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http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/travel/news/aussie-lyn-watson-accused-of-dodgy-dingo-smuggling-ring/story-e6frezi0-1226633440116 Aussie Lyn Watson accused of dodgy dingo smuggling ring by: Peter Bodkin From: The Daily Telegraph May 02, 2013 12:00AM Increase Text SizeDecrease Text SizePrintEmail Share A SELF-STYLED saviour of Australia's native dingoes smuggled six pups into the US disguised as look-alike Japanese pooches, a court has been told. Lyn Watson, who runs the Victoria-based Australian Dingo Foundation, is facing up to two years in jail after she was charged with illegally shipping the native species overseas. A court was told a key issue remained whether the pups were pure-blood dingoes - a protected animal - or if years of inter-breeding had rendered the exported canines common dogs. In January, 2010, Ms Watson and her foundation allegedly shipped the animals from NSW to a kids' zoo in the US state of Indiana and two private buyers with their papers mislabelled "shiba inu" - a Japanese dog whose pups look similar to dingoes. Mike Hyams, who had two of the pups shipped to his Florida home, said he made a $2000 "donation" to the foundation through the transport company for a dingo pair. But when the animals arrived they came with little paperwork, which was "unusual" from his experience importing native birds. Instead they came with only a health card listing the Japanese breed, he said. A "heated" email exchange between Mr Hyams and Ms Watson followed, during which she assured him he had dingoes, the court heard. In a message before the shipment she wrote she was also in the process of "wading through the drawn-out red tape" to export dingoes to US animal parks. Dimitrije Nikic, a former volunteer at Ms Watson's Dingo Discovery and Research Centre, said he was initially asked to put his name on papers sent with the pups to the US because that would make the transfer "easier". He claimed Ms Watson later said: "I wrote down the pups were shiba inus on the paperwork just to be safe." None of the pups had been DNA tested to prove they were dingoes, but one of their parents' had been positively identified as the native dog, the court heard. Narelle Hammond, whose Sydney-based company Kenardobe, trading as Animal Travel, sent the pups, was also charged. Both she and Ms Watson have pleaded not guilty to exporting a protected native species. The hearing continues.

It's mentioned in the thread Perse mentions above, which is in OT, but the original thread was about a different incident.

I love the careful look at the bag of treats left on the ground right at the end of the video "Hmmm, can I get them without being caught"? Good video. Thanks for sharing

My friend lives just near there too, so anytime I come down to Tassie I visit Sheffield and have a look at the murals. She has stunning views of Mt Roland from her property. I mentioned to her that we watched the woodchopping finals at the Royal Easter Show and that Sheffield was very well represented and she commented that they must have been very conflicted being away for the Mural fest :)

It just says costs, so that probably takes into account court costs plus food, medication, desexing etc etc for the entire time the dogs were in their care. Until the courts awarded custody of the dogs to the RSPCA, they weren't the owners, but were obliged to care for the animals, so have now claimed those costs from the owner. They were seized in October and the initial court matter when the RSPCA were granted custody was early March. That's five months

When you take her to get desexed, you can ask the vet to do a thorough health check and get advice on getting her into shape

He doesn't seem the "type" to have a shih tzu

I thought that was strange too. It obviously isn't a financial issue as to why it wasn't done. Maybe she heard from somewhere that the dog was too small - possible an ill informed breeder or vet? I do feel for the lady. It's great that she is so devoted to getting the dog back. I hope she is aware to check the pound - lots of people aren't. It sounds like the dog has used the dog door and then the yard isn't secure? It says in the article that she has contacted the pound - the way I read the bit about the dog door, is that this dog doesn't use it but the other one does? Maybe just my interpretation of it though.

