Rosetta

I buy TOTW from www.naturalpetstore.com.au - not sure how wide their delivery area is. I buy the Pacific Stream one which is salmon based - the ingredients are good, protein levels not too high and no beet pulp!

Probably mostly curious people. I really hope he does find a home poor pup - and with someone who will commit to him for the long term and not just someone with a "saviour" syndrome who will dump him once the novelty wears off .

Rawhide is something I wouldn't touch with a bargepole - all sorts of nasties used in the manufacture, bleach among them.

Whatever caused it....kinder to PTS at birth. What are the chances of finding a home for the poor dog?

Its the ABC - balanced reporting went out years ago.

I am so sorry to hear about the loss of your little dog. There was a similar story on here recently linking the same treats to serious illness. Don't blame yourself - we tend to trust that the food sold for our dogs is safe. This is far from the case - particularly food produced in China or Thailand.

This story is just as silly as the "staffy saves children from snake" story.

Catholics don't party apparently - must have missed that lesson :laugh:

Honestly I have tried the Australian brands but they don't seem to agree with my dog. I keep coming back to Taste of the Wild - from USA but the best I have come across. They have a good variety of proteins as well.

How do you keep their nether regions clean if they never have a bath? Just wondering... My curly coated dog even though clipped short around his bottom needs a clean up around there at least once a week and I find its nicer to give him a bath weekly.

Unfortunately it is the poor dog who ultimately pays the price when they finally strike back after prolonged torment in some cases. And strangely some people believe a dog should never retaliate no matter what torture is inflicted on it.

This is what I heard too. If no-one was in the room with the child I don't how they could tell that this is what really happened. Also in one of the articles posted above the dog had done nothing like this in all the years they had the dog. I got the impression that it wasn't a young dog from the TV footage so who knows what physical condition the dog was in. Such a preventable situation. ETA I've always thought that TV advertisements about dog body language & how to approach dogs & act around them etc, should be shown during children's programmes instead of all those ones on toys & junk food. Children are unpredictable, they can get it into their heads to do some silly things to animals, they shouldn't be left alone with any dog, quite often a child can be aware they are not supposed to go near a dog but they can't help themselves. My nephew at the same age as this boy, tried to drag the family dog out from under the table my it's tail, he got a nip for it, could have been far worse. No one seems to know what the child did to the dog but if the grandfather heard a yelp, he must have done something. It's not the kids fault, he was just doing what kids do and it wasn't the dogs fault either. I like the dog education TV adverts idea, it could be done in cartoon form too. It doesn't even have to be an ad. There are so many missed opportunities to pass on tips on appropriate dog handling on TV shows such as Bondi Vet and Dr Harry segments - yet they never do it, very frustrating. That's very true, I wonder if it's an insurance issue for them, you know the don't give advice thing just in case a kid does what you suggest and it goes pear shaped. Cesar Milan tells kids "No touch, No talk, No eye contact" with a dog they don't know, which is good advice. I'd like to see something in an advert that says to kids about not being mean to animals, eg "don't pull a cat or dogs tail or ears". Children can be cruel without realizing it and some deliberately cruel. I had a visitor to my place who brought her 7 year old son with her, he went into the garden where my little dog was, next thing my dog ran onto the deck straight under the table next to my legs, the boy ran up looking a bit strange and my girl started growling at him. Very unusual for her, she loves kids, his mother said very sharply to her son "What did you do, one day you'll get bitten" she seemed to know something I didn't. I'm very wary with kids, they either treat Bonny like a Barbie or they are too rough with her, squeezing her too hard etc. I'm very watchful with children. I told my own children when they were very young, that all animals were creatures like we are, not toys, they depend on us to look after them, so we should treat them the way we like to be treated and never be mean to them. You must have been furious - I know I would be! Unfortunately it is very common for kids - especially boys - to be cruel to animals. It astounds me that parents don't teach them better.

This is what I heard too. If no-one was in the room with the child I don't how they could tell that this is what really happened. Also in one of the articles posted above the dog had done nothing like this in all the years they had the dog. I got the impression that it wasn't a young dog from the TV footage so who knows what physical condition the dog was in. Such a preventable situation. ETA I've always thought that TV advertisements about dog body language & how to approach dogs & act around them etc, should be shown during children's programmes instead of all those ones on toys & junk food. Children are unpredictable, they can get it into their heads to do some silly things to animals, they shouldn't be left alone with any dog, quite often a child can be aware they are not supposed to go near a dog but they can't help themselves. My nephew at the same age as this boy, tried to drag the family dog out from under the table my it's tail, he got a nip for it, could have been far worse. No one seems to know what the child did to the dog but if the grandfather heard a yelp, he must have done something. It's not the kids fault, he was just doing what kids do and it wasn't the dogs fault either. I like the dog education TV adverts idea, it could be done in cartoon form too. It doesn't even have to be an ad. There are so many missed opportunities to pass on tips on appropriate dog handling on TV shows such as Bondi Vet and Dr Harry segments - yet they never do it, very frustrating.

