tdierikx

Humans communicate mostly with vocalisations... ie. talking... Animals learn that this is how we communicate, and they choose to respond (or not) to it... most react favourably and try to communicate back in their own ways... if we are "listening". I am one of those people who will happily chat away to pretty much any animal, and I am definitely "listening" to their responses. I get back SO much from animals of all types, so I'm not about to stop because some other human might think I'm silly or strange... more fool them I say... T.

So far it looks like they are only looking at the Victorian State election that is coming up soonish. I kinda got a bit put off by the fact that when I sent a message to one of the party founders to ask a question very early in the formation of this party, I am still waiting for any response whatsoever - 4 weeks later. I have also tried to post a couple of topic starters which have been quashed by the admins without any reason or response. I'm not about to join a party that doesn't seem to want my input or discourse, even if it's free to join at this stage of things. Right now, I'm not as enthusiastic about this party as I was at the outset... the more time passes, the less is becoming apparent as to their actual agenda, ability to follow through, and who the heck is running things. I've joined Animal Care Australia, a seasoned lobby group that definitely more aligns with my stance. They don't run for public office, just stay abreast of upcoming animal related legislation and make sure to make sensible submissions on said legislation, including attendance at all inquiries and committee hearings regarding animal legislation. Much more effective methinks... T.

I refer to Harper as Horse Puppy... because she is a Great Dane cross and is a tall girl... hehe! She'll be 10 in September... so definitely not a puppy any more, but she still hasn't worked that out, as she still runs around like a total idiot at random intervals... I sometimes feel like referring to my friend's monkeys as "the kids"... they are so very similar to a bunch of children, and are primates like us... That said, when I was working with all the goat kids, lambs, and calves, I was often referred to as their mum... which I never got upset about. To all intents and purposes that was actually my job. I was raising them from a few days old, teaching them their socialisation skills, etc... T.

Between that small snippet of a larger q&a session of the parliamentary hearing yesterday, and Emma Hurst referring to the breeders making submissions as "puppy farmers" on her FB feed today... is it any wonder that our animal laws are in such a state? Committee members selectively taking tiny snippets of agreeance by like-minded animal rights activist groups and claiming that those snippets are the most relevant of the entire 8 hour session of submissions, questions, and answers by a very diverse range of stakeholders prove their case is just bullsh!t... grrr! Even the RSPCA said that more legislation (especially a carbon copy of the Victorian model) was NOT going to fix the actual problem mooted to be sorted by the proposed amendment, so what is the actual bloody point? T.

I talk to every animal I meet... it just seems like a natural thing to do... Some people used to poke fun at me for talking to the animals at the farm I worked at... and then whinged that the animals all seemed to respond to me better than nearly everyone else. Ummm... I also fed them... lol! Funnily enough, talking to the animals at the zoo I was working at worked a treat for forming bonds with them too... even the ones I wasn't in charge of feeding. The camels, meerkats, emus, cassowary, lions, deer, llamas, etc were very responsive to being talked to... I get lots of positive reactions and cuddles from them all. Even the cranky intact male goat who would beat up on all the keepers loved being chatted to... he never beat up on me, just would follow me around like a lost puppy looking for more cuddles and chats... and the odd treat never hurt there either... hehe! The tigers that used to live at Symbio zoo even recognised my voice, and would come over to the fence and chuff at me when they heard me there... that was so cool!! Talking (vocalising) is we humans' main communication tool... animals DO respond well to being talked to... we just need to learn their methods of communication to "hear" their responses is all. T.

Doesn't look like the proposed new legislation is addressing those sorts of issues... going by how often it was brought up in all the submissions today. Even RSPCA and AWL brought it up as seriously needing some way of monitoring/policing in order to get best outcomes for the animals used for that purpose. The issue of the worst offenders being completely under the radar and hard to find/trace was a key point too. Nearly ALL submissions referred to more legislation - especially that which is virtually a carbon copy of Victoria's legislation - having the effect of crippling those who are easily identified as breeders (read members of the various breeding bodies), and doing little to actually stop the larger scale commercial breeders... *sigh* All submissions also raised the point that the worst offenders aren't actually registered breeders - commercial or otherwise - but the smaller unregistered backyard operations pumping out pups (and/or kittens) for profit... which STILL won't be stopped by the proposed legislation. T.

Harper was socialised as a pup, with other pups, older dogs, foster pups, foxes, dingo pups, people, public and social settings, etc... but she still decided once she got to a certain age, that she doesn't like going for walks, meeting new people, etc. Her preferred state of being is ensconced on the lounge or my bed. She has a large back yard with 24/7 access, that she only wants to go out in to toilet. She isn't interested in toys - never was, even as a little pup with her siblings. I don't treat her as a surrogate human child by any stretch of the imagination... but she is well loved and cared for in such a way that suits her particular needs. Dogs are dogs... each individual is also different... and we should just be mindful of that, yes? T.

Well... that was interesting... saw a familiar name, that I now have a face for... *grin*... well done to that person by the way... I have taken quite a few notes... 3 pages of them... I have joined one of the groups that are involved in submissions and consultation for all of the animal legislation processes also. Looking forward to hopefully being able to assist in any way I can there. T.

Link to direct livestream right now... https://livestream.com/nswparl/events/4797371 T.