http://www.canberratimes.com.au/act-news/microchip-even-for-a-tiny-pooch-eases-heartache-20130320-2gge4.html Microchip, even for a tiny pooch, eases heartache DateMarch 21, 2013 14 reading now(0) Wanted ... $4000 reward for April's return. Photo: Supplied Canberra woman Grace Brooks has ''not stopped crying for three days'' since she discovered her Yorkshire terrier missing from her home in O'Connor. Brooks has been using social media to try to recover her pooch, April, who went missing on Sunday, offering a $4000 cash reward for the return of the tiny 18-month old dog. It's a fair chunk of savings being offered, but the 24-year-old just wants the safe return of her pup. ''She herself is worth $2000 because she's pure bred, but, you know, money doesn't matter to me, I just - she's my baby,'' Ms Brooks said. ''I just want her back so much I'd do anything to get her back.'' April was left at home on Sunday and was nowhere to be found when Ms Brooks returned home in the afternoon. ''She only weighs 1.8 kilos [but] she doesn't usually go out the dog door. I've got two Yorkshire terriers - one's a lot bigger. She's really small, and she's never gone out there before, so it's actually really quite strange that she's got out somehow. Ms Brooks said the dog was not microchipped as she's ''too small''. She has been putting up ads around town, has registered April as lost with the government's Domestic Animal Services and has been putting the word out on social media. So far there have been no solid leads as to April's whereabouts. The registrar of DAS, Peter Dinan, said it was mandated that dogs be microchipped, but often were not, despite the process of injecting a chip the size of a grain of rice costing just $31. ''By the time you fill in the forms and insert it, it's probably five minutes,'' he said. ''A lot of people mix up registration and microchipping, they think one overrides the other or is the same as the other. ''Microchipping is the best way, because as long as [owners] keep their details up to date, a scan will show the name and address of the owner and contact number.'' With social media often used when looking for a lost pet, Mr Dinan said any efforts to find an animal were worthwhile, but should be used in addition to their central database. ''There's a website we run when we impound a dog. There's also another website where people who lose dogs or find dogs can post to,'' he said. ''I'd encourage people in particular to check the impounded site on the TAMS website, which has details of the dog's breed and also has a photo of it so you can quickly identify it, particularly if it's not registered or microchipped.'' DAS has no guidelines on offering large rewards for the return of a pet. Read more: http://www.canberratimes.com.au/act-news/microchip-even-for-a-tiny-pooch-eases-heartache-20130320-2gge4.html#ixzz2O8CY35GB

So sorry for your loss.

http://www.canberratimes.com.au/act-news/puppy-ban-over-aged-care-illness-scare-20130318-2gbkb.html Puppy ban over aged care illness scare DateMarch 19, 2013 15 reading now(0) Health officials have recommended puppies be banned from aged care facilities after two outbreaks of potentially deadly Campylobacter gastroenteritis in a Canberra nursing home. But trained adult dogs will still be able to visit aged care homes. According to a paper to be presented at a Communicable Diseases Conference in Canberra on Tuesday, 15 people were infected during two separate gastroenteritis outbreaks in the nursing home between April and June last year. A healthy four-month-old puppy was identified as the likely cause of the outbreaks and excluded from the facility. An expert panel was established to investigate the case. ''Campylobacter jejuni was recovered from both human and canine faecal samples,'' the study findings said. ''A review of published literature showed puppies extensively shed Campylobacter species. ''The [aged care] setting and low infective dose also made transmission likely, despite the varying degrees of contact between the puppy and cases. ''While infection control practices were generally appropriate, the facility's animal policy did not adequately address potential zoonotic risk.'' The study's lead author, epidemiologist Cameron Moffatt of the ACT Health Protection Service, was not available for interview on Monday. An ACT Health Directorate spokeswoman was unable to disclose the name of the home or whether anybody had died as a result of the infections. Elderly people infected with Campylobacter have an increased risk of hospitalisation and death. The panel recommended the puppy be excluded from the aged care home until it was at least a year old and assessed as being suited for an aged care environment. The panel decided puppies should not be considered as aged care companions due to ''high rates of Campylobacter carriage and shedding; their social immaturity; susceptibility of elderly residents to infection and poor outcomes''. Last year, health authorities were officially notified of 477 Campylobacter cases in the ACT and 15,645 cases nationally. Read more: http://www.canberratimes.com.au/act-news/puppy-ban-over-aged-care-illness-scare-20130318-2gbkb.html#ixzz2NwSy7fmL

Thought this may be of interest here. I remember a story a while ago where another baby was attacked by a fox inside the house. Also in England. http://www.essentialbaby.com.au/life-style/family-entertainment/fox-drags-newborn-from-cot-and-bites-off-finger-20130211-2e7b7.html Fox drags newborn from cot and bites off finger DateFebruary 11, 2013 (0) "They may appear cuddly and romantic but foxes are also a pest and a menace, particularly in our cities" ... London Mayor, Boris Johnson British police are investigating a fox attack on a one-month-old baby boy which left his hand seriously injured. The animal tore the infant's finger off after dragging him from his cot after entering his bedroom in Bromley, southeast London, according to reports. "We were called at 1638 on Wednesday 6 February by staff at St Thomas' Hospital to reports a baby boy who had been admitted to hospital after being attacked by a fox," a Metropolitan Police spokesman said. "Police attended to find a four-week-old baby with a hand injury. Advertisement "The baby was admitted to hospital after the attack at its home address in Bromley. "Inquiries continue." The child's mother was alerted by the child's screams and rushed into his room to see his hand lodged "halfway down the animal's throat", the Mail on Sunday said. Surgeons were able to reattach the baby's finger and he was said to be recovering well. An RSPCA spokeswoman said fear was the only reason a fox would attack. "It's extremely unusual for foxes to attack young children or anyone," she said. "It's not typical fox behaviour at all. Foxes will come closer to a house if there are food sources. Then they can become quite bold, but they usually do back off and run away when there's people around." London Mayor Boris Johnson said more must be done to tackle the growing problem of urban foxes. "They may appear cuddly and romantic but foxes are also a pest and a menace, particularly in our cities," he told BBC News. "This must serve as a wake-up call to London's borough leaders, who are responsible for pest control. "They must come together, study the data, try to understand why this is becoming such a problem and act quickly to sort it out." Johnson added that his thoughts were "with the baby boy and his family".

