WoofnHoof

All LGD I think Cas, I will send it to you on FB when I get back on the computer tonight :)

Beautiful I have heard back from Linda van Bommel she is lovely and has given me some more info about their use in cattle properties in Australia, it certainly looks like there is a lot of untapped potential :) She has also sent me a 2012 paper which goes into greater depth about their use which is great, if anyone is interested in it PM me your email and I'll send it through :)

Your pups are awesome Cas :D

Thanks for the info everyone I really appreciate it :) I think it is a shame that LGDs are not utilised more effectively in Australia, up here most feral animal management is just about shooting and baiting, which to me is a very inefficient and at best short term strategy.

Thanks for that info Weasels that's really interesting, the people I'm talking to I think don't have extensive/very large properties so stock losses are probably more critical to them than roo control, being southern Queensland feed availability is not as much of an issue as it would be in more arid properties further north as well. Eta just saw your edit yes I will shoot off an email to the CRC tonight, hopefully they will have some figures :)

Thanks purdie, donks have been mooted as a possible strategy but the donkey breeders suggest that it is very hit and miss as to their effectiveness in this role, some are very good and some not so much, and no breeder appears to breed specifically for guarding in any case. Feral donks can be problematic as they still need a certain amount of handling and familiarisation in order to be safe enough around humans and for routine maintenance (feet, teeth etc).

Thanks guys I have a copy of that pdf I have pmed lilli also. The resistance seems to be more that people think that wild dogs would be 'too much' for an LGD since the wild dogs can pull down fairly large calves (200kg I'm told). There is also skepticism that they won't mate with them so I'm trying to find some data similar to the stuff I can find about sheep such as stock losses prior and post the use of LGDs.

Hi everyone, I'm looking for info about the application of LGDs in the protection of cattle in the Australian (preferably) environment. I know that there has been documented success in the use of LGDs in the protection of sheep and poultry against fox predation but I'm having difficulty finding information specific to their use on cattle properties to assist in wild dog control or even if they are used in this capacity. If anyone has any info or even better can find any documented accounts of their use in cattle protection that would be great, I would like to know if they are useful in this capacity. Given that they have been used for protection against wolves and other large predators in the northern hemisphere logic would suggest that they do have an application against feral dogs but some real examples in Australia would be really helpful. Thanks in advance :)

DOLers have been complaining about this since I've been a member. And everytime a thread like this comes up, someone says what you've said about being proactive. Then someone will suggest a FB page or a brochure (many years ago, that was me, when brochures were the thing) or a sticker or a website. At some point someone will demand to know what others are to promote pedigree dogs. And then everyone realises that someone actually has to do the work. That's the point where the thread dies. Until next time when the whole thing starts all over again. Lol yes it certainly does take on the air of falling flat when it comes to doing something. My first thought is what can I do? I'm not a member of any breed club, not a member of the ANKC, and these are the groups I would expect to be at the forefront of any proactive movement. But it isn't happening so what can I do as someone who isn't in a club, doesn't have papered dogs but does support ethical breeders and purebred dogs? I think as a community of purebred enthusiasts we probably can do something at a collective level to promote and support ethical breeding practices, we just need to find the best way to do it and get behind it :)

Sent you a PM lilli :)

Yeah his colour has really come out this summer he's a pretty pony :)

Sorry for your loss, they look like two peas in a pod, they are beautiful boys.

Hi everyone thought I'd chuck a couple of fresh pics in this thread, Tiny is going great he's almost 2 now, I'm keeping him at a friends place he is running with their herd of minis and having a great time. I got a couple of pics when I went over the other day to get him trimmed, he's got a lovely pally coat this year even though he's grotty and needs a bath rather badly lol! Still as cheeky and friendly as ever, he comes trotting over whenever I visit. :)

Hoarders don't generally have an objective view of their activities, add this to the adulation she (and others) garners using the 'rescuer' moniker and you get someone whose perception is at odds with the reality.

That's interesting skyefool, wonder how her idea of 'rescue' compares with that of the rescuers here.

