tdierikx

Years ago, my now ex took my beloved Woosie (a Rotti) for a walk up to the shops to buy us some fresh cinnamon donuts for morning tea. The silly bugger attached her lead to one of those A-frame signs out the front of the bakery shop... and she moved a little further than the reach of her lead for some reason causing the frame sign to make a noise when it moved across the concrete. Poor Woosie got a scare by that, and literally took off heading for home and her mummy to save her - home is about 1.5k from the shop, and she made it to within 200m of home dragging the noisy and scary frame sign behind her her before the ex finally caught up with her and removed it. He brought her home to me, then had to take the sign back to the store and make his apologies and pay for it to be fixed - it was a bit dinged up after it's travels... errr! To his credit, he did also get the donuts (and an extra 2 just for poor Woosie)... she kinda forgave him after that... T.

@coneye, you are entitled to your opinion, but it's not the only one that should be taken into consideration in this case, so it would be appreciated if you could desist in flooding the thread insisting that you are the only one who knows how to deal with said situation. @belinda74- there very well may only be one eventual outcome required for your pup and her issues, but I'm sure you will be much more sure of that outcome being the right one if you know that you have at least investigated any possible physical problem causing it, yes? I guarantee you that the RSPCA will most likely refuse to take on your pup, but if they do, full disclosure of her biting your child without provocation will see them putting that needle into her even before you have left the carpark after dropping her off there... and that's a cold hard fact. At 5 months of age, she will be teething, and as a result will be much more mouthy than normal... but she could also have other issues relating to her teething that could be contributing to her aggression - her mouth may be sore, she may have sore ears, etc - she is also likely to be still having growth spurts that may be making her joints sore at regular intervals... and pain in an animal that can't articulate what's upsetting them can manifest in displays of aggression with seemingly no cause. A thorough vet check will at least rule those basic health/pain issues in or out. @Deedshas given very sound advice regarding contacting K9 Pro if your pup doesn't appear to have any actual physical problem causing her behaviour - the trainers there are VERY experienced in rectifying such behaviours, and may be even more effective in rectifying hers as she's so young and still in full learning mode with regards to dealing with the world around her. It would be worth at least giving them a call and having a talk about what is happening with your pup. Personally, I worked for some good many years in special needs dog rescue, where we took in dogs with all manner of issues that required rehbilitation before they could be rehomed - and a decent number of those cases were behaviour related. I have personally had to make the hard decisions for dogs with behaviours that simply made them too dangerous to safely rehome. I can feel your anguish at possibly having to make such a decision for your young pup... but if it becomes the logical choice for her, I fully support that choice, OK? T.

You may be right about the pointer identification @asal... but pretty sure there aren't too many of those around suburban Sydney... so I'd say it's more likely that the dog is a pigging mix. It's also probably reasonably young, which also may be why it's a little leaner than most bull-breed mixes? T.

Popantel all-wormer tablets are cheap and work well for internal parasites... and as @Powerlegsadvises, plain Simparica works well for fleas, ticks, and mites - combined those 2 products may end up cheaper than an all-in-one treatment. You could also look into the flea and tick collars, as they are relatively good value based on price and length of time they are effective for. If you are in a tick prone area, it is imperative that you at least have your dog on a tick preventative, as there is currently a major tick antitoxin shortage in Australia, so if your dog gets a tick and needs treatment, you may find it difficult to get that done effectively, OK? T.

That is why you need to take her to a vet to rule out (or in) any medical issues that can be treated to make her more comfortable and stable. If there is no obvious physical problem, then seeing a behaviourist specialist will ascertain whether her issues are reasonably treatable to be safe around your child and other pets. Playing "what if" and looking to offload the problem to others is a cop-out. Please at least try to find out what the issue actually is with her, and then you will have all the information you need to work out any next moves as far as the pup is concerned. If her problems are beyond your ability to control safely, then you may even need to make a really hard decision to give her her wings... sometimes mental issues can be worse than physical ones, and a dignified and humane passing is not actually a bad outcome for the dog in question. If that becomes the case, you will NOT get any condemnation from anyone here, OK? You may find that trying to get a rescue to take her is going to be quite difficult, as they are all pretty swamped with animals right now... a result of post covid return to work, rental issues, and recent legislation changes meaning pounds must try to send animals to rescue before they can consider putting any down. There is a rumour that RSPCA are refusing to take surrenders, and Animal Welfare League has up to an 18 month waiting list to take in surrenders, so they won't be any help, but even if you did take her the RSPCA, they would most likely euthanaise her simply due to your admission that she has bitten your child... cold hard fact there. I know that you are in a really hard position here, and the safety of your child needs to be paramount. I personally know what it's like to have a dog with unpredictable temperamental behaviour, and it's no walk in the park. PLEASE at least take her to a vet for a thorough check-up to find out if she might just have a simple issue that can be fixed up and make her happier within herself... and if she's deemed to have a more mental issue, at least you can explore what coping mechanisms may be required to manage that. If after you've at least found the root cause of her behaviour and it's not going to be manageable for your family, you will then be better armed with information to take the next step of either finding her a new home that can manage her issues, or sending her to god with the dignity she deserves... T.

