tdierikx

Fly free with the angels goodest boy Warrior.... @Rebannemy heart breaks for and with you... please remember him with lots of love an smiles in your heart for all the wonderful memories you made together... I think he'd like that... T.

Sounds like she's very close to showing you her pups... and she'll probably pick today (a public holiday of course) to whelp... just my feeling here... If you have plans on doing anything away from home today, I'd suggest you change those plans and stay home where you can keep an eye on her. If nothing happens today or tonight, I'd be contacting your vet first thing tomorrow and possibly taking her in for a thorough check. Don't fuss over her unless she actively "asks" you for comfort... go about normal routines but keep an eye on her from a bit of a distance if you can... she may be reacting to any fussing and is uncertain about letting her body do what it needs to do... they can be very sensitive about things when it's their first time. Have you ever assisted a whelping before? If pups are born with the sac intact, you are going to have to tear it open and make sure their airways are clear. The placentas will sometimes take a second contraction/push to eject after the pup/sac is out, do not try to hasten that process. Allow mum to eat at least a couple of the afterbirths as it will stimulate good milk production... I've never had issues with bitches eating all afterbirths, but some advise that it could be a bit rich for them. Pups may arrive in quick succession once the first arrives, but could also have a decent gap between them (I've had them come 1-2 hours apart with no issues). If she is actively contracting and pushing, but nothing seems to be coming after 2 hours, you will need to contact your vet asap for advice on your next steps. Be advised that she may choose somewhere other than the whelping box to start having her pups... go with her instincts and let her do what she needs to do where she chooses to do it... make sure you have a stack of clean towels handy for that eventuality. You can move her and the pups to the box once she's finished whelping. If she does have the pups today/tonight, still call your vet tomorrow and book in an appointment asap for a post whelp checkup of mum AND the pups, OK? Oh... and once the pups are born, we will be expecting some photos of the new little family... it's kind of an unwritten rule around here... *grin* T.

Thanks @sandgrubber Quite frankly, true working livestock guarding dogs are scary as heck if they don't know you, or think you are some sort of threat to their herd... and if there is a history of them not necessarily staying close to their herd and roaming loose where they may encounter the public, then I think the decision to euthanaise the repeat offenders now they have actually caused harm to someone (and killed their dog) is a sound one. The fact that the farm in question is some sort of venture to show how sustainable farming can be achieved seems to make this incident - and the other livestock escape issues over the years - even more neglectful. Sticking to your guns about using a fencing system that clearly isn't working can't be explained away or excused by saying they are "green" or "sustainable". Fix your containment issues, or loose your license to operate methinks. As for charging $400 for a meal produced by this farming method... if that's what it costs this operation to provide a meal, then it's way too expensive to be touted as the "way of future farming", don't you think? T.

Smart Don has the age and experience in life to know that making his way back down the way he went up was the safest way... a younger dog might well have jumped down and hurt themselves... Is Don... is good boy! T.

Behind a paywall... can't read the article. T.

So, it's ok for the shelter to keep the dog in a kennel/enclosure 24/7, but adopters can't have it sleep outside ever, even if it's inside at all other times? Double standards much? I'll bet that the dog wasn't sleeping rough at it's new home, but would have had decent bedding, etc... It's stories like this that give rescues a bad name. T.

I swear that my current foster puppy thinks his name is "no" or "uhh" sometimes, as he hears both a lot! The reality is that he's high energy and easily aroused, and needs strong boundaries enforced so he'll grow up as a good canine citizen. He's only 10 weeks old, but the earlier he learns what is acceptable and what is not, the better he will do once he's adopted into a new family. We have gone from him being a complete maniac demanding attention all the time, to a much calmer and less clingy little fellow in just a couple of weeks. He sleeps in his crate overnight like a true little pro, and he settles in his big playpen and doesn't annoy the neighbours with whinging or barking if I have to go out for any period of time. He is free running the house and yard when I'm home (most of the time), and toilet training is slowly coming together... he gets to just inside the back door to do his poops, and has managed to do a couple actually outside on his own... yay! He is starting to understand what is required of him in that area of training. He also has worked out that if he sits like a good boy and looks up at me with his good boy puppy eyes, he gets cuddles and pats, but if he's jumping up or mouthing, he gets ignored or told "no" or "uhh" until he sits calmly... then he gets his cuddle/pats. He has also learned to be a good boy when on the couch with me, settling down for a nap or just cuddles. We both nanna nap on the couch at regular intervals. Personally, I think this little fellow will be really good at dog sports, as he's actually highly biddable, but high energy. He is also highly praise driven, rather than wanting food rewards, which I think is much better, as one may not always have food on hand to get their dog to do what they need to do. He also loves his toys, so those could be used instead of food for rewards too. He's pretty good at his recall already too, as he had to learn that quickly when I had my other foster with a dodgy knee who wasn't allowed to play zoomies with this little one, so calling the little one back when he wanted to play hard with the other foster was a paramount need. Laying ground rules early while a pup is still young sets them up for much greater success when we rehome them IMHO. T.

