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PETA is a total disgrace and that campaign in particular is viciously exploitative.

Oh Andrea! I'm so so so sorry. I know how much you loved your baby. We are both women who live alone with our dogs so I do understand what a gaping hole he will leave in your life. I am devastated for you and sending you lots and lots of virtual love. You were so devoted to him and he was so lucky to have lived and died with you and the oceans of love you washed him with.

PM anytime if you want to vent/grieve/yell/cry. And I think now is the time when you're allowed to have a few (but not too many) Baileys.

Thinking of you. xx

P.S. I'm quoting some of these lovely messages because I feel exactly the same way.

So sorry for your loss. It doesn't change anything and will not change a thing for you now. But you know what - he died in the arms of the person he loved. There is no good way to die for anyone, but there is no better way to die than doing it knowing you are loved and cherished. RIP Little Puggy Man

puggedforlife

That is so unfair, especially so soon after getting the lumps off and all. You and the vet were doing all the right things for him. This is just not fair.

You have every right to feel angry and sad and upset and grief and rage and laugh at the good memories and then feel sad again... and anything else you feel or not feel is ok too.

oh, hell.

you must be shattered.

You know what tho?

His body chose the time & place ... at home with you, when you hadn't to worry about any hard decisions or treatments ...

if dogs could choose , that would be it -second to just sleeping while it happened - to stop breathing, and be held tight for those last seconds ...where they belong-listening to your heart ..

Thinking of you, and smiling at that muddy-faced little fella , who is crossing teh bridhe wrapped in a blanket of your love & care ...

be kind to YOU now -

Grover was a gorgeous little Puglet and totally loved and adored by his mum. No dog could ask for more.

Deepest sympathies, puggedfor life. You did all you could and more.

Im so sorry to hear this.He was one lucky pug to have lived with someone who loved him so much ,Thinking of you.

UPDATE: Predictably, the dog did not suit the family. As I said, she was food aggressive, under-exercised and bit several of the kids. Eventually, they called the breeder for help.

As suss as I was of the breeder (who I never met or had anything to do with) he/she listened to their story and were happy to take the lovely girl back. They have guaranteed they'll find her a better home. Obviously I have no idea if this is true, but the fact they were so willing to listen really heartens me. I'm hoping this gorgeous dog will have a happy life elsewhere, preferably as a working dog or with a person/family with a lot of experience living with and training kelpies.

Meanwhile, I'm happy to report that the family have learnt their lesson. They feel guilty and ashamed about what happened and I know they'll never do this to a puppy again.

Thanks guys. I will pass this on.

My dumb friends got a Kelpie puppy.

I posted about this a while ago in Off-Topic. But Troy moved my post to General, so I had to madly modify my post in case my friends saw it –I'd encouraged them to look to DOL for information. So even if you saw the original thread you may not know the whole story.

Briefly, my friends are a family of two parents and four kids. They already have an old kelpie x rescue whom they love, so they thought they'd add another kelpie to the family. The puppy came from "a breeder", according to my friend – but the breeder let them take her at six weeks, so I doubt this is a pedigree thing.

The puppy is absolutely gorgeous. The problem is she's dominant and food + dog + people aggressive.

I absolutely believe she would not be like this if she'd spent more time in the litter and then been trained properly from the get-go. My friends aren't dog people, and they didn't know what they were getting themselves into. They have done stupid things – they kept the puppy a metre away from the dog food, so she became protective/aggressive. She doesn't get enough exercise so she is hyper. She has bitten all the kids so now they're scared of her. No one has taught her recall, so no one takes her for a decent off-lead walk because she has no recall and they're scared she'll run on the road. They don't know how to handle her so she's just in the backyard all the time. She barks, so to shut her up they give her bones – and then she gets food aggressive about the bones... It's a vicious cycle.

I did try to steer them in the right direction, but I failed. Now they are at the point of rehoming the dog. TBH, I absolutely would love to see her rehomed to a better fit – I don't think the family can be adequately trained to be good owners.

She's still a puppy – probably about six months – and she has a crap life. But she's a gorgeous girl and would be an amazing dog for somebody who was prepared to exercise and train her. They just have no idea. Their original dog, the old kelpie x, was over five (but probably closer to seven) when they got her. She just wanted a daily stroll around the park and lots of cuddles.

They are going to try the breeder first. But if that doesn't work out, can someone please refer me to a good Kelpie rescue in Victoria?

P.S. I would take her, but: a. I work long hours and couldn't spend meaningful time with her, which is what she needs, b. I rent and couldn't get approval to have her (I live next door to my landlord), and c. my dog has an injury and it would be unfair to foist a boisterous puppy on her – they have met and even my dog-averse, people-loving Labrador loved her, but the Kelpie's roughhousing did aggravate her injury within – literally – seconds. .

That's the thing. She's a great dog. She just needs attention and training. I would love to be able to suggest a way for her to get a good home so my friends don't make yet another mistake by giving her to someone inappropriate. She'd be a great working dog I think, but also a great companion dog for someone willing to put the time in.

Recommendations gratefully received.

Tell her to contact guide dogs or vision australia. They almost always have puppies and I'm sure they would be happy for a donation in return for showing off their puppies.

Post the suggestion in the rescue threads Bovva. There maybe a rescue who has a litter of puppies and perhaps would welcome a chance at a spot of promotion?

Thanks. Both great ideas. I have fed back the ideas and the criticisms. There's nothing more I can do now – I don't know what they've decided but the search is off.

I've not seen Can of Worms... we tend to watch the ABC & SBS. So I don't know the tone.

But anyone being invited with their dogs would need to know if the intention is to just mine the dogs presence for laughs. Rather than mainly being informative.