For anyone who is interested, the Select Committee on Puppy Farming in NSW has the first hearing of stakeholder submissions today... https://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/committees/listofcommittees/Pages/committee-details.aspx?pk=276#tab-hearingsandtranscripts You can watch it live by clicking on the Live Committees link at the top middle of the page... it starts at 9:30am... T.

Are you able to upload a photo of your girl? Also, what is her name? T.

Ceramic is probably better than plastic... easier to keep clean and undamaged. T.

Are you feeding him from a metal bowl by any chance? Try switching to a ceramic bowl and see if that slows down the recurrence of the dermatitis... wash the bowl with soapy water after each use too... T.

Happy Birthday beautiful girl!!! T.

Distemper is alive and well in Australia... foxes and dingoes get it regularly enough to keep it circulating... T.

Back many years when I bred a pedigreed/registered litter, the going price per pup was around $400... we had 10 pups to rehome and didn't even break even on the cost of raising them to 10 weeks of age. Costs have risen exponentially since then, so I'd say prices have risen to match same. There is of course also the fact that during the pandemic, so many people decided that getting a dog was something they suddenly found they had the time to do... and some breeders of certain types of dogs saw that demand was high, and decided to price to the demand. There will always be some that will overprice because they know that the demand will allow for it... and others that will set a fairer price for their pups, but be fussier about who they will sell to. The choice is up to the buyer then... do they pay the inflated prices to have a new pup right now, or wait for a "better" breeder to have available pups at a fairer price but be subject to much more vetting before being allowed to purchase one? T.

I watched the 7:30 piece about this, and all I could think was that we keep enacting more and more laws, but we aren't doing anything to actually fund the proper enforcement of them. The agencies responsible for that enforcement have other agendas which conflict with the job they are tasked with, which doesn't help either. T.

For anyone interested... this is what I posted to the CAP group... "I am a qualified zookeeper and vet nurse. I would be interested in being an active part of any politcal movement that may be able to add a voice of reason against the AJP's anthropomorphic and vegan-oriented legislation efforts - especially in NSW (I live in Sydney). I am a strong proponent of animal welfare aims... where the goal is to make the partnership between humans and animals stronger and better for all involved. I am not vegan or even vegitarian, but support humane treatment of the animals we eat. I am not a huge fan of the RSPCA (understatement), and would like to see legislation introduced to add checks and balances where their investigations/prosecutions are concerned. AJP only seem to be making things easier for RSPCA to intimidate animal owners with impugnity - not to mention that higher financial penalties make RSPCA much more money when they receive a moeity of all fines imposed after a prosecution. I am not a huge fan of hunting animals for sport, but if done humanely, and the animal is used for food after the fact, I can live with that. I am dead against the use of 1080 baits and calicivirus drops using a version of the virus that domestic rabbits cannot be vaccinated against effectively. I'm also averse to myxomatosis drops. I have seen domestic rabbits suffer from both diseases, and they get it MUCH worse than their wild counterparts. I have seen the aftermath of 1080 on dingoes, and it makes your heart weep at the suffering it causes. I believe that many of our larger Australian zoos have leaned way too far towards placating the vegan brigade - too much space dedicated to "the message", and not enough space for the actual animals housed... Taronga zoo's tiger exhibits are a prime example - so much more space could have been given to the actual animal enclosures. As a zookeeper, and someone who has worked closely with all manner of animal species, I can say that the "hands off" approach that we have to follow is actually making safe handling of many of the smaller species more stressful and even dangerous - for both people AND the animals. Having to anaesthetise an animal for every little procedure is not the best way to go about things. I used to work for a large mobile petting zoo business in Sydney, and my job was to maintain the health and welfare of all of the animals we had. Keeping informed of ever-changing welfare standards was a big part of my job, as was working out how those standards related to POCTAA, and the Exhibted Animals Act... all of our animals were VERY well cared for, and only those that actually enjoyed the levels of human contact were used. Those that weren't so fussed were rehomed to pet homes - even the cows... So, in closing, I believe that I may have something to offer at grass roots level if needed..." Whatcha think? T.

Ooohhh... I must have made an impression with my post to the CAP group... I've just been contacted by the president of Animal Care Australia... lol! T.

At this point it's just a Facebook group page... hopefully there will be a formal website and more details soon... T.

The party is in it's infancy right now... but with the right people in place... I just made my first post in their Facebook group... and I think they are all loving me big time... lol! Someone even went so far as to call me "knowledgeable" and thinks I should be on the front line of communications... hehe! Seeing as my active animal caring job days may be severely numbered, I've been looking for something that I could sink my teeth into whilst still remaining connected to the animal industry in a meaningful way... fingers crossed they can live up to the expectation... T.

Found the Facebook group... have joined... now to wait and see if they are something I want to be a part of. I'm so sick of Emma Hurst and AJP sneaking bills through with little resistance until after the fact... grrr! There needs to be a dissenting voice of reason in such matters. T.

Well... it seems the new laws don't apply to the RSPCA... they just get to police it... grrr! They can still go on killing with impunity... *sigh* T.

Ummm... the "shelter" at Yagoona... T.

I wonder what Ms Hurst can do to sort out the kill rates at NSW's largest "rescue" shelter? T.