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I have many issues with it. However, until its against the law, my personal feelings are not sufficient reason to call the RSPCA. They need evidence. At worst, these are vexatious complaints - that's harassment. Poodlefan.....the mere fact that these breeders are breeding multiple breeds and appear to have a litter every month or so is an indication that they are breeding large scale and that deserves a visit from the RSPCA and even though some things may not be against the law does not mean that we should turn a blind eye. How do you know they haven't already HAD visits from the RSPCA? Breeding multiple breeds and lots of them, whilst not necessarily what is acceptable to some is still within the law and provided they have their ducks in a row....there is little that the RSPCA can actually do. And regardless of anything, sooling the RSPCA onto somebody from a drive-by where there is apparently little or no evidence of mistreatment VISIBLE, is little more than harrassment. If you have a concern, then for goodness sakes make the effort to actually STOP and VISIT the premises and THEN if you have an issue, by all means contact the RSPCA.

Something else I'd like to add......although I kept the puppy in the litter who "appealed" to me....he's not a bad specimen of the breed by any stretch of the imagination. And as I said, it's a good thing he has turned out as he has because he was staying anyway. BUT....my actual "pick" of the litter was the bitch that I kept. I didn't really have any intention of keeping a male puppy but when the time came I had fallen head over heels for Roger and so I figured I had the room so they could both stay. The bitch was probably in many ways better than the dog (different temperament though). BUT, as she was stolen....how she looks now is unknown. But at the end of the day, I have a dog of whom I am proud and who I can live with and that's what matters. As I said in my first post.... First thing to remember is that EVERY litter of puppies has a "pick". Whether that pick is a show prospect is a completely different thing. Second thing to remember is that your pick may not be somebody else's pick. People pick what they pick for various reasons and IMO NOBODY'S reason is wrong. I may not like somebody else's pick puppy (or adult dog for that matter) but as long as they are happy with it, that's all that matters. The perfect dog hasn't yet been bred and interpreting a breed standard whilst it shouldn't necessarily be so....is a very subjective thing.

And if the property is THAT offensive, then chances are council are already involved and will have notified the RSPCA if there is an issue with animals on the property anyway. Mandatory reporting and all that stuff.

And it isn't an offence that involves the RSPCA if YOU consider the property to look like trailer-trash with rusty cars either.

Launceston Royal first week of October, Hobart Royal around the last week in October. And usually at least 3 All Breeds Shows between them and some group specialty shows and Dogfest the day after Hobart Royal specials.

I'm very lucky, my car came with a perspex barrier already installed. I do whinge and bitch about it frequently but oh BOY has it come in handy at times!!!!

Can see you don't have Cavs! Although "slugboy" could use the beanbag LOL Although 6ft 4 inch of stepping over is a pain if he stretches out on the floor. Nope, I've got Staffords. The best lounge for them is my bed or wherever I happen to be sitting!

To be honest, I think for a rambunctious youngster like Dylan, one of the one-size-fits-most barriers will be next to useless. My parents had one in their Camry and it didn't survive a determined Labrador. He pushed it out of the way and STILL ended up sitting on the spare lap in the front seat.

Sadly, our "Royal month" is held at a stupid time of the year. It might be hot, it might be wet, it might be cold, it might be windy. About the only thing we know for fact (and it comes from the old farmers and Almanacs) is to NOT plant your tomatoes before the Royal show. If the heat or rain don't get 'em, the frosts will.

I hope you're having fun...

Yep, it's called either the floor, or bean bags!

Don't need a PM. You or anyone who wants to give the government control over dog breeding, such as making a law that all dog breeders must sell their pups desexed unless sold to someone the government decides can have an intact dog is pissing in every dog breeders cereal. Wake up and think about what you are doing. Be clear they are going after your purebred dogs first and you are helping them do it. PETA counts on people who behave like you. Hey, I'M not giving them control over anything. They'll do it if they want to with little or no contribution from dog people. The taildocking ban was evidence of that. Not even scientific evidence would move them over that one! I have said all along that the taildocking was the start of it. I'm just thankful I don't live in Victoria and that not every State has such a draconian attitude. To be honest, if you have made any efforts against the legislation and acted like you have acted towards me, I daresay you have contributed to the result. Your manner sux.....

Gee....aggressive much? I can tell you now that if dog breeding/owning is stopped, it won't be MY fault!!!! The writing is already on the wall.....PETA is in the country and that is absolutely NOTHING to do with me!! BTW, you appear to have an issue with me personally....if you're up to it, do drop me a PM and let me know how I managed to piss in your cornflakes!!

I agree in part with what you've said dancinbcs but having been around for a very long time, I've also seen the absolutely BEST conformed dogs dumped because they have no attitude. And I can tell you for free that having a completely NON-GLAMOUR breed like Staffords can be a real eye-opener. Sometimes, temperament is the ONLY thing that will draw a judges' eye. There are many good dogs out there who really let themselves down because they are dour and don't ask to be looked at. I'm not for one minute saying that all you need is a dog that shows. It MUST still look like the breed it is representing (that is, after all, the definition of breed TYPE). But it is also a huge advantage if the dog has a temperament that allows a judge to actually SEE what the dog has, rather than guessing at it because the dog refuses to show itself off properly. And too many people get hung up on the cosmetic faults and forget actual construction too. I sometimes wish that we could go back to the days when different parts of a breed standard were allocated points. This would make it so much easier to educate judges as to what is essential in a breed and what can be seen as "negotiable". Editing because I got lost in my own train of thought......we don't have many trains in Tassie y'know!

