sandgrubber

All straight out in this household. My female labs do this. Usually when they are having a stretch. They stretch their legs straight out behind them so their tummy is almost touching the ground. These girls have great hips scores - 0:0 and 1:1. My other dogs don't do it and growing up our family dogs did not do this either. I don't think there's a pattern. I have a 2:1 who never stretches her legs behind. I've seen much worse scores who do.

No way in the world would I suggest the Husky needs rescuing. It needs PTS. Owners are dickheads and this dog has killed before. My daughter is distraught and her kids are traumatised. I'd say husky rescue would be in better position to make this decision than we are. They get lots of dogs with a history of problems and may put many -- including dogs like the one in question -- in the 'too hard' basket and recommend PTS. On the other hand, they may know of huskies who killed when confined and given no stimulation, but became decent dogs in another setting. I don't know. Can a big dog who has had 'dickhead' owners, and has come to view small dogs as 'prey' be reformed? I'm sure there are many dogs who would have killed a little dog, but were prevented from doing so because they were well fenced and kept on leads. My dogs kill loads of rodents and the occasional rabbit. If I moved to the suburbs and they got a pet rabbit, should they be PTS? Who knows what is going on in a dog's mind? Who knows how much of behaviour is innate and how much in conditioned by environment?

Things aren't that bad in most of the USA. Having lived in both places, I'd say this is a peculiarly Ozzie tempest in a teapot.

Don't know if the OP is still onboard, but it would be good to suggest Husky Rescue to the neighbor. Lots of people fall in love with the image of a husky and are totally unable to cope with the realities of owning one. Sounds like the neighbor's dog is as much a victim as a perpetrator. The best solution would be to get him to a home that understands huskies (the breed and deed often go together . . . though not always and the right owner can make a lot of difference). If no such home is available, PTS may be the best option.

My heart agrees, and the absurd Vic dangerous dog laws are worthy of ridicule (if not obscenities); but when I look at the statistics for what happens to APBT's in the US (where they dominate shelters and rescue populations and account for 60% of the dogs euthanized in shelters), I wonder if Oz hasn't done the right thing by imposing import bans. See, eg., recent blog entry at www.astraean.com/borderwars/

this comes from a blog, but presents statistics DOL'rs regularly look for, so I thought it worth bending the rules to post it. The original source, the National Pet Owners Survey, is not available online but can be purchased through the American Pet Products Association. I've dropped the last couple paragraphs (which are somewhat anti-pit bull). I haven't reproduced the figures. It's worth referring to the original to see them. Now Only 2% of Dogs Die in Shelters By Christopher – June 26, 2012 from http://www.astraean....n-shelters.html New data released by the ASPCA, HSUS, and the American Pet Products Association's National Pet Owners Survey show that shelter killings are at an all time low in both whole numbers and percent of pet dogs in America. Down from a high of nearly 25% of all dogs per year in the 1970s, as little as 2% of dogs now find their end in US shelters, the majority of them are pit bulls. Despite both the human and pet dog populations in America rising, the number of dogs entering and dying in shelters has fallen steadily for decades. While this vast improvement hasn't stemmed the degree of vitriol against "breeders" by those in the shelter/rescue community, a look at statistics shows that there is little foundation for their anger. The situation is getting better every year and very little of the past or remaining problems have anything to do with hobby breeders or people who buy their dogs. The most significant factor in the steady decline in shelter intakes is widely credited to the advancements made in spay/neuter programs. Nearly four out of five pet dogs are now desexed. Despite making up only 1 in 5 pet dogs, intact dogs account for 9 out of 10 shelter intakes, a staggering asymmetry. Purebreds are under-represented in shelters versus their proportion of the 78 million pet dogs, but up to a quarter of intakes are deemed to be pure versus 75% deemed mixed-breed. The most significant disparity between the general population of dogs and dogs that enter shelter and are euthanized is being designated as a "pit bull" or a pit bull mix. Whereas the percent of dogs desexed has increased since spay/neuter programs were widely introduced in the mid 70s, the popularity of pit bulls and their share of euthanized dogs has steadily increased from as little as 2% in the 1980s to the 60% we see today. The 2.4 to 3.5 million Pit Bull type dogs that are currently pets make up between 3% and 4.5% of the owned dogs in the USA yet the 1.1 million that enter shelters each year account for nearly 30% of all shelter intakes and 60% of all dogs euthanized. That means that more pit bulls are killed than all other breeds combined. ... Purebreds are less likely to end up in shelters than mixed-breeds. Dogs purchased from breeders or pet stores are less likely to end up in shelters. Dogs given as gifts or acquired for more than $100 are less likely to end up in a shelter. Dogs acquired for less than $30 or dogs adopted from a shelter are more likely to end up in a shelter.

