Steve

Question - How many tall old men do you see?

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/pa...hting-the-way/1 Dogs are helpful to us in so many ways, from edging us on to get out for some exercise to helping calm down high school students. Now, The Spark Project has found another way: their waste is transformed into energy that lights street lamps. It was unveiled last week in Cambridge, Mass. Why not do something useful with it! These authors argued that dogs and cats are not sustainable and replace them with rabbits and chickens. The Park Spark Project is the transformation of dog waste into energy (methane) through a publicly fed methane digester. The digester is mostly buried underground except for a tube and a hand-crank that is above ground, so that people can feed the digester and stir the mixture inside. The methane created is piped to gas burning lamppost and constantly burning like an 'eternal flame'. How else does it help? Many dog owners throw their canine companion's excrement into a garbage bin, from which it's transported to a waste facility, and where it continues to create methane, a highly combustible greenhouse gas. Funded through MIT, and in partnership with the City of Cambridge, the Park Spark project aims to show that waste can be a precious resource — methane is an effective source of energy — all the while reducing greenhouse emissions.

We have had a call from the Salvation Army to try to help out with a single Dad with 5 kids who has a dog which was run over. The dog has been on strong pain killers since the accident but the vet will not do the surgery thats needed without the cash. The bill is going to be around 2000 as a hip has to be treated and a leg amputated. Time is running out and unless the guy can find some way of finding some money to have the surgery done the dog will have to be PTS. The dog is a very much loved family pet and the kids especially are very distressed about whats going on. If anyone could afford a little to try to help this guy out it would be very much appreciated by all involved. Please make donations to MDBA Pacers 062600 account 10488688. Julie

I would like to see a reference to where the dogs in the study were sourced. However the number of CKCS bred in Aust by reputable breeders has once again fallen. Unfortunately the most reputable ones and therefore least likely to breed dogs with no problems are the ones who are not breeding. I have no doubt that the incidence of MVD and SM will rise in this country. A self fulfilling prophecy Yep because when you chase off the good breeders - speak of them as if they are stupid pond scum and regulate the hell out of them then the byb and unregistered and fly by night shonks take up the demand. I would like to see these studies which are quoting percetages. In Pedigree dogs exposed and all that people like McGreevy have to say are estimates and they all say there are no studies to back up what they think about incidence. The question shouldnt end with how many cavs get MVD but rather Do Cavs suffer from MVD more than other dogs of any breed in their later years in this country ? If so how much more. When we work out how much more then we need to work out how much more in the ones we breed in comparison to the ones bred by idiots. Problem is if the figure comes back that the ones we breed are healthier than the ones we dont - who will believe us. Its the most common heart issue in dogs as they age

Hang on - I wouldnt say they wont listen. My biggest issue is that if someone is going to protest something and call on people to join in and protest with them then we all should know and agree on the definition of what it is we are protesting. My educated guess is that almost 100 % of people who are rallying think that what they are protesting about is people who breed lots of dogs for money. The assumption is that if they are breeding lots of dogs for money they are therefore doing the wrong thing and its not possible for them to be doing it with any concerns for the welfare of the dogs and should be stopped. But when it comes time to trying to bring in new laws thats not who the target is - because to try to ensure no one is breeding dogs in poor conditions you have to bring in laws which will impact on every one who breeds a dog - if they follow the law. People who breed dogs well, worry that potential solutions to stopping dogs suffering as much at the hands of a puppy farmers would, in effect, make their dogs suffer more. Why do they think that ? Take the time to read mandatory codes of practice already in place in NSW and the gold coast as if you only own 2 entire bitches.

The foster carers course is a walk in the park in comparison to the Parasitology one - thats about year three uni equivalent.

The Foster Carers course needs to be completed with a one year time frame for when you recieve yoru course. Its all designed to be completed regardless of where you live or what your situation is. We have some students who are in 7 different countries too. There will be opportunities for you to do an elective after you have finished this one which focuses on other animals .