OK - then pup and child need to be separated at all times until the cause of her aggression is found and addressed. Please take her to a vet asap and have a full checkup to rule out (or in) any health related issues that may be affecting her behaviour - particularly check eyesight, hearing, and joints/spine/neck - and if she's fine physically, then I'd be asking for a referral to a behaviourist specialist vet. Yes, it's going to be expensive, and may take some time to get the results you want... but what would be the "cost" of your child literally being scarred for life after a sufficiently well-placed bite to the face? Meanwhile, you might want to start giving pup time-outs when she's getting aroused to the point of rough play with other pets/child or outright aggression displays. Maybe you can get a puppy playpen from a petbarn or the like (VeboPet has great heavy duty ones at a good price), and she can go into the playpen for time-outs. Set it up with a bed and a couple of toys, and a water bowl (of course)... she may learn that is her safe place where no-one else can bother her too, and learn to settle better. Do not allow your child of the other pets to annoy her when she's in her time-out pen... Oh... what is pup's name? And can you post a photo of her here... we love cute puppy photos... *grin* T.

I think we all agree that the dog in this instance was most likely trying to play with the child... but the fact remains that it was unleashed, unattended, and loose in a public space. The owner of this dog has let it down badly... as there may well be consequences for the dog that aren't good after this incident. The fact that it is a large bull breed type has only fueled media attention about this incident, and we all know that the media isn't usually the best source for factual information in cases like this... *sigh* T.

I second the advice of a full vet checkup... she may have hearing or sight issues that might be a reason for her unpredictable behaviour? When pup is sleeping in her crate, does she get that same startle response when woken? Just out of interest, what colour is the pup? In the meantime, you really need to keep pup and child separated... is it possible for you to do that? T.

To be perfectly honest, the entire animal industry is overworked and underpaid... I don't know of too many animal related jobs where staff don't put in copious hours of unpaid overtime, and remuneration for most of those jobs is borderline poverty line or even less... and most animal industry jobs are casual in nature, so not a lot of job/wage security, guaranteed hours of work, leave, etc... T.

Ever seen a staffy x maltese? I have... she was basically built like a regular staffy, but had wispy maltese-like hair... a pretty interesting look. We had her at the rescue I was with some years back, and we found her the best home ever... We had a lovely couple come to look for a companion... he wanted a staffy type, and she was looking for a maltese type... so I said have we got the dog for you... lol! They fell in love with her the minute they saw her, and that was that... and from all the updates we got from them over the years after, she was spoiled rotten and lived the very best life. By far the cutest pups we ever had surrendered to us were frenchie/pug/maltese... and we also saw a few litters of kelpie/corgi at one point too. Then there were the 6 mini bull terrier pups that had been dumped at a country pound... they were delightful and so cute! Back then you'd also see a lot of maltese/shihtzu crosses in pounds... usually with shocking coat conditions... supposedly surrendered/dumped due to the high coat maintenance cost/time... *sigh* T.

Maybe because they are cheap and in reasonably plentiful supply, and dogs aren't chastised for destroying them? Many also smell a bit of whatever scent the paper had on it? The added bonus is that they are pretty easily digested if the dog swallows chunks of them... I've already started the toilet roll collection ready for my new pup I'm getting next year... lol! T.

Who goes into a restaurant and leaves their dog tied up outside? Seriously, you are either going out to eat, or walking the dog... to try to do both at once is just ridiculous really. That said, the guy who stole the dog needs a slap upside the head... grrr! T.

Or now they have a "valid" excuse to use to offload dogs who are now starting to cost in senior treatments for common aging ailments... T.