Was it Xanax? I tried my dog on that and noticed it made him even more hyper. Apparently it is not an uncommon reaction at all.

Agree with this but only a competent vet can tell you if the anal glands need emptying. Its no use increasing fibre if they are already full and he can't express them. Better to get them manually emptied then start a gradual bulking up of the diet. Then again some dogs just enjoy it :)

It is coat texture too, as well as length. I have a large long haired breed and apart from more housework when they do the seasonal coat drop their long silky coats are so easy to maintain. If I am not showing them a quick brush once a week is all it takes and I never see a matt, and they are kept in full coat, no scissoring or clipping.. I have friends who have cross bred small dogs, no idea what mix, and if they didn't have regular grooming appointments they would not be able to stay on top of the matting, it happens so quickly. Cute dogs but so much work. Things new owners really need to know but often don't get told. My Shihtzu cross will roll and roll after I brush her, she ends up more matted than when I started, it's definitely the texture of her coat that doesn't help. Keeping her coat short is the best solution. No one warned me about how much grooming they required but I did research it myself, so it wasn't a shock. I find the curly poodle type coat much harder to deal with than the more straight maltese/shihtzu coat. I have had experience of both and much prefer the latter.

Well regardless of issues with Victorian LDH and various other issues with rescue down there I am interested in the situation in the Brisbane pounds. I can at least encourage those I know in Brisbane to enquire through their local Councillor about what the Contract with LDH specified - if anything - regarding expectations around rehoming etc.

Are we still talking about the BRISBANE LDH here? That is what this thread is about - I am finding its getting a bit confusing

Personally I think that is the reason many do end up in pounds or rescue. Many people have no idea about the maintenance required. Years ago long haired dogs were not commonly kept as household pets and there weren't these same problems. They are bred and sold because of the "cute" factor without any information given about the upkeep of the coat.

Whatever you call them Alison I agree they are great little dogs :) The ones I have seen are really sweet and quite robust also.

Has this little Pom seen the vet yet? How is he now?

Coogie, interesting comments from variety of people at the bottom, too. Some say they've had direct experience as rescuers & one good soul actually phoned the LDH director to ask for comment on the numbers. Pleased that some urged people to contact Brisbane City Council & their councillors, as they are responsible for awarding/reviewing the contract. Rosetta, I agree, interesting to see the performance requirements in that contract. Like, if factors relating to saving at least some healthy rehomeable pets were actually written in. And if there was any community consultation prior to calling for tenders. BTW One of the comments claimed that the AWL Qld had also tendered but lost out to LDH. You're right AWL Qld has an excellent reputation. Its almost like the animals are considered "vermin" that have to be exterminated.

Interesting that the LDH rep denied the stats - even though they were obtained under an FOI request. The figures are disgraceful

I don't have any detailed information on what LDH is doing in Brisbane. All I know is that some rescue groups have started a petition asking that a policy of not releasing to rescue be changed. And current 'snap' adoption-available figures taken from their own website seem curiously small given the council area population is above 1 million. My response will be to go to those responsible for awarding the contract... the Brisbane City Council. I'll speak with our local councillor & also the councillor who chairs their animal management committee. As ratepayers, we have a responsibility & a right to get information and make comment. We pay for that contract. http://www.brisbane.qld.gov.au/about-council/governance-strategy/councillors-wards/ Pointing out (apart from the facts above): 1. there's been history of (at least some) healthy & rehomeable animals being released to rescue from Brisbane Council pounds. 2. UQ research concluded that it could be in a Council's economic interests to focus on rehoming, as there's costs in putting healthy/rehomeable animals to sleep ... both money & human mental well-being. 3. there's viable rescue groups who have offered to contribute to that rehoming, thereby reducing those costs. 4. viability of responsible rescue groups in SE Qld has been recognized by RSPCA Qld, who now host Adoption Days including them. 5 we already have a respected role model in SE Qld. AWL Qld contractually works with both the Gold Coast & Ipswich Councils in increasing rehoming of healthy/rehomeable dogs & cats. Both are huge population areas, too. I think that is a good approach Mita. I would be very interested about the performance criteria under which the contract was awarded to LDH and the method and expected outcomes that BCC uses to assess their performance. It is a pity LDH were awarded the contract above AWL.

Jimmay can you PM me the name please? I don't want my friends in Brisbane using this place. How it could not be noticed that the dog was in distress beggars belief Are these people the full quid?