Hollingsworth has been a known problem for some time, as far as I can gather the difficulty with prosecuting her is that she has a very good knowledge of the law and exploits the loopholes, she keeps horses in many different paddocks (not owned by her) and moves them around so that their deterioration cannot be easily and accurately documented. Quite simply she is a wily snake and has managed to evade capture because she takes advantage of the fact that the RSPCA is by and large ill suited for the task it has been charged with, ie as a proxy for government in animal welfare. They will not spend money and resources on a case which is not simple and easy to win, Hollingsworth has garnered support through FB and other channels and knows how to dodge the system, as a result the RSPCA cannot guarantee a quick easy prosecution. Last thing I heard was that the charges were dropped against her in return for her surrendering a number of horses to them, as I understand it, it was going to be difficult to get charges to stick (for the above reasons) and they considered it better to save at least some than risk it going pear shaped and not be able to help any.

It's actually really interesting this has been happening in the dog world for some time but just recently things have ramped up in the horse world. There is starting to become a rescue mentality in the general public because a lot of the sales and doggers are starting to get attention on facebook and other social media. So in some cases huge prices are being gotten for what are essentially dog horses and breeder culls (ie colts that aren't being kept for stallions and they don't want to spend money to geld and raise to saleable age). We see this in the dog world too with the promotion of rescue as the preferred choice over any breeder registered or otherwise, it all pervades into the public psyche and influences purchasing choices. A topic was started recently bemoaning the fact that these unpapered dog horses are fetching ridiculous prices, almost that of well bred papered animals, I mentioned that clearly the ethical breeding world is being left behind because they often don't have a great online presence nor an interest in advertising in certain avenues. In response to this many of the same issues as being spoken about here were raised, good breeders have a waiting list, don't need to advertise, don't want to deal with numpties etc. IMO this is a very short sighted view and contributes to the general public's indifference towards breeders, if you aren't out there promoting good breeding ethics and promoting your breed, then people will not value that piece of paper that your registered animal comes with. At the moment many people think "it's just a piece of paper" they don't understand the depth of knowledge and surety that comes with that registration, the respect that many people have of purebred animals is largely traditional and instinctive, leftover from the days when the knowledge was already out there. The origins and purpose of this knowledge have been lost in this current day and age because the marketing of animals has changed, the message is being lost because others have a stronger presence in the public mind. Add to that negative publicity of defective purebred animals and you have a general public that is more amenable to taking chances on unpapered stock. Papers of a sort are still desired by most buyers though as evidenced by the emergence of sporting and colour registries, that is a whole other topic though. Registered breeders and breed clubs especially need to be more market savvy and publicity oriented if they don't want to just lament the loss of the good old days, if they want things to improve. The culture has changed, the way we get information has drastically changed and continues to change, the old traditions are great and valuable but they need to be facilitated into the new social model so that the message is heard. Otherwise it's just whinging and achieves nothing.

I can't even fathom what would make a person do something like that, miniatures are just the most wonderful little tackers

I wouldn't assume that every working dog needs to be a breeding dog, he might want to sterilise the dog for ease of management, whatever his reasons I think it is good to have an option that works for him and potentially works for a lot of other people who have difficulties with surgical sterilisation.

I'm not in favour of anything being abolished unless there is something better put in its place, this government wants to remove even the appearance of giving a rats about animal welfare, and that is what we should be worrying about. At least if something exists it can be improved upon, of it removed and nothing replaces it then it speaks volumes IMO

I agree with this, the removal of any nod towards animal welfare is not a good sign, we can expect no positive steps towards improved animal welfare and it is likely issues that do arise will be dismissed.

Wonderful news :)

I would return the dog, many owners love their dogs but aren't as OCD about things like some of us are :laugh: and microchipping has been a fairly recent thing, my little chi wasn't chipped when I bought him as a pup, I got him done when he was older, poor little guy was not impressed Anyway I can understand why some people may not have had it done as a matter of routine so I would give the dog back, presuming it was a good loving home :)

Sorry to hear this Jelly, you've certainly given her plenty of good memories and good times she is a very loved girl for sure! Anxiety is such a difficult thing to deal with.

That's awesome was wondering how you and your pup have been :)