@Papillon Kisses has the right point made here... the attack happened in an UNFENCED front yard. I'm not a fan of cats roaming wherever they please - especially if that means they come onto my property. I don't have cats by choice (mainly due to allergies), and really don't want to share someone else's cat. Please, if you want to get a pet, please keep your pet contained to your own yard, or have it on a lead when not on your own property at the very least. As for this particular attack, one should be asking why the dog was loose in an unfenced front yard too. Both pet owners bear some responsibility for this tragic outcome IMHO. T.

I'm of the opinion that while there may well be a number of people surrendering their pets due to the rental crisis, I really think that for a relatively equal (or possibly larger) number of surrenders, the rental crisis has become a convenient - and more palatable - excuse to use to give up an unwanted pet. Who is going to say they just don't want their pet any more when they can say they have to move house and can't find a rental that allows pets? One doesn't actually have to prove that their reason is true, do they? I'm also very suss that RSPCA NSW (specifically Sydney) are the ONLY shelter in the country that is NOT reporting high surrender numbers... there was a rumour that they simply weren't taking any, but I can't verify that, so not sure of the veracity of that rumour - but it would certainly explain why they are not swamped with surrenders like every other shelter in the country. Why the AWL has an 8-9 month waiting list to surrender a pet, but RSPCA - which is definitely going to be the FIRST place most people think of to surrender to - does not, just sounds way too suss, don't you think? T.

@~Anne~- you have a background in government related stuff, yes? From what I can gather CIE have been instrumental in reports commissioned into quite a few policy areas... they seem to have at least one Director with some Agriculture quals, but I can't find anything that indicates that any of their principals are specifically geared towards companion animal issues. On the upside, I can't see any that are in any way affiliated with, or have leanings towards, any animal rights group agendas either. The stand out of that report for me was the categorisation of cats - they clearly distinguish the different levels of ownership status, and recognise "community cats" or "semi-owned" cats as an actual group that deserves to be looked at as other than "feral" when it comes to rehoming options afforded to them. Animal Medicines Australia appears to be a group that represents the animal medicine manufacturing industry, and as such they tend to stick to participation/submissions on policy regarding same (biosecurity, etc). No idea who actually commissioned them to produce that particular study, or others of its kind... ?? If you want some truly frightening reading, have a looky at some of the NSW inquiries into various proposed changes to animal welfare policy - these inquiries have been pretty much hijacked (and in most cases actually instigated/run) by the Animal Justice Party (and/or Greens) - reading the minutes of the reports coming out of the recent ones clearly shows the influence exerted by AJP to include "evidence" tendered in those inquiries that support the AR agenda in the reports and recommendations... grrr! Just as a side note, if people think that AJP are a bit extreme with their animal policies... check out the latest policies of the Greens with regards to animals... frightening! T.

I agree completely... unfortunately politicians seem to think that simply adding more unenforceable legislation is the answer, as it gives the impression that they are "doing something" about the problem... *sigh* It also doesn't help that nowadays politics has been hijacked by the animal rights movement, and has managed to place politicians in roles that give them access to changing legislation to suit their twisted agenda. Example: recent changes to legislation that forces pounds to farm out animals into the already stretched rescue industry - effectively removing the onus (and cost) of rehoming animals that find themselves homeless from any government body. Unfortunately, at no point has anyone done any really in-depth studies as to why animals are finding their way into pounds, shelters, or rescue. Studies that have been done, certainly haven't gone into the detail of what breeds/types of animals are being abandoned/lost/surrendered, where they came from, why they were surrendered, etc. One thing to note is the rise in claims that the housing crisis has been a large factor in reasons given for recent surrenders - but this may not be 100% accurate given that the media attention on that particular issue might just be giving people a "valid" reason for getting rid of their pets right now. This is the most recent review into the issue, and although quite comprehensive, it also outlines some glaring issues with what records are kept/available with regards to measurable demographics above and beyond basic numbers... https://www.olg.nsw.gov.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/CIE-Draft-Report_NSW-OLG_Rehoming-of-Companion-Animals-in-NSW.pdf T.

Your vet is the person you need to be asking these questions of... not an internet forum of strangers who don't know all of the facts/circumstances. At the very least, you should be able to call the vet and ask to talk about your concerns, and if necessary, take your dog in for another checkup. T.

