tdierikx

It's not necessarily a numbers thing when it comes to animal welfare issues... someone with only 2 dogs can treat them poorly too. I have actually visited a large scale breeding facility in NSW where I wouldn't have been ashamed to say I worked. Staff ratios were great, the yards, kennels and grounds were spotless, the dogs were all in great health and were people oriented, and the record keeping and care of whelping bitches and litters was spot on. The facility was a registered business with all the relevant authorities, and was subject to unannounced audits by various levels and RSPCA at any point in time. It can be done "right" at scale if one is inclined to put animal welfare first and foremost. In contrast, I have been to private residences with only 2 dogs, and wondered how they could keep their animals that way... T.

Or think it's ok to excuse bad behaviours of their dogs by saying "it's a rescue"... grrr! T.

This is particularly telling... as soon as adverse media attention falls on RSPCA for their inaction after the workers reported issues (over a number of years), they decide to try to go after those who did the reporting... shame RSPCA, shame! One does wonder why those faced with this sort of cruelty on a daily basis would continue to work there, but maybe it was the only job they could get and keep? T.

And this is why no dog should ever be left inside a vehicle... even with the air conditioning left on. When I was a vet nursing student, we had a dog brought in that had been left in a car with the air-con on, but the dog had somehow managed to bump the control on the console and switched it from cooling to heating... in summer in Sydney. We could not revive the dog. And the worst part was that the RSPCA had been alerted to the dog being in distress, but had refused to attend... and by the time the police got there soon after, the dog was already too far gone to save. The police told us to NOT engage with RSPCA if they came wanting to prosecute the owner after the fact - the police were going to do that and they were not going to do any deals for any lesser charge where the owner would get off with a slap on the wrist - he was going to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law by police. RSPCA did come to our clinic and were quite threatening to us, demanding we hand them the dog's body and all records relating to it's injuries, and we had to call the police to come and tell them to back the heck off. Fly free with the angels PD Xtra and DD Soldier... hopefully your deaths will result in much better processes to be put in place so this never happens again. T.

That is seriously messed up... are there no depths to which the RSPCA won't sink? They failed to follow up on reports of cruelty by those people for years, but now somehow those people are now liable for what happened there? T.

Jeebus! She's a bit deluded, don't you think? The dog took her bloody arm off, and then took that many bullets to stop it attacking others... after a simple knock at the door? T.

This link is what I got for the article when I looked it up on the 9News website... https://www.9news.com.au/national/brisbane-dangerous-dog-council-orders-staffy-that-killed-two-pet-cars-in-sherwood-be-euthanased/155029bc-03eb-4e2f-96e7-c081ffc8321f T.

A Parvac on entry for all dogs may have saved some of the other dogs from this fate, depending on how long they'd been there before the sick dog arrived. Parvac vaccine costs around $20 per dose. T.

No... just no... T.

Not really, as there could be other conditions that may create low testosterone or estrogen levels. T.

May I suggest AMRRIC? They do amazing work in remote areas and get no government funding... https://www.amrric.org/ T.

I agree that a dye in a surgical incision may work, but until that is suggested and then enacted across the board, an ultrasound is the least intrusive way to tell, yes? Opening up a dog and finding the surgery has already been done is much more stressful on a dog's system, and will also attract a surgical fee and post op care/meds fees. Not to mention those where shaving is needed to find a dyed scar, generally a dog is sedated/anaesthetised for surgery before the shaving is done, so will attract fees for that too. For a male that may have undescended testicles, those will show on an xray also. T.

Just worth noting that we see multiple news reports of this sort just before some level of government are looking to enact even stricter animal keeping legislation. The last time we saw a rise in dog attack news reports was just before the Queensland state government pushed through their new laws which included banning a number of dog breeds (and their crosses)... just sayin'... Other states are looking at doing similar to Queensland's new legislation... and media reporting certainly has the effect of engendering public support for such changes. Unfortunately, while we are all for stronger laws regarding who is responsible for dog attacks and the harshness of the penalties, the legislation also tends to go further than just addressing the actual issue of dog attacks - as with the Qld banning of certain breeds and their crosses, there is no actual guideline as to what constitutes the defining characteristics of breed/crosses, so a vague visual of a tan bull breed type dog can be labelled a pitbull without actually needing to prove the actual breed type, and a declaration can be made after such a vague visual observation regardless whether the dog in question has shown any aggressive behaviours or not. T.

