Christina

Chickens. 2 purebred from show person/fancier. 2 ex battery from rescuer that passed them on to me for a whole $4. 1 picked up off the street half dead, neglected & owner didn't care. The most unfriendly, not the best egg layers, yes the purebreds but they are very beautiful. All had to be lice/mite dusted & wormed anyway. My cats are all pedigrees. For mice/rats/guinea pigs, rabbits, birds etc I don't think it matters so much or that one would sometimes even know but for the mammals, dogs. cats, horses etc its best to know some of their background if possible.

Annoying but no need to make a law about it. They already have something in place where they can act if the dog is considered dangerous. This is largely open to interpretation of the reaction of the passer by. Natural instinct for most dogs to bark. The passer by can cross the street if they feel scared. If the fencing is secure & the dog cannot escape & is not continually barking for hours (which they can already do something about) confining dogs to back yards only is just making another place that dogs can't go, not good for socialising & telling people yet more things that are not allowed on their own property. A useless & revenue raising proposal really.

Never crate trained my own dogs or any puppies for toilet purposes. My little ones will go in a large crate or pen for safety or when I give adults a bone or chew so they don't fight, which is the only time they ever would consider it. 1 male stud peed everywhere on maturity so he goes in a pen overnight but not a small restricted to sleeping area pen. That I do not like & a young puppy will pee in its own bed if it can't get out & the owner is not aware. Mine go on newspaper & I have had 2 litters that just followed mum at about 6 weeks & copied her, lucky. When I see them I also give praise & they have a toilet word from about 5 weeks old, piddles. I take them out & say piddles or if they go on the paper I say piddles & praise on results. Works fine, dogs are smart.

Have spoken to the council & not quite as it seemed when info on the meeting was relayed to me. The reason for this is an update of by laws which is done every 7 years. The kennel zone in this area did not exist when the last by laws were done 7 years ago. There is a rule in the by law that says the council can make an exemption if a person requests permission to keep more than the specified number of dogs if they do not live in the kennel zone or are a registered business. This rule will be kept as it is. So thank goodness for a council that uses its common sense.

Biased as a Poodle fanatic but lets just look at that last sentence for a moment & change it to If you are not going to pick up a brush & comb every couple of days forget a poodle. I visited a lady who has a 7 month old poodle, not from me, to show her how to clip & care for its coat. Long, as she had shown it once & had it done at the groomers 3 times. She thought she was brushing it as she flicked the slicker over a couple of times a week. Greeted by one big mass of knots to the skin underneath & a very happy gorgeous bouncy dog who bounded all over & did not know how to stay still for grooming & freaked at the clippers. As she didn't want it shaved to the skin she got left with one short scissored dog & a demonstration of face, feet & tail clip on an untrained dog, which she dare not try. With strict precise instructions on how to train & brush it, every day. A very good owner who will do this now, she just didn't know or realise. You can't have a poodle & flick the brush over weekly & put it in the groomers 2 monthly. Not fair on the dog. A few minutes work every day or 2 is well worth the effort for these beautiful dogs but they are high maintenance unless you just clip short all over, which is fine too.

I thought about you today RubyStar as the Gosnells ranger drove past me on the freeway. He looked really smug. : I think it's time for you to move! :D Smug CoG ranger b*stards! I only moved into my house a week ago, I don't think moving is on the cards just yet! When I'm ready for my third dog, I will probably be ready to move so I will move to a council that aren't run by smug morons!! Smug or not there will not be ANY council area you can move to. They want this everywhere. My council are not smug or morons. They are very reasonable & approachable. So I am hoping my voice will not be a lone & useless one. quote (cant do buttons) no chance of a copy of the communication from the RSPCA? Doubtful but I will try & find out.

Update post 31. Good news & a council with common sense. Its starting & not good news for breeders. Having had a council permit for 5 dogs for many years in the metro area a few years ago I did my lifestyle change. Found a dog friendly rural council, which I checked out & spoke to the council before moving here. New rules are proposed. 2 dogs in the township & only 3 dogs outside the township. This is a council area where people live on anything from a large block to 1000's of acres, sparsely populated & council used their common sense in the number of dogs permitted per property. People come here for a relaxed country lifestyle & a small area is a designated animal husbandry zone for horses & dogs. On further enquiry as to the reason for this proposal I was told it was on instructions for a nationwide blanket rule all over Australia instigated by the RSPCA who are asking all councils to enforce this rule. Small hobby breeders with a small number of dogs will be a thing of the past. Large puppy farms will thrive in the small kennel zones & the honest breeders who can afford to live there. When this is proposed for your council area please take notice. If you live in the Mallala Council area in South Australia please put your objection in before mid February. This is going to happen everywhere.

