tdierikx

My all time favourite heart dog was Woosie the Rotti... she was perfect in every way - and everyone who met her adored her too. My soul broke when she left me in 2004. T.

Funnily enough, pounds CAN be selective with which rescues they will deal with - there is no law that says come one come all with regards to who can take animals. A 16D is all that is required by some pounds, and others take a stricter approach to avoid animals becoming "bungee" pets bouncing from pound to rescue to home to pound again and again. I know 1 pound that has a very short list of who in rescue they will deal with, and who they absolutely won't... and it works very well to get the right dogs to the right rescues, and then to the right homes. Establishing a relationship with the pounds you want to deal with is VERY important. Making judgements and public statements about how things are run is NOT a good start to working with any pound IMHO. You work WITH them, and by THEIR rules if you wish to continue sourcing animals from them... it's not rocket science - but it does involve a certain level of tact and diplomacy on the part of the rescue (and their "agents"). I reckon the reason that some are more successful in their dealings with their pounds of choice than others is completely due to the above. MUP has displayed this admirably - and is well deserving of the accolades she has received - maybe some others could learn from her? T.

My Lab will fetch other dogs' balls, but if told to "give" she'll spit them out quick smart. She sometimes used to take the ball back to the thrower and drop it at their feet if I didn't yell "give" fast enough for the owner's dog to get the ball themselves... most people thought that it was quite funny, but I actively discouraged her taking other dogs' balls. She also has very good recall, so if I saw her going for another dog's ball, I'd call her back pretty smartly - she's bloody fast though, and can see things being thrown from a very long distance... *grin* T.

The only thing better than bookend Rotties on the couch... is being bookended by Rotties on the couch... *grin* T.

Awww.... that is seriously cute! T.

In all honesty, I'd be looking to buy a pup from a reputable registered breeder rather than trying to find someone who wants to breed their girl with your boy. It can be pot luck with pups bred from dogs of unknown backgrounds, and the pups might not be all that you hoped for if the proper consideration hasn't gone into their "creation"... T.

What a stud... lol! T.

My opinion? The person with the uncontrolled dog was in the wrong... and I'm pretty sure even in an off leash area, all dogs must still be under effective control. If she couldn't or wouldn't call it away from your dog, then she is legally in the wrong. T.

I'll give you plenty of warning if I want to board my dogs then OSoSwift... and I don't like holidaying during school holidays, so hopefully you'll have the space... *grin* T.

Never met a Rotti I didn't like... which is not something one can say about most breeds, yes? I made a fool of myself once in a training seminar with Steve Austin - he brought out King, and I could barely contain myself and blurted out "Rotti! I needs cuddles!"... I got my King cuddles and quite a few very strange looks from other people, but I cared not... all I wanted was to cuddle the damned Rotti! There is something very cuddlesome about a Rotti... I'm not mistaken am I? T.

Oh - and I don't want any of my dogs running with any strange dogs... T.

I feed my 4 separately - and would want them to be separated completely for feeding. Zeddy and Pickles can run and sleep together if needed; Trouble and Pickles can run and sleep together if needed; Harper can run with Pickles, but don't let them get too excited doing zoomies or someone will get hurt, and they can sleep together; Zeddy and Trouble cannot be together at all; and Harper and Zeddy need to be separated because Harper knocks poor Zeddy over sometimes. Never run Pickles with 2 of my other dogs; and don't run Harper and Trouble together because they play crazy zoomies and it's dangerous for all involved. I'd hate to have to entrust all 4 of my dogs to an unknown boarding facility... aarrgghh! Can I fly them over to you if I need boarding for longer than a week OSoSwift? Wonder if Dogtainers do bulk rates... lol! T.

I need to find some pics of my Rotties... digital cameras were only new for a few of my guys, so there may be the odd pic on one of the hard drives I have lying around here... or I may have to scan some actual photos on the nice big printer at work... Even now when I see a Rotti out and about, I ALWAYS ask the owner if I can have a cuddle - and those that say yes, their dogs never disappoint... I get the full face wash and smooch... *heaven!* T.

Reality and the truth have never been known to sway PETA followers... sad, but true... T.