Generally, a person that goes to the effort of getting tubal ligations or vasectomies on their dogs has also gone to the effort of microchipping and registering them, yes? And so any rescue that might end up with one of those dogs would have the info that they are desexed from either of those 2 identification methods, wouldn't you think? It would be a VERY rare occasion that it was completely unknown that a dog had had either procedure when they entered the rescue realm. T.

Jeebus! The dog ripped her arm off from below the elbow... that's a bit more than "riled up"... T.

My current foster dog has 2 microchips, as AWL didn't find the original one when they first scanned her... that one is near her right elbow and seems to be faulty and hard to get a reading from, but it is there if she is scanned all over. So both chips have apparently been linked in the NSW registry, but she will now come to her new owner with 2 change of owner forms so that both chip entries will need to be updated when she is rehomed. In NSW, Victoria and a couple other states cats ARE required to be microchipped, and have been for quite some years. The problem is that it is almost impossible to enforce it. The only way that it could be enforced is for the authorities to doorknock everyone and demand to scan all pets on the property... and do we think that we want that to happen? That said, I think one council area in Queensland was proposing to do exactly that... and I don't think it went down well. Possibly it was scrapped due to residents loudly rejecting the proposal, as I haven't heard any news on it actually happening. Tattoos are all well and good on an ear that is relatively hair free and pale skinned, but are hard to find on animals with hairy ears or dark skin colours. Tattoos can also fade over time, so an older cat's tattoo may not necessarily be easy to find either. With cats, being desexed and microchipped still doesn't make them immune from killing wildlife, or falling victim to urban life (cars, dogs, nasty people, illness/injury, etc)... so it's also best to keep them contained to their owners' properties, yes? Also, a desexed cat might not necessarily be "owned" by anyone... TNR programs done on street cat colonies confuses that assumption. As for rescues not knowing whether an animal is desexed or not, a simple ultrasound will suffice to confirm the existence of reproductive organs. I don't think too may rescue animals have had tubal ligations or vasectomies... T.

OK... two months and one previous event does not constitute a "long history"... Assessing a reactive dog while wearing bite suits would be somewhat overwhelming for a dog with reactive issues, wouldn't one think? The fact that the owner did not comply with the dangerous dog order by not having it muzzled or wearing the dangerous dog collar, and letting go of the lead in a public place, shows the level of compliance she was willing to go to (or not)... so definitely her fault in the case of the bite to the human victim. In the end, it's the dog who has paid the price for it's owner's complacency... IMHO, she should also be held accountable is some way other than just losing her dog. T.

Most vet waiting rooms have at least one person that will allow their dog(s) to run up to other dogs without a care... which is annoying to say the least, and even moreso when you have a reactive dog. The first time I had to take Alice to the vet was when she had an upset tummy just a few days after I got her, vomiting and generally not a happy girl - we had to go to a vet clinic out of area as it was a Sunday afternoon, but they were really good once it became apparent that Alice wasn't comfortable around the other dogs there. We were ushered into a spare consult room to wait so that she didn't get any more stressed than she already was. My last personal dog was Harper, who was not dog or stranger friendly at all - fear based, but would want to fight other dogs, and we'd muzzle her for the checkup by the vet just in case. When I made vet appointments for her, we'd generally make them for a time that no other dogs would be there (usually just before the middle of the day surgeries), and we'd wait in the car until it was our turn to go in. Most vets will accommodate you if you are clear and upfront about your dog's issues when making an appointment. The hardest part of having a foster dog with anxiety issues is finding the right home for them. Dogs like Alice will possibly never get over their stress issues about other dogs, and should never be complacently put in situations where they can act on their stresses. Most people wanting to adopt a rescue dog are looking for a companion that they can take out for walks or to public places, or even have friends dogs come visit... and that kind of home will definitely not be a suitable home for a dog like Alice who just prefers the company of humans. I reckon her best option is someone who is a bit of a home body, or who works from home, and will be perfectly happy just having a little tank of a lovebug dog hanging out with them. Alice has so much love to give, and is a great little dog in every respect bar the anxiety about other dogs issue... you really couldn't meet a friendlier and more sweet natured girl. T.

