spikey

All of the above are good advice ... IF you get the chance to see the attack coming. I was walking my 10-year-old Belgian several years ago, middle of the morning, quiet suburban street, and we were attacked - from behind - by two large Mastiff/Staffy Xs. I had seen one of the dogs out on the verge on the other side of the street we were walking along, so crossed to the other side of the road then started crossing ANOTHER road to go a different way, so we were well away from the house by this stage. It was only when I heard what I thought was someone running up behind me that I turned around to see two dogs running at us - there was no warning, they were just running at us silently at full speed. One of them launched himself into the air and straight at my girl. Luckily I managed to spin her away as he grabbed her in the middle of the back and he was "thrown off". As soon as he hit the ground, he leapt up and launched himself at her again. Unfortunately I was by myself and had nothing I could use as a weapon - we were out in the middle of the road, so there was nothing I could pick up to throw, or to hit the dogs with. I was screaming at the dogs at the top of my lungs, kicking and lashing out at them, all the time trying desperately to keep my girl safe. They just kept circling around and lunging in - and when they couldn't get at her, they went for me instead. It was just a nightmare and I knew that if either of us fell or were knocked down, it would have been all over. Thankfully a car came along the street and the driver blew the horn, and I managed to get the car between us and them and then got to the other side of the road and up someone's driveway. Another couple of cars drove past and the attacking dogs must have decided they'd had their "fun" and went back down the street. By the way, DON'T rely on someone coming to help you either. This was a Saturday morning, and I'd passed numerous people out in their front gardens etc just moments before. During the attack, I was screaming and yelling, the dogs were snarling and growling, there was so much noise that people must have heard what was going on - and yet NOT ONE PERSON came to our aid. Not one. If that car hadn't come along when it did (although the driver didn't actually stop, or get out), I don't know how it would have ended up. Turns out the dogs had just been left to their own devices in the front yard, which had NO gate on the driveway, and just a low picket fence. I reported it all to the Council rangers, the owners were fined (they denied the attack, so I had to go around there and identify the dogs), and they've since moved - the ranger told me the dogs had been picked up wandering loose at least once before - so now some other unfortunate street/suburb has probably been landed with them. As I mentioned, I wasn't armed with anything that I could protect myself and my dog with - I won't EVER make that mistake again. I carry more than one method of defence and won't hesitate to use them.

I had the same impression from reading the OP's first post. Wanting to find out the cost of the pup and researching average prices asked for pups of that breed is one thing, but it sounded like the majority of contact with the breeder seemed to do with $$$$$ - "who does the best price for transport" (the OP said themselves they'd asked "a lot" of questions about transport costs), "could you drive the pup to the airport to save costs", "can I have a discount now that I can take the pup earlier than I originally planned and I'll have to pay for the 2nd vaccination" and so on. It's not really surprising the breeder expressed some concern about the situation and wanted to clarify some things with the OP.

I checked out several kennels when looking for somewhere to board our girl - she's inside with us when we're home but is outside the rest of the time, and I knew she'd be miserable in an enclosed kennel block - I know they're airconditioned, but they remind me of nothing so much as concrete and wire "cells" with nothing to look at except the dog opposite for most of the day! I wanted her to be somewhere outside in the fresh air where she could see the sun, sky, grass and trees, still with a snug and dry sleeping area but able to watch the day-to-day goings on, other dogs etc, and with big grassy and safe exercise areas and caring and knowledgeable staff. Also, being an older dog (she was 8 at the time), I was worried about how she'd cope with it - my partner had never boarded her in the 5 years he'd had her, and prior to that she came from Shenton Park Dogs Home, so I was worried she'd think she was being abandoned again. I was very unimpressed with the lack of response from a couple of kennels that I had been told had good reputations - phone messages and emails were not responded to, even after follow-up messages were left as well (and I don't mean I expected an immediate response the next day, I know how busy kennels are, but this was over a two week period), so I gave up and looked elsewhere. The Paw House were quite happy for me to come down and have a look at the kennels - Leigh showed me around and I just had a good feeling about the place. I liked the set-up and the roomy kennel and run areas, and both Claire and Leigh seem to have a genuine affection for the dogs in their care. They were also very understanding of my concerns about boarding her for the first time. Of course, the ultimate test is the dog's first stay there - she began to stress quite badly on the day I dropped her off (again, I think she thought she was back at the Dogs Home), but within a day or two, she had settled in really well and was queening it around the kennels LOL. When I picked her up, she was waggy-tailed, happy and healthy, and that cemented the deal for us and we now wouldn't board her anywhere else. Their prices are very reasonable as well - not having used a boarding kennel for about 8 years, I was quite stunned at the "add-ons" that a lot of the kennels seem to charge for these days!! Our girl ADORES Claire and Leigh (and the feeling is mutual apparently!) - last time I dropped her off down there, she trotted off with Leigh without so much as a backwards glance - thanks very much, I thought :laugh: . Now that I use their pick-up/drop-off service, she seems to think any van that pulls into our driveway is one of them coming to take her to "holiday camp" as we call it, which has led to her giving very enthusiastic welcomes to some bemused couriers and delivery men!

