Her Majesty Dogmad

The general thinking from these cowboy types is that the ethical established groups aren't doing it fast enough... dogs are dying in the pounds while they wait for ethical groups to "save" them... didn't you know that by now? (tongue firmly in cheek with that last comment) Does anyone know how the PR process works? Does the new "foster carer" (let's cut through the crap and just call them the new owner, shall we) pay PR any money for the dogs they are given? What liability does the pound have when placing "reclaim/rescue only" dogs? If that dog goes on to harm humans or other animals, who is legally then at fault? A case could be made by any decent lawyer that the responsibility is that of the council/pound for releasing an animal that had those tendencies - at least that's what PR would assert if legally challenged on that point. Pounds also have the ability to exercise discretion over who they release animals to - 16D or not. A 16D does not automatically mean that the pound HAS to release animals to a group. The fact that other established and ethical rescues are increasingly being called upon to help clean up the messes made by PR - not to mention the evidence showing that people are being sent unsuitable animals willy-nilly, often to areas that are not tolerant of the breed types being sent there, and in a few cases ending up with the animals being euthanaised in interstate pounds, etc... kind of indicates that this group is not one the pounds should be wanting to have a close relationship with. I can see the attraction from the councils for working with PR - lets face it, they are getting a lot of dogs out of the pounds they are using to date - and the councils' "rehoming rate" is looking better... not to mention that they are having to dispose of less animals after euthing them, etc. What attraction is in it for them if they stop releasing animals to groups like PR? If PR are sending large numbers of dogs interstate, by the time problems arise, they are then the responsibility of some other council area, right? Make no bones about it - PR have obviously thought out their plans/strategy very well, and it's probably going to be extremely hard to slow them down, let alone stop them. What I don't understand is how they reconcile all the bad things that have happened to date - when they purport to care so much about the fate of animals in pounds. It's almost as if the only goal is to get animals out of a couple of Sydney pounds - with no thought about their fate once out of those pounds... very strange!! T. Spot on T. The Pounds must take on a huge level of responsibility for releasing a dog that is either dog or human aggressive or both and gets sent to God knows where - to inexperienced or dumb owners with inadequate fencing. And then a disaster happens. It doesn't take much to imagine does it? In today's litigious society, Councils need to be taking a very long, hard look at themselves and their release policies. Surely the public deserve protection - don't they?

bumping

That's right - sadly these morons are going to ruin the hard won fight to get the general public to consider rescue dogs. It will always be the dogs that lose out in the end.

Young dogs are destructive I find and not suitable generally for people who work long hours. I've taken young foster dogs due to their desperate situations but can't do it any more, it isn't fair on either side. I only take small dogs and when I've taken a young dog I've walked them an hour in the morning and played with them, the same in the evening but they have the energy to go all day and when you are out 9-10 hours per day, they will get into mischief - even if they have another dog as company. The young dogs I've had have destroyed all sorts of things around the house and garden - none of them have been any different. This was a bad match right from the start and the rescue group involved should have known better. The dog has now developed issues and needs a one in a thousand home, it won't be so easy. I have found that Chinese herbs have helped dogs with sep anxiety enormously but this will cost money - either you need to try it (and you don't have any spare cash by the sounds of it) or get a new owner to try it and this would be hugely offputting ... I think you can rehome dogs with sep anx but need to place in just the right home - much more exercise and interaction with the owners, people who don't work full time and have another compatible dog, it could take weeks or months or you could be lucky tomorrow, trouble is you don't know. With dogs like this you do need to focus on the positive - good with people, good with other dogs, housetrained? intelligent (may be good for dog agility/obedience trials etc) etc.

It's no reason to stop fostering but just make sure you foster for a reputable group that has expertise, a dog trainer and plenty of support and resources for you to count on.

Iggy Rescue have a young Italian Greyhound surrendered to us and whilst we are getting his vet work done, we are following up on a potential home in Perth. If someone would be able to help that would be great, the home is in central Perth. Thanks in advance.

Hilarious unless you need a good night's sleep ... :) By the way, when I said out the front, I meant onto the public path if possible -just a differnet place to get your dog to go properly. As for dementia, i've had quite a few dogs with that over the 12 years i've owned dogs. Since 2006 I've been mainly taking old dogs on and dementia is quite common really. I'm just about to go to bed, fingers crossed Echo will be behaving tonight ...