If it was to enforce the laws already in place I'd be there too. Yep I'd be all for enforcing what currently exists... But I know that's not the case and supporting such events is just helping to bang the nail in my own breeder coffin. When the RSPCA and the likes can come up with something that is not to my detriment, or anyone who breeds dogs with due care and consideration, then please let me know about it. Re the quote in red above, to put it in context you need the rest of the quote.... It actually says "Now is your chance to be a voice for the dogs living a life of misery in Victoria's puppy factories. Join the RSPCA along with many animal welfare organisations on the steps of Parliament House to advocate for tougher laws and regulations to be put in place. Help us send a strong message to the State's political leaders that factory farming should not be tolerated." Not once anywhere have I seen any intent of changing laws on how dogs are currently kept by breeders or establishments just the intent to change legislation to outlaw large scale/mass production of puppies. But if I'm wrong I'm happy to stand corrected. From Oscars Law "Now is your chance to be a voice for the dogs imprisoned in Victoria's puppy factories. Help send a strong message to the State's political leaders that we will not tolerate the factory farming of our companion animals. Join us on the steps of Parliament House and stand up for all the dogs on puppy factories and support Oscars Law" The only legislation Oscars Law itself talks about changing is Quote: "•Abolish the mass production of dogs. Make factory farming of dogs illegal •Ban the sale of animals from pet shops, online and in print media" Each of these campaigns describe puppy factories as mass producing facilities. People are even saying they don't want regulations changed... From Debra Tranter herself on Prisoners for Profit website: "How is increasing the fine going to help the dogs Joe Helper? $2400 the cost of one litter of puppies-so what! Mr Helper, we do not want more regulations that the local Council ranger simply refuses to enforce or doesn't have time to enforce. We want puppy factories abolished. Stop telling us how our pets can be kept, bred and sold." From what I've read throughout these campaigns "ethical" breeders have been supported and even promoted..... people are being told to go to shelters, rescue or ethical registered breeders to purchase their dogs. I'll be at the rally with my ex puppy farm breeding girl and hope to see as many likeminded people there as possible I want to say this - and please - this is important. The proposals being tendered do not - I repeat - do not specifically target large scale commercial breeders. The definition of a puppy farmer for the purposes of proposed changes is and I quote from the RSPCA roundtable conference. Recommended way forward: 1.1 A puppy farm (also known as a puppy factory or puppy mill) is defined as an intensive dog breeding facility that is operated under inadequate conditions that fail to meet the dogs’ psychological, behavioural, social and/or physiological needs. Puppy farms are usually large-scale commercial operations, but inadequate conditions may also exist in small volume breeding establishments which may or may not be run for profit.

The answer in the short term until DNA is available which is not even on the horizon is to have an open honest registry with breeders knowing how to properly profile a pedigree - looking for health issues rather than just spotting for where the champs are.

before you all go freaking off into the night. of my 5 original cavaliers , 4 were free of any signs of MMVD at 8,,9,10,11,12. one only diagnosed at 8. (she was pet homed to the owner of one of her pups and was still going no medication needed at 11 last i heard from her owner) so that to my bad maths made my purchases 4/5th of em free of it at 12? in the case of Zambuna Cav King Jack he was still hanging in there, n hadnt shrugged off the mortal coil at 15, although (according to the lady i had given him too) he had been pinched by the owners flatmate so no further info as to testing after 12. so that doesnt look like 100 percent incidence to this idiot anyway? three bitches, two of em spot on hearts, n the one with it starting at 8) came from Pribar Kennels and Edenridge Summer Shower was a daughter of Gaycrest Eboni Mist. although i loaned her back to Edenridge and think it was 14 puppies were bred to choose a "show" pup. to my knowledge and belief every single one bar the two i got back were limit registered n pet sold. so no hope of using that line if your looking for MMVD free line. dont know if Pribar is still going. i dont show and after all the crap and risk of ever selling on main register. (check out the pup return for refund because its adult teeth didnt come through as perfect as its puppy teeth? mind u it did win 2 challenges before its return but hey it might not make champion sooooooo n it is main so that meant it would ) no main registers will be available from me anymore. reading that adorable story about the $25,000 cat's vet bills. my first thought was pity the poor bugger who bred it if it had been a registered animal Cavalier's MMVD Heart Problem I know that there will be Cavaliers living to a Normal Age, but until the MMVD Genes are found ,it will not be known if those Cavaliers could be MMVD Carriers. In Britain Cavalier were known to have Died from Heart Trouble in the 1940's and 1950's. It is possible that some of the Cavaliers exported Abroad could have had those Genes from those days . All that is known ,that the MMVD Problem is serious for Cavaliers, and this is why those Genes have to be discoverd. This is the same reason that the Genes for SM in Cavaliers have to be found, . If the Genes are not found for both MMVD and SM the Cavalier Breed could be having a Bleak Outlook for their Future. Bet Hargreaves Our survey is not showing that Cavs in this country are suffering SM more than any other breed . However it has shown up in other breeds including first cross dogs which are not cav crosses and mixed breed.

