Alyosha

No it's not state law. There's no law that anyone has to vaccinate pups, it's a code of ethics thing. But it is based upon older vaccines, their efficacy and recommendtions. The area of vaccines development and use is in constant flux, and sometimes things like codes of ethics can be behind the more up to date developments in such a field. AVA, manufacturer and Govt recommendations would be more important, and would be what the code of ethics looked to when and if they are updated. So the more modern recommendations of 36 hours for effectiveness, and different age brackets for administration are not necessarily against the code of ethics, just more recent than it is.

We can't know all the details, the only ones that do are the investigating police, and they have decided not to proceed. So we can at least presume there is insufficient evidence to charge or fine him . Not enough evidence means he can't be fined or charged, no matter what opinions people might have on a story.

Sorry - will be away showing. ;) Will make sure I take some chocolate to the show so those of us that don't make it can still indulge!!

Another Subaru vote. The new Outback and Forester wagons are very nice, great on fuel - especially the diesels - and a good height. The upside is that you slide into the seat, and if your back is not quite right you are sliding back out of it rather than getting up out of it.

Is it Melbourne that has the small, concrete toilet area?

It will only come up on your account after you reach a certain number of posts - 150 I think. You must have reached the magic number...

Vendors at shows often have them. If you're crafty you can try a few and will quickly get the hang of them. They're just a tube with elastic at each end. Sometimes there is some nice ones on ebay too.

There would be so many individual variables like seriousness of unsoundness, and extent of lack of type. The deciding factor has to fall within the scope of - "Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree and its effect upon the health and welfare of the dog". For instance, in my breed a lack of type may include something that on first glance seems visual, like snipy/weak head or underjaw - the head being such a hallmark in this breed. Yet this fault, while giving the impression of a lack of type rather than soundness, could indeed be a fault that has a larger impact on the individual dog and/or it's offspring. Weak jaw and head can interfere with correct feeding, as well as with any performance of original function - weak jaws and high speed hunting... not a good mix. So would a dog with a small, snipy head go up over one that had less angulation in the rear? The degree of impact and seriousness can be a very hard thing to call on the spot.

Like everything Jacqui I think there are always arguments for and against. Most ear cropping is done nowadays for cosmetic reasons. I do think that if flopped ears were such a detriment to breeds they should be selectively bred for erect ears. Traits can be bred in, andthey can be bred back out again. But honestly, it can border on ridiculous when taken to extremes: edit to add - not all breeds come from erect ear backgrounds. Most of the ancient sighthound breeds have dropped ears, have had for thousands of years and have had no erect ear ansestors idetified (salukis, afgans, taigans etc). Erect ears in howling deserts, whether sandy and hot or mountainous and frozen would be disasterous...

Ears are not bred for shapes other than pricked for purely cosmetic reasons. Scent hounds have dropped ears for very good reason. And as such dropped ears can be a very useful tool in searching dogs. Not all dogs search by sound... And sorry - minor surgery? Cutting through sometimes thick layers of cartilage is not minor, numerous stitches plus wound packing and taping up for extended periods are not pleasant. Warning - surgical picture: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jaimiesun/1404557484/ And - to Dogsareawesome -

again - sorry!! :D We met a spectacular brahman bullock at a recent ag show - he was a riding bullock an part of a show. Tied up peacefully eating his hay - my five year old daughetr was absolutely smitten!! I couldn't drag her away - she had to keep going back just to gaze into his eye and stroke his face again and again - he was enormous!!

Me too!!

In it's most simple form, hormones create different patterns of growth. A picture tells a thousand words. So I (hopefully) don't offend people I am using cattle as an example. These are all the same breed, Brahmans. In cattle, the different growth brought about by desexing at different ages is plain to see. A cow looks different to a bull, we all know that: Bull, and Cow. But, a steer is a male that is castrated (desexed) prior to sexual maturity: A bullock, however, is a male that is castrated after reaching sexual maturity: See how the steer still has a slightly masculine look, but also looks a little like the cow (and yes this guy is young but you can nlearly see the different growth pattern). Not to say he is necessarily feminine, just that he lacks some of the physical characteristics of a bull that are brought about by adult hormones and unaltered growth patterns. He will never attain these. And the bullock looks physically like a bull, but is free of the hormonal mood and behavioural issues - heance he can be more safely ridden etc... This is where you will hear comments about difference in head, neck or shoulder size - imagine the difference between a bull's head and a steer's head and you will understand what people mean.

As a vet medicine it would need to be registered in Australia - the supplier overseas should not supply it to here if they haven't had it registered for use and supply in Australia. This is the federal department responsible for registration and permits of all vet medicines in Australia: http://www.apvma.gov.au/ And if you're ever trying to find something online and not sure of it's status they have a public search database you can search for products so you can be sure of whether they're registered here before you fork out money for them: http://services.apvma.gov.au/PubcrisWebClient/welcome.do APVMA also does import permits for unregistered vet medicines that they have issued permits for, AQIS is a seperate permit. If you really think the product could help your dog, maybe you could get a vet onside and organise a trial here in Australia? Sorry you lost your other purchase. I hope you can find something to help your boy.

This is a purebred dog forum, many people with purebreds don't wish to desex. To the OP - yes some breeds can be more highly strung than others, but it also can be an individual thing with males. Some carry on like nitwits being around an in season bitch for the first time or two and get a bit more settled with age and experience. Some always do it. You really just need to wait it out. With males that get very wound up they can also go off their food. I find getting a little extra weight on them before she comes in can be handy.

Yep and yep. Our Ursula recently had a doozy after her first season, had boobs and milk for a couple of months!! And then completely dumped her coat afterwards. Sigh. Girls. edit - can't spell, should sleep...

Bumping. Come on lurkers - get your entries in!!

Well said Casowner.

And if someone came on here complaining that their dog had been shot (whether killed or injured) while harrassing or attacking sheep on a neighbours property? Would we criticise the shooter? Why is it different that it's another dog being harrassed or attacked instead of a different domestic animal?

These guys have cute clip collars: http://regalhounddesigns.com/catalog.php?category=18 They're in Canada but the prices - even after postage - usually work out less than you pay for a half decent collar or lead set over here!

And birds can bring it in over the fence. Hopefully the breeder will hang onto pup for you - sounds the safest option.

gwenneth1 - totally agree, well put. And just have to add guys, last time I looked, sheep - including lambs etc, are a crop. A crop is not always made up of plants.

I can't see it anywhere either?? There is a contact number listed in the 2011 show guide on the Dogs NSW webpage, but I can't see a schedule in any journal? I would enter that one, hopefully there's a schedule somewhere...

Our youngest (human) child is called Lily. Some friends of our family at the time she was born raved about the name, then went and bought a Golden Retriever puppy and named her Lily. That was a little odd... But we had a saluki we named Suri. It is an old Persian name that means Red Rose, she was red. But we got so sick of everyone asking if we named her after Tom Cruise's daughter! Seriously, I'd never heard of his daughter. Drove me nuts.

That's tough isn't it. Buts you right between a rock and hard place - possible infection is a nasty worry. Are the pavers out the back rough surfaced though? Or smooth?