tdierikx

Some vets will do reduced rates for rescues and/or breeders WIW... is what you pay the going rate for general customers, or is it a reduced rate because you breed and rescue? T.

If it's not, it should be... T.

I have a permanent fixture puppy pen/run with a huge shed and plenty of room for puppies to play. I also have the granny flat set up so that pups can be contained safely there if the weather is really crap outside. I work close to home, so am not home too late to get the pups playing with me and/or my other dogs for social time - and puppies get couch cuddles in front of the TV too... *grin* Just let me know when/if pups are coming, and where the transporter prefers to meet up - and how many babies I need to bring crates for - and I'll be there with bells on! Alternately, they could be dropped off at our shelter in Bringelly if that is viable for the people doing transport. Now I'm getting excited... I've been fosterless for a while and am missing out on my puppy breath fix. T.

The only time I got the RSPCA to act on something was when I took the animal to them... they had already refused to come and get it themselves. The owner was fined and made to surrender his dog to the RSPCA. The above was a neighbour's dog who had escaped her dismal outdoor pen and came over to our property to have her pups. The bitch was severely underweight and had a massive infected wound on her leg that smelled rotten. The infection alone was bad enough, but to also have a litter of pups to feed, and being so underweight already... *sigh*... I just packed them all up in my car and took them to the RSPCA so that something would be done about the owner who let her get into that state. T.

Sweet... now... how do we get them to Sydney? I'm up for however many you need me to take on - once they are eating on their own and don't need mum any more of course... T.

The fact of the mater is, no one knows what causes it and that's the problem. My GSD boy is 10 yrs old and never been sick in his life, so not all GSDs get it...and not all Dobermanns will get Wobblers or many other health issues associated with these breeds but the risk is still there and no puppy buyer wants a sick dog do they.... as you don't know if your pup will lead a long healthy life which is what anyone wants especially after paying $1500. Funnily enough, I expect ANY pup I buy as a pet will live a long and healthy life - regardless whether it's a fully pedigreed dog from the best breeder, or a rescue crossbreed, etc... I also know that crossbreed genetics are always going to be mostly unknown - and that great breeders cannot test for every possible health defect that may crop up in the future, but there will never be 100% guarantee that something won't develop at some stage in the life of any dog. This fad of wanting to hold your dog's breeder to account for anything that doesn't go perfectly with your dog is a bit OTT. They can guarantee that certain heritable traits will not be there, and can give you test results to show that hips, elbows, eyes, etc, are sound in their lines... but they can't 100% guarantee that something that also has environmental factors will never happen with your dog. As for prices - just check out the prices for pups in pet shops - easily close to or even more expensive for that genetic lottery, as opposed to knowing what you are actually getting from a good registered breeder. T.

We'd be happy to take on some of the pups once they are old enough to leave mum... how do you envision it to work? Would you be signing the pups over to another rescue, or are you only looking for someone to foster them for your rescue? I have the resources to foster entire litters here... *grin* T.

None of those articles states conclusively that Hemangiosarcoma is heritable - just that it is suspected that heritable factors may come into play in the forming of the cancer itself... but they have no proof either way that this is actually the case. T.

It would depend on what it was taken to the vet for... T.

I've watched the castration procedure, and can honestly say that a vasectomy would definitely take longer - and thusly realise a higher fee for the procedure. As for rescue desexing ALL dogs they rehome - well - it does ensure that no dog adopted from them will be used for any breeding at all. If you want to argue the health pros and cons of desexing, then it's going to get even more confusing, because desexing can also have various health benefits - ie: can't get pyometra if the dog doesn't have a uterus - can't get testicular cancer if there are no testicles... T.

All rescuers need to be aware of how many animals they can adequately care for at any given time... and not rely on volunteers to reliably turn up on a regular basis to help out. If you can't adequately care for the animals, their housing, and the grounds of your premises on your own (read 1 person), then you probably have too many animals in care. T.