1. Legal issues: It's not going to be cost effective bringing in a lawyer. Small claims is a hassle, but cheap, and you don't need representation. The outcome is unpredictable if the contract was verbal, and I'm not sure what happens when someone in QLD sues someone in NSW. I suspect you're going to have to swallow bitter medicine. I had a similar thing happen with a black Lab pup from a well-regarded breeder . . . except she gave no guarantees. 2. I'm tired of chocolate Lab bashing. There are more choco Labs in Australia than there are total dogs of many less popular breeds. There are some damn fine chocolates around. Some people go for chocolate cause it's a challenge and helps narrow a very wide field of options. It's just a colour . . . only two genes are involved and neither has any known functional significance. A few generations back, yellows were rare and trendy, and there was lots of carping about 'breeding for colour'. Now, despite being a recessive colour, yellows dominate blacks in the ring. Sure, trendy colours attract some people who discriminate only for colour. The problem isn't the colour. It's the people involved.

Also, do a study of life expectancy. There are several studies around . . . all flawed . . . but they pretty much agree that the giant breeds have relatively short lives. Some estimates are as low as five or six years for some giant breeds. Moreovert vet costs are higher for procedures on large breeds. A Dane with a torn cruciate ligament is going to be a significant bill . . . and health insurance costs will be higher.

I flew my two from Perth to San Francisco a couple years ago. Used Jet Pets. They flew to Melbourne and got overnight in a kennel. Then reboarded for the direct, long flight over the Pacific. I depended on someone else to ready them for the flight, as I had been in the US for a couple months. I don't think they got much crate training. They were fine . . . though they aren't enthusiastic about getting back into their flight kennels. Much easier going to the US than returning to Oz. No quarantine.

The 27k could have more to do with bragging - like how good the dog is and his worth as a stud dog to their breeding program. Maybe the dog traveled USA - Eur - Australia, to do a show circuit? Lots of scenarios are possible. I don't know why fellow breeders have to think the smallest of every other breeder. 27k? Cool. Good to read about a breeder who has pride in their bloodstock. The guy isn't a breeder. He has no fixed address and lives in an RV (illegal here). Is that a way to keep two Danes? The story says the dog was bred for shows but has not been showed. Would a dedicated breeder pay big bikkies for a dog and then let it reach 18 months without having been shown? I'd rather see people manifest pride in things their dog had achieved or how well it behaved than how much they payed for him or her.

Weird! I met that dog's sister and her owner about a week ago .. . .we were going to the same garage to get tires changed and she had her dog with her. Had a long talk about dogs and Australia. She said the guy was an irresponsible idiot and neglected his dog. She said "he claims he's worth $27k". It cost me ~$5k to ship two Labradors from Perth to San Francisco in 2010 . . . so the price quoted probably had more to do with bragging than shipping.

A great research article, giving a good review of the scientific literature. Glyphosate (Roundup in its patented form, but now that the patent has expired, sold under many names) is the most widely used agricultural chemical (excluding fertilizers). It's original maker, Monsanto, is widely hated (with reason) by the anti-GMO community and parts of the development community The stuff is a worry. A few studies showing it causes birth defects when added to drinking water, or when frog eggs are left to develop in water containing small amounts of glyphosate. Several studies showing it does not break down in the environment as rapidly as Monsanto claims. But not one of those studies mentions cleft palates. I raise winegrapes. Most vintners use glyphosate to control weeds under the grape rows. I don't like using the stuff, and have spent quite a bit of time looking for better alternatives. Hand weeding is too laborious. Alternative chemicals have worse problems than glyphosate, and cost more. You do hear of many health consequences from use of Roundup in places like Argentina, where it has been massively used in growing genetically altered, Roundup-ready soy. I have heard no credible reports of birth defects, in children or puppies or anything else, in instances where glyphosate has been used to control weeds in vineyards or home gardens.

