Greytmate

Why would you choose a breed that you have never met over the dozens of great breeds that are already in this country?

This dog's temperament has been tested. It injured a child very severely. It might do it again. Breed doesn't matter.

She is such a tiny dog, there is no need to resort to budget food like that. Buy a decent quality dry food if you can't find fresh in your area. Hills, Advance or Eukanuba can be easily obtained. Canine Country and Big Dog Pet Foods both offer good quality meat, fresh and balanced with nutrients. Give them a call and find your nearest outlet.

There are so many websites selling pet things, you would have to have a point of difference in yours. I buy flea and worm products on the net, purely on price. Also dog tags. Other things I often prefer to see so I can judge the quality. I am buying some collars soon from a specialty collar maker. They only do the one type of collar, but have it in different colours, sizes and styles. Is there are product that you know very well that you could specialise in? Because it would be very expensive to keep a wide range of accessories for dogs and for cats as well.

Getting your child to give the dog food will not make the dog think or 'remember' anything about the pack order. 'Pack order' is fluid dependng on the value of the resource and the ease of which the dog can obtain it. This can change at any time, and can depend on the dog's mood on the day.

You can't control how your neighbours keep their animals, all you can do is work with your own animals, which you have done. I would tell the neighbour that they need to stop their dog barking at your fence. If it is excessive and disturbing you or your dogs, council could be called in to take action. You do not want to bring home a new pup and leave it in your yard if there is a chance that this other dog could upset your new dog. Don't take your dogs near this other dog again. It is aggressive. If it was just fearful, it would probably keep away from the fence and your dogs. I would do everything possible to isolate my dog from this little dog. Its behaviour has probably contributed to your own dog's unacceptable behaviour. Could you improve the fence between the properties?

Adults make much better pets. Libby is not really typical of a greyhound, they are usually a lot more social than that. But the good thing about the foster system, is that the dog's temperament can be observed, and they can be matched with the right home. So while Libby will be perfect for a single person that works full-time, there is probably some single, working person out there fostering a greyhound that would really suit being in a home like yours. Talk to the group your are fostering for, your next foster greyhound could be the perfect one.

Why not a more outgoing greyhound? The one you are fostering sounds like she would be better for a quiet home or one where people work long hours. Most greyhounds love people company.

These people may be able to help out with transport and one night's accom. They are the closest kennel to the airport. Brisbane Pet Motel

Doesn't DOL member CW EW have an ex-pet shop pup with problems? The type of story you are looking for does get posted about here from time to time. It will be time consuming to do a search, so hopefully other members here will be able to refer you to the right people.

There are a lot of staffies which have a really intense temperament, which I think is part of the breed. You get intense happiness, intense excitedness, but if the dog is anxious, you can get intense anxiety. The breed that likes to give you 110%.

I would agree with this. But even if people do buy a pup from a rescue org, they will be paying around $400 for a pup that has been desexed, vaccinated, wormed, and raised in a yard not a glass box. If they buy a pup from a pet shop they are getting exactly the same risks of bad breeding, but they will be paying double or more, and will then have to pay another $300 if they choose to have the dog desexed. Where does ignorance begin and stupidity start? Pet shops are ripping people off blindly, and people don't know any different. Maybe this is a chance to tell people how terribly they are being treated by these retailers? Got time for a week long expose instead of just one story Sandyk?

The balanced view would be showing the alternative - People who have bought dogs from places where animal welfare was paramount and where some degree of quality control is happening. Ethical registered breeders or responsible and ethical Rescue-rehoming orgs that assess the dogs they sell. People that do things that pet shops will never do, because it isn't profitable enough to do them. A balanced view is to compare prices for well-bred dogs V pet shop dogs. A balanced view is to compare buying a dog of pedigree V a dog of unknown parentage. A balanced view is to compare buying a pup raised in the atmosphere of a puppy yard V a pup raised in a strict retail environment. It isn't balanced to show people happy with pet shop dogs because they do not realise how much they were ripped off, and how lucky they are that their dog is healthy, sound or as described at the point of sale.