Hi Tiamo6 Can't help with any kennels NOR unfortunately - I used to use one out at Wanneroo some years ago which had an excellent reputation, but then it changed hands and pretty much everything went downhill (except the cost!) so we ended up having to look for somewhere else. I haven't used Ashridge, but can highly recommend The Paw House in Canning Vale. We've used them numerous times over the last few years, for periods from a few days up to as long as 6 weeks, and our girl always comes back fit as a flea and full of bounce - not bad for a (now) 12-year-old! Claire and Leigh, who own and run the kennels are great and they have separate kennel areas for small and large dogs. Not sure if I'm allowed to post the website, but just Google "The Paw House" and you'll find it. We live even further north than you, so I usually use their pick-up/drop-off service, which costs $30 each way. I know it's an extra cost, but it sure beats battling the traffic all the way down there and back!

I would not a) cite a vet website as a reliable source of interpretation of a law and b) cite the SMH article as it actually also incorrect. The RTA has confirmed in writing that there is no law and it only recommends people restrain for safety reasons. It hasn't only come from a vet's website - I've also come across similar information on some insurance websites, motoring websites, the City of Sydney, and the Law Society website. It would appear at least part of the SMH article IS correct. From the NSW RTA's own website: "General Driving Offences as of 1 November 2012", Rule 297 (1A) Drive motor vehicle with person or animal in lap* Fine Level 6 - Fine $397 - 3 demerit points. "School Zone Offences as of 1 November 2012" - Rule 297 (1A) Drive motor vehicle with person or animal in lap (school zone) Fine level 7 - Fine $496 - 4 demerit points. Under both of the above sections, there is also " Rule 297 (1) Drive without proper control of vehicle" which carries the same fines, so I assume this would be the offence the police could fine you under if they considered an unrestrained dog in the car is preventing you from having proper control whilst driving so it appears this one would come down to interpretation. These offences are all listed under Rule 297 in the current version of the NSW Road Rules (2008), as per the NSW Government Legislation website. It's also mentioned in the RTA's Road User's Handbook on page 154 that "a driver must not drive with an animal in the driver's lap"

A bit more info: NSW: Drivers caught with unrestrained dogs risk fines of more than $400, with 170 people charged over the offence since the pet-related road rule was introduced in NSW in July 2012. The legislation, which stipulates that motorists must not drive a vehicle with an animal on their lap or preventing them from having proper control of the car, carries a penalty of three demerit points and $338, rising to $422 in a school zone. If an animal is injured as a result of being unrestrained, owners also face up to six months' jail and fines of up to $5500 under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act. The RSPCA managing inspector, Matthew French, said that even the Australian tradition of conveying dogs untethered on the back of utes could land drivers with on-the-spot fines of $500 under the Act. (from a Sydney Morning Herald article) WA: In WA, recent changes to road rules have made it an offence to drive with an animal in your lap. The penalty is a $100 fine and the loss of one demerit point. (from RAC WA website) Although Danois is correct in saying that it appears there's no law applying to restraining a dog in the BACK of a vehicle, there are just recommendations that the dog be behind a cargo barrier or in a crate or strapped into a harness. I guess it depends on the police officer who pulls you over, and whether he/she considers that an unrestrained dog loose inside the car is preventing you from "having proper control of the car".