Yes, and sorry if I gave another impression. The point for me was to give a rescue group or breeder a bit of extra cash and a plug, but it would only be a cameo appearance, not the point of the show.

ETA: Just found out what the question is. My friend says: "Do dogs reduce stress and soothe anxiety? We will of course do the usual caveats about dogs being work and not just for Christmas."

What about side-stepping the contentious stuff about suitability of puppies? As the question is about reducing stress & soothing anxiety.... how about getting some adult dogs who do just that.

The Dogs Victoria has a Pet Therapy team. Last time I looked they had quite a mix of breeds. Or some folk from Delta pet therapy dogs.... who use their own pet dogs.

These dogs would also be unfazed by being in a busy situation with strangers around.

It could be mentioned what's the best way to get a puppy/dog that is well socialised & friendly with people.

Great idea Mita. I'll pass it on.

Yep, that is disgusting. I know the story but I didn't see the show.

Just to be clear, I don't work on this show and have nothing to do with the creative. (I also don't have FTA TV, so I rarely see the show.) The thing is, the easiest thing for the production crew would be to go to a pet shop and ask to borrow a litter in return for a plug for the shop. I know it's a long shot, and I kinda guessed this would be a contentious issue, but I thought it worth taking the risk and putting the offer out there to avoid that happening.

ETA: Just found out what the question is. My friend says: "Do dogs reduce stress and soothe anxiety? We will of course do the usual caveats about dogs being work and not just for Christmas."

I will find out.

Hmmmmm I would imagine it's easier said than done. Too young and a breeder probably wouldn't want to stress the bitch and risk puppies, and once they're mobile keeping them in a basket might be hard. :laugh: Good luck though.

I know but I thought it was worth a shot.

My friend is a producer for the Channel Ten program Can of Worms. If you haven't seen it, Chrissie Swan is the host, and she asks thorny questions (or opens a 'can of worms') of a panel of three celebrities/comedians.

This week, there'll be a question about dogs, and the producer would like to illustrate the piece by bringing on a "basket of puppies" (her words). They won't hang about on stage – just come on for an appearance so everyone can see how cute they are. No dogs will be harmed during the making of this television program.

My friend (the producer) is a dog person, so she wants to use puppies from a breeder or a rescue group and not a pet shop.

There is a fee, but I don't know how much it is. I do know they'd look after you very well – you can have a glass of wine, meet the team and watch some telly getting made.

If anyone can help, or knows anyone who can help, please PM me.

Don't worry; lots of vaccination-appropriate socialisation going on.

Lorem, totally sympathise! I started a thread the other day about an acquaintance doing similar, with a Rotti x Mastiff pup. It's so frustrating when there are soooo many things you want to get across to them but you sound like a nagging crazy person if you say them all.

Hopefully it does work out with your friends, I'm working on my acquaintance but I suspect her puppy may be needing a new home when he gets older.

I just read it. Dear me. You're doing a great job with her – good on you for your patience and kindness.

Thanks. That looks perfect. All sent on.

My best mates have got a new working breed pup. BYB, brought her home at 8 weeks old.

Is there a good and simple website that explains this stuff? I just need simple guidelines.

Sorry – I have googled but I can't find anything quite right and thought you guys might know.

Georgias thing is to wait quietly at the door to go out only to turn around and promptly want to come back in.

We used to have a little bell on the door handle for her to ring when she wanted to go out as she is a very quiet dog however we took the bast#*d down when she kept ringing it. :laugh: So now she just waits with a sad look on her face.

Oh, he's adorable. I love Chihuahuas.

I forgot one – despite evidence above, will look completely adorable, until I get the phone out to take a photo at which time she will refuse to make eye contact and turn around.

I kind of like kamikaze kisses. I get them when I put my shoes on in the morning.

Don't forget hoo-ha cleaning sessions for the ladies!

The "lady" (and I'm using the term under protest) is the one who sleeps on my bed, so she combines all her disgusting cleaning into a single close-by, noisy routine in the wee small hours.

lol

Don't forget hoo-ha cleaning sessions for the ladies!

Martha:

• barks at possums in the middle of the night
• does not bark at strangers entering the house
• vomits on my bed
• lies lengthways in high traffic areas
• moults.

Other than that she's super cute. Her new thing is wanting to sit on my lap while I scratch her back. This might be normal behaviour for, say, a pug, but she's a labrador.

What's that? You want to see a picture of her? Oh ok then fine.

Oh alright here's another one:

This is one of the most distressing, shocking and traumatic stories I've ever heard. I am so sorry Buddy was treated so carelessly and that the results were so terrible.

Please remember the wonderful life you gave him in his twilight years. His last moments were terrible, but there were only moments. You gave him years of happiness and his own beloved pack to be a part of.

I hope you get justice for Buddy. xx

Another one is www.humanechoice.com (maybe .au as well?)

www.humanechoice.com.au is the one I need. Thank you!!

It has loads of information to enable people to make an informed choice. This will help me when I choose my eggs next. The brand I normally buy is not listed which is frustrating.

Thanks from me too.

I don't know. I might be with you Anne (on giving up entirely). I love meat but it's getting harder and harder to justify it.

Great news. I got an email today:

Just to let you know a loving new home has been found for the puppy. It had its first night there last night and has settled in well. It now is likely to have more than a decade of happy times ahead.

Please can you let people you passed the earlier email onto know as well.

Have to admit I teared up at work. I'm so glad the traumatised pup managed to bypass the shelter and go straight to a loving home. Thanks be to the powers of social networking.

I have an update on this. Just got an email from the woman who witness the incident:

I've now been advised that there is someone who is going to visit the puppy tonight and is almost 100% sure she'll take her. My husband has lodged a statement with the police and I believe they're going to use the CCTV footage to follow up.