I am a little bit horrified at the thought that some people are somehow not entitled to a balanced view being presented of themselves. That is backwards logic at best. Whether they deserve it or not is beside the point, though. Presenting one side of the story doesn't tell anyone anything except the writer's opinion on the issue. It's kinda hypocritical to get upset about the likes of Pedigree Dogs Exposed, but not be terribly bothered to produce a balanced view of pet shops, for example. It is not backwards logic. There are problems inherent in keeping litters of pups in glass boxes on retail shelves. All pups will be damaged to some extent by being raised this way during a critical period. Some damage will not even be recognised by the owners. Buying a pup of unknown parentage is like playing Russian roullette. Why should we care what the lucky ones say, after being ignorant enough to play that dangerous game in the first place?

I don't understand what you are trying to say. How does imagining that a dog has been 'mistreated' tell you anything about why a trigger may be occurring? How does it help solve the problem? How does it help you? How does it change the way the problem should be tackled? This dog is actually being inadvertently 'mistreated' right now. Being frightened by people yelling, and then having nervous behaviour reactions reinforced. Me saying that isn't really helpful to the situation at all, even if it might be a valid opinion. The only helpful thing is to alter or manage the behaviour that is occurring now, not to imagine what might have been happening over a year ago.

Isn't that what she said???? Those are two sides of the same coin. I know a few that started out well and ended well. No "badly" or "disaster" in sight. Not saying they are more common, but they certainly exist. Lucky that is all. Plenty of problems are caused by people buying dogs from pet shops. The baby puppies learn bad toilet habits and don't get to rest undisturbed. People buy them on impulse without research. Many are labelled incorrectly. Many have conformation problems. Pet shops are dodgy and sordid, and even the 'good stories' still involve somebody paying top dollar (and getting ripped off) for a dog of a completely unknown standard. Why do Pet shops deserve a 'balanced view' when their practices are what causes so many problems?

It doesn't sound like it has anything to do with wanting to please you. Trembling and running off to bed or hiding is a nervous reaction. She probably doesn't like yelling, even if it's not aimed at her. Some dogs are just like that.

And just as possible that she wasn't mistreated, but may just be a nervy, badly-bred dog. Her behaviour now is mostly due to her current management, and so that is what needs to be changed. It might be none of the above either. I have one who is very well bred, plenty of drive and balls of steal to go with it. She won;t take two steps off the back verandah to toilet when it's raining and given a chance she'll go in the house too, rather than get her percious feet wet. I was talking about the dog's OTT response (shaking, slow recovery) to (mild?) verbal reprimand, rather than its unwillingness to get its feet wet. Preciousness isn't a behaviour fault is it? I'm in trouble here if it is.

People might be more open to the very real possibility that a dog might have a genetic or inherent temperament fault if people weren't so quick to suggest 'mistreatment' every time a dog of unknown history displays a behavioural problem. Whether a dog's past history is known or unknown doesn't really affect the chances of owners being able to fix this type of toilet problem. The dog needs a new routine in this home.

Maybe irrelevant would be a better word than possible? Speculating on an unknown history doesn't assist in solving the problem.

And just as possible that she wasn't mistreated, but may just be a nervy, badly-bred dog. Her behaviour now is mostly due to her current management, and so that is what needs to be changed.

I'm so sorry Danielle. This is such a hard time right now for you. When dogs are sick and won't eat, recovery seems unlikely. We had to put our beautiful girl down this week. I wrote about her death in Puppy Sniffer's thread. I do not think we made the decision for Goldie too early. In a few days I will write about her in the Rainbow Bridge forum and talk about Goldie's life and our fond memories of her.

Only by following the link to the boyfriend's thread, where he says he is in Cairns and shows the same group dog photo.

Big Thumbs Down for Ms Linda White and her appalling attitude as reported in the Central Western Daily on 6th Jan 2011. Some people should not own animals at all.

It has been illegal to breed or buy one for many years in QLD. It is this dog's breeder that is putting unsuspecting and uneducated public at risk of losing their loved pet dogs in this state. That really is appalling conduct and needs more than a lecture. This dog clearly is very gorgeous, and destroying it would be a terrible waste for all concerned.