dogs come in with pyometra, luckily the first thing i do is take them to the vets to be desexed so it's been caught. I'm sure there are far too many dogs out there who die from this, either in their owner's homes or in pound environments as it's a bit of a silent killer. My family rescued a German Shepherd cross in the UK aged 11, strangely enough the organisation that housed her (a UK equivalent of the RSPCA) said she was too old to be desexed. I know now that this isn't right as i rescue many old dogs too who recover beautifully from the surgery and go on to live long lives. My mother had to cope with the messy seasons until she was 14 when she suddenly got pyometra and nearly died. Mum had to spend a huge amount of money to save her, it was worth it of course, she lived another year but it shouldn't have happened. Unless a dog is being bred or shown, i cannot see why this wouldn't be an owner's first responsibility. Of course there will be people that will argue with this standpoint but from years of rescue experience and literally hundreds of dogs, that's my opinion. I hope your girl is feeling better very soon.

Agree on every point Keetamouse. I've been trying to find a dog for an elderly lady who won't be walking a dog but is active in her own house/yard. She wanted something of 10+ and has family back up but from a distance. As with every situation, it is best to make a very thorough match for it to be happy for person and dog. Yesterday the family got fed up with waiting and took her to meet a dog with another rescue group, no questions asked, just pay your adoption fee and here you go, no yard check. She's ended up (as a very inexperienced owner with physical limitations) with a young Jack Russell. Day 1 and the dog escapes .... My thoughts are unprintable but hey, the dog got a home so according to what is being suggested on the article with Petrescue, this is a life saved with no hassles for anyone involved.

Sorry for your loss. I have been told that as a breed Cavaliers don't always cope as only dogs but I haven't owned one myself. I've rescued Cavalier crosses and have rehomed with other dogs as they have been very sociable. Is there any way she could be inside the house as this would be more comforting I imagine. Leave some of your clothes in her basket, a radio on and give her some Rescue Remedy under her tongue and in her water.

Generally pigdogs have sighthound in the mix and separation anxiety is very common with them. I just came across a site called www.dogshare.com.au where you can meet other locals who can help with dog minding etc. Frequently another dog fixes the anxiety issue. Chinese herbs are also worth looking at, she's obviously very, very unhappy as she is. Even behavioural modification doesn't always fix the anxiety, with most Italian Greyhounds for instance, it's another dog that is def. required.

Have had a good result! Just had a phone call from the lady to let me know that they had gone through one of the sites I'd found for house sitters and have a couple coming to house sit for the month. References have been very good and one of them works from home so will be there to keep the little dog company during the day, as she's used to. Mature couple who are constant pet / house sitters whilst they save to buy their own place. Wonderful

I second that!

It's not only about keeping your dog in but keeping other dogs (wild dogs, stray dogs etc) out and keeping your pets safe.

Very sad, what a long and happy life she had though. RIP Gerty

Try Oboe & Piccolo on Facebook, we were sent some samples for our rescued Italians and they are fantastic!

Had a reply to my email saying she'd forgotten that I work fulltime and am obviously too busy to assist and she won't bother me again. She had arranged a minder and it's fallen through. I replied to say that my neighbour would do the minding for $20 per day. I also added that I hoped there was no issue with paying for dog minding as this should be part of any pet owner's holiday budget. I've reiterated that there are house sitters etc that won't cost anything ...

OK - I've written back and said all of the above. Let's see what the response is! I didn't say $35 a day, I went down to $20 but let's see how we go.

I'd recommended a local place that is a pet resort, comes highly recommended and I know it's good ... not the same as a kennel but she's obviously not willing to send the dog there, I doubt she's even really looked at it. She does drive.

As a busy rescuer I normally have a few fosters to care for as well as my own dogs. Back in 2013, an older lady adopted a small dog from me that was a great little dog. She's in a retirement village with neighbours who always help and support each other in times of need - about 1.5 hr drive from me. When I did the adoption, as I always do with an older person, I said that should anything untoward happen - hospital etc, I'd be happy to care for the little dog until she was well again. What she didn't tell me was that she goes on cruises twice yearly - often for a month at a time so needs to find the dog some care at those times. Her neighbours often step in. She has contacted me each time to mind the dog but I've often been unwell and the neighbours have stepped in. Last year they couldn't and I found someone nearby to care for the dog for no charge. She didn't turn up with the dog and I contacted her to find out what happened and her neighbour had again taken the dog. Last year when she approached me again, I wrote and explained that as a rescuer I had not intended to be a dog minder, twice a year for 1 month because it would mean I had to save a space when pound dogs were in greater need. Caring for her dog means driving 1.5 hrs to pick up and then taking the dog back and as she goes away mid week, this means that I would end up caring for the dog for 5-6 weeks at a time. I hadn't heard anything for many months and thought the message had gotten through and then yesterday I got an email saying "Can you mind xxx in March? You promised to look after her and I don't want to put her in kennels." I just wrote and asked for the time period and it will be right across Easter and for nearly 6 weeks. Has anyone else had this happen to them? As much as I loved the dog, I really think this is unreasonable. How did you handle it?

Occasionally I have dogs like this as rescues and they go straight in a crate when they behave this way, they usually learn. I would Google resource guarding however, as it's very important to control this behaviour.

I hope he has his day in court and then sinks like a stone. :)

Some doofus made some comment about "dogs go missing all the time - give him a break" and I said something to the tune of "this is about the 5th dog he's lost - counting Wags. Of Course wags died - so maybe we shouldn't count him as a run away" ... Strangely enough - my comment was deleted. Careful, if you attract his followers they are vile and will say personal things you can't believe - not that I let it stop me but it was disgusting behaviour that he obviously condones as he didn't remove those type of ocmments.

Shame that all the idiots who let their own dogs and cats breed indiscriminately won't read this ....

Sounds like anxiety based behaviour possibly.

So what's the bet he's now a Melbourne Dog groomer? I hope someone finds his shop and posts a copy of the Canberra article on it. That's what bothers me most - it's bad he hurt those dogs but it's worse that there's nothing to stop him doing it again. It's a disgrace that he's able to move state and probably start all over again. He's pure scum.