Ms Genki

When my samoyed's back legs caved out at 13, my whole family accompanied him to the vet. I wish I'd known about house calls though- it wasn't at our regular vet clinic and the sterile atmosphere did affect the experience. My mum and sister chose not to stay in the room when the time for the injection came, my dad and I did. Had it been in our garden under the sun, I think all of us would have been present as I know my mum and sister are still haunted by that day. I didn't find it to be as traumatic as I thought- it was the first time I had a pet euthanised at the vet. His heartbeat was already sluggish and it was a peaceful passing. As hard as it is letting a pet go, I would much rather have the opportunity to say adieu to a beloved friend than to come home or wake up and find that they have already gone. We have lost guinea pigs and rabbits that way and I still think about their unexpected deaths, whereas with Jasper, I only think of and appreciate the great times we shared.

Incidentally though, we used to give our current dogs dry food and they'd poop out obscenely large pongy amounts 3-4 times a day. My lab is also a poop eater and she'd literally be looking at her behind during toilet time (probably wondering whether the miserly human with the shovel would beat her to it). We recently switched to rice, carrot, pet mince with a side of chicken neck or wing and the poos are only 1-2 times a day and considerably smaller and almost odourless. Better still, the lab hasn't gazed longingly at them once! Success! :D

My dogs go with Best Friend (140 Parkwood Rd MacGregor ACT 2615, ph: (02) 6254 6399) primarily due to the location and they have been great. But I'm envious, I want a picture of my dogs bush walking!

I was blessed with a lovely but grossly overweight 6 year old Samoyed as a teenager. He lived to 13 (arthritis got him in the end) and ate either Pal (shuddering at the memories of opening a can) and rice, mince, carrot and green vegies as well as bones and an orange for dessert. His previous owner had fed him home-cooked meals but was an elderly lady who was unable to provide sufficient exercise to her energetic untrained 50kg+ leash-puller. I consider 13 to be pretty good given the shape that he was in when he came to live with us. But yes, diet is just one of many factors surrounding lifespan. Genetics, a calm/stressful environment, indoor/outdoor living all play a part.

Oh I do love a positive transformation! Thank you for sharing it, maybe you can report on his swimming skills when summer next comes around

I'm far from thrilled about the sensationalist headline of the article, but glad that this program exists. Mutual and multiple benefits for both parties. I wish there was more media coverage on these 'good news' stories, it may mean that more people in other states contemplate it and similar programs receive greater funding with more inmates and animals involved. People in jail are an often neglected subject and this subsequently renders them invisible.

Perhaps you could trying temporary foster care with a younger dog to see how you go in the interim.

Oh that's a shame. I would have highly recommended that she share her pride on DOL. She could benefit from an education (post-flame) and lessen the risk of sharing the idea about the breedability of an 'oodle' with other equally bright bulbs in the bunch.

This sentence: She was brought up in a rough environment, put this sentence in perspective for me: she screamed at him, hit him and went to kick him. My first reaction was one of shock and horror and then when I finished the second paragraph, I only had pity that treating an animal like that was all she'd known. Handclaps and standing ovations to you, Spottychick, for your Buddy intervention, dog-owner education efforts and (seemingly infinite) patience! You have effected a significant transformation and I think that the knowledge you have given to those two individuals is bound to spread to others. Any chance of snapping a photo of the lovely boy so we can put a face to him?

Some 'people' don't want a pet. Some people are cowards, or were bullied or badly abused in their youth with no proper outlet to recover, or are just sociopaths. Some people steal dogs for the sole motivation of inflicting pain. If anything good comes from this horrific story, it'll be that Boof will have his choice from plenty of prospective loving families and the public will hopefully be more gutsy in coming forward with more of these backyard cruelty cases- they already are when it comes to dogs in hot cars. I hope the media sticks hard to this story to assist with the capture and name shaming of that coward. But maybe that is wishful thinking when it comes to these cases.

I got the large Petsafe enclosure shipped interstate. It wasn't too hard to put up (I'm far from a Ms FixItUpFantastically), just needed a hand with the chain fencing. In my experience, you could assemble it with cheaper materials and the chain fencing is better off substituted with something sturdier with much smaller gaps to prevent chewing or pulling- like the Carrington ones. I bought the enclosure for my pound hound who was jumping the front gate. It turned into a game of one-up-manship. He went under the run, I closed it up. He went through the run by pulling it apart insistently, I had to twist the wire back into place. He went over the 1.8m high run, I plonked chickenwire on top. He managed to scale the walls, work his head through the chicken wire and still went over the run, I tied heavy wooden lattices and shadecloth over it. In the end, a behaviouralist worked out that he didn't have separation anxiety but was excited by what was going on in the backyard. I got someone to panel the interior with colourbond so he couldn't see or scale it. Now he barks a lot if we can't sneak out without him noticing and the run is a three sided Azkaban. I've lost count of the score or who's won. Sigh. You may not encounter that extreme scenario, but just in case, I would recommend you explore more secure models and maybe have a look at the materials at the hardware store for a DIY job. If you go with PetSafe, you can bid for an enclosure on eBay, that knocks a couple of hundred dollars off the RRP. But in my case, that bargain wasn't anything special after I installed colourbond. End of story!