Not quite correct apparently - I found the following on several vets' websites: "Throughout Australia the laws surrounding dog restraint when travelling in or on the back of a car vary from state to state. In New South Wales all dogs must be restrained. In Victoria, dogs travelling on utes must be restrained. Whereas in South Australia hefty fines apply if a dog should be injured in the process of travel. In Western Australia it is illegal for a dog to travel on the lap of the driver. For more information, we recommend visiting your local road safety authority's website."

It's because of incidents like these that I stopped going to Hillarys Dog Beach several years ago. The number of dog attacks in Perth, both on other dogs and on people, seem to be increasing year by year - hardly surprising, as there seem to be more and more dog owners who either (a) don't give a rat's that their dog is aggressive and let it run loose anyway and/or (b) have NO control WHATSOEVER over their dog and can't (or won't) call the dog to them or attempt to catch it or prevent it harassing (or even attacking) another dog. Even worse, many of these people insist on walking several dogs at once, all off the lead and none of them under any sort of control. I now avoid most parks in our area like the plague, especially at certain times of the day, and after my old girl (and myself) were victims of a totally unprovoked attack by two Staffy/Mastiff Xs a couple of years back (she was on lead, walking with me along the footpath, these two dogs had been left roaming loose and unsupervised outside their house some distance away and attacked us from behind), I now will not hesitate to use ANY means necessary to protect myself and my dog. My deepest sympathies to this poor family - what a tragic thing to happen and a horrific thing to witness.

I agree, definitely good manners to at least have a word with the competitor - how are they are know why their dog/bitch was refused Challenge if no one tells them? This happened to my dog at a show several years ago, there were only two entries in our class, no other entries in our breed on that day - we were placed first then the judge has us run both our dogs again, together and individually. She said something to the steward, then turned her back and walked off, gesturing for the first entry for the next breed to come into the ring. The steward walked up to us, said abruptly "No challenge" and shepherded us out of the ring. As a relatively new exhibitor, I had no idea what had just happened, especially as our dog had received Challenge at two previous shows, and I didn't actually realise at that stage that judges could refuse to award it! The breeder, my hubby and several friends who were watching came up and said "so you got Challenge?" (which they assumed as the judge had placed us first in the lineup) and I had to tell them "er, no, and I've no idea why". It wasn't a huge show with gazillions of entries and major time constraints, so I don't think it would have hurt for the judge to take a few moments just to have a quick word with us - if she refused challenge due to immaturity or whatever, that's fine, but to not be told the reason was very off-putting for a new exhibitor. Even more confusing to me at the time, the dog who came second to us on that day, went to another show the following day - same venue, different judge - and was given Challenge.

Our girl is always left outside when we're not home. For some reason, even though she has a massively thick black hairy coat, she loves to lie in the sun and I sometimes think she's about to burst into flames!! Thankfully she does eventually have enough sense to move off out of the heat LOL. She has shade in the carport and also shade in the yard from the neighbour's tree for most of the afternoon. We make sure she has plenty of water, and she also has a clam shell paddle pool. We have aircon, but it is an older evaporative system and there have been a number of instances of these causing fires (which of course can happen with any electrical appliance, fans included), so there is no way I would EVER leave her shut in the house with the aircon on when we're not home - if there was a fire, she'd have no chance of escape. I always turn the aircon off when I leave the house, even if I'm just ducking up to the shop for 15 minutes - I don't even leave things like washing machines or computers running, too paranoid about fires after OH had the hard drive on his computer burn out one day when he was out and a friend had her washing machine "blow up" when the water went off whilst she was out, so I'd prefer not to risk it!!

Another vote here for The Paw House - our girl LOVES the place, doesn't even look back when I drop her off now - or if I use their pick-up service, she hops in the van without even a backward glance LOL. She's been in for extended stays of up to 6 weeks and comes back fitter than when she went in, and full of beans - not bad for a 12 year old! The owners, Claire and Leigh, are great - highly recommended.

Wasn't she just a major PITA!! And I'm sorry, despite all the hoopla and congratulations afterwards about what a "great job" she did at the animal actors show at the movie studio, I thought she sucked LOL. I'm quite sure that dog would have (and could have) done the whole thing on his own if one of the other trainers had just started him off in the right direction!

Good heavens, that whiny, pouty spoilt brat on last night's show - I just wanted to slap her around the head SOOOOOO much!!