Better a bad dog with a good owner than a bad owner with a good dog. Best of all, a good dog with a good owner. Bad owners with bad dogs are bad news.

Hard to answer without seeing the frames. How much fat is on them? How much meat? How big are they? I could never keep my dogs slim when feeding frames. I find it's easier to maintain weight and keep coats good using a high grade biscuit, preferably fish-based. Taste of the Wild Salmon is good.

This is not a law. It's an interpretation of laws dealing with liability. I wouldn't want my rates raised enough to pay for hiring lawyers for all dog catchers . . . and other employees who interact with the public. If you did hire a lawyer to handle the signage question you'd probably get a $350/hr version of 'it depends'. I don't think the signage does much good. The boy has cried wolf too many times. Most houses with BEWARE OF DOG signs don't have dogs, and I generally ignore such signs unless there's a mean-looking dog to back them up. If there's a big mean dog, who needs signage . . . except kids and people with various handicaps who would result in them not reading the sign.

So sad! Awful to loose a young pup to such an unkind disease. Did the vet say, was it GME (Granulomatous meningeoencephalitis), also know an Pug dog encephalitis? This is known in Maltese. If so, you should probably contact your breeder. There is some evidence that the disease is hereditary. If other pups from the same or similar breedings have been affected, the breeder needs to know.

A few things people/books told me that I had to unlearn. 1. You must not allow other dogs near a nursing bitch. I'm sure there are bitches who will attack anyone or anything that comes near their pups. All of mine have been tolerant/welcoming of the other dogs in the household. I don't let a very broody bitch in with someone else's pups, at least not until three weeks or so, out of fear that she'll take over the litter . . . I've had several girls get milk when another girl had pups. On a couple occasions the 'second mother' has come in handy when it gets near weaning time for a big litter. 2. Bitches with pups want to be in a quiet, secluded place. I'm sure this is true of some bitches. My girls like the living room just fine. They spend more time with their pups if they can be near the rest of the family. 3. Newborn puppies should be kept in a very warm room. I went to great pains to keep the room warm for my first few litters. The bitch hated it and the pups scattered in the whelping box. It IS true that newborns don't thermo-regulate and shouldn't be chilled. But I've found 20 C is a fine air temperature . . . add supplemental heating from a light or veterinary heating pad. It's best to watch the pups. If they clump tight it could be warmer. If they scatter, it's probably too warm.

I had someone tell me that use of Roundup in the yard caused cleft palates.

It takes all kinds . . . some people are just necro-weird. See crappytaxidermy.com for hundreds more examples. Thousands and thousands of people spend time on that site. I find the stuff horrid, but there's some fascination in horror. As for the aerodynamics . . . studies of cat survival after falling off high buildings . . . based on reports from New York City veterinarians . . . indicate that cats have evolved a very modest flight capability. Survival rates go up if the fall is greater than 10 stories because cats are able to spread out into a posture like this stuffed cat and are able to sail down, to an extent, rather than falling as dead weight.

Dogs can go a lot more than 9 hrs. I had a girl who broke her leg and had to have it pinned. I lived in a basement apartment and getting her up the stairs was hard. The vet said she could go 26 hrs. Once a day worked fine.

Have to love a Sibe that does well in the ring and out on the trail. Was surprised to notice, on in Cassidy's longevity statistics, that 'northern sledding breeds' have higher life expectancy than toy dogs, small terriers, and others of the small breeds we expect to be long lived. http://users.pullman...r/breeddata.htm Some great photos at http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2012/03/the-2012-iditarod-trail-sled-dog-race/100262/

A better way to look at breed changes is through large collections of old photos. http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v485/Pietoro/Dog%20Breed%20Historical%20Pictures/ was recently posted. It's a treasure trove. If you spend time with that source you will still find some breeds have changed, greatly, moving toward extreme conformation. If you look at the breed popularity statistics, I think you will find that most breeds with really big coats have declined in registrations. There are people who want to care for a dog who requires a lot of grooming, but they are in a minority. Big coats, in effect, tend to make dogs less fit for serving as the family dog. . . though there are some people who enjoy grooming.

