Loving my Oldies

You'd think dog walkers would know who she was, or at least the area she comes from. If I were the Guide Dog Assn I'd have a PI (expensive I know :D ) haunting the area looking for the woman and radiating out to other areas where dogs are walked. Dog walkers tend to stick to our regular routes and get to know at least the names of the dogs and the general area that people come from. Poor Correa family. No news on facebook about the guide dog though. And people get all het up when the question of CCTV is raised. I'm all for it.

Were these two dogs litter mates? I think this is where the problems lies. Nope, but only because I wanted a girl and a boy, and the only girl in the first litter died. However, if I were to go down the puppy route again (which I wouldn't of course - I'm too old and don't have the energy :D and I would always have rescue dogs), I wouldn't hesitate.

Over the years I have seen many people post about the dramas of getting two puppies together and have never been able to understand why. A bit more work? So what. Look at the love and fun you get in return. Bond to each other instead of the people? Hardly think so. I was a complete novice when I adopted two 8 & 9 week old puppies as there was no way in the world I was going to get one dog and leave him/her on h/er own through the day. I picked them up on the same day and never had any problems at all. The only problem was me ..... I was a nervous wreck :D at having these tiny lives dependant on me. And I would like to echo what others have said about an outside dog. I could no more shut a dog out than I could a child, although I know many dog owners don't agree with me. I am not experienced with large dogs, but I bring little dogs into my home all the time and just tell them all to get on - LOL.

Yes, I actually had to click on the thread to see what it was about - LOL. The way the type format is set up on DOL doesn't allow for a string of capital letters.

Totally Off Topic . . . . Love the pic and slogan Stop the Battery Farming of Dogs.

If people want to desex their pets, that's great - if they feel it is the best thing for their pet and their circumstance. Emotional black mail should not be used to push people into making a decision about their pet (s). The cold hard facts are that over 250000 companion animals are PTS every year because their aren't enough good homes but people just keep producing puppies and kittens. If it stops people thinking that they'll have a litter to "calm their dog down", "let their children experience the wonders of life" or just because "she's such a nice dog" then that's good enough for me. People need to know and accept that if they bring more kittens and puppies into the world then they are responsible for them. I don't see it as emotional blackmail - dog savvy people that choose not to desex their pet but keep them contained and don't add to the unwanted pet population probably wouldn't feel "emotionally blackmailed" as they do the right thing. I have heard people suggest that people dropping their pet off to an animal shelter should be made to watch them be PTS - is that emotional black mail or making them accept the consequences of their actions? If we don't do anything because we might make the poor humans feel bad then what hope is there? Yep. We have a massive over-supply of pets available so its common sense to get them desexed. If the advertising/promotion of this fact has to be sensationalised a little to reinforce this point, I don't really consider that 'emotional blackmail'. Exactly. Shock tactic? Maybe. Emotional blackmail? I don't think so. This is a very, very serious issue and if a little shock here and there make people open their darn eyes and take some notice, well in my books that's a good thing. I agree. In any case, if a bit of emotional blackmail can save dogs' and cats' lives, I'm prepared to do a bit of it. However, in the final analysis, facts and figures are also needed to change business practices.

I hope you are reporting this, then.

Isn't this the place that charges you about $600-$800 to surrender your dog to them? They used to advertise a lot, but as I rarely look in the advertising pages, I am not sure.

A bit off topic, but I am sick and tired of seeing vets blamed for things like this. A relative of mine was a vet with his own practice for over 30 years. I still have nightmares about some of the stories I wish he hadn't told me. Of the pensioners who would come in in the latest fashion with a brand new car sitting in the driveway demanding a pensionr's discount; of the people who would come in last thing on a Sunday night with an animal who had been obviously ill for some time saying the dog just suddenly became ill, of the people who would bring in their dog who had obviously been ill for some time and no matter how hard the vet tried, the animal died and then the people would reefuse to pay their account because the vet didn't save their dog's life; stories of how the vet's wife had to call the police because the vet was being threatened; of the dangerously ill Dalmatian who was on a very strict diet, but after a visit from the owner was violently ill bringing up about a kilo of peanuts fed to it by the stupid stupid stupid owner, of the people who would swear on their children's lives that they never used poisons when it was obvious the animal had been poisoned by something in the house or garden ..... and that is just the tip of the iceberg. One of these days, I may tell on DOL a story that I think of too often which even now I can't put into words. Just consider how many animals that vet had seen that day (that week, that month, that year), twodoggies, and how many time he had heard people making excuses as to why they couldn't pay their account. Get real, twodoggies, and look at both side before you start blaming someone.

And you are, of course, putting this in an email to Steve Austin? Please do.

Because of the so called "celebrity" status that people are so enamoured of today, this is a real problem. I also reject totally the concept of let's make it okay because we can't beat it. What next: legalise murder because it will always be with it. I hope in your position of the founder of MDBA, Steve, you a writing a very strongly worded correspondence to Steve Austintacious. Well get it out of your head, girl, and onto the page and into the mail. ;) I was thrilled beyond measure when PetRescue and Madison Mag got together for a photo shoot on rescue dogs. I even participated with one of my own dogs and two rescue dogs brought up from PikesPooches. The end result was so disappointing I nearly cried. Just a heap of unattractive photos and no talk of the horrible situation some dogs come from.