Am getting sick of seeing episodes showing Belgians actually doing something USEFUL :laugh: . Tried to make our Belgian watch the Canadian episode last week and the South African one this week. Sadly, she insisted on being fast asleep and snoring her way through both, so I guess she won't be taking down terrorists or catching poachers any time soon. **sigh** Can't expect much else from a Groenendael I guess ... :D and she IS nearly 13 years old, so I guess we can let her away with just being a fluffy household ornament these days LOL

Wow, that's good to know BonJosie, am off to have a look right now!

It turned out to be a Kong Classic AND the right size - my girl already has two of them, and loves chucking them around, so that worked out well! I'll still keep an eye out around the place though and see if I can spot any of the Kong range at a decent price for anyone else who's looking.

Thanks for the replies everyone. Good idea english.ivy - I was actually talking about it at work today, and one woman said she'd bought "one of those Kong things" but her dog doesn't like it and won't play with it - I'm not sure which one she's actually bought or what size it is, so she's going to bring it in for me to look at and and if it's suitable, I'll be able to buy it off her at a reduced price! If not, I'll let you know and we'll look at putting an order in :)

My girl LOVES her Kong toys over and above any of the other toys we've ever tried her with - unfortunately her large Kong Biscuit Ball is starting to perish and needs to be replaced. Any suggestions where the best place in Perth (preferably NOR) - price-wise - would be to buy one of these, or even Kong Classics if I can't get the Biscuit Ball. I've always found City Farmers and the like to be a bit of a rip-off, and the Kmarts near us have very little in the way of pet stuff these days. Has anyone been into Big W lately and has any idea what their range/prices would be like? Won't get a chance to get to the shops until Thursday, so I thought I'd ask our knowledgeable DOLers in the meantime! Have had a look online, but postage for Kongs would probably put them over and above store prices by the look of it (unless someone knows of a a good online shop?). Would be grateful for any suggestions/info.

Glad to hear you decided on the Paw House - they get a big from me, Claire and Leigh are great and our girl absolutely adores them. We've boarded here there several times over the past few years, for periods of up to 6 weeks, and she has a whale of a time - always comes back fit, happy and full of bounce. Not bad for a 12-year-old!

I used to feel exactly like this. Even if a kennel said they didnt mix dogs, I would not trust them as I know how common practice it is. I feel differently now as I trust the person who boards my dogs implicitly. I feel like she knows them almost as well as I do and she is an extremely good dog trainer. I would have no problem with her walking them with any dog she feels suitable. I also know that she would never leave them unattended with other dogs. None of my dogs are reactive which also helps. This. I have found the most wonderful kennel and the owner is great with dogs and knows her guests very well. I trust her completely to know which dogs will get along, she spends so much time with them. And she never just puts different dogs into a run together to play unsupervised, she takes them for walks together, or for a swim in the dam, then they go back into their own runs. And if I still wasn't comfortable with this, and told her I didn't want my dog to socialise with other dogs, I know she would respect my wish too. Same here. The first time we boarded our girl, she was around 9 years old (not sure whether she has been boarded by previous owners, as she was a rescue dog so don't know her history) - she had always been dominant with other bitches, and also about a year previously we had been attacked by two Mastiff/Staffy crosses whilst out walking one morning so she had since become (understandably) quite unreliable around other dogs - she had the "I'll get you before you get me" mentality going, especially if another dog ran at us, as it seemed she was trying to protect me as well as herself (when I managed to get the attacking dogs off her, they went for me instead), so I was very anxious about putting her in kennels and how she would react to other dogs in such close proximity. Unfortunately our only other family members in Perth weren't able to look after her this time, so we had little choice. Thankfully the boarding kennels we chose were excellent - I explained the situation to them, and they made a point of carefully introducing her to a gentle, calm male dog and eventually allowing them to play together under supervision, and it's been the best thing that could happen to her. She now LOVES going to the kennels, adores the people there, and queens it around the place, she gets to play with other (carefully selected) dogs and has a whale of a time - she's now boarded there 4 times, up to 6 weeks at one stage, and comes home happy, healthy and fit as a flea (not bad for a 12 year old!). Her attitude towards other dogs has also improved tremendously. The people running these kennels are brilliant and I trust them implicitly regarding her care and which dogs she mixes with whilst she's there. I can certainly understand that many people DON'T want their dogs to mix with others at kennels, and it's certainly their right to request this AND have it adhered to - the dog's owner should always have the final say in that regard.