I can't find anything that says that Hemangiosarcoma is hereditary... I can find things saying that it's a fairly common cancer across the board, more prevalent in larger breeds, and that there may be anecdotal "evidence" that GSD's and GR's are the "most" affected breeds. You could have an older dog with Hemangiosarcoma and never really know it - unless you tested specifically for it - as in a large number of cases the disease affects the heart and spleen, and the dog dies before the true cause can be found. By the time it shows any real symptoms, the dog is pretty far gone, and not much can be done at that point. I had a Rotti girl get Hemangiosarcoma - it's not nice... *grrr* T.

Wag Warmers? T.

SQUEEEEAL!!! PUPPPPIEEEEEES! They are coming along nicely... awesome job! T.

Maybe the mum dog didn't pass the RSPCA "temperament testing"... T.

Maybe Harry learned not to chew the outdoor furniture any more... *grin* Don't you love the feelgood stories though? Such a welcome relief from the usual "savage dog attacks" reporting... T.

I think we need a photo of that... *grin* T.

A friend of mine has a portable hard drive thingy that he can download photos to straight from his camera - it also has a small screen on it so you can see the pics... Personally, I'd get a few extra memory cards - they travel well, and they are lightweight. T.

We used to have a dog named Goose... or more importantly "The Goose" as he was known about town... *grin* T.

Harper is much less destructive now her big girl teeth are all grown in... she only chews on my bed leg nowadays... egged on by Pickles methinks... Occasionally when she barks, it sounds like her voice may break soon, but is still very deceiving for a dog of her size... lol! T.

I might just have to send you my Pickles' story... she's kinda speshul... *grin* T.

I taught my Lab "whatcha got?", which means "show me what you have in your mouth" - then she learned "give" which means either "spit it out now" or "let mummy have that nasty thing you've scavenged up from dog knows where"... oh - and reward with treat that is more interesting than what she has in her mouth. As for walking nicely on lead... well... basic obedience classes can be good for learning that sort of thing - or shorten the lead and take control yourself for a while... your pup will work it out pretty quickly. T.

Zeddy has that special healing saliva, so she licks any sores I have and makes them heal faster. Trouble will sit and just stare at me with a blank eyed stare - whether I'm happy or sad... or watching TV... etc... Pickles doesn't like her Mummy being sad, so she just settles down near me to give support quietly. Harper has no clue there is an entire universe outside of her own needs and wants... but she's only 6 months old... I reckon she'll work it out eventually. T.

My 4 are... Zed (or Zeddy) - the name just popped into my head while I was driving home with her, she answered to it, so it stuck. Trouble - because she decided to climb under the seat in the car and get stuck while we were driving home with her. Pickles - the lovely lady who found her unable to walk in an Aboriginal camp in the middle of the NT named her, and it suits. Harper Jo - again, the name came into my head, and she answered to it. My best effort was my first heart dog's name - Woosie - she was a Rotti, and just the most wonderful dog ever. We used to get strange looks in the park when I'd call "Woosie", and a 40kg Rotti comes bounding back to me... lol! T.

I disagree. What is the point of half a dozen (or more) sites all saying the same thing? I know that if I had a dog up on, say, PetRescue, I wouldn't be happy seeing him or her on some unknown person's blog. Some information may be changed, left out, added to - whatever. You know as well, if not better, than I that some people in the rescue/rehome business will rehome a dog anywhere, but the majority of people want to know where their dog is being featured and what is being written about him/her. I would want to be in complete control of whatever information is going out on any dog I have for rehoming. How many sites can people visit? There is such a thing as too many choices. I'm of the opinion that the more sites we have out there giving the right message about rescue, the better DD... and poochiemama says she'll only post links to particular dogs with permission. Dog only knows that we have WAY too many people posting misleading info... time to counter it some methinks... and poochiemama is doing great by asking for a bit of advice as to how to get the RIGHT message out there in her own way. Kudos to you poochiemama! T.