sandgrubber

you may be able to pick up some second hand corrigated iron dirt cheap or free from a demolition company having called the cops on the neighbour's kids doesn't set things up well for a friendly discussion . . . unfortunately a lot of teens are feral.

Swimming doesn't necessarily mean work for the owner. There are dog hydrotherapy set-ups that are sort of like a tread mill . . . the dog stays in one place and they flow the water past it, which forces it to swim. I've never seen one, but they seem to provide a controlled workout.

Should be interesting. Surprising that CM could go undercover. I thought everyone in the dog world knows who he is. Maybe some puppy millers don't worry about behaviour.

I get very bored with seeing the first post repeated every page, especially when it's a long story. I would prefer it if just the link is posted in the first post. Maybe put the story text in the second post, so it won't be repeated over and over . . . I think we may be violating some sort of copyright when we post long sections of text.

I leave bowls down all day long . . . but Labradors are true to their reputation as gutzers; the bowls are empty within about 20 seconds of hitting the floor.

How awful for everyone. Wonder what has happened with the other 12 pups. I can understand why the 'breeder' (read, breeder of sorts) has ducked under the radar. Parvo is an awful disease . . . poor little pup. You're lucky your kids didn't have to go through the agony of bringing a puppy home only to see it die.

I was looking through pound listings to see what dogs jump fences in different places and came across a breed called the Catahoula Leopard Dog -- apparently descended from Native American dogs. Looks like an interesting breed from the Wikipedia description. Has anyone ever seen one? (I grew up in the US and I haven't).

Do they work? No But they make a great gag gift . One Xmas at the office party I put a bottle of the stuff into one of those anonymous gift draw things where you can swap your present with someone else and it moved like a hot potato.

The worms you are most likely to find in puppy poo are round worms. They look more like small bean sprouts . . . not white flecks. I am not aware of any worms that look like white specks. Hard for anyone to say without seeing it. If you are seriously worried, you might want to take a sample and have the vet look at it.

I suspect bite inhibition is part of a deeper set of behaviours, which is to some extent, different for different breeds. With Labrador pups, the inhibition of biting seems to start developing a week or so after their teeth come in . . . until they're five to six weeks you get awful yelps as one pup grabs another by the ear or tail and then shakes . . . with resulting screaming. This normally drops off to nothing by seven weeks, sometimes earlier. Unfortunately, it seems to take another month or two before they put human toes in the same category as puppy tails. I suspect they are actually developing something like empathy during this period (in line with the recently posted Scientific American article on Morality in dogs). I don't think mouthy behaviour leads to biting. Indeed, could be that the mouth-mouth game that you will often see adult Labs playing (usually played with one or both dogs lying down) is what is left of fighting when bite has been strongly inhibited . . . sort of like arm wrestling . . . don't know. Breeding for a soft mouth probably includes, as a side effect, breeding for bite inhibition. It might be interesting to see if the softness / bite inhibition could be eliminated by playing rough tug games . . . but I don't want to do the experiment cause I don't like dogs that bite. The only time any of my dogs has snapped and/or bitten was a rescue Lab I got in the US who hated having her anus touched. She regularly tried to bite the vet when her temperature was taken and once snapped at (without contact) a child who was interested in the hole underneath her tail. Exception . . . almost all my dogs will snap at, bite, and eat moths, flies and grasshoppers.

Not sure what you are talking about. That last sentence doesn't make sense to me. WA's use of kennel zones are unusual by world standards. Few places in the world force hobby breeders into an area that is also designated for boarding kennels, commercial breeders, and rescue organisations. Four years ago very loud boarding kennel was built about 60 m from my bedroom. The EPA recommends 500 m between a kennel and a neighboring residence. Most places in the world require that a boarding kennel that is close to residences at least have a solid, soundproofing wall built around the dog containment area. Not our council. No soundproofing at all. I've installed dual glazing in my bedroom, but the dogs still wake me up at night at times. Other neighbors are worse affected than I. The kennel owner, on the other hand, has solid fencing between HIS house and the kennel . . . and his house is relatively distant to the kennel. Are you saying that 'kennel zone' should mean make all the noise you want, anytime day or night? Even if the idiot locks the dogs OUT of the kennel at night so they won't defecate in the kennel . . . with the result that fence fighting goes on from dusk to dawn. Do you think that anyone who wants to have more than two dogs should have to put up with such disquiet? You think that's good law? I'm now beyond complaining. I just don't want to spend the rest of my life listening to boarding kennel noise. I want a rural property where me and my dogs can live quietly . . .I think most small-to-medium breeders are the same. Leave the kennel zones for them what like them. Or maybe not. The suburbs are closing in around us in the SOR kennel zone. I'd be willing to bet that within a decade they'll close the entire kennel area down because the good people in the 'burbs will be much more effective complaining about noise than those of us who who find it difficult to live with the noise.

The blue tongue defends itself using mimicry -- the big ferocious mouth is supposed to make the would-be predator think it's a puff adder, hence poison. They aren't poison, but their bite can hurt.

I'm sure ANKC is aware . . . they have an active program of watching dog-related legislation. Btw this is a proposed law in Oregon . . . the US is complicated as every state sets its own rules.

Have discovered a whole pile of newspaper articles relating to pets (mostly dogs) in condos. See http://www.petsincondos.org/news.htm http://www.wsvn.com/news/articles/local/MI143284 Nice to see K9 legal battles taking the form of protecting rights to have animals.