I think it's fantastic that long coats are now being recognised and able to be shown. My first GSD back in the early 1990s was a long coat, a gorgeous boy with a delightful temperament and great conformation. But of course, being a long coat, we were relegated to the obedience ring only and even then, only on sufference as far as the GSD fraternity were concerned (lived in New Zealand at the time) - taking him to combined Breed/Obedience GSD shows was awful, we were literally shunned by the people showing in Breed, they used to like to pretend that long coat GSDs just didn't exist!! And yet I saw plenty of GSDs with horrible temperaments and dreadful conformation being run around the Breed ring, as they were normal (short) coats and could be shown, whereas my boy couldn't. The breeder we got our boy from told us that she used to drown any long coats in her litters because they were "worthless" The only reason our boy survived was that we had contacted her before this particular litter was born and told her we were looking for a GSD for a pet rather than for show. Thankfully, other people who met our boy and loved him contacted her looking for long coat puppies so thankfully any that appeared in future litters were allowed to live and to go on to be loving family pets. Good luck and I hope you get heaps of entries!

The butcher at Centro Warwick usually has the big marrow bones, and they will cut them into smaller pieces if you ask. They're a bit on the expensive side though, $5.50 each!!! Woolworths over at Stirling Central used to have them as well, also not cheap as they were priced by the kilo, and bones aren't the lightest of things by any stretch of the imagination!

We use The Paw House - we'd never boarded our girl before (we'd had her for 5 years at that stage) and weren't sure how she'd go in kennels as we didn't know her previous history except that the person who owned her before us had bought her from Shenton Park Dogs Home. We were worried that she might think she was being left at the dog's home again! She stressed quite badly when I dropped her there, but from all reports within a day or so, she was fine and was pretty much "queen of the kennels!" LOL. Claire and Leigh, who run the place, are really nice people and our girl LOVES them - we have boarded her there 3 times now, the longest period being for about 6 weeks, and she has always come home fit as a flea and full of bounce - not bad for a dog who is around 12 years old! They have all different sizes of kennels and runs, including some REALLY big ones that are designed for boarding dogs together from the same family, which can fit 3 large dogs, or 2 giant ones! Their website doesn't say that they're booked out for Easter yet, but it does state that there is a minimum 5 day booking over that period.

+100 I was always one of those who said "I'd NEVER rehome my dog" ... and then it happened to me. I won't go into all the details (suffice to say, severe financial difficulties following a divorce, no family support/backup available locally as they all live on the other side of the country and several other contributing factors), but I ended up in a situation where I was left with no choice but to rehome my 2yo GSD. It broke my heart, as he was literally all I had left, but I couldn't give him any sort of life that a young dog should have - he ended up going to a wonderful home with a couple who adored him, took him everywhere with them, regular trips to the beach, obedience training etc, they had a property outside Perth that they visited regularly where he could have as much free running as he wanted, and they had another dog of a similar age for him to play with. Doggie heaven as far as he was concerned although it still didn't make it any easier leaving him there, like a previous poster I had to pull the car over to the side of the road after I'd taken him to their house, I was crying too hard to be able to drive. He settled in really quickly, ate well and was very happy. They were always asking me to come back and visit, so I went back 5 months later - and he almost broke the front door down when he saw me. I cried like a baby (again), both whilst I was there, and when I left - thankfully he settled down again by the next day, and I decided not to go back again as it was too upsetting for us both. However I did visit again about 4 years later and quite honestly, he didn't know who I was. He was friendly and welcoming, and maybe I might have stirred something in the back of his mind as a long-forgotten memory from his past, but he didn't show any sign that he really remembered me. He was totally their dog, and I was happy for him and for them. I was so glad I did go back for that last visit, as tragically a few months later he died from bloat. So most dogs certainly can and do adapt when rehomed - it's usually a far worse experience for the person who has to give them up!! My sympathies are with the OP, I know how hard it was for me to have to rehome my boy, and I'm glad they're taking the responsible step of looking for the best way to find a new home for their dog. As I know only too well, people's circumstances change - sometimes unexpectedly - and you sometimes find yourself having to face doing something that you swore you'd never EVER do. Life often isn't that simple, and I wish the OP the best of luck in rehoming their girl.

Thanks for the replies everyone, looks like it should be OK then - although the bugs are a bit of a worry!