tdierikx

That's what I was thinking... a Maremma will see off any marauders quick smart! T.

Isn't the next court date some time this week... in Adelaide? Tomorrow? T.

I'm mean - if they don't eat, then it gets taken away and they don't get any more until the next feed time. Longest I've had a dog hold out was 2 days... *grin* Seriously, who's supposed to be training who here? Lol! T.

I've found that one needs to train one's vet - just like we train our dogs... I don't cop to overservicing or trying to sell me things I don't need, so the vets that I choose to use are ones that understand that fact and give me the services I DO need without all the other crap... and in many cases I get discounted service to boot. Then again, I'm not a clueless owner either - I've seen and helped treat a number of things that many vets just don't get to see as often as we do in the rescue game. Point in case, Kennel Cough - doesn't bother me in the slightest unless I see yellow or green snot, then I ring the vet and tell them I'm going to give the dog a specific (weight related) dosage of the antibiotics I have on hand, just so they can update or create a file for that particular dog, and note the disease in it. I also source my medications from suppliers rather than from the vet clinic, effectively at least halving (or more) the price... and we buy in bulk for even more savings. I have actually had a local vet call me for advice on a particular case they had that they knew I had plenty of experience in... I usually only go to a vet for a second opinion on something I've mostly diagnosed myself - but may need certain tests to prove conclusively. The 3 vet clinics that I use all understand how I operate, and are mostly happy about it - and don't usually charge a consult fee either. How's this for a price markup? A parvo test kit costs retail $19 for a vet to purchase... explain to me how taking a swab of poop, putting it into the provided solution, then dripping it onto the test contraption and waiting 5 mins can blow out to an $85 cost - on top of a consult fee to boot! T.

Way to go Carter and his mummy! Well done! Carter - you are a spunk! T.

Theorectically speaking, isn't that how we all learned our languages? T.

Awww... is that Maybe? or Torque? T.

I had a dog that could spell w-a-l-k... and she'd go nuts bouncing off walls if she thought she was going for a walk... *sigh* Trouble can understand "go to" or "go get" - if I tell her "go get your ball" she'll go find her fave ball, and if I say "go get a ball" she'll get the nearest ball to her. If I say "go to [insert room of house]" she'll go to that room without fail - so will Zeddy. Pickles is too smart for all that "command" stuff - she does what she likes, and looks at me as if to say "make me"... Harper hasn't grown a brain yet, so any command is met with the "huh" face... *sigh* T.

There's pure or pedigreed (bred only for "pet" market), and then there's responsibly bred pure and pedigreed... and guaranteed that many, if not most of the "pure" dogs involved in the bite statistics haven't been sourced from the latter group. T.

My brother's assistance dog appears to understand some very complex commands... "Go get the phone" will have him working out whether you want the landline phone or the mobile, and getting the right one for you - it's like magic... *grin* T.

Some brands of vaccine are gentler than others also... T.

May I suggest you get and read the following book - written by a very experienced rescuer... http://www.fostermanual.com/ Worth every penny of it's sale price! It covers all possible topics to do with foster caring - even those things that you would never have thought about... T.

What really needs to be clarified in any stats gathering/presentation is the definition of "attack"... How many of us here have had an enthusiastically friendly Staffy type rush up for a pat? To those who don't know the dog in question, that can be a frightening experience - and under the current reporting guidelines, can be called an "attack". In my mind, an "attack" is one where harm has come to the recipient of the dog's attention - ie. an actual bite occurs. I would guess that the average Joe would also read such stats with "bite" as the result of an "attack" - but that may not be totally factual. People startled by an enthusiastically friendly dog can also trip and fall when trying to get out of the dog's way - and that will also classify as an "attack" under the reporting rules. Mandatory reporting has seen the number of incidents rise - not that there are ACTUALLY more attacks than there were before mandatory reporting was instigated. T.

Interesting... Would that "economic disaster" have anyting to to with the fact that sick horses don't run, and can't be bet on? T.

Rescue backup is invaluable when the potential adopter doesn't come back to adopt the dog in question... sadly, some members of the public have the "want now" problem, and may have gone off to a BYB or pet shop to get their new pet "now" - instead of waiting for the impound wait time to be up on a pound dog. T.

... and another daily rag puts out this... http://www.smh.com.au/data-point/canine-aggression-rises-as-funding-bitten-20130720-2qb0q.html ... and a poorly bred/socialised one is asking for trouble! T.

I have a heck of a lot to learn then... lol! My only experience to date is with a zoom lens - and obviously the new macro lens works completely differently... Any tips on how to get pics like yours would be very much appreciated... *grin* T.

Wow! Awesome shots tlc... Are those pics cropped? Some of mine might look better cropped and sharpened a bit... *grin* T.

I must confess that I have no idea apart from pointing the camera at something, focusing, and clicking the button, but I got a few shots regardless... ... and it was windy, and things kept moving about... grrr! This little bugger kept hopping from flower to flower... and I'm allergic, so tried to keep some distance... This fellow was much more obliging - nice and lazy... More practice definitely needed, but I'm pretty happy with these... T.

I just bought a Tamron 90mm F/2.8 Macro 1:1 VC USD lens... now I just need some ideas as to what to take pics of... *grin* T.

Lucky Penny! Looks like the most awesome doggie treat ever... *barf* T.

For the guy who was murdered... violence begets violence... For his family... you have my sympathies, and I agree that no mother should have to bury her children. T.

Hahahaha! How gorgeous is that? T.

Pickles actually chews her stuff up into small easily passed morsels - her fave snack is old woollen blankets... and they tend to digest quite nicely... errr! It's the synthetics that make for the most colourful poo patrols around here... *sigh* T.

A friend of mine has 2 old Labs that look very much like Nelson... most of the lumps and bumps are lipomas or fibromas, and not life threatening... the weight on the other hand... I keep telling my friend to feed her Labs to the weight they SHOULD be, not what they are currently at... *sigh* T.