There are good and great boarding kennels out there... but if you've never boarded your dog before, really how are you going to know which ones are the ones you want to trust with your dogs? Almost anyone with the kennel space can get a boarding license, but we all know that the license isn't the bit we really want to know about with regards to the business of caring for other people's pets... I'm lucky that I have a friend with kennels who I would happily trust to look after my dogs if I needed to go away for a short while - and even my neighbours are happy to look after my dogs at my house in an emergency, like when I had to go to hospital a couple of years ago. All that said - I haven't been on holiday for years... I actually prefer to stay home with the dogs... lol! T.

It's amazing how many people refrain from making complaints about roaming and aggressive animals because of fear of reprisal... but if they aren't reported, how in hell do the powers that be know there IS a problem? Catch 22 really - if you don't tell anyone who CAN do something about it, then how do you expect them to DO something about it? Seriously people, if the problem in your areas is that big that it impedes you being able to enjoy a walk with your dog, then for dogs' sake, report it! If the powers that be get enough complaints about the same issue, then they may be more likely to bloody well follow it up. T.

It's amazing how small a Rotti can fold itself up in order to fit on the furniture without anyone rousing on them... *grin* I remember once when I had the 5 Rotties, and I got a new lounge... my mum asked me what I was going to cover it with, and I immediately said "Rotties"... she just gave me "the look" but kept her thoughts to herself for a change... lol! I'd happily own more Rotties in the future if the opportunity presented itself - the best breed bar none in my book... I only have crossbreeds at the moment, but that's what happens when you get involved in fostering - always end up with at least one "failure"... lol! I wouldn't trade any of my current lot for anything though, so will bide my time until I can have another pure Rotti... Zeddy is half Rotti, does that count? T.

I think I have vastly underestimated the number of nutters who exist in society. :laugh: Ummm... yep... ditto here! T.

I was trying to keep it a secret lol MUP - you have worked damned hard - revel in the accolades girlfriend, you deserve them! Actually a lot of the area pounds down that way have a great rescue network working tirelessly in the background to help get dogs out of those pounds and into rescue/homes. Without great people like MUP, ninahartland, Rhonda & Marshall, et al, that area's impounded animals would effectively have no future. You all need kudos for your great work. T.

Beautiful video koalathebear... you made me cry... but good tears... Thank you! T.

What "value" do you put on a companion animal? What is a "fair replacement cost" of a such an animal? The dog was a Cav cross, so going by the "retail price" of such a mix, maybe $600-1000? Not a huge incentive for the kennel to change their practices to any great degree, is it? But this was a dog whose owners cared enough about it to try to select a place for it to stay while they had a short holiday - somewhere they thought that it would receive proper attention and care and be safe while they were away. Instead, they were faced with a dog owner's worst nightmare - a call to tell them that their dog was killed by another dog while in care... The truth of the matter is that anyone who receives a call like that is going to be somewhat traumatised - and that really needs to be addressed when trying to ensure that those responsible take strong note of the fact that their negligence has caused this trauma. The only way that a business will change it's practices to ensure that an incident doesn't ever happen again is to hit them where it's going to do the most harm - the wallet. Money will not bring the dog back, and it won't change the owners thinking about their dog's last moments of fear and pain... but it might just send a very strong message to that kennel business (and others) that they need to be a lot more careful with the lives they've been entrusted with. T.

If any of my dogs did something like that, they'd be at the vet being euthed long before any "authorities" were called... that sort of behaviour is NOT acceptable under any circumstances! Buggering off nonchelantly after the fact is seriously bad form by the owner of the offending dog. Serious consequences should be visited upon them. T.

Says it all really... PETA have a philosophy of NO pet ownership for anyone - so why are we surprised that they kill as many as they can once they get their hands on them? T.

Lol sorry first time I have heard of the term 'cranky or slutty bitches' being applied to female dogs :laugh: I clearly have never owned an entire female. Seriously - some females can be a nightmare to live with when in season! It's like they've been possessed by some evil spirit a la The Exorcist... scary! As for slutty - well... I've had bitches that would back up to anything with a pulse when in season... most embarrassing when one has visitors... *grin* T.

I'd say it depends on whether the person who owned the rodents decided to complain to the authorities/media about a dog attacking their pet rodents. I don't want to sound judgemental here, but if my dogs showed intent towards another friend's small pets, I'd probably not take my dogs to that friend's house. It only takes a momentary lapse of judgement and disaster could happen - then bye-bye friendship, etc... Unfortunately, society has decided that dogs out in public MUST be completely bomb-proof - they are not allowed to show any form of aggression (or even over-friendliness for that matter) in any circumstance - for fear of upsetting someone or something... *sigh* T.