SkySoaringMagpie

I'm rapidly coming to the conclusion that misguided "caring" by people who are emotionally not all that competent is a much more significant animal welfare issue than I previously recognised. That's partly why I posted it. It reminded me of the posts we've had recently about the partially paralysed dog and the chis with no front legs.

This deserves a whole row of http://www.news.com.au/world/ill-die-if-i-...i-1226041925039 WITH a wardrobe full of designer suits, a cupboard packed with treats and a car booster seat, Irwin the kangaroo is not your average household pet. To American owner Christie Carr of Broken Arrow Oklahoma, he's more like a child, worthy of 24/7 care and snacks of cheese puffs and popcorn, reported The Daily Telegraph. The 15-month-old red kangaroo was paralysed after suffering a broken neck and brain damage in a wildlife sanctuary accident a year ago. Since then Ms Carr has been devoted to Irwin - named after wildlife crusader Steve Irwin - taking him everywhere she goes. He even rides in the back of the car, watching life whiz by from a children's booster seat modified to fit his tail. The 39-year-old said yesterday her beloved boy would die if taken from her care and has vowed to uproot her life and move away, just to keep Irwin in her possession. Among their outings, the pair regularly visit people in nursing homes. "He really enjoys going on his visits. That is his calling," Mrs Carr said. "He snuggles them, he kisses them and he gets very excited." Ms Carr said Irwin had helped her recover from a serious bout of depression. "He's my therapy," she said. However, wildlife experts said dressing a paralysed animal and treating it like a human was "totally inappropriate". Australian Reptile Park macropod expert Tim Faulkner said Irwin's quality of life needed to be the No. 1 priority. Broken Arrow City Council is due to debate the issue today.

Gorgeous! Thanks for letting us know about it.

Complain with photos.

Depends a lot on the breed and what you want it to to do. The book "Dog Steps" by Rachel Page Elliot, and also her video, are well worth a look for a general overview and the video includes xrayed movement on a treadmill that is very educational. If you asked me about my breed, I would suggest this video, which provides a good example of how the lighter galloping sighthounds move in a skeletal animation at 1 min 45 seconds. The importance of their flexibility really shows up when you see the animation. http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/episodes/do...dy-saluki/1326/ OTOH, if you asked me about Great Danes, I would suggest you talk to a Great Dane person. Likewise any other breed. In short, there isn't a single source for this kind of thing but I would start with Dog Steps. Then I would go to the classic working material for your breed.

If you find it cheap becks I'll buy one from you with a spotter's fee included!

No we bought the crate and pen side of C Crates in Jan. The previous owners now only do trailers and are called C Trailers. Ah thanks. No longer confused!

I'm a bit confused, you have ccrates in your sig and I thought they did trailers?

I put a want listing in with Abebooks and one showed up today. $475 US :D So won't be purchasing it just now, fortunately the wonderful Espinay has offered to lend me hers.

Agree, plus we don't go over the dog. You can make a reasonably educated guess about coat texture and you can see some weak points but in coated breeds there is a lot you can't see unless you go over the animal and you don't see inside the dog's mouth from the ringside. And there are points on which it's reasonable to differ. A movement nut might do something different to someone who has a thing about heads.

When I was at Crufts recently (oh shut up SSM), more than one of the Salukis being shown had missing bits of fur or scars. Here you don't see that in the show ring so much, but over there no-one turned a hair. Knowing how much the dogs love it, and live for it when they get a chance, I see rips and sprains as reasonable too.

Yes, he's an engaging speaker and very balanced in his outlook.

There was an international judge at one of our shows recently where most exhibitors, even those he did not put up, sang his praises. He had excellent ringcraft, soft hands on the dogs, was well dressed, confident and paid attention to each dog. The first person who sang his praises on Facebook didn't win under him, and a number of people who also didn't win backed her up.

If we are broadening the discussion to any hunting with dogs, I think it's a case by case thing that depends on a broader set of criteria than the chase and the kill. I also think there isn't a clear line between recreation and population control. For example, I'm not super keen on pig hunting partly because of sadistic weekend warriors but also because of the large number of failed piggng scruffers that rescue finds itself cleaning up out of the pounds. That's pushing the costs of the sport onto society without any kind of social contract to do so.

Just in case anyone else was planning on doing a bit of shopping, Booktopia have canceled my order for the Mary Roslin Williams book on the grounds that it is out of print.

There is a lot of variety within a breed as well. I have a boy, who is to put it kindly, a bit dim. He's rat cunning when he has sufficient incentive (girls in season) and he's much easier to train at all other times. The girls are very smart, but not all that biddable. Also, intelligence is over-rated in a canine companion, particularly for your average pet owner. I can admire a smart well trained border collie or GSD but I would never want to live with one. And to be honest, I don't think they do well with your average idiot either. Special dogs require special people, which is something those searching for a quick brag or ego-boost often forget.

Ta, cheapest I found was $275 US. Your Google-fu is obviously better than mine! Ordering now...

Sounds like a very interesting read. Just looked it up online and it's also a bit of an expensive read If any locals have a copy I can borrow I promise I'll take good care of it.

Forgot to say what we were doing. Afghans this weekend, then IW, Saluki & Sighthound shows over Easter

for the recommend

Hmm, but if the opinion is that because it came from Kennel 1 it's crap and because it came from Kennel 2 it's wonderful, how useful is that?

dog geek!!

As the subject says, how do you maintain a productively critical eye? Do you bother to engage with people who are kennel blind when it comes to assessing a dog's quality or do you not bother?

Should be heaps of fun Edit, hit return key before finishing!!

Lots going on here. I'd prioritise. Turf can be relaid, babies are more serious. Before you move, think about how the new house will be set up for baby and don't allow the dogs to do anything that is incompatible with that in the new place. So, no going in the room that is set aside for the nursery for example. Moving is actually a good opportunity to press the reset button. We have a resource guarder who can't be trusted when we are absent. So we separate the dogs so they can play with toys in our absence. I would consider putting dog runs in in your situation - that way they can have toys and your garden won't be under as much pressure. Speaking of which, dogs means a race track and probably holes as well unless you fence off the bits of garden you want to preserve. As I think I've said before, I have seen one or two dog owners with beautiful gardens. I have seen many more with gardens that look like a moonscape or jungle or soft toy killing field. Ours looks like a golf course because I am paranoid about snakes and the dogs. If not for the dogs, I'd have a cottage garden full of interesting shrubs and ground cover. Edit: Your dogs are about to go through significant upheavals with a new house and the baby - as are you. Don't be surprised if their behaviour gets harder and more challenging over this period. Things will be easier if you know ahead of time how you plan to deal with it.