Oh yes. Had no idea she was in season but the other bitch was. No blood, no swelling. The male was stood next to me & had no previous interest. He got on her back & I said Down silly, wrong girl. He moved away. 20 seconds, no tie A normal litter of 4 pups was born much to my suprise.

Bloody hell $32,500 There are people that beat, starve & cause horrendous suffering + puppy farms that get nowhere near this penalty. The vet broke the law but this is not the worst form of cruelty when done properly by a vet. Showing the power I guess, & I don't even support tail docking.

Sorry to seem arguementative, but I don't like the skateboard example. Skateboarders shouldn't be on the footpath or the road. Even the good ones can have an accident & are used by kids, no brakes. I would come up with Skateboards in designated suitable areas or on your own property. No license. Which is probably a good way to go for dogs too. A license is useless, like dog reg & does not stop any of the problems. Maybe the post was not intended the way it read. It does get frustrating, registered breeders do appear to be getting targeted & get some bad media publicity. I see a future of no pedigree registered dog breeders & puppy farm mongrels the only dogs available. The same number of dogs being dumped & euthanised each year, cruelty to animals continuing & the RSPCA never getting it right, & a whole heap of useless laws & rules put in, again. Sound like the prophet of doom Your post a while back on what makes a good dog owner was a good example of how people do not think of all the implications of asking for certain rules & their interpretations & how people do not agree.

As a dog breeder one would hope you would care about the welfare of all dogs, not just your own. As an individual I feel extremely powerless about doing much of any significance re general dog welfare but denial of what goes on is not right either. Do remember that, as you are passionate about your own purebred dogs, unless you personally see that every pup & dog that ever leaves your hands is desexed you can not know or control where they end up for their whole lives. It may be 1 of your dogs that is the next Leo, gets grabbed by the puppy farmer if the owner dies & family just sell it on or gives away. It may be 1 of your dogs that ends up in a hell hole overseas or in the hands of a registered breeder who does not do the right thing. Totally agree with the last sentance of your post but it is selfish to say the rest. Wrong/bad things happen in the whole world because people turn a blind eye.

1 problem is that you can't please all of the people all of the time. People have various opinions on what is right & a blanket rule/ state wide rules with no exceptions can not suit all. Even registered breeders can not agree & comment on how many is too many dogs, how many litters at once, how close to breed & on & on. Chatting to my sister, non breeder, 1 pet owner, about the crap that goes on her response was that it is the registered breeders own faults. They do not ask for what they want from their canine associations who represent them & expect all those who are non breeders in positions/organisations that have influence to understand the expense & ins & outs of breeding & animal keeping, which they don't. Not a sympathetic response but fair enough really. We need to agree between ourselves what we want, no need for any more committee/new organisations to be set up. We have enough who all think they are right. We have the canine association that we pay our membership too. We need to tell them what we need & ask for it.

Feel like crying after reading that. How cruel & greedy are the human race. We are supposed to be a civilised country. The aims of preventing this, which should be stopped are admirable. The steps proposed variable. The organisation to enforce it. Well that is the problem. When they can manage to stop euthanising millions of animals, prosecute those who truly deserve it, & not those who don't, or act as a matter of principle not in the interests of the welfare of the animals, run their own organisation with more efficiency & compassion, spend the donations on the animals more than on administration, big salaries & advertising then maybe something could be done. Overall many have lost trust & faith in them. Too much going on below the surface when it should all be honest & an open book. This disgrace does need stopping but not by them. No easy answer. As a breeder all I can do is look after my own & stick to my principle of desexing all that leave me. I have links on my website about puppy farms so people will be aware of this but who knows if they pay any attention. At least I know that none of mine will ever end up used & abused that way but how to help the rest ? It all feels so hopeless, frustrating & very very sad.

In answer to Does paying make a better home NO but It does give some safeguard when going to a stranger no matter how much it seems like a great home. When its a free give away I have heard of people who have had a fancy for a dog, or other animal, they can't afford & haven't researched, say all the right things, off it goes & they then dump it in the pond or pass the poor animal on if all is not roses. At least if a nominal fee is requested they are more likely to return it for their money back. If the owner places no value on it neither do they in some cases. I have only placed 2 older dogs, aged 1 & 2 & yes it was heartbreaking, I cried when I got home. Visited the new homes, desexed etc & got feedback & a visit. Wonderful but while I would not want to do it often breeding is different & it is hard to progress as there are only so many dogs one can keep & care for so a good pet home can be better for the dog, if the breeder is inclined to it for sensible reasons. If you don't like the cost you don't have to buy, your choice but I would never give an animal away to someone I did not know. People are not always as they appear, especially when they want something.