Rather than just letting him out, try taking him out the front and letting him mark a few bushes - this might help empty his bladder better than going out just for one wee which is what they tend to do in the garden. Alternatively perhaps he is juts getting older and needs to go more often or is developing a bit of dementia. I have an old dog who i put out for a wee with the others, he goes, we all come back in and get into bed. The minute - and I mean the minute - the light is turned off, he gets up off the bed and goes outside again via the doggie door. About 5 mins later he comes back in and rather than jump back on the bed he rubs himself against the bed back and forth until i switch the light on and pick him up. We go through this several times some nights, i could throttle him ... he's about 12. I've had him 5 years and this is a recent change in his behaviour amongst other things, it's def. dementia.

Very cute - where's that tail LOL?? I'm wondering if she's a Tenterfield/Iggy mix.

Wow, he's GORGEOUS!!

So glad you got her! Even with people they do take a while to trust normally, she's obviously more Iggy than whatever else is in there. Some Iggies have a bandy walk but hopefully the vet will be able to check her out soon. We called our Foxy/iggy girl "Venetia" LOL, we like to give them all Italian names. She's now known as "Molly" ...

We might be able to help if she's quite young and good with other animals.

Iggy types rarely suit a 1 dog household. Try it and they'll start escaping - digging, climbing or squeezing out. They need another animal for company normally as like most sighthounds they are prone to separation anxiety. They are normally very playful and much more so with another Iggy type - they recognise their own breed, like Whippets. I'd love to see her in person, shame I'm so far away. Just from the one picture, she looks more like an Iggy/foxy cross but hard to be sure. We rescued a little Iggy/Foxy girl from Renbury recently. Apart from the fact she was very cold, she was also underweight so initially she was very quiet. After a few weeks of being cared for she was a different dog - a little dynamo. We rehomed her to a home with a 1 yr old Cavvie cross in Canberra - they play all day apparently! We received some lovely pics of them having tug of war games.

This is from this morning on Pound Rounds site. They had not met the dog. I have no words. This group is your worst nightmare and should be dragged through evey court for what they have done to rescue dogs, families, their pets and their children. "Do I look a bit fuzzy? I guess at age 84 we all get a bit fuzzy don't we dear. I hope I am not inconveniencing you too much dear but I am having a problem. I am spritely - we staffys live til we are 140 so at 84 I'm just a loving spring chicken with a bit of sunshine in my step. but here is my problem that I am hoping a few Facebook friends can help me out with. You see they are going to kill me. Now I know your Aunty melody have never been the prettiest girl at the dance and I have never been the smartest girl or the most popular, but that's because I thought all I had to be was a good dog. Somewhere along the way they changed the rules and I got downsized into a kill pound and in a couple of hours ol Aunty Melody gets jabbed with a green needle that will kill me. Aside from not knowing at all why, because I was always a good dog, I am really hoping this note reaches you in time to help me. God love you for taking time to read this and care about me. Any help you can provide would be sincerely (really really) appreciated. Warmest Regards, Aunty Melody" This was written for a 12 year old Staffy cross female this morning. She had a tumor on her leg. Completely the wrong way to go about things.

I don't agree that timid dogs shouldn't be able to be rehomed, to the right home - timidity doesn't always equate to fear biting etc, i think it's really important for anyone assessing dogs to have a good understanding of breeds and how they may behave in a shelter environment. I rescue Italian Greyhounds (as well as other dogs) and they have often been euth'd - especially at the RSPCA - for being timid. A more loving and gentle dog you simply couldn't find but they don't cope well in kennel environments nor with strangers. They aren't biters but due to their timidity and how they behave when frightened, they don't come across well. When I worked at a shelter, I used to pick the timid dogs to come home with me because I don't have kids and I always own gentle dogs and these dogs would come out of their shell eventually. I was always involved in rehoming and knew what home they'd suit generally - mostly one without screaming kids. Some were fine with older children, it really just depended. Of course I've had the odd fear biter and they didn't get rehomed, they stayed with me.