@Tina, if it was hemangiosarcoma, there would have been very little either you or any vet could have done to fix it (or even catch it earlier and fix it), so please, please don't think "what if?", OK... it's just one of those crappy things that happens from pretty much nowhere and takes all of us by surprise. To be perfectly honest, most vets wouldn't be looking for it even when a crisis event is happening, there are just so many other things that can be indicated by certain blood test results - things vets CAN treat - and that is most likely why certain diagnoses were made that may not have been the exact cause/issue. To be perfectly honest (I'm a vet nurse by the way), when my girl started her symptoms - only 48 hours before I had to say goodbye to her - my thoughts (and the vet's) were either an obstruction in her gut, or kidney failure (Danes can be prone to kidney problems)... but when her bloods came back, I brought up hemangiosarcoma to the vet, and we did an ultrasound that completely confirmed the worse case scenario. I understand that not everyone has the same animal medical background that I do, and that one should always be guided by vet diagnosis and/or treatment options for what they see in front of them... remember that their first goal is to find something that IS treatable, and they aren't looking for worst case scenarios when presented with ambiguous blood test results and animal symptoms, OK? Neither you or the vets who saw your girl could know intuitively that what was going on may not have been treatable... the vets definitely did their best to diagnose what they saw in front of them.... and no vet will ever be 100% right with a diagnosis 100% of the time. Please take comfort in knowing that your girl passed in your arms surrounded by love and care... you did good! Again... massive hugs to you and your family... give your other dog lots of cuddles and kisses from me, OK? T.

How far south are you willing to consider? Acacia Ridge Pet Resort in Brisbane is highly recommended... https://acaciaridgepetresort.com.au/ T.

I recently lost my dog (10 year old Dane cross) to hemangiosarcoma, and what you are describing as symptoms of your girl's last couple of weeks raises some flags for me with regards to that possibility. As the 2018 issue seems to have resolved itself and no further symptoms were noted until recently, that may have been an anomaly that has nothing to do with the recent crisis event.... especially as the vet doesn't seem to have followed up on the possibility of Cushing's or other chronic conditions, and your girl seemed to be fine after the initial episode cleared up. I will note that the elevated ALP in her bloods at that time could have been a very early indicator of something going on, but again, it could also have just been an anomaly related to whatever else may have been going on at that time. Without regular blood test results in the interim, it's very hard to link the two crisis episodes so far apart. May I state that hemangiosarcoma rarely presents itself with symptoms until it reaches a critical stage, so neither you or the vet would have known about it unless you were running regular blood tests, x-rays, or ultrasound scans, so please don't beat yourself or the vet up about possibly missing that diagnosis. What is alarming to me is the arthritis diagnoses by 2 different vets 4 days apart - at least one of those being an emergency vet clinic. Did they take bloods, do x-rays, or any other diagnostics to confirm that diagnosis? If not, did they give any reasons for not doing so? Please also note that hemangiosarcoma is not transmissible, nor is it indicated as being hereditary between siblings... so don't panic that your other girl may have it too, OK? If her bloods are normal and she is not showing any other anomalies, then you can be pretty confident that she's fine to have her teeth done without issue. Unfortunately you may never know exactly what caused your girl's last crisis without a necropsy (animal autopsy). If you haven't already buried/cremated her, that could be a possibility in order to get a definitive answer, otherwise you can only surmise what the actual issue was. Please don't beat yourself up that her last weeks weren't perfect... she knew that you loved her and were doing all you could given the advice of the vets she saw during that time... please know that she is not in any pain any more, and is waiting for you at the Bridge with many other awesome pets many of us have also had to say goodbye to over the years. You did good... keep happy memories of her in your heart, and smile for all the wonderful moments you shared for her 9 years with you, OK? Massive hugs to you and your family... T.

My Labrador Trouble was a lovely lean shape... all muscle and very little fat. A friend's husband (they had 2 very fat Labradors) once asked me what breed Trouble was, and then said she couldn't be a Labrador because she wasn't fat... to which I responded she wasn't fat because I was the one who dictated what she ate and how much of it... unfortunately the barb was lost on him... *sigh* T.

Have a read of the latest Greens stance on the issue of animals... makes AJP look soft... grrr! T.

Such beautiful and happy puppies... please give them both massive huggles and kisses on those shmooshy faces... T.

Many staffy type dogs walk/run like that... looked pretty normal to me... but good on you for making sure with a trip to the vet. Zara is a lucky girl to have you for her human... T.