Thanks everyone for input . . . I did find one dog numbers law . . . for Honolulu. You are allowed 10 dogs, two chooks, but only one camel. As for the tolerance thing (which is off topic) . . . I would hope that there are places where Hawaiins are intolerant of groups (mainland Americans) that have moved in with a lot of money, bought up land, and largely destroyed the way of life. Polynesians haven't had an easy time of it. I respect that . . . . white fellas (including some with dark skins who are hooked in to the same system) have a lot to answer for. . . .

Please don't get strident if you haven't read the posts in full . . . the dog was in the pound for 10 days, the owners hadn't chipped, registered, or put a collar on (or a 'coller', according to the Newspaper article), the dog was put up on the council website, and there was a problem with parvo going around. Dogs shouldn't have to die . . . but the fault is with the owners for not registering and not being more thorough on followup once the dog was lost. Yes. Sad. Very sorry for the kids and the dog. But the owners are to blame. Pound managers have to abide by Council regs and have to make hard choices. Councils must back them when this happens or no one will be willing to take on the job of Ranger.

In my younger years in the US I lived in a couple small communities where most people (exception, the neighbour with two rather ferocious Rottis) didn't have fences and most dogs were free to roam. The most memorable incidents were when the epileptic standard poodle had a siezure at our house, and when one neighbour's male doxie got stuck half way in another neighbour's cat door . .. couldn't get his willy over the bar. And there were a few unplanned litters of pups. But all in all, it worked out ok. I'd love to return to a place where it was ok for dogs to roam.

I'm a dual US/Australian citizen who has six dogs and lives in a kennel zone in WA. I'm mighty fed up with WA's dog ghetto legislation, and am looking for someplace -- preferably someplace warm and tolerant -- where I can live in peace with my little pack. At one point I was thinking NSW, but it looks like dog rules are getting worse there and there's a danger of going out of the frying pan, into the fire. I always ruled Hawaii out, thinking it's too expensive. Checking the real estate listings, seems to be a lot cheaper than WA, but I'm having trouble sorting out anything beyond the quarantine requirements (which are favourable for Australian dogs). Google isn't pulling up much that's useful. Found some ruling that said you could go up to 10 without a kennel license (which would suit me fine) but can't find the specifics about where the rule applies. Does anyone know any dog people in HI who might be willing to fill someone in on what's probably a complicated scene?

Might also be noted that in the US, animal cruelty was recognised in law before child abuse was. The first successful child abuse case was brough forward under animal cruelty laws with help from the ASPCA. (I can look up the references . . . the book was Pawprints in History . .. a fascinating historical look at dogs in various societies over time). Child abuse and animal cruelty have been linked in the US for a long time.

Sounds like Labbies. A breed that's great on moderation with anything EXCEPT FOOD. My mother's Lab (in California, in a neighbourhood where most dogs were allowed to roam and few people had fences) used to get sick every year just after Thanksgiving. She went down the street and helped herself to what was in the rubbish bin. IN EXCESS. Bad farts, discomfort, sometimes vomiting.

Curious. Can UK -> NZ -> Oz be a better option . . . say you have a friend in NZ who would mind the dog for a few months?

How many pups are there in the litter? I've recently had 10 with diarrhea -- thank God not ready to go to their new homes yet -- but if I had nine puppy buyers trying to contact me at once and I didn't have clear answers to give, I'd be at wits end and might give in to hiding my head in the sand until the situation cleared up a bit. It would be better to send a brief message saying "fingers crossed, will update you when the picture is clear" . . . but you don't want to worry people too much. It can be a difficult situation for the breeder. Note, also, the puppy insurance programs don't cover pups who are symptomatic when they go to their new homes.

AND investigating the system that let such a dog go to work in airport security. Guarding a junk yard is one thing. But serious temperament screening should be used to keep such dogs from working in places where people of all ages, cultures and states of fatigue are walking around. I thought shephard-types were generally restricted to law enforcement jobs where a 'shutz' type training was appropriate. Surprised to hear they're in airports.

I'd like to know who wrote the text and whether their interpretation of the proposed law is accurate . .. 'could be charged with . .. ' is not a strong statement. The text looks like the sort of thing that is ambiguous and will leave it to the courts to determine what is cruel. WI has a pretty large rural population and quite a few hunters, so its likely that the bill will be opposed. Here's hoping the Canine lobby gets wording changed so that it applies only to real cruelty, like beating, chaining, dog fighting, etc. and not to dog management practices that some people don't like. I have no problem with exposing kids to animal cruelty be treated as a serious crime.

Monterey California has an interesting program that provides subsidies for helping senior adopt and care for rescue animals . . . Opinions? http://www.co.monterey.ca.us/health/animal...5SeniorPets.pdf text reprinted below P.A.W.S. Placing Animals with Seniors Imagine living far from friends or family, being less mobile, or being independent but finding you have many lonely hours. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to have a loving companion who would be there for you? Pets can bring companionship and a sense of well being to anyone, but they may play an important role in improving the lives of senior citizens. FoCAS (Friends of Animal County Services) a non-profit organization that supports Monterey County Animal Services offers a program for seniors called P.A.W.S (Placing Animals with Seniors). This program matches pets from the shelter with seniors ages 60 and older, who currently do not own a pet. Under this program, there is no cost for the adoption and FoCAS provides a sizeable yearly reimbursement for veterinary and grooming costs. Monterey County Animal Services currently has several wonderful animals age 5 or over which would qualify for this program. If you or someone you know can benefit from this program, please contact 831-769-8858 for program information and criteria.