So sorry for your loss

In the actual Link to the story, it says Harry the Kelpie. I think someone has changed the news heading to "not a kelpie" because someone has probably told them "that's not a kelpie"

It says custody of the mum and five pups was awarded to the RSPCA

Also reported in the Illawarra mercury http://www.rspcansw.blogspot.com.au/2013/03/animal-cruelty-charges-nowra-local-court.html ANIMAL CRUELTY CHARGES - Nowra Local Court An East Nowra woman failed to appear in Nowra Local Court on Friday, 1st March, and was convicted on three charges of animal cruelty involving a female Wolfhound and her pups and one charge of obstruction of officers in the course of their duty. A warrant for her arrest was issued by the Court. On Tuesday 2 October, 2012 two RSPCA Inspectors attended a property in East Nowra in relation to a complaint and observed a female Wolfhound-cross dog in poor body condition, with hips and ribs prominent. A rotten smell emanated from the mother dog and she also displayed signs of flea burden. The dog was tethered to a tree by a four-metre length of chain. The mother was suckling five pups approximately five days old. The pups were lying in dirt and covered with a dirty blanket. Inspectors informed the owner that the mother and her pups were to be seized at which time the woman became aggressive and demanded they leave the property. After refusing to hand over the animals, Police were called and the mother and her pups were placed in the rear of an RSPCA vehicle and taken for veterinary treatment. Examination revealed the mother to be severely underweight with a body condition of 1 out of 5. She also had a uterine infection, severe flea burden and a faecal test showed positive for hookworm. The pups were in good body condition. The woman did not appear in Court today so the matter was dealt with ex parte. On the three charges of failing to provide veterinary treatment she was found guilty and a section 25 warrant was issued for her arrest. To the charge of obstructing the RSPCA officers she was found guilty, fined $1,000, ordered to pay costs of $14,842.14 and custody of the mother and five pups was awarded to RSPCA. All charges are under NSW Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act and Regulation More Great follow up story by the Illawarra Mercury on a cruelty case prosecution from Nowra last week you may remember: http://www.rspcansw.blogspot.com.au/2013/03/animal-cruelty-charges-nowra-local-court.html Dutch, Billie, Jasmine, Milo and Leo are now undergoing rehabilitation (with extra cuddles) and are well on the way to being happy and health Wolfhounds. "If you picture what may have happened to some of these animals, regaining their trust and getting them to a point where we can actually work with them can be quite difficult, but it's a worthwhile endeavour," says RSPCA veterinary behaviourist Dr Amanda Cole. "Gradually, we just make humans a positive and fun thing for them and we'll retrain their brain to anticipate good things from humans, as opposed to what they've previously been exposed to when a human is around, " Owner Suzette Brignell was last week found guilty in her absence in Nowra Local Court of animal cruelty charges and has been ordered to pay nearly $15,000 in fines. A warrant is now out for her arrest.

