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Also what can you do about owners who have to work more hours to keep a roof over their heads? I have a young neighbour who works very long days and and travels a distance for work. She got herself a puppy and just continued her lifestyle. The pup's cries late at night were pitiful. It was sometimes alone for 15+ hours a day. Neighbours complained so she got it a bark collar. Then it started destroying her property so she got it a doggy friend. She got a job closer to home but then started socialising more so is still never home. Four years on and it still cries for her actual attention. Never seen it leave the property even. It still barks out of desperation for interaction and I think we talk more to it through the fence than she does. Some nights when I am going to bed I can hear her finally coming home and putting food out for it, going mad at it for something else is has damaged, then shutting the door again. She has ruined a beautiful dog. But I can see her easily claiming she had to work long hours to build her career and now as a single person has to work long hours to pay her mortgage. But she loves her dogs you know! Maybe they should just be spending the money on educating - how to pick the right dog from the right people, what it needs to grow to be a great doggo, what it costs to feed and care for it over x number of years. How to value it as a living thing, etc.

My guess is that the law would be exercised, primarily, when neighbors complain. I've lived nextdoor to neglected dogs at various times, and felt that the people shouldn't have dogs. If it were that simple, I'd be in favor of laws that made it possible for such animals to be placed with better owners. My guess is, for a lot of dogs the result would be euthanasia. I agree with others that the terms are vague. In addition, more thought is needed about what to do with offenders. Fines won't work. Warnings might work for a few weeks, but people don't easily give up their dog routines.

3 hours interacting with a dog ? 3 hours with dog in view? What a strange rule.

They can't police parents doing that with their children so there is no hope of doing it with pets. Plus, I work from home and Albert is on the couch next to me most days. Sure if he started choking I would notice, but generally while I am working I am in my zone. I'm not playing with him, I'm not talking with him and only if he comes right to me do I pat him. We are technically together most of the day and all night but it is not till I turn off from work that I really start engaging with him. Sometimes I even work through his dinner time, only stopping long enough to put food out before running back to my computer to finish up something urgent. What about people with kids who come home from school and then hubby? Five minutes of hellos to the dog before doing the things they need to do (dinner, baths, etc). So being home does not equate to engagement. I also see plenty of people (and have dog sat for them) who have a set distance they brisk walk their dog once or twice a day. Same route even. They don't let them stop to investigate or sniff anything, it is all just physical exertion and usually on concrete. Is that engagement?

The quotes in the article are spot on - in addition to how to police, is what is the definition of 'with'. Locked outside when someone us home. Put in the laundry/crate etc?. Fantastic in theory, a cot case in practice. But i am sure someone got the 'feel goods' about saving the day

Interesting concept... but very hard to police it methinks. How in dog's name are the authorities going to enforce that rule? I'd think it would be impossible to prove one way or the other unless there was 24/7 surveillance in place. Yet another example of the animal rights mobs dictating legislation (or in this case, codes of practice) without any thought as to how such stupid edicts will be policed. T.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-07-06/animal-code-of-conduct-three-hours-dog-act-welfare-guideline/105499970

All of my pei have hated the cold weather so live in coats, but I am constantly checking and adjusting to make sure there is no rubbing on the underside or that it is not pulling too tight around the neck. I'd be horrified if one got injured. I stick to a couple of homemade styles that accommodate the extra pei rolls and provide as much coverage as possible (although the last 2 will not wear anything with legs). All soft stuff too - no buckles,zips, clips or fancy hardware features. No coats for walking with Albert as he gets quite warm and he also sunbakes for a bit most days (when the sun comes on to the patio) so coat is off then as well. I just don't understand how people don't notice this stuff.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-07-05/dogs-injured-by-jackets-and-jumpers-in-cold-weather/105494692

Pity, PETA dont want anyone to have a pet and our pollies are doing their best to ensure people cant find one.

ABC News article about how the responsibility of owning a pet helped people cope with life: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-07-03/readers-share-joys-responsibility-dogs-pets-lives/105480236

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-07-02/dog-deaths-linked-to-coconuts-at-popular-townsville-beach/105482378

Lovely looking dog.

Breeders usually try to keep the best puppies and sell the ones that might have faults. It won’t affect the health of your puppy and in fact dogs evolved to have prick ears, little sound funnels but I do understand your disappointment. I have pedigree whippets but I don’t show them. I also have Italian greyhounds and they are supposed to have rosé shaped ears too. Obviously no one told my little Secret. I used to know a whippet breeder who was so insistent their ears must be perfect she said she’d put down a puppy with pricked ears. I don’t know if she ever did. I hope not.

Low folate was found to be the common cause, why pregnant women are told to take folate. Preventing Spina bifida, cleft palate etc

Such a beautiful man and such a beautiful relationship he had with Annie. Can't believe he also just lost his wife.

Very sad - he seemed a lovely man , and has also just lost his wife

No words. So so sad So many beautiful tributes on his FB page.

Very sad news https://www.facebook.com/share/p/15LjHTvFWj/ and this from Frank Finger https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1Aows4NZ1H/ Muster Dogs champion Princess Annie died suddenly of a brain aneurysm this week, aged 5. She was laid to rest with a family gathering early this morning. Annie was the crowned the season 1 ABC Muster Dogs champion, along with her handler Frank Finger in 2022. Our thoughts are with Frank and his family at this difficult time.

Funny that the payslip with the minimum wage hourly rate says "Animal Attendant"... which is fancy talk for kennel hand... *grin* T.

Not kennel hands, specially trained dog nannies. I looked it up.

Oh .... that sounds a not- pleasant experience .....

I worked at one of those pet resort places a couple years back. They had ONE "deluxe suite" on site... and it certainly didn't look like the ones pictured. In essence, it was a separate building sort of like a converted fancy shed that had a cutesy "bed" thing (read the kind of dog bed that vaguely resembles a human bed) in it instead of the standard trampoline bed in a regular kennel, and it had it's own "courtyard" area. Cleaning that "suite" was a bugger and took longer to do than a regular kennel - especially if the dog housed in it wasn't appropriately toilet trained... ewww! Things may have changed since then, but if they have, I'm tipping that kennel hands hate it due to the extra work involved trying to keep the "suites" presentable and clean. T.

Crappy journalism. The headline asks if we are spending more on our pets. The first line "We don't need the data to tell us what we already know: we're spending more than ever on our pets." Slow news day.

Something everyone on here knows, but the "luxury" pet resort surprised me. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-06-27/australia-pet-business-grooming-luxury-hotels/105413230 I think if a dog designed it's place at a kennels, it wouldn't look like this: