tdierikx

The problem is that the impounded animal cannot have expensive surgery until some form of ownership is established - even under a DOC agreement, the dog would not be able to have surgery until it was either reclaimed by the owner, or formally released to rescue. What happens if the dog is reclaimed after the surgery is performed? Who foots that bill if it hasn't been authorised by the actual owner of the dog? How do they recoup the surgery cost? If the injury is not life threatening, and can be managed with pain meds and generally making the dog comfortable - then that is all the pound can do legally. The animal truly is in limbo until it is formally owned by someone. Here's hoping that the rescue now involved has actually sent Ben off for his surgery already, and isn't waiting for some fundraising venture before doing so... T.

She's going to be a shocker! But a deadly cute little shocker, yes? How cute are they now? And in stunning health too. T.

I outdid myself today... over 2000 photos taken... well made up for not photos yesterday... lol! Have deleted 700 crap ones and am ready to sort them out and pick the really nice ones to share - but am completely knackered, need a shower, and a feed. Then I'm probably going to crash on the couch... So I'll sort them out and post up the nicest ones tomorrow evening, OK? T.

The genetics need to be there for training and environment to bring it out.......do you know how many GSD's fail attack training prerequisites in police and military programs?........about 30% of the breed are trainable and the other 70% lack the genetic structure for the job.......you can't make a courageous, attack dog out of a chicken shit like you can't make any dog chase old ladies and nail them no matter how much you chain them up and poke them with sticks, if they don't have the genetic defence drive or elevated aggression to challenge, they won't be chasing people down the street to maul them regardless of the training and environmental factors. What's the point of the crossbreed anyway when they are modelled off a pure breed but how do you reproduce a great crossbreed dog......it's hard enough for dedicated pure breed breeders to do that with an ancestry of previous dogs on tap.......most crossbreeds are the results of whoops litters and idiots doing random BYB's where the produce fills the rescues and pounds anyway......there needs to be control in dog breeding IMHO, what we have now is a free for all for people skilled in the knowledge that male + Female = puppies. I guess speaking with a friend last night who's just imported semen from the USA at great cost and messing around in hope to improve a trait doesn't leave me overly excited at thinking a BYB cross breeder is the league to be breeding dogs sorry!! There is a place and room enough in our society for all types of dogs - pure OR crossed... even if YOU might not think so... T.

Did anyone ever doubt they'd take to their tucker? Have a look at how big and fat they are already... they love their tucker... lol! T.

Harper is fine now... I just had to put all my Saturday plans on hold in order to make sure that the antihisimines kicked in and stopped her swelling up more. Cheeky bloody puppy didn't seem too bothered by the whole thing either. It took a long time for the swelling to go down. She was stung sometime around 8am, had the shots at 9:30am (as soon as the vet opened), and it was past 4pm before the swelling had gone down enough around her face for her to get her head into her dinner bowl. The hives cleared up pretty quickly though - only a couple of hours after the shots before her skin lumps were gone. I'll be going to Taronga today as planned... assuming the naughty horse puppy doesn't find herself another bee... *grin* I mowed the lawn to reduce it's appeal to bees... T.

From the look of the bandage holding Ben's leg and hip stable, he's been seen by someone with veterinary experience and they may have deemed that he was stable enough being bandaged up like that. Not that I agree that a dog that requires orthopedic surgery should be kept in a cold kennel environment for the full impound time - the logistics of performing immediate and expensive surgery on a dog that may or may not end up being reclaimed by the owner are tricky. Then there's the possibility that he wouldn't be adopted or rescued. The pounds just don't have the resources to cope with this sort of thing properly. If he had been euthed, and then his owners came forward to find him, then there would be a huge outcry also. The pound is between a rock and a hard place when animals come in like this... and I'm sure that not one staff member at that particular pound likes to see dogs suffering needlessly. Let's cut them a little slack, OK? T.

While there are not enough people on the ground to enforce the CURRENT laws and regulations, I cannot see any way that any further laws or regulations could possibly be enforced either. Not everyone wants a dog from purebred lines - and just because one gets a dog from a breeder registered with the CC in their state, doesn't always mean they are getting a "quality product". I could go out today and impulse buy a registered pedigreed dog/pup (let's say a Rotti, a GSD, or an SBT with main reg papers) without any questioning at all about how I am intending to raise/keep that dog/pup - just hand over my money, take home dog/pup. It really IS that simple. I could also go out and buy myself a crossbreed dog from a pet shop or BYB, and take it home, rear it properly and have myself a perfectly fine canine citizen. Not all crossbreeds are destined to have health or temperament issues. There is a lot to be said about screening potential puppy/dog buyers - but let's face it - it ain't always going to happen. That's where education of the public to actually think about what they want in a pet BEFORE they go out and get one comes in... T.

Very Very true but take 90% to 100% of genetics out by good judgement in breeding and traceable parentage and siblings and your left with an uninformed or idiot owner or a very sick dog. Sickness is easy enough to test for in majority of cases. besides current ideas are getting nowhere so why no start at the begining. Where are these dogs coming from? I beg to differ there... many (if not a larger proportion than not) mixed breed dogs are perfectly fine family pets and decent canine citizens - and healthy as well. These attacks are by a minority of the BREEDS they represent in the community. However - the majority of dogs that HAVE attacked seem to be owned by a certain subset of the community... often reared with little socialisation, little stimulation, and absolutely no training whatsoever - is it any wonder that they are a menace when they get out into a public space? A dog is not born "bad" because it's of a certain breed or breed mix... how it is reared also plays a huge part in whether it is more or less likely to be a menace or downright dangerous. T.