Thats true & common sense, oh where did common sense go ? The man must have felt bad having to do this & then he gets this crap. What is bloody wrong with people.

Understand how its done. Friends were not happy with results from several places & tried this. They have backgrounds in engineering, metal work & glass making so their technique is not just from a book or the net. Takes a bit of time & not for the ham fisted or everyone I know but I am going to try it.

You can't tell the coat quality from a photo Kirty, or from a poodle running around the show ring. Its a hands on thing & can be quite an illusion due to the skill of the groomer & products used. A top titled poodle can have an acceptable coat & a scruffy pet may have a fabulous textured coat but you can't tell if its not made the best of. Skills vary. The best way to judge a poodle coat is to plunge your hands into it, same as the best way to see a poodle structure is to put it in the bath & wet it. What can look perfect with a great grooming job may disguise that slight roach in the back, bit short neck slightly long body & various other small things. The uneven colour/patches can create illusions. There were some nice dogs on there. The colours would not affect the coat quality, In general blacks have the best coats but not every time, its the genetics & combination of the parent pair & can vary in pups in the same litter.

Has anyone tried this ? A friend has told me how to do it. Going to try it. Hope it works. Will post if its fantastic.

On last nights news The government are now prosecuting the owners. Not sure of the details of how etc.

Same here. Another silly survey. Don't understand why people who have not been brought up with animals can't find a pet that appeals to them & then research their care & interactions & all that's involved then make a sensible decision. Personality tests are a bit silly in this instance. eg I like tropical fish but pretty to look at, can't cuddle/handle & would feel sick feeding the bug/worm stuff. So not my pet. Snake would be interesting but feed dead mice. No not a good choice. Bunnies. Cute, love them. They poo all the time & have to live in a cage. Hate both so not my choice of pet. Birds. Tried them. Mad desire to let loose. Did so in the house, fine with cockatiels but the sulphur crested ate my walls & got territorial. Bad choice so I did not do birds again except safe free ranging chickens & a duck. Not exactly rocket science. More like do you like the animal in all aspects & what amount of time & effort will you give.

In the 1800's parti poodles were common. It is only since dog registrations & dog showing that solid colours only are permitted in some countries. Man made standard. Some of them are very pretty but some just look a mess. As it is just a cosmetic thing & does not impact on the dogs health in any way it would increase the gene pool considerably to allow main registration on them. Sometimes I do wonder when I see them for sale here BYB if they have crossed something else in there. The lady in QLD that has bred the minis (used to be a reg breeder) is said to have took a long time to perfect her parti colours they do look nice & much better than those produced by random breeding as seen on some USA sites. Personal taste really. Great link. Had a look & I love the standard Naika on the left on poodle/colour grooming page from the Only For You kennel in Germany. So symmetrical the markings. Doesn't work on apricot/white combination well though.

Disgusting in every aspect. If they don't want to spend the money desexing they could let new owners choose a dog, get them to pay & come back for the dog in a few days. Genuine people would wait a few days. That way they don't have to spend on those who don't find a home & have the money to desex etc on those that do. Quite simple really.

Was watching this on TV the other night. From the footing shown it was horrendous. One has to wonder why the owners didn't just shoot the ones that were left standing if they had no food. Mismanagement from both parties. People weren't doing their jobs. The property owners should have been aware of the state of the cattle & the RSPCA should have done the prosecution right. Very sad.

I also use the minced carcasses from Lenards, it never smells like the pet mince does. Just gone up from $1 a kilo to $1.50 but can't complain, its cheap enough. I mix in eggs from my chickens & a little grated cheese sometimes for the cats & some pasta & vegetables too for the dogs. They have this 3 or 4 days a week. Raw wings & some ox heart or beef, sometimes liver, on the other days + a mix of science diet & other dry for a small pick in the evening. Poodles don't have shiny coats but my cats have a lovely shiny sheen on them. Mine all do fine on it. There is no exact right thing to feed, its how well they do on what suits them. Some dogs look great on a tin of Pal & cheap dry. Don't know how but they do.

When I moved a few years ago I visited 3 vets before deciding to use the 1 do now. 1st visit was with a new puppy for a check. The vet said she is nervous I will just give her a cuddle first. That was the best start the previous 1 handled them like a lump of meat. So I have gone there ever since. What I like The vet is a breeder/show/judge & some of the staff breed/show too so they are thorough, know all about breeding concerns & have lots of breeder clients. Always helpful if I phone over some worry, big or small. Always explain everything & answer my questions or concerns. Are nice to the animals & pleasant to the clients. Say come down straight away if I have a big problem. Never try to sell me anything I don't need. Clean, well equipped & up to date with everything. Open long hours. Very happy & recommend them to anyone looking for a good vets.