Mairead

Japanese Spitz is listed in one of the links.

Asal, they were at a training course at Lucas Heights which is where the nuclear reactor is, so not a public area? And workers there probably have to decontaminate after shift so not too many people outside? The surrounds with the houses used to have the same suburb name but is now called Barden Ridge.

All good advice Dogs, but OP hasn't visited since Nov 3.

If a dog is left in a car in a carpark there are usually some people who are willing to smash a window but also people who know how to break in.

It is living beings involved not handbags. Maybe you have been lucky so far and no one has come back later to steal from you. But there is a network of breeders who share stories. For example of people pretending to be buyers but who were actually working for export agents.

I kept Valium on hand for New Year's Eve. For the dogs. I only know snoods as the elastic-at-each-end tubes used to keep Afghan hound's very long ear fringes out of their food and clean. I have heard of the ceremony of the cutting of the ear fringes when a top show dog is retiring.

Are you up to date with veterinary costs (routine and emergency), flea control costs, council regulations, local dog training clubs, boarding or petsitting costs? I wouldn't recommend board and train. Training is a daily and ongoing part of dog owning that you need to learn. If you don't teach your dog manners it could provoke another dog and come off worse. Never walk your dog while wearing headphones or earbuds or looking at your phone, and don't go to a cafe or dogpark and not keep an eye on your dog the whole time.

Going to a registered breeder or ethical rescue group I would compare to buying your car from a long established car dealership rather than from someone parked on the side of the road with a 'for sale' sign on the car. If you want a quick bargain expect there will be risks. Do you have a specific breed in mind and why do you want a puppy rather than, say, an older dog that has maybe grown too tall or not tall enough? Have a read of the ads elsewhere on this site for Breeders, Puppies for Sale and Older Dogs for Sale. That will give you an idea of what health tests breeders are doing but remember it is still a gamble, like shuffling and dealing from a deck of cards. As breeders we try to make sure we have as many good cards in the deck as we can. It is a risk letting strangers come to your home which is why some photos may look staged to you, and you may have to fill in an application form and let the breeder get to know you before visiting. Many breeders will have kennels because bitches in season need to be kept secure and you cannot have all your dogs in a house at once. A person with a couple of dogs only as house pets may be in partnership with another breeder, or they may be someone who doesn't know what they are doing but just loves puppies, or thinks it is easy money, and breeds from the same pair repeatedly. Look in the Events section to see what events are on near you and go along to see the different dogs and how they behave. Don't be surprised to see some dogs in crates (cages) at the events that is for the dogs' safety. That's probably enough homework for now.

Makes a change from the dogs that look like coffee tables.

He doesn't look purebred so he may have some of a breed that goes through a skinny stage.

Unusual to see the term median used rather than average, but if it is a cut and paste exercise ...

A Border Collie may not be the best fit as an assistance dog. What do you want the dog to do? If you have not trained or owned a dog before a puppy may not be the best choice for your first dog. Assistance Dogs Australia may be your best first stop. Or disability organisations.

The cat didn't walk silently on wooden floors but made a clicking sound.

He probably is getting reinforcement in the form of attention. If he doesn't get enough exercise and training otherwise, he will likely continue the game. Good luck with tiring out an ESS.

Link doesn't work. You have written two pet CARS.

The only hairless cat I've met couldn't retract his claws. Hairlessness is often associated with other defects, for example in the teeth. There seems to be a lot of munchkin x exotic on cat videos. At least they do have noses but dwarfism is also associated with other health problems. Comments usually just say "so cute" but a couple of us point out the reality. Also Scottish fold x munchkin, a world of suffering there due to the gene affecting cartilage of the ear affects other cartilage so joint problems. There are also people who think animals showing neurological problems is also cute or funny. We can but try.

Is this dog desexed, trained? "got out onto the street" means it was not under effective control and now it has learned it can get out. The man should own his choices, take responsibility and call it what it is.

Waiting "several months" for a puppy is unacceptable? Why?

Giant breeds have increased levels of insulin like growth factor, IGF, and are eighty times more likely to develop osteosarcoma than smaller breeds. Tall children are also more prone to osteosarcoma. (reference Mutants by Armand Marie Leroi 2003). This drug is supposed to reduce these levels, but why wait until the dog is seven years old? If you have a seven year old giant breed, how would you prove that the drug did or didn't extend its life for a year? And forty pounds (<20kg) seems a low starting measure for giant breeds. Is that a mistake in the press release (should be 40 kg?) or a marketing ploy? Slightly paraphrasing from Paws to Consider (a book about choosing a dog) by Brian Kilcommons and Sarah Wilson: the original dog is [dingo-like] and the further you move away from that in size, shape or coat etc the more problems you can expect. The nad.com website looks like it sells snake oil. Stem cell therapy and celebrity stories.

Male occupant was arrested and taken away on "unrelated matter", but the "matter" may have had some bearing on what sort of dogs he thought he needed and how he wanted them to behave.

If no one died I imagine (T will probably know!) the information about it may only be in a police report or a council report? With local government it often depends on who answers the phone or reads your email. Sometimes contacting them at another time or day will be more successful. Or try your local MP. Some coroner's reports are online but for others you need to apply and say why you should see it.

There is also an update on ABC news website ( 21hrs ago in the Just In section) which mentions there were five dogs on the property, and some sensible comments by Dr Bronwyn Oke, RSPCA, about pack dynamics, possible medical conditions, and how blaming the breed may stop owners doing the right thing by their dogs such as getting help for behaviour problems. (sorry, can't work out a link on this little old device)

There is at least one breeder on this site who does vasectomies and tubal ligations, it was in the ad. So rare but possible, lost dog ends up in rescue.

Yes you are being judgemental. When I saw the photos I could see kennel runs, also a push lawnmower nearby. I wondered whether some of the dogs didn't get on and had escaped so a fight had started, or one was an entire bitch and fight had started, or dogs (inadequately) shut away due to lawnmower or reaction to it.

My desexed female cats have had a tattoo in the ear, (circle with a line through it,) although someone would need to know where to look. Still, a bit of Sydney street cred for them. I wonder if vasectomised and tubal ligation dogs have a tattoo?