Genetics are only one part of the puzzle that makes a dog prone to acts of violence or not... T.

Grrr! I was all ready to rab my camera and head off to check out Symbio Zoo... then I saw Harper's face... The naughty Horse Puppy had obviously bitten a bee or a wasp, and her usually gorgeous squid lips had swollen up to Shar Pei size... so off to the vet we went. 2 shots later, we are back home on observation duty to make sure the shots take and the swelling goes down. The naughty bee eater is now confined to her crate for a couple of hours to keep her out of trouble... *grin* Looks like I'll have to mow the lawn instead of going to the zoo today... reduce the temptation for those nasty bees... T.

I'm thinking that the new legislation will mean that the "evidence" will be mostly anecdotal - ie. someone reports that a dog growled at them, and the authorities investigating will look at breed/size of the dog, and declare it "potentially dangerous" based on that... I hope I'm proven wrong... T.

"Kindred Bodies"... does that include the AAPDB? They are apparently a legitimate association... for "pet dog" breeders... T.

If the current laws were being enforced re mandatory microchipping (in NSW), the number of BYB's would decline... T.

My Lab and my Rottie/Pittie cross will come on the first call no matter what the distraction is - the trick is to actually be watching your dog and doing said recall as soon as you see them starting to head off... which most people at dog parks aren't doing. My youngest 2 can't be trusted yet, so they are on lead whenever we are out... simplifies things to no end really. T.

I'm still wondering who/how will be enforcing these new laws... and in whose opinion a dog is guilty of "menacing"... T.

Seriously too cute for boots! T.

Didn't they all have fun? Awesome party toys you made... T.

Give her a call... number is on the following page... http://www.companionsforlife.com.au/ T.

Awww... hope Widget didn't get messy ewwies to clean up from them... Stunning photos of gorgeous doglets... T.

http://www.news.com.au/breaking-news/national/nsw-to-introduce-new-dog-law-after-attacks/story-e6frfku9-1226701003867 THE NSW government will toughen the state's dog laws, including introducing a new category of menacing dogs, following a recent fatal attack on a toddler. The changes follows the death of two-year-old Deeon Higgins, who was mauled by his cousin's bullmastiff in Deniliquin in the state's southwest this month. The dog had not been considered dangerous before the attack. Councils will be able to order the owners of dogs that have not attacked but are deemed aggressive to have their dogs desexed, wear a muzzle and never to be left alone with someone under the age of 18, The Daily Telegraph has reported. Owners who ignore the tough rules for dogs categorised as menacing, dangerous or restricted will face maximum jail time of five years if their dog then attacks. Under current legislation a dog has to attack before it can be declared dangerous. "This is a more proactive approach that is followed in other jurisdictions," Local Government Minister Don Page told the newspaper. Fines will increase to a maximum of $77,000 from $55,000 for owners who fail to comply. The NSW government originally received recommendations for tougher dog laws from the Companion Animals Taskforce in February, the Telegraph said. ---------------------- What isn't mentioned is how a dog will be identified as being "dangerous" or "potentially dangerous" - or in the words of this article "deemed aggressive"... T.

http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/rangers-will-be-given-power-to-remove-menacing-dogs-20130819-2s7dz.html State cabinet is expected to approve a new category of "menacing or potentially dangerous dog" within days following the fatal attack on toddler Deeon Higgins at Deniliquin this month. Under existing legislation there are restrictions on two types of dogs - "dangerous" dogs and five breeds of "restricted" dogs. The Companion Animals Act will be amended to allow council rangers to declare a dog "potentially dangerous" and take it off the streets if it has shown "aggressive tendencies", even if it does not have a history of attacks. Local Government Minister Don Page foreshadowed the move at a budget estimates hearing when answering a question from opposition local government spokeswoman Sophie Cotsis. Ms Cotsis said there had been nearly 10,000 dog attacks in NSW in the past two years and Mr Page had failed to act on a report from the Companion Animals Taskforce that had been sitting on his desk since February. Advertisement Mr Page said menacing dogs may not have to be secured in a childproof enclosure like a dangerous dog but would need to be on a lead and possibly muzzled if taken out in public. "Certainly it would need to be under the control of a person over 18 years of age," he said. Cabinet will consider adding to the restricted dog breeds and recovery of registration fees from the 600,000 dogs in NSW that are microchipped but not registered. *sigh* T.

Awww... look at the lovely Widget's eyes... can see where the babies get their peepers from... *grin* T.

Cleaning? What's that? I don't have carpet, so dog hair is my winter insulation... lol! All I use is a broom every now and then when the dust bunnies start to gang up and try to make a 5th dog out of themselves... *grin* My 7kg washing machine can handle a queen sized doona if needed... and filters dog hair quite effectively. T.

I got the same dog as you... didn't look overly impressed at being photographed... lol! T. Hahah it didn't look too happy, no :p I didn't mind this survey actually, I found it interesting what emotions I thought I could see in a picture without knowing the dog. Did it look like this: Or like this? Nope - looked to be a bit older than your gorgeous baby... T.