Sorry, wasn't having a swipe at you. Yes . . . this is wrong . .. as is all breeding that is done without the knowledge and means to do a good job raising and placing a litter of pups. I don't think anyone here supports random X-breeding, with sire determined by who can get over the fence. I guess there are a few people who don't think breeding a 'nice girl' who isn't show quality is a crime and are tired of hearing people shamed for doing so.

So, for once everyone agrees. BAD IDEA. Where's the counter petition? I don't mean the facetious one suggesting that the idiots be castrated. I means a simple, sincere petition stating that the proposed measures will pose a severe hardship for small home/hobby breeders, and cause further expanse of commercially-oriented kennels, Btw, I think we should be talking about 'family breeders', not 'hobby breeders'. It better conveys the fact that many 'breeders' treat their dogs as family members and only have occasional litters.

I don't consider it disagreeable to be curious or to try and understand the bigger picture of dog breeding. I don't think I'm alone in being interested in the general process how breeds got started and how they, and the associated breed standards, have evolved over time. Or in thinking recent incidents in Crufts may be benchmark events in how breeds evolve and change. You don't seem to have any interest . . . but that's no reason to attack me. No doubt you are better at understanding the subtleties of how ring judges interpret the breed standard than I am. Happy to do a little curtsy to acknowledge your superior understanding. Please appreciate, I probably have a better understanding of history, particularly Chinese history of the last two centuries, than you do. Not to mention that I'm a research professional (sadly, working without a good library at my disposal), and I've been actively looking for information, rather than slinging insults. As for standards, it's surprisingly hard to find documents relating to the changes in the UK Peke standard (and the standards of many breeds) that were imposed on the breed club by the KC in 2008 than it is to interpret them. I finally found the "old" vs "new" in relation to the head portion of the standard. It's clear, unambiguous, and to anyone interested in breed history, extremely interesting. Pekingese Breeding Standards: "Old rules: head large, skull broad. Nose short and broad. Wrinkle, continuous or broken, should extend from the cheeks to the bridge of the nose. Muzzle wide with firm underjaw. Profile flat with nose well up between eyes. Eyes large. Short body heavier in front than rear. Coat long, with profuse mane extending beyond shoulders" "New rules: head fairly large. Skull moderately broad. Nose not too short. Slight wrinkle may extend from the cheeks to the bridge of the nose. Muzzle must be evident, but may be relatively short and wide. Eyes not too large. Relatively short body. Coat moderately long, with mane not extending beyond shoulders" Clear, the KC is trying to tone down exaggerated features. The ANKC adopted these changes. The AKC has retained the 'flat face' standard. Malachy won Westminster. Bianca was DQ's at Crufts. Coincidence? No way. It will be interesting to see what happens in the next few years, given how strongly some breeds and breed clubs resist change. Barry Offiler, the chairman of the Pekingese Club, reacted to the 2008 changes in the Peke standard as follows: "If it's got a muzzle it won't be a pekingese, and if we have to breed dogs with a muzzle which breed do we cross with them? We are talking about a breed that is popular worldwide. This will prevent us showing dogs abroad and will stop overseas competitors entering Crufts. We all support improved health, but we don't know what damage the muzzle might give to the breed." source for both the change in standards and the quote from Barry Offiler: http://www.dreamdogs...furore-312.html The question of how much muzzle has been present in the court dogs of the Chinese Empire (some sources say the Peke only became a distinct breed in the 19th century) is crucial to the discussion. Furthermore, it is absolutely clear that the Chinese court had radically different values when it came to dogs than most of us. For example, Chinese court tradition placed huge emphasis on superstition-based preferred markings (Cixi liked dots on the forehead; others have valued marks that vaguely resembled certain Chinese characters). These values are completely lost in the west. You can't get the big picture is you block this sort of information.