Diva

I usually pop the ones not going outside while I take whoever is to the car. Then I go back and let the others inside. It’s just to avoid lots of ‘pick me’ excited behaviours around the door. They have quickly worked out that routine and don’t seem to worry too much when they can’t actually see the lucky one go. They are very good in the house, never any accidents and damage is confined to a cushion becoming a toy from time to time. I can live with that. Mine have no separate anxiety, just lots of desire not to miss out.

Your email doesn’t sound like you were trying to get to the bottom of anything though. It doesn’t contain any questions or interrogate the issue. Just lots of ‘you failed’ and ‘I expect more’ type comments. That doesn’t tend to lead to constructive responses and putting myself in their shoes I can see why. Their response reads to me like a busy and confident vet acknowledging the mistake but letting you know that they would be very happy to not have you as a client. How much that matters depends I suppose on how easy vet behaviourists are to find and whether the current one gives favourable rates to the rescue.

I’m amazed the vet dropped the script off in your mailbox. That is great service and it wouldn’t happen here. Nor could I ring and expect to get them on the phone- they ring back if it’s a complicated matter but mostly exchange messages through the nurses. Vet practice is hectic these days. Tbh, it sounded like you were complaining for no particular purpose except to reprimand them. It didn’t seem that you were seeking any obvious outcome or redress, you just wanted to list their faults. Maybe to put it on the record for the rescue? It would have been better for them to have given a more sincere apology but I am not surprised they suggest you go elsewhere. They likely care a lot that they made an error, but probably not much about your complaint. I don’t think pursing it would get you anywhere, if their reputation is strong a one off error that has been acknowledged and that led to no consequences isn’t going to count for anything much. Good job on picking up on it though, the little dog is lucky to have you looking out for them.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-10-20/dog-found-five-months-after-fleeing-car-crash-broken-hill/102997988 some heart warming news for a change

In this case I wouldn’t go too far down the path of assuming the dog had no prior history of aggression. Still a lot to be learnt. There is a public document that says the dog was so reactive that the female owner needed a prong collar to walk it in public. I don’t know what that means for human aggression - most dog reactive dogs, as far as I know, are only that way to other dogs, but there is a trainer somewhere who may have insight. Absolutely agree that necropsies need to be part of the investigation tho’.

I have a friend who lives locally and told me some of it the day after it happened. It’s partly why I am so confounded by the incident. No obvious answers.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12642811/amp/Dog-attack-Allens-Rivulet-Rottweiler-Tasmania.html A lot more info in this article.

Thanks DogsAndTheMob, I’ll have a look for the interviews. It’s the appropriateness of the response stuff that interests me, why they target who they do and why they escalate. I’ve owned very large dogs all my life, but their social conflict resolution has always been more like a ballet than a fight. Actual harm done within a household is just beyond my experience and understanding.

I don't think it is media reporting - death by dog has been news for as long as I can recall. It's not really 'bites' that I am interested in either, it's this sustained mauling of adult owners that leads to death or multiple serious injuries. I can get my head around single bites, however serious, and prolonged attacks on strangers. I can even see why serious injuries leading to death happen to children. But dogs that maul their primary caregivers really make me wonder what is going on. What is it about with their temperaments, life experiences or relationship with their owners that make this possible?

I’m astounded by the run of deaths and serious injuries of adults by their own dogs recently. What on earth is going wrong?

I’ve used fexofenadine 180 (Telfast) for a big swollen face reaction on my dog from an insect sting. Recommended by the vet and worked fine. None of mine have ongoing allergies but I do, so that was what I had on hand for me.

I hope he is sent to a prison full of men who like dogs, and is treated as he deserves.

I agree tdierikx, the dog breaking off then resuming the attack really struck me too. I‘m not clear if a fight between the dogs did start things, I think it’s speculation from people trying to work out what happened. I’m not sure if witnesses saw the second dog bite her either. But that shot dog showed some chilling behaviour. I hope they did a necropsy.

Very sad. There was a similar case in Canberra a while back, a woman killed by her Staffie cross when she intervened to stop it attacking a male visitor. Only a few months before the same dog had received serious injuries trying to stop a violent home invasion.

If you mean the ones in Perth Mairead then no, not left with her, the owner was only 31 and the breeder of one of the dogs has spoken and it was sold directly to her, it sounds like as a pup.

My experience is pretty much the same as DogsAndTheMob. Being redirected onto is just nothing I have ever had to worry about, and I have had big fast high prey drive dogs for 40 years. Including raising entire males together. The dogs in these attacks that not only bite their owners but maul and try to kill are so far out of my experience that they sound like a different species. And I will be up front and say it does make me very wary of their breeds, as well as wondering what else is going wrong to create these terrible outcomes. When I heard of this case I assumed she hadn’t owned the dogs for very long - but that isn’t the case at all. So I just don’t understand it.

One report I read quoted the man attacked, and said the dog ‘was responding to an argument in the house’. He was also referred to as the dog’s owner in that report. To do that severe an attack after 8 years in the same family to family members makes me think there is a long back story we will never hear.

Well here’s a link to a site that sells it here if you want to compare photos. I don’t use it so can’t take my own. Prices on the site are in Australian dollars, would convert to much less in USD. https://www.budgetpetproducts.com.au/product/simparica-trio-for-dogs-201-40kg-green-large-6-chews/17331

If the dogs weren’t microchipped and had no id it’s hard to track down the owner. They may not even usually live in Sydney. I’d expect the attacking dogs will be euthanised as dangerous and basically abandoned if they don’t find an owner. The go fund appeal money will cover the vet bills and maybe the medical bills. And the injured woman will have to try to get over it as best she can.

It is excruciatingly painful to lose a young dog like that. I am glad she is home with you again.

I know my breed pretty well and they don’t have a lot of specific health issues. The common things they do get more of aren’t testable anyway. I would be taking a bigger risk as those things (osteosarcoma, bloat) concentrate more in some lines than others but any dog can get them so it’s not black and white. I’d probably run the one dna test we have so I know if that disease, a disease of old dogs, is coming, but it wouldn’t influence my decision. so yes, I would get a rescue of my breed without health testing IF the temperament was what I wanted and I had room. I’d get a cross bred of my breed too if it needed a home and its temperament was good. This assumes I have the $$ to cope with any health surprises that do pop up. (It’s not likely though, I’m throughly hooked on the lines I have. And most rescues in my breed are because a breeder or owner died or got sick so history is known. True rescues happen, there was a horrible one a year or so ago, but are fortunately rare)

I thought they looked quite Wolfhoundy in the photo in the article, I couldn’t say purebred but not a million miles away. I keep having to edit as the posts are posting before I have finished today. Weird.

Whenever I hear of things like this in school holidays I wonder if there was someone minding the dogs, a big change in the dogs’ routine or housing during the holidays, or someone walking them who was not used to them. Dogs that have no history of escape don’t usually start without some change in husbandry. just saw the post that said they were being looked after by a friend. Sad for everyone involved.

That trauma will be very hard for the poor woman to get over. Not being able to protect your dog from attack is incredibly distressing and can cause ongoing anxiety. I hope she and her dog get all the help they need.

Three is my ideal number. I can take one out to do stuff without anyone being left alone. My breed quite likes to live in a group too, it’s in their heritage. Never any squabbles. If you go for a different breed I’d look for one that is also happy in a pack and has a similar activity level, unless you a targeting a specific dog sport.