I have highlighted this in my response to the ABC. I hope everyone who is disgusted with Steve Austin's comments is writing to him and those who have used his business and were contemplating using his business state that they will be taking their business elsewhere. I have just gone to his website and sent the following: Your appearance on the ABC report on Puppy Farming has made the scales fall off a lot of eyes, Steve Austin. On the dog forum I frequent, not a single person has a good word to say about your statements on this program. People who have given you their custom will no longer do so and people who were contemplating using your boarding service and training services will be going elsewhere. As I will be. I was going to go up to your place at Dural with a little rescue dog I have, but I will certainly be going elsewhere. It is a sad day when a person with your background says: "I prefer them not to be in the window, certainly, but as long as they are looked after correctly - water, clean, etcetera - I don't see any major issues in it." The cynic in me thinks: yes, he doesn't see any harm in it because some people who buy these poor puppies will hopefully come to him to try to solve their behaviour issues because the little dogs have not had proper socialisation with people or other dogs at the crucial time in their lives: puppyhood. I am totally and absolutely disgusted and very sad.

Thanks for that, didn't get that far in my thinking . Yet again, money over morals . So bloody sad.

That's what OH said when it was over: Great report, but it needs to be on A Current Affair or Today Tonight. Are you kidding: they would have made a joke of it and got the Jerk on for his professional opinion . Yes, I know what you are sayingm of course, and I agree, but only if they could do the program as the ABC did it, it would be great.

What caught my ear was something Meg Dobson said. Extract from 7.30 Report Transcript: MEG DOBSON: Quite lucrative. Yep, it's lucrative for everybody involved. It's lucrative for the shires, for the breeders, for the vets, for the dog food chain and the pet shops as the end result. I wonder what she meant by this [the emboldened words]? I wonder how much money goes out in brown paper bags to keep people quiet about BBY and puppy farms?

(Just quoting one part of your post, Christina.) The program was too short, of course, but the focus they gave on the puppy farms was pretty good for a first time. I think anything more hard hitting might have been too much for some people, eg some of the footage from the Oprah Winfrey show that aired last year (I think). Whilst I congratulated the ABC for the program, I have written quite a long response to the program on their website suggesting that they do a follow up with a little more graphic footage and information and suggesting a few response the reporter could have made to things that the ghastly Mr Hams said . I also made the point that a lot of people will be taking their business away from Steve Austin - LOL.

I was thinking the same thing.. It is such a specious argument, but it is one that the pets shops raise all the time. I wish interviewers would get all the facts and all the questions and counter arguments ready.

The point about this claim is that it doesn't matter whether one single puppy sold in a pet shop ever ends up in a shelter. It is how that puppy is bred that is the major issue, as I see it. As someone said: if it has a uterus breed it. The animals suffer - that is the point that should be being stressed. At least "hybrid vigour" was raised. :D Of course it is about the way they are bred and the resulting problems that cause a lot of these poor dogs to be dumped in shelters and Steve Austin was disputing and in denial about the high dumpage rates of dogs from petshops (i.e. puppyfarmers) as he wouldn't acknowledge that these poor puppyfarmed dogs have issues due to the way they are bred and their environment . I made this point because if ever you speak to/hear/read Pet Shops talking about this issue, they always bring up "the fact" (as they see it - I am not saying it is a fact) that very few pet shop dogs end up in shelters. And the interviewers never have anything to say about this because they haven't done their homework, or don't see the wider picture. In their defence, the pet shops always talk about the puppies never the conditions in which they are being bred. And this is the point that the 7.30 Report was focusing upon in going to those who have to deal with it: RSPCA, Animal Liberation and the ex Puppy farmer, Meg. I think many people who know nothing about this issue will be pretty shocked. I would hope so anyway. Hopefully there will be Part 2 in which some of the really bad raids will be shown.

The point about this claim is that it doesn't matter whether one single puppy sold in a pet shop ever ends up in a shelter. It is how that puppy is bred that is the major issue, as I see it. As someone said: if it has a uterus breed it. The animals suffer - that is the point that should be being stressed. At least "hybrid vigour" was raised. :D

I just googled Banskia Park and the first link was this: http://www.govegan.com.au/puppies/?p=208

Okay, everyone who has done business with Steve Austin before, I hope you aren't just telling us here on DOL that you won't use him again. WRITE AND TELL HIM. What a moron. If anyone should know that food and water are not enough for a dog, he should. When he came on, I sat there expecting a slamming of the industry. To say I'm shocked and disgusted is a total understatement.

I bought my latest one from Bunnings and it is terrific. 5 year guarantee for the mesh part. I would have liked a bigger one as well, but the height was a bit much for my aging troup. I didn't think of BigW either, so I will be looking there too.

Well, I am all set to go with my new belt - :D . I took a Husky out to Campbelltown and just down the road from where I was taking him was an Aldi. Decided to pop in and have a look. I hope people won't cross to the opposite side of the road when they see me - - LOL. Already loaded with my water bottle:

Sadly, these things happen. Animals including people can have underlying conditions that are not at all evident prior to surgery. We are always being told that any anaesthetic has risks and, of course, veterinarians should be pointing these risks out to owners. (This is not to excuse the reaction of the person, of course. Just shades of the hugely prevalent attitude that someone has to be blamed for whatever goes wrong in life.) I wonder whether in the USA they have to sign the forms that we do here (at least at my vet) if the animal is going in for even the smallest procedure.

I'll be interested too. How many of these so called exposes do we have to have before the authorities do something positive to stop them? I was so disappointed in the ABC Radio National article done a little while ago on Background Briefing: nothing new, nothing to really make people sit up and take notice. The producer spoke to many people from DOL, too, who would have told her the dreadful facts and figures. And too often these sorts of programs go to the same old people who just want to push their own barrows ..... need I mention names ? However, until I see it I will be positive and hope to god I am proved wrong. I am finding Kerry O'Brien very bland these days, rarely asking a hard question or wanting to put a pollie on the spot.