No - this is most definitely not consistent with the figures we have gathered so far in our health surveys. This has been running now for almost a year and we have respondents from breeders, rescue and ordinary Australian dog owners. While MMVD does show up its not showing an incidence anywhere near as high as that which has been suggested.

Im sending out emails as the nominations come in - all you need to do is confirm you would like to do the course. Yep we have someone very qualified to help you with any construction and having some place to keep the dog secure outside is a great idea! Julie

yes Please!

Yep and yep.

I give my puppy buyers loads of info and help them to make informed educated decisions based on facts regarding canine immunology. I dont advise them one way or the other. I don't titre test for the same reason I dont titre test myself or my kids for polio. Ive never given a dog Kennel cough vaccine.

Me too.

All of our courses are done via correspondence so it makes no difference where you live. This one will be delivered via email. You send back the assignments via email. Julie

O.K. Here's the deal. We are going to give away some Canine Foster Carers Courses for the next 7 days - until 2pm on the 20th of September. If you are a Foster carer or thinking of becoming a Foster Carer for any rescue group or for MDBA Pacers and you nominate someone for an MDBA Dog owners Choice Award in any category in the next 7 days we will enrol you as an MDBA student and allow you to do the Foster Carers Course free of charge. The Canine Foster Carers course : has been developed to meet a need in the Canine Rescue field and to encourage volunteer participation. We hope to reduce the number of dogs unnecessarily killed in shelters and pounds by introducing people to the concept and basic skills needed by people who would like to rescue dogs from being put to sleep in pounds/shelters. This course is recommended for people who feel they may be able to temporarily provide food, care, and shelter for shelter animals in their own home until a permanent home can be found. Unit 1 Basic Foster Care duties and responsibilities. Unit 2 What to look for in a rescue group and how to find a reputable rescue group Unit 3 Emergency first aid, handling grooming and disaster management Unit 4 Cleanliness and hygiene, common diseases and their prevention, Nutrition and feeding, Zoonotic diseases Unit 5 Ethics and legislation, networking and support groups. Unit 6 Deciding what type of dog would most suit your lifestyle. Preventing burnout and record keeping.

Yep keep practicing

Yes please! Cant get enough dog jumpers.

Well now you mention it. Some things have happened which we didnt anticipate. Obviously some people dont "do" but they have donated things - Most that have arrived have come in without names and without return addresses ! Ive received some beautiful material ,cushion panels, quilt panels,some embroidered squares,unfinished aprons, unfinished quilts. One was a pack of white calico squares [ about a dozen] with every one embroidered with black and different featuring cats in various poses- fishing, playing etc -Beautiful! Beautiful! Ive also received iron on and sew on mottiffs. All of this covers horses, dogs,cats and birds! Some things are also finished but shop bought some may have been purchased from craft stores rather than the person who donated making them too. And I dont know where any of them came from! Ive had a go at stitching one quilt top so far but my main issue is time and Im not that good at sewing anyway. Buggered if I know what I should do with it next. Im looking at buying some of that backing stuff in bulk While Im working out how to sew it on and finish them off! So far we havent received any yarn etc but we have a couple of people who have said if we get any donated they are happy to knit it up for us. So even if you cant knit or sew etc if you hear of anyone who is chucking any scraps away we can find a use for it.

