curly

I know that one! Back when I was grooming,I'd get endless bookings for 'lab x' or 'staffy x' dogs. All pitty types. Most of the owners would later confess that the dog was really a pitbull, he he. One told me he wanted to see how I handled the 'good' dog before he let me near the 'difficult' dog (never went back there). Calling the dog an amstaff or some type of bulldog was also popular.

And for those who want a Pocket Puppy, or Toy Cavoodle, or what looks like a perfectly common or garden variety cavoodle - the bargain price is $7000. Yep, $7000. That why people pay ridiculous prices for 'oodles, because of superior marketing. It's a pretty website. My cousin bought an 'oodle puppy. They went on sale at 9am. You put your name down for your 1st, 2nd and 3rd choice, and if you're quick enough, you get it. Buying sight unseen from a photo. It's much easier than buying a real poodle, when you have to convince the breeder you know what you're doing and are suitable to own the dog.

our local petshop tried selling purebred Standard Poodles once. The pups sat in the window for weeks before heading back to their breeder. Funny thing, the usual 'oodles (labra-,spoo-, malteser-, scnauzer- etc etc) sell like hot cakes. And often get rehomed by 12 mths old. Obviously, the sort of people who want purebred dogs don't do petshops, while pet shop people would never go for a pure breed.

This is super common. All dog owners should check feet daily during late spring/early summer when the grass is seeding. Actually, not just feet. Check ears regularly and any area the dog is licking at. Seeds can penetrate the skin very quickly and do travel a long way under the skin. And without wanting to sound nasty, how is this news to any dog owner? Surely everyone knows by now that grass seeds and dogs don't mix?

I never knew eating pet food was so popular! Many years ago Mum was cooking pasta and pet food. Premium minced beef in one pot, pet mince (offal, fat, bones - ew) in the other. She got a tad confused. The dogs loved their dinner that night. I'm told the pasta sauce had a funny taste and went largely uneaten. The male members of the house have never been told this story. They would freak out!

I'd win in that case! My ex-puppies always come flying over when they see me! I wonder about those stories you hear where fluffy was found after 7 years and returned to the original owner. Someone else has been caring for Fluffy for all that time - do they get a chance to stake a claim? My dog that was pinched, it might have been 6 years ago but I'd take him back ASAP.

Interesting, regarding council rego (not my council though); Whilst registration of your animal is mandatory under the State Government's Animal Management (Cats and Dogs) Act 2008 , registration of the subject animal by a person does not infer or confer ownership of the animal" .

Hmmm, interesting so far! Lawyers won't come into it, way too expensive! Still at the talking stage, I'm just checking things.

Stupid title, but... Does anyone know how you determine ownership of a dog, in legal terms? Is it the microchip registration? Council registration? Bill of sale? The person caring for the dog? What if different people are listed for each registration, and a third party caring for the dog? Let's say Person A has the Microchip rego, Person B council rego. Person C the sale contract, Person D has the dog. Perhaps the dog was stolen and later sold on (actually happened), so the ownership is muddled. Who's dog is it?

Yesterday's vet check up was very interesting. He pulled up the x-rays and drew lines and angles everywhere, demonstrating the action and effectiveness of the joint. Good to see the actual mechanics of the joint. In essence, when this big, bouncy, unfit dog bounced once too often (probably landing in a pothole), without decent muscle to support her, the itty bitty ligament tore. She's now going swimming every day to get some movement and muscle back. BTW, poodle are rubbish at swimming! Also, it seems the most common type of dogs with ACL injuries are overweight and under active. Anyone surprised?

Very interesting. I bred a dog who just had the expensive surgery. She has great conformation and great hips, so it wasn't an inherited weakness (and none of her generations of relatives have had this injury). I'd say she injured the leg 'cause she's large, active and very unfit and undermuscled. Funny thing, she's been on antibiotics, anti-this and anti-that for some time. Her ears are yeasty, her skin is oily and she's shedding huge amounts of coat (this is a poodle!). Clearly the drugs are really messing up her system.

Korbin - NOOOO!!!! Aren't dogs wonderful? I'd like to to think the good leg can be saved, but... She had to postpone her operation. She refused to pee while at the vet and with a full bladder and a new UTI, has to wait. (she's not actually mine, BTW, I just bred her, groom her, keep an eye on her, babysit when needed, and fully intend to do whatever physio the owner can't manage). I popped up to see her today, she looks quite happy. The injury doesn't seem as bad as I feared, she can weight bear a little. She came flying out to me yelling 'Mummy!', wasn't impressed when I wouldn't let the bouncing continue!

