tdierikx

Not a fan of studded collars... and those dogs did not look at all appealing to me at all. T.

Isn't it amazing how well dogs cope after suffering so badly? Certainly looks like that particular dog has worked it all out well... *grin* T.

It sounds very much like you have gotten a good handle on Roo's issues, and are managing them well... Sorry about the boyfriend, but good that you had it all sussed out early in the piece that he wasn't right for you. Roo is sooooo georgeous!! Loving the pics to death. Please give her a cuddle from me... T.

holy moley how can anyone justify that much for behavioral consults? Does that mean only 2% of dogs deserve to be cured because their owners can actually afford that price? Wow. The area the clinic is in doesn't have a very high "pensioner" population Nekh - just about everything there costs big... *sigh* I grew up with the guy that owns Seaforth vet clinic - they lived behind us, and his dad owned the clinic back in those days. Let's just say that it seems like another planet when I go over that way to visit my cousins nowadays... T.

The police don't have to round up roaming dogs - but if they alert council to the problem due to reporting by the public, then the council are going to act faster... T.

I don't think we live in the same world, if you think the Police here are interested in dogs attacking dogs in the street. I can't imagine them even taking a report unless a person is seriously injured. Nor could any of my reports make a difference to a fine, unless I had concrete evidence of the identity of the dog, and even with an address that can be disputed. I would like to see a return to the old days of rangers patrolling the streets and impounding every loose dog they see - I can dream. If there are enough reports about aggressive dogs roaming in a certain area, you might eventually see a ranger patrolling that area... no reports equate to no problem as far as the powers that be see it, and they allocate resources elsewhere. Whether the police are interested or not, if you go in and insist on making a report about menacing dogs, and provide them with enough identifying information as possible, they are actually obliged to take it down and give you an incident number relating to the problem. Enough of these reports will eventually spur the police into getting council rangers to act. Yes, it may be a pain to take the time to go and make a report to seemingly uninterested police - but if you wish to see something done about the problem, you need to make some noise about it via the right channels. There is a very apt quote from Edward Burke that sums this all up nicely... "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing." T.

Here's hoping that his research for his anti-BSL speech will be better than his research into the donations thing for Lola... ... then again, he's probably looking up Wikipedia right now... *sigh* T.

The best course is to keep reporting the incidents - if council won't listen, make a report to the police... at least that way, if/when there is a major incident, the dogs have a history that can be taken into account when fining the owners. T.

If you live in an area with roaming and aggressive dogs, then maybe they should be reported more often... it makes no sense to constantly be afraid to walk your own dogs without being worried about incidents with roaming dogs. If people reported these things every time they happened, then maybe the powers that be would be spurred into action, and possibly act to reduce the problem. No reports equate to no problems as far as they are concerned... T.

Done. T.

Mid fight? Now, THAT is some vet! Most would have just got a sedative and whacked it in intramuscularly... T.

They raided a puppy farm and seized all of the animals. http://www.news.com.au/national-news/south-australia/tipoff-leads-to-rspca-raiding-rural-hills-property-and-seizing-more-than-100-dogs/story-fnii5yv4-1226661369446 T.

What people don't seem to be noting here is the fact that these attacks - and the chances of being attacked in this way - are actually pretty rare... This is not necessarily a daily occurrence, and so, arming yourselves when venturing outside your homes in order to ward off a possible dog attack seems pretty OTT. Really - your chances of being hit by a car whilst crossing the road are actually higher than the chance of being attacked by roaming "pitbulls". inez - is it at all possible that some of your thoughts/feelings on this particular topic stem from your own recent attack experience, rather than any evidence to the contrary? (I'm not meaning to be nasty here, just asking a question to clarify why you hold the stance that you do) T.

Anyone recognise the guy on the right in the first photo? No other than the new SA RSPCA CEO... go Tim! T.

Grab the back legs and wheelbarrow them away from what they are attacking - 99% of dogs cannot actually reach to bite you if you have their back legs off the ground... you have the control there. If more than one larger dog is fighting, don't intervene without help - you will get hurt. T.

I don't know any dog owner who wants their dog to be the subject of a news article like this... The general concensus of certain posters in threads like these is to lock up all dogs of a certain breed type... keep them away from people, etc... but is that realistic when on the other side of the equation is the lack of socialisation that may be a factor in incidents like this? I've said it before, and I'll say it again - the number of responsible dog owners actually outnumbers the ones who aren't responsible - yet the media loves a good beat up, blaming breed instead of deed when it comes to this sort of thing. You'll never see a news article about a roaming dog that played nicely at the park with kids and other dogs, will you? I've been to a number of dog parks where that is exactly the case - some local dogs are let out to go and play there all day unsupervised, and there are no issues whatsoever... and in many cases those dogs have been of a bull breed mix. T.

DNA testing will say different... http://sheltermedicine.vetmed.ufl.edu/library/research-studies/current-studies/dog-breeds/dna-results/ Check out how many were way off the mark when the only identifier was a visual scan... T. I fail to see how it matters? They are not of uniform size, shape, colour or anything else, apart from the fact they are all dogs. I think the DNA tests are ridiculous btw, since pure bred breedings have not been in fashion for most breeds for more than a few hundred years, of course they will have a gazillion traces of breed xyz in them. What does that prove? And what does it prove in regards to the topic? What it proves is that one can't necassarily pick the dominant breed strains in a crossbred dog by visual inspection. T.

Like any trait one is born with, temperament is modifiable with the correct training. Yes - underlying temperament is genetic in nature, but environmental conditioning will shape how it is manifested externally. The book (and movie) "The Boys From Brazil" is an interesting spin on the shaping of genetic traits via environmental stimulus - in the book, the scientists are trying to recreate Hitler by exposing cloned children to the same experiences he had had growing up... seriously chilling book, and an even more chilling movie adaptation of same. T.

Thanks for the link Steve - interesting. Reading the pages before and after page 86 gives further context to the test results, and does include human interaction as a factor that plays a part in the development of behaviours. T.

Those tests that have a broader range of breed markers already established will give better results than those with fewer - that's for sure... T.

Yep - legislate to the lowest common denominator... *sigh* T.

I'd still recommend pups be homed separately to eliminate the risk. It's all about pack hierarchy and when you have dogs identical in age, size (and even worse, gender) you don't have a clear hierarchy until one dog ends up on top. That may often make the other dog's life pretty damn ordinary if the "top" dog isn't secure in that position. Pack issues aside, I see way too many dogs totally co-dependent on a pack mate from whom they are never separated. It takes a lot of time and dedication to raise TWO pups. Quite a few people struggle to manage it well with one. And if homed as singles? Would crossbred dogs be more "acceptable" if bred and homed more carefully? Steve - in response to the littermate thing, the 2 of the same sex, or 2 of the same age... is there statistical proof that any of those combinations are any more likely to become an issue than any other combination of pets in a household? Or do you think it may more likely come down to the base temperament of each individual dog? (I tend to lean toward the latter, based on my own experience over the years) T.

DNA testing will say different... http://sheltermedicine.vetmed.ufl.edu/library/research-studies/current-studies/dog-breeds/dna-results/ Check out how many were way off the mark when the only identifier was a visual scan... T.

I've never seen one, so I just googled... they are certainly nice looking dogs - and even prettier with their ears intact IMHO. Don't think I'd ever feel the need to own one though. T.

How gorgeous is that? Well done to all involved! Please give Elly an extra hug and kiss from me, OK? T.