Darned away is probably best . Julie

Excellent Thank you!

Categories Inaugural Craft Fair and Silent Auction Entries can either be based on a traditional or contemporary design. An entrant may apply any techniques A label with the entrant’s name, address, telephone number, and email must be included with each item. Each entrant may submit as many pieces as they like. An entrant must send the finished product to the mailing address P.O. Box 31, Ganmain NSW 2702 via receipted delivery for the competition by the close date of 28th of January 2011. Pieces will be judged by independent judges with donated pieces on display in the Hoddle Room Jika International, Fairfield Melbourne Victoria on the 19th and 20th of March 2011 where possible. Entries will not be returned to the entrant and will become the property of MDBA Pacers [Preventing Animal Cruelty In Emergency Response Situations]. By entering the competition an entrant gives permission to MDBA Pacers to accept ownership of the product and to use it for promotions, publicity and fundraising activities. In the event that there are less than 3 items received for judging in any category the article will be placed in a general category for judging at the judge’s discretion. All entries must be postmarked no later than 28th January, 2011. Contact 0269276707 or [email protected] Category 1 Leatherwork L 1 Pet Item L.2.Pet Theme L.3. Other L.4. Collaboration Piece Category 2 Crochet C.1. Pet Item C.2. Pet Theme C. 3. Other C.4. Collaboration piece Category 3 Needle work N.1.Pet Item N.2.Pet theme N.3.Other N.4.Collaboration piece Category 4 Sewing S.1.Pet themed S.2.Other S.3.Collaborative S.4. Pet Item Category 5 Quilting Q.1 A quilted un finished square. Each work must measure 30 cm on each side. Q.1.a.Pet themed Q.1.b.Other Q.2.Quilt finished up to 100cm on each side. Q.2.a.Pet themed Q.2.b.Other Q.3. 3 - Quilt finished up to 250cm on each side Q.3.a.Pet themed Q.3.b.Other Q.4. Quilted garment Q.4.a. Pet themed Q.4.b. other Q.4.C Pet item Q.5. General -.Any. E.g. bags, mobile phone covers etc Q.5.a. Pet themed Q.5.b Other. Q.5.c pet item Q.6. Collaborative Item Category 6 Knitting K.1. Knitted Garment K.1.a. Pet themed K.1.b other K.1.c Pet item K.2. Knitted shawl – rug K.2.a. Pet themed K.2.b other K.3. Other knitted article K.3.a. Pet themed K.3.b Other K.4. Collaborative Item Category 7. Patch work P.1. Rug P.1.a. pet themed P.1.b other P.2. Other patch worked article P.2.a. Pet themed P.2.b. other P.2.c. Pet item P.3. Collaborative Item Category 8 Metal work M.1. Any M.1.a. Pet themed M.1.b. Other M.1.c. Collaborative. Category 9 Woodwork W1.Box W.2.Woodturning W.3.Small Treasure W.4.Carving W.5.Collaboration Piece W.6.Pyrography W.7.Miscellaneous Category 10. Art A.1.Painting A.1.a pet themed A.1.b. other. A.2. Drawing A.2.a pet themed A.2.b other. A.3. Other A.4. Collaborative article. Category 11. Photography PTO 1 Black and white PTO.1.a. pet themed PTO.1.b other PTO.2. Colour PTO. 2. a.Pet Themed PTO.2.b. other Category 12 Jewellery- Beading J.1. any J.1.a. pet themed J.1.b other J.1.c pet item Category 13. Card making C 1 Any C1.a. pet themed C1.b. other Category 14 Glass G.1. Any G.1.a. pet themed G.1.b. Other Category 15 Pottery POT .1. Any POT.1.a. Pet themed POT.2.b Other Category 16 Ceramics. Cer 1. Any Cer.1.a. Pet Themed Cer 1.b. other Category 17 Felting F.1. Any F.1.a. Pet themed F.1.b. other.