I strongly disagree with rescuing/rehoming dogs with serious aggression issues (human or dog) and I've had many years of rescue experience with many situations to draw from. I myself made the mistake of picking a dog with such issues last year. Although I visited in the pound and the dog was with another dog, she was nervous but I thought she may have had sighthound in the mix and they can present in the same way. She had all her vet work done, no probs reported by the vet staff but I picked her up and she bit me the first night. I was worried but put it down to the fact I thought she'd been mistreated previously. Subsequently she bit me a couple of other times during the 2 months I had her and we had some near misses. She appeared to be OK most of the time and I learned that when she had a certain look, it wasn't a good idea to interact with her. This was a worry but I hoped she'd overcome whatever it was in time. I then brought another small poodle cross home as a foster. From the word go she wanted to get to this dog and I was sure it wasn't to be friendly although she was fine with my dogs. I kept them separate but then when she worked out how to climb a wall and burst through the temp fencing to attack him - thank God I was home and no harm was done. That same day my neighbour's kids (8 and 9) knocked on the door and the display of absolute aggression she showed had me completely floored. She was quite a strong dog at 11 kilos and I now realised I was looking at human/dog aggression and escapologist abilities and she was definitely not going to be rehomable. In addition, she had some very odd behaviours that were inexplicable but most likely due to a brain tumour (I've had a dog with a bt before). Whether that exacerbated her human/dog issues I don't know but I had her put to sleep, you simply couldn't trust her even if she knew you. There are rescue groups out there who happily rescue and rehome medium/large dogs with aggression - they know it and they still do it. This is not only putting people and other animals at risk which I believe is unacceptable but it an unprincipled "save everything with a pulse" attitude is going to eventually ruin rescue for the good people and wonderful dogs. Bad news spreads faster than good and with the massive fine of $32,000 for the owner of the dog that killed Ayen Chol, it is madness to keep rescuing dogs with dodgy temperatments. Not only that but once a child/person is disfigured or killed, you cannot make things right nor bring them back. I would never want to be responsible for that but those who are should be severely punished. $32,000 doesn't cut it.

So sorry Emma, you did so much to help him but have now made the best decision for him, rather than putting him through (or anyone else) any more situations where he'd fail. He's at peace now. His old owners have much to answer for in my opinion.

Now why would they do that? No answer needed, it all speaks for itself.

I was happy with Calabash but recently I've been liaising with Abbotswood in Dural and it sounds like an excellent facility. There is only one kennel in the Duffys Forest area that I could recommend and that is Woodcroft.

An amazing transformation, really lovely update - well done everyone!

I've changed the photo of Pluto because the first one was very deceptive. From some body shots I have, he looks like he's possibly a Whippet cross which would explain his slim stature. It seems the family are now in a hurry to tidy things up, Pluto included.

It is always important to introduce a resident dog to a prospective new companion in the correct way. I hear too many stories where problems have arisen when the new adopter just takes the new dog home and straight inside to meet their existing dog .... Rescue groups (and their foster carers) should ensure that not only do they properly temp test an incoming dog but they do proper intros to prospective adopters when they have existing pets. Any issues - no matter how small they may seem - with behaviour, must be pointed out and explained by a foster carer. Somethign that doesn't worry the foster carer might just worry an adopter and it's having the experience to know what to discuss. I just placed a small dog with one eye into foster care, as an only dog. He has some food aggression issues which i discussed at length. I also explained that due to having one eye and some Chihuahua in him, he was not a candidate for a dog park nor should they allow other dog owners to "just let their dog say hello". I explained dogs with one eye are often snappy especially when approached on their blind side. I tried to cover all that I knew and all that my experience allows me to expect with that particular dog. When doing adoptions, I normally go to the new owner's home (having already done intros, homechecks etc) and stay for an hour or so whilst the dog settles in for a bit, also just to see if anything crops up with the other dogs or behaviour wise.

That's lovely Aphra! Thanks for sharing. Rove had a long wait but it was so worth it, thank you for believing in him!!

Thanks Mishaoliver, gorgeous little pups but not right for either of the homes, age wise.

If anyone rescues small dogs in Perth or just outside of Perth, could you please send me a pm? Thanks!