http://www.canberratimes.com.au/act-news/prissy-paddock-no-place-for-this-workingclass-hero-20130305-2fjjl.html Prissy paddock no place for this working-class hero DateMarch 6, 2013 (0) Craig Starr's kelpie, Digger, herds a mob of sheep at Gold Street Station in Hall. Photo: Rohan Thomson They come in all colours and temperaments and only the skill of their two-legged handlers can distinguish the top working dogs from barking also-rans. But for the first time in its 70-year history, this year's National Sheep Dog Trial at Hall with 230 entries, does not have a kelpie entered. Gold Creek Station's Craig Starr, who provides the sheep for the week-long trial, uses his kelpie, Digger, to round up the stock, but concedes the 2-year-old workaholic would be disqualified for getting between him and the merino ewes. ''Go way back. Get over, get over,'' he calls, sending Digger over the backs of a freshly penned mob. Greg Prince, who has won the national trial 14 times, more than twice as many as his nearest rivals, has never won with a kelpie. Mr Prince has won elsewhere with kelpies, but reckons border collies are more suited to Hall's arena-style competition. The trial's secretary, Charlie Cover, of Yass, believes kelpies have captured Australians' imagination. ''Not only that, but to a big degree the imagination and interest of the graziers,'' Mr Cover said. ''Without getting too deep and meaningful about it, it is because they are a very boisterous dog, which looks to be doing a lot of work. They look as though they are getting the job done.'' Mr Cover said it was unusual not to have at least 5 to 10 per cent of entries taken up by kelpies in the trial, which this year will be held from next Tuesday to Sunday. Mr Prince and Mr Cover said kelpies were bred for working in confined spaces, where they can load a stock truck full of sheep quickly, and run over sheep's backs and push them through yards. Mr Prince said the collies and kelpies were bred for different reasons. ''The kelpie is more for mob-type work, station and yard work; the collie is more of a paddock-type dog. There are some real good kelpies that can handle sheep dog trialling, too,'' he says. Mr Prince breeds his own dogs and is always on the lookout for the ''X factor'' - a dog that can quieten down and control stock. ''It is something you can't train into a dog. It has got to be bred there. Without that factor you are struggling all the time,'' he said. People are paying from $1500 to $10,000 for good working dogs these days, he said. Mr Prince, who is from Dubbo and with his wife Jan teaches jackaroos and jillaroos dog handling skills, said large numbers of wild goats had driven up demand. ''We get phone calls, we might get two or three a week looking for trained dogs to round up these feral goats. They are all over NSW. Once you get out west of Dubbo, towards Bourke, Brewarrina and Cobar, they are everywhere. ''They can get good money for goats now and they can pay for a dog in a week. It doesn't take them long.'' Read more: http://www.canberratimes.com.au/act-news/prissy-paddock-no-place-for-this-workingclass-hero-20130305-2fjjl.html#ixzz2MiEVWB4l

Thanks all for the advice. We may still end up with both, but it's nice to know that the option exists.

I got ours today. Fish flavoured. Max has never had them before and he loves them.

http://www.news.com.au/breaking-news/national/qld-police-dog-bites-arsonist-on-bottom/story-e6frfku9-1226590433482 Burning truck tyre in Qld arson attack From: AAP March 05, 2013 12:53PM inShare.0 ..Increase Text SizeDecrease Text SizePrintEmail Share Add to DiggAdd to del.icio.usAdd to FacebookAdd to KwoffAdd to MyspaceAdd to NewsvineWhat are these? A BRISBANE City councillor says he has no idea why a man used a flaming truck tyre to try to burn down his office. The man has been charged with breaking into the Cannon Hill office of Councillor Ryan Murphy and setting it alight about 2.30am (AEST) on Tuesday. A truck tyre was used in the attack but police could not confirm reports it was set alight and rolled into the office. The man was interrupted by a police officer patrolling the Cannon Hill shopping centre with a dog, which bit the alleged arsonist on the calf and buttocks. He's been charged with arson, wilful damage, entering a premises with intent, stealing and obstructing police. The fire only caused minor damage before it was put out, but Mr Murphy and his staff are working from a temporary office. The councillor doesn't know why his office was attacked but thinks it could have been a lot worse. "This person, for whatever reason, has set out to do some serious damage," he told ABC radio. "I mean you don't use a truck tyre to start a fire unless you want to do some serious damage." Read more: http://www.news.com.au/breaking-news/national/qld-police-dog-bites-arsonist-on-bottom/story-e6frfku9-1226590433482#ixzz2McvSSXll

Thanks ness. So you could fill the whole card with video if you wanted to?

My husband dropped our DSLR earlier this week, and it looks like it is economically unviable to bother repairing it. (Lens smashed, lens mounting system inside camera broken, something rattling around inside and motor continually running). So I have started the research process to see what we are going to replace it with and noticed that some DSLR also have HD Video ability. We have also been talking about replacing our ancient VHS-C video camera, as the batteries no longer hold a charge, the tapes are nearly impossible to buy and the replacement batteries that we have purchased fail pretty quickly too. What is the video function on the DSLRs like? I have a point and shoot which has video capability, but you can only record about 2-4 mins of video at a time, and only up to a certain % of the memory card in total. Does anyone know if it is the same on the DSLRs? Or can you record a decent amount of video? The reviews that I have read don't really say how long they record for, just that the videos are good quality and they have additional digital zoom. The one that I have been looking at is the Canon EOS 600D. Thanks in advance