Yes, they still have horse riding paths... and every now and then there is a news story about offlead dogs harassing the horses... The thing about unfenced dog parks is that dog owners shouldn't wait until they are right at the boundary before leashing their dogs to leave... too much chance of a dog straying beyond the boundary and being where it shouldn't. T.

I bought a flirt pole for Alice... think the pole with the dangling toy used for cats, but make it bigger and tougher for dogs... and she loves it! We can play with her chasing that for a good 10 minutes and then she's exhausted and well exercised for the day. Some days we play fetch with a tennis ball, and her indication that she's done is by biting down and splitting the ball in half... lucky I have a bazillion tennis balls... lol! I use the term "fetch" lightly, as it's more of a "I have it, you chase me for it" scenario... exercise for the both of us... haha! When I do the poo patrol, I tell Alice to "find the poo" and her job is to lead me to where it might be... she's gotten really good at it too... Alice's fave treat is a piece of carrot, so when she bugs me for a treat I say "where is your carrot?" and she leads me to the fridge and sits in front of it waiting for her bit of carrot, which she then takes off to my bed to eat... lucky she leaves no mess. She also has a range of hard wearing chew toys that she knows she can chew at any time to satisfy that urge. She doesn't chew anything she's not supposed to. Alice loves all humans above anything else. She just doesn't deal well with the proximity of other dogs. She gets very vocal but doesn't show any actual aggression, just screams at them (not barking, actual screaming like staffies do). She is a vocal girl generally when she's not sure about anything, like when we were driving to our training session with a professional trainer yesterday, she "talked" the whole way there... That said, I don't think she would react well to an off-lead dog running up to her and challenging her... and I'm not inclined to find out. She is getting better at home when she hears dogs barking on the TV or when one of the neighbours' dogs starts barking, she tends to ignore those now, where she used to get quite upset about it when I first got her. She will watch dogs on the TV intently now, but not get upset about it. She gets lots of praise for staying calm too. If she's on my bed and looking out the window and someone walks their dog past, she will generally come to me and let me know that there is another dog outside, and I tell her that it's ok and give her a cuddle, and she's happy with that. Generally, leaving the comfort and safety of the house/yard is stressful for Alice, and I don't think that she'll ever truly get past that. We are trying all methods to get her a bit more comfortable with leaving her safe place, but I don't really see a time where she will be running happily in an off leash dog park with other dogs, it's just not in her make-up IMHO. If we can get her to a point where she's relatively calm when visiting the vet clinic, I reckon that will be a huge step forward. She's fine with the vets and nurses doing anything with her, so that's not the issue, just a point where she's not screaming at other dogs in the waiting room would be nice. T.

Another stupid design fault with the park was that the canal was open to access by the dogs... lost count of how many we fished out when they couldn't get up the sides themselves... *sigh* The cafe was awesome though... good food and great coffee... *grin* I used to take Trouble, Zeddy, and Connor down there regularly and they loved it. Their recall was excellent, and I never let them just run up to a strange dog willy-nilly. They preferred to hang around the cafe tables and give people the "my mum doesn't feed me" look until someone would give them a tidbit. Poor Connor being an intact male would occasionally be challenged by other intact male dogs, but he was such a sooky boy and never rose to the challenge, he would wait for me to make the other dog move on - not bad for a 47kg Rotti... T.