Looking up Dogs In Motion as we speak... er, type... Thanks!

I'm in Mt.Eliza (vic). Quite close to Cranbourne dog track, not too far from Sandown.

Thanks Ness, some good ideas there! I didn't think of a treadmill. We're not too far from a few greyhound tracks, so there should be rehab facilities around. I'm hoping to keep that good leg nice and strong. Of course, it'll be a while before she can do much anyway.

In a large breed dog with a stuffed cruciate ligament (undergoing surgery today), does anyone have any really good ideas for strengthening the other leg to preserve it? I mean, given that most dogs rupture the ligament on the other leg after doing the first. I've read up on the care and rehab needed, and of course the vet will monitor everything. I'm thinking swimming (when she's ready) would help. What else to really strengthen that good leg? I'm hoping she'll start bearing weight on the sore leg asap to take some of the pressure off the good one. Also, has anyone had experience with new treatments, such as stem cell therapy? I looked into it for an injured horse a while ago, but not for dogs (yet). Any advise much appreciated!

But... did anyone notice the bit where the judge said (as reported in the article), the woman could not keep the dog AND have a refund. She could have one or the other. The $200 was a partial refund.

Tell ya what, this test is the funniest thing ever. I highly recommend wasting the day testing your dogs. The towel over the head is the best. My lot are walking around with towels and hats on. They can't see, but they're quite happy!

Thanks, Swifty! Yep, IQ failures or not, they're clever mutts. Sometimes I think one of those dumb, boring dogs would be nice, but then... at least they're entertaining! My poor boy isn't happy today. Every time I move he has to heave himself to his feet, pick up his favourite teddy, and follow me. All he wants is a nap.

I don't know, these tests are always in the papers, so they must be accurate, eh? They always fail. Must be all that training. At least if I tell them to find something, they usually do. "Go get the yellow teddy, it's under the kitchen table" Works every time!

HAs anyone seen the IQ test for dogs in todays paper? You do all these simple tests and see how long it takes your dog to figure it out. I'm proud to say my poodles are dismal failures! I tried the 'put the treat under a soup can' one. Dog 1 sniffed the can and walked away. Dogs 2 & 3 didn't even go that far. They aren't allowed to take random treats, you see. 'Put a towel over the head and see how long it takes to get it off'. Right. He's still walking around with a towel over his head. He likes it. He likes ribbons and hats, too. 'Put them in a sit-stay, say Refigerator' and see what happens. They look at the fridge. Obviously, the test is designed for average dogs, not weird ones.

Our local pet shop used to breed their own labradoodles, schnoodles, spoodles, whateveroodles. They all ran out the door, usually in pairs. Funny thing, many of the bigger ones were rehomed by the time they turned 1yo. One time they stocked a few Standard Poodles, from a registered breeder friend (but without papers, of course.) No one bought them. They sat in the window, getting bigger and bigger. After a month and a bit, these huge puppies disappeared. I hope they went back to the breeder, but I'd guess they probably went to breed more 'oodles. The new pet shop owner doesn't sell live animals. She supports the rescue operations instead.

For the record, if anyone pinched my dog in this way, he'd be home before the sun went down. I don't care what any sales receipt might say, my dog will never be given up, he is chipped and and has multiple registrations in my name. Chip moved or didn't scan? Don't care. If I had to walk the streets calling him I would. The good part is he'd do anything to get back to me, so it wouldn't really matter if he was behind a fence. And once he's home, I can prove he's mine. (PS, yes, I'd consider the dog 'pinched'. The new owners might have bought him, but they know where he truly belongs and refuse to give him back.)

And just to remind (again) everyone - check your pets microchip details are correct. It took me about 3 tries to change my phone number with CAR. It was pure chance I found out they hadn't updated their records when I asked them to.

While there aren't rules dictating how dogs are to be handled and restrained (other that the usual appropriate dog care laws) any business comes under OH&S for the workers. We actually shouldn't be lifting heavy dogs, or any heavy product over 20kgs without appropriate gear. An hydraulic table would be necessary for large dogs, if you're operating legally. We should all be using proper safety gear, such as facemasks, safety goggles and ear muffs. Protective clothing and solid footwear (never, ever groom in sandals or thongs!), rings and necklaces should be removed or secured. The same rules apply for anyone working with sharp tools or mechanical tools. I wonder if insurance would pay out if OH&S rules weren't followed before an injury?