http://www.canberratimes.com.au/act-news/new-class-range-at-grammar-is-k9-20130225-2f28k.html New class range at Grammar is K-9 26/02/13, 3:00 AM Preschool pupils, from left, Konstantina Tsoulias, Joseph Katsanevakis, Emily Bodman and Oscar Dunbar play with their canine friends. Photo: Rohan Thomson Ten lucky dogs occupying a pristine grassy quadrangle at Canberra Grammar School will leave on Thursday for a new home on the cliffs of Bermagui. Yes, last Friday, your social-climbing, working-class columnist visited Canberra Grammar (going in by the tradesman's entrance) to do some tradesman's work, and was amazed to see the dogs at large on the grass. But a closer examination revealed them to be sculpted dogs, arranged in a clever artistic installation by Dinah Vandermeys and Trevor Dunbar. Dunbar, a teacher at Canberra Grammar and manager of the school's gallery and its art matters, tells us, laughing: ''They're the perfect dogs [especially for dignified quadrangles] because they don't shit and they don't bark!'' These Hounds of Grammar - about to bound away to the Sculpture on the Edge festival at Bermagui - don't do these things because instead of being of flesh and blood, they consist of steel coated with polyurethane. Dunbar imagines that one day people might commission sculpted portraits like these of beloved but deceased dogs and put their ashes in the cavities. Both Dunbar and Vandermeys, who teaches art at a school in Yass, are dog lovers and have pets of their own. The ''magnificent 10'' were sculptured based on their dogs and others belonging to their friends. ''They're all Canberra dogs,'' Dunbar says, adding mention of his chocolate labrador and golden retriever. The Hounds all have unremarkable pet names like Freda, Lucky and Polly. Dunbar is pleased that installed groups of dogs like these, looking so carefree and so, so silly, ''change the mood of a place''. This quadrangle was once a formal, corseted spot ''but now the whole tone … has been changed. They make people happy. It's become a huge playground.'' He says all of the children at the school have enjoyed the dogs' temporary company (they have been there since February 9 as part of the Artbeat exhibition) but that the youngest ones in particular ''have gone berserk'' when given the chance to play around them. As well as not making a mess or barking or spreading fleas, these dogs have the extra virtue, Dunbar says, that when you take them anywhere in the car (as he is about to do), ''they just fold up flat'' and, of course, they don't jump around in the car or vomit. But what is to become of the dogs in the long term? Dunbar says that going on last year's experience, they will probably be sold to good homes at the Bermagui festival and he will return home without them. However, he says he and Vandermeys will undoubtedly make some more of them, enabling other ''pop-up exhibitions'' of dogs that will cheer up hitherto cheerless places. Meanwhile, this gambolling, tongue-lolling 10 will enliven Bermagui's Sculpture on the Edge festival from Saturday until March 11.

When my father was a boy (he's 84, so we're talking a very long time ago) he was travelling in their car with his dog (A pug) sitting on his lap on the lead. The lead was tied to the door handle. (You need to remember that cars didn't even have seatbelts then, let alone harnesses you could clip in for a dog) The only type of airconditioning they had then was 4/60. Four windows open at 60 miles an hour, so it was very common to drive along with a dog hanging out an open window. His dog managed to jump out the window and hang himself before they could stop the car. Dad dropped the lead straight away, but because it was tied to the door handle, the dog couldn't reach the ground. My father was always absolutely fanatical about restraining our dogs in the car, well away from the windows as we were growing up. He didn't tell me that story until I was quite a bit older as he didn't want to upset me. I hope your dog continues to recover well. You're very lucky it wasn't so much worse.

A dog I had over 20 years ago (Shepherd/Rotti cross) came into season two weeks before she was booked in to be desexed (at 6 months). The vet wouldn't then do her at that time obviously, but as soon as she finished her season, we had her done. (More details why below) We didn't notice any changes in her nature or personality and she continued to grow as we expected her to. It was a long couple of weeks though. When we were at home, she was either inside with us or in the laundry. During the day when we were at work, we put her under the house (suspended floor house). We came home one day to find a male dog had jumped into our backyard (5 foot wooden fences with wire extensions) and between the pair of them, had absolutely destroyed the door that went under the house. Aside from the fact that we had absolutely no intention of breeding from her (hence the already booked appointment) she was way too young to be a mother and the male dog was without exception, the ugliest mutt I had ever seen :laugh: So, I figured that if she had become pregnant, it would be better to have the operation done as soon as possible, rather than waiting to find out if she was pregnant. The vet agreed. Fortunately, she wasn't pregnant, but it was still a relief to have that confirmed and never to have to go through that anguish and stress of waiting again.