Sounds like the dog was redirecting it's anxiety at being leashed when it probably wanted to get away from something. While taking a dog for a walk can mostly be good for stimulating their senses and getting some exercise, not all dogs actually enjoy the experience. Should we be forcing them to do things that stress them to the point of attacking their handlers? So many people who adopt rescue dogs that then display adverse behaviours seem to want to think that the dog had been abused in some way, and that somehow justifies the bad behaviours... but in a lot of cases, dogs from poor breeding matches can have mental instabilities such as anxiety, or the dog hasn't had the proper socialisation interactions at certain stages of their emotional development. Dogs who are emotionally unstable may not see a walk as a fun thing to do, and then they act out in ways that we don't like. Maybe rather than taking the dog for a walk that it doesn't want to do, other means of activity in a more familiar environment could be more beneficial - playing fetch in the yard or doing simple agility or obedience exercises at home for example. Spend the time you would have spent on a walk doing other fun things with your dog at home. T.

When the article said that the dog had damage to the spine and aortic valve, I had to look up where the aortic valve was in dachshunds... who knew that the aorta ran dorsally? It's not clear in the article whether the dachshund was on a lead at the time of the accident, but it seems maybe not? LMO, I know the off-leash park you mentioned, and it's a stupid setup with the cycle path running right through the middle of it... you get lots of joggers and cyclists using it too. Why on earth did they run it right through the middle of the dog park, rather than off to one side and putting some sort of barrier to protect the dogs and the cyclists? T.

For sure it could be attributed to a record keeping issue... but sloppy record keeping doesn't always equate to definite animal welfare offences, and would only attract a PIN (infringement notice), rather than a prosecutorial charge of abuse. This is why the legislation is murky, as in NSW for example, recent changes made to our POCTAA and EAPA legislation could be read to mean that PINs may be taken as being charged by RSPCA for an offence, and that can preclude a person from working in the animal industry, and/or loss of license for employers that hire someone who has been charged with an offence. PINs can be given for such trivial matters as not displaying a vet phone number prominently enough, not printing a dog's microchip number on their kennel card, and other non-welfare related paperwork type things. Here's a link to a checklist used by RSPCA NSW to audit a dog/cat breeding facility... https://public-library.safetyculture.io/products/animal-welfare-code-of-practice-breeding-dogs-and-cats Note the following... Would there be many people who would give access to 3 years worth of written/digital records to a kennel hand or volunteer helper? Well, if you don't, then you can get a PIN for that. I don't see the relevance of a visitor needing to be able to see the vet contact details, as long as staff have access to it should be sufficient. But you can get a PIN for it not being displayed for all to see. Funnily enough, as I foster mums and pups (including pregnant/whelping bitches) for rescue, being aware of all of the regulations for breeding facilities, I actually apply them all to my care and rearing of those foster dogs/pups. I keep meticulous records of all the checklist requirements, etc... but I can guarantee that many rescue foster carers don't, and funnily enough don't seem to be held to the same account by the authorities in any case... but the circumstances/requirements for care are exactly the same to whelp/raise any litter regardless it be done by a registered breeder or a rescue foster carer, wouldn't you think? T.

Having been up close to how RSPCA operate when they decide to go for someone, I can guarantee that those 3 years were not spent sitting idle. There would have been a lot of back and forth in legal paperwork in order to run up the defendant's legal expenses, which could have been in the hundreds of thousands of dollars over that timeframe. Not to mention that our legal system is in such a state that most cases of this nature will take at least 2 to 3 years before they get to see a court date set... and RSPCA definitely use that fact to their advantage, both behind the scenes and in media releases at regular intervals. I also know how the RSPCA intentionally lie in their briefs of "evidence" with regard to charges they decide to deliver to a defendant, and how their "expert witnesses" are also encouraged to make findings in RSPCA's favour. I have no doubt that there were breaches of standards for breeding dogs at the Tasmanian facility, but some of the claims made by RSPCA have been completely physically impossible - 6 litters delivered by a single bitch in a 23 month period as one such absurd claim. Then we have the fact that RSPCA are claiming all the credit for shutting down this facility and were/are actively touting for donations for the care and rehab of the 200-odd surrendered dogs, which they farmed off to multiple private rescues to do... and you can guarantee that none of the money raised has gone to those rescues who are doing all the actual work here. I wonder how many people are aware that after every "successful" prosecution by RSPCA, defendants are forced into a "non-disparagement" legal clause that precludes them from ever telling their side of the story or to say anything contrary to RSPCA's version of events. T.