Yes... you need a permit to keep native wildlife... and only certain species can be kept under a permit. Most permits relate to certain species of birds or reptiles only - native mammals/marsupials cannot be kept. Wildlife rehabilitators have a different type of permit, as their holding of native animals is supposed to be only temporary. As for wildlife rehabilitators taking orphaned baby mammals/marsupials to raise and eventually release to the wild, the harsh reality is that most of those animals don't actually survive very long once released... but what the heck, they sure make for great photos to use for fundraising, don't they? T.

The fact remains @Powerlegsthat Molly has successfully transitioned to being free ranging with the local wild bird population now, but still comes "home" at intervals to hang out with his family and get himself extra food and interspecies friendship. I have no doubt that Molly's journey has been significantly different to a naturally raised wild bird, but do not doubt that this family have had his welfare at heart. He is happy and healthy and chooses where and when he will interact with either the wild population, or his adopted family. Magpies are smart birds, and there are numerous (read myriad) stories of them choosing to have relationships with humans and other animals throughout history... this is just another one of those stories, but with the advent of social media, it can and has been shared much further than such relationships have been in past eras. Raising money to get themselves some stability in a rent to buy property so that Molly could establish his connections to the wild population, but still providing safe haven when he chooses it is not beyond the scope here IMHO. As for the book and calendar(s)... why not? It's a beautiful story and a beautiful relationship that this family is sharing with Molly. It's hardly providing a livable income for them either. T.

OK, there are 2 problems here... 1. the name of the Act - "Animal Protection Act" - the word "protection" in this instance is a word that has been hijacked by the animal rights movement to have people believe that animals are generally grossly abused on a daily basis, and that all human interaction with animals should be severely restricted. These pieces of legislation used to be called Welfare acts... with animal welfare as the core tenet... but now the tenet has shifted to the notion that animals now all need protection from humans. Animal protection is NOT animal welfare... they are two vastly different things. 2. that can cause "pain suffering or damage" - this is deliberately vague wording which will allow any number of perceived "issues" to be added to the list of banned "defects" deemed "genetic"... when we all know that some issues have an environmental component which are completely beyond a breeder's means to prevent - ie. hip displaysia. HD can be limited in the genetic sweepstakes by selectively breeding dogs with good structure, but it cannot be completely prevented from a breeder perspective when environmental conditions while a larger breed pup is growing are so diverse. Under this sort of legislation, HD could be added to the list of traits, and that could lead to many larger breed dogs effectively unable to be bred... a stretch, but still completely possible when we are seeing a stronger push by animal rights agendas driving animal related legislation. T.

Thank dog for someone showing some common sense rather than dogged adherence to stupid legislation. This was the only solution to providing the best welfare outcome for Molly. And shame on the people who doggedly pursued having him taken away from the only safe place he's ever known. I certainly do not advocate that people look to taking on native wildlife as "pets", but in cases where it has happened as a result of humans caring for a sick/injured animal, and that animal has decided of it's own free will to stick around, then there needs to be some process in place that looks for the best welfare outcome for that animal, regardless of what strict legislation advises. In this case, letting Molly stay where he feels safe, and his needs are being met, is the best welfare outcome. T.

Oh dog, don't get me started on the "hero rescuers" that yell at people to not take strays to the pounds or RSPCA. Watching these people then scramble to "find room" to take on any stray cat that looks even vaguely like a purebred (and most obviously someone's actual pet), while ignoring the average tabby moggie en masse... grrr! Quite frankly I have no objection to anyone sharing their lives with a wild animal, if the arrangement is not detrimental to any of the participants, which is the case with Molly and his family. DESI have the power to grant a license to Molly's family and to return him to the life he knows and loves... just sayin'... Molly DOESN'T have to be caged for the rest of his life just to prove some point. T.

And to hell with what is the actual best welfare outcome for Molly... we must stick to the law regardless he'll actually be WORSE off that if he'd been left where he was... FFS! Here's a link to the "expert wildlife carers" whose constant reporting of Molly's lifestyle caused him to be taken away from everything he's ever known and doomed to be caged for the rest of his life... https://www.facebook.com/wildanimalsaustralia/posts/pfbid0hzHgCnDWirrRh7WRTtt9Cz6QuRw8B1dkKgC6bdCRToHxpe8LT3FzmYDH4jGAKwPVl Feel free to share the link to the above far and wide, so everyone knows what bastards they are. T.

They are going to be on A Current Affair tonight... T.

To my knowledge Molly was happy and healthy in his (Molly is a male) chosen home, so why the urgency to take him away and subject him to a life in a captive cage for the rest of his life? All for what? The owner of Peggy and Molly had gotten a license to keep Molly, but still that wasn't enough? All because some "wildlife carers" decided that they knew better and hounded the department until they had no choice... grrr! Where is the positive welfare outcome here? He can't be released to the wild according to the "experts", but had been happily integrating with the wild magpies at his home, only coming back to be with Peggy and the family at irregular intervals. Now he will be confined to a caged environment with limited area to explore or choice to be with his local mates (and human/dog family)... it sucks! Molly had a life that most magpies would dream of having... humans happy to attend to his every need, sweet tempered dogs to cuddle up to and chase about, and the freedom to come and go as he pleased. I ask again, what "better" welfare outcome will be provided for him now? T.