Yes, do repost in the show forum, you'll get far more show-orientated replies there. And also, do feel free to use expanded versions of words. This is a forum, we're not limited to the number of characters sent per message (within reason of course) and many people won't respond to posts that use text speak. Just a little hint that's all...

First thing to remember is that EVERY litter of puppies has a "pick". Whether that pick is a show prospect is a completely different thing. Second thing to remember is that your pick may not be somebody else's pick. That said.....I tend to pick my puppies when they're on the ground using what they've got. Others do it on the stack. I look at them and try to apply the standard to them, with allowances made of course for age and development. Some things won't change...short upper arms won't lengthen, long backs won't shorten, straight hindquarters won't miraculously start to bend. Temperament is EVERYTHING despite what others might say IMO. I was told by my mentor many years ago that every dog has faults, but the ones with the best temperaments carry those faults to advantage. Meaning that a dog who positively sparkles will catch the eye for other reasons and make any visible faults less obvious. The disclaimer of course is that these shouldn't be disqualifying faults...but that should be common sense. As far as not keeping pick puppy...I've done it. I have often said that (and very recently) that it was a good thing that my Stafford puppy Roger is turning out as nicely as he is because he was staying no matter what. He was the one that drew my eye from very early on. There was another boy in the litter that was probably better as a baby, but he didn't "choose" me the way Roger did and he didn't catch my eye in the same way either. Sometimes, despite what your eye says, you just need to follow your gut. As long as you're happy to be true to yourself and admit that you may NOT have selected the best puppy, and as long as you are happy to live with your choice, then you've done the right thing and taken YOUR "pick". Just my opinion anyway, FWIW.

Maybe you're looking the wrong places then? Seems to me that people don't have problems buying a purebred dog from a nice breeder any given day of the week. As for enforcing beliefs on others. My puppies and I'll enforce whatever I have to...or want to come to that. And if that means that I have to sell them desexed to stay within the law, then if I want to continue breeding dogs, I'll do it. As I said, I sell on a desex agreement anyway so a step further is nothing more than a little bit of added expense. Many other breeders ALREADY sell all companion puppies desexed and none of them seem to have any dramas.

To be honest, aside from my reservations about juvenile desexing and wondering if Joe Q will be happy to pay more for a puppy because prices will surely increase to include the desexing costs (which is really only fair anyway - why should the breeder wear everything?), I don't see compulsory desexing as such a bad thing. I sell my puppies with a desexing agreement anyway, it just takes that step further.

Agreed. And in this case, Banshee was lucky that YG was ready to take her back if things didn't work out. Yes, maybe some things during Banshee's rescue and adoption could have been handled differently, but we all do what we can at the time and when we know it wasn't right, we do things differently next time. It's part of being human. Nobody really IS perfect, although there seem to be many out there who would like us to think otherwise. What matters is that the family who adopted Banshee will probably have a better idea of the kind of dog (and problems) that they are prepared to deal with next time. They've possibly come away with a good impression of "rescue" and will hopefully consider another rescue dog in the future. YG has done her best by Banshee and can happily sleep at night knowing this. And Banshee is happy because she is back with YG, who loves and understands her. Very sad that the situation didn't work, but it could have been a lot worse.

Agreed. Baby steps. This is at least a good foundation to build on IMO. There is now room to move towards the outright banning of pet sales in pet shops....it's a healthy start.

I get what you're saying Mystiqview but I truly believe that hormonal influence is not something that should preclude an animal from a breeding program. Why? Because hormonal issues can be dealt with effectively via desexing and as 99.9% of the dogs that I breed are desexed prior to, or at the start of sexual maturity, the issues will never really affect them or the people around them.

Actually, according to the scientists, per capita we have amongst the lowest rainfall in Australia. Editing to add: And nobody needs to tell the farmers about it either because last winter/spring saw the drought break briefly. This year, we'll be back to drought conditions again and I will be back to buying drinking water for man and beast.

Absolutely agree! In my experience, the boys tend to be more bluff and bluster. They like to be loud and visibly appear aggressive, but in many cases (not all, but MANY) it is just for show. Like idiots at a pub, lots of chest and shoulder action and noise to see if one will actually back down before things get too advanced. Not so with bitches who, in my experience, are sneaky and nasty and sly and LIGHTNING fast with very little actual noise to warn you. The boys seem to niggle a lot first, the bitches just get into it...hard and fast!!

Yes....without question! Heck, I'm a narky bitch when I cycle so I'm not going to penalise my bitches for hormonal behaviour. And why penalise a bitch who goes into full on "bitch" mode when she feels that her puppies are being threatened? Regardless of whether WE as humans think it is ok to handle puppies a lot, some bitches just don't see it that way. It is perfectly natural for a bitch with a litter to feel she needs to defend them and herself IMO.

No, in your case if they are both desexed and have lived together since puppyhood, it is more than likely that they are accustomed to each other and have worked out their own pecking order. Whether dogs will get on "nicely" depends upon so many factors. Age, breed and "normal" temperament being the top 3 IMO. Also important is the age in which they were integrated. I have 6 dogs here, only 1 desexed (a GAP Greyhound). My two "warriors" who would kill each other in the blink of an eye are a 3 year old Stafford bitch and a 5 year old American Cocker bitch. Whatever else happens here, those two are NEVER allowed within eye or earshot of each other. The others are 2 entire males and an entire female puppy and everybody plays nicely together in any combination UNLESS the Stafford bitch and Am Cocker bitch are around and then nobody is particularly happy and everybody tends to spend a lot of time glancing fearfully over their shoulders.