Mine used to gulp it so quickly that she'd burp up a little afterwards on the ground. Thank goodness it's stopped! I wish I had 'snorklers'.....

A lot of the sentiments on this thread are shared by many DOLers. What about contacting groups like Lawyers for Animals and Brisbane Lawyers (BLEATS) to see how a group can mobilise and work towards implementing actual legislation (as opposed to non-enforceable voluntary codes)? Maybe I'm idealistic but it would be a big coup if this practice can be banned, nationwide, within the next ten years. Animal law might be nascent in Australia, but it is gaining momentum, nonetheless. The pace at which it progresses is dependent on action, by people. I am physically sick when seeing any animal, let alone young pups and kittens, every time I go to the mall, every year. The only exception for me are pet shops that genuinely support rescue groups, with knowledgeable sales assistants who actively educate prospective buyers on the many responsibilities of pet ownership and discourage impulse buys.

More accurate photos in terms of scale and general appearance.

Jasper at 13 years (honestly!)

Merry Christmas everyone! *goes off to plonk antlers on the other dog*

I have a male rescue ridgeback cross, about 3 years old and desexed, had him for about 2 months. He is a dominant dog and quite bossy to my 3 year old female labrador when it comes to toys and old bones in the backyard. She's now wary of playing with them when he's around. I've been using the vinegar/water squirt bottle and 'uh-uh's and he does stop unwanted behaviour immediately, but only when I'm there. My lab girl is placid and generally very submissive, when he takes things, it never turns into a fight, he sneaks up or charges, grabs whatever she's holding in her mouth or causes her to relinquish it and races off with the hostage. I've never had two dogs at the same time and am a beginner at interpreting canine behaviour. I hoped that they would get along better but am finding that I have to separate them often due to rough playing turning into scrapping and snapping- with her picking on him indoors and him picking on her outdoors. One will bite the lower ruff of the neck repeatedly to encourage the other to wrestle, constantly. They are always fed separately and he is happy to share the water bucket so the resource hoarding has me puzzled. He even steals her newly dug holes in the yard! I feel bad as my lab has been an only dog and it feels like she's had to sacrifice a lot for her new demanding housemate. Any advice? Does the fact that he keeps repeating this behaviour mean I'm not the most assertive leader or does it just take persistence and some more strategies?

I've just started learning about the BARF diet and was wondering if people (especially with rescues/fosters) noticed a positive change in their dogs' behaviour? Calmer, more cooperative perhaps? I know it's not a cure-all, but anything that could make a difference to my rescue dog is worth inquiring about. I've tried searching for this topic and nothing came up so if you know of any links, that would be great too.

Thank you so much for the suggestions, everyone - especially for the added insight on separation anxiety and rescues. No doubt I'll be berated by my $-conscious folks for seeking the assistance of a specialist, but that's the norm in my life, I can't do anything right by them. The only thing keeping me sane in this household are my dogs... I am exhausted from trying to fix this myself and will be away from home for 8 weeks next year. Now that I've seen how distressed he becomes when we're away, I can't bear to have it repeated every weekday. He's also started nipping at me. It definitely feels like it will be a long journey of rehabilitation, my only relief is that my sibling will be back home to help me out with the dog and our parents . On to the search for a good behaviouralist.... Thanks again.

You guys are right, rehoming is passing the problem and I would rather move out and find rental accommodation to take him and be poor than give him away and cause more unnecessary disrruption in his life. It is my parents who are threatening to rehome/return him to the pound. They are giving me grief that I got a young adult dog from the pound (he temp tested positively and then these problems started shortly when he came home), as opposed to a puppy from a breeder, but that was my choice and I don't regret it. What I do resent is them telling me that I'm 'throwing away' my savings on a problem dog when I'm the one who exercises, trains and actually spends time with both dogs while working/studying a 47 hour week. I'm also the only one who goes out to find them if they slip out the gate. His general behaviour: Leash walking - pulls (something we are working on) but settles down at a slower pace into the walk. He wears a check chain on walks but I consciously use my voice and the clicker more often than the check chain to control him, for obvious reasons, and he listens to me. Recall - 85% with the use of a squeaky toy or ball (he is tennis ball mad) he always hangs around the property and comes back to me if he slips out the front gate, whereas the other dog would bolt straight for the main road. Friendliness - is curious/excited and then friendly around large dogs and boisterous around smaller dogs, quiet and a bit aloof around unknown humans. I make sure that he sits beside the path when meeting approaching dogs on walks for this reason and he usually complies. He goes to training and occasionally the dog park and has not been aggressive to anything since I got him. Housetraining - goes to the toilet outside, knows to stay away from parts of the house that he isn't allowed in and will cease undesired behaviour if ignored or sprayed once with water. I'm not confident leaving him inside during a hot 8 hour weekday as he once busted out of the study window- that cost me several lectures from my parents and $325. He has calmed down now and is just curled up in the corner of the enclosure. Exhaustion perhaps. I'm monitoring him all day from the house, I don't think he knows I'm here.

We have a problem which is stressing the whole family out. I have a 2-3 year old leggy ridgeback mastiff x that I got from the pound over a month ago. He is male and desexed with a penchant for leaping over the 5ft front gate and exploring when no one is looking. He has a 45 minute walk in the morning with some training, in the hopes that it will wear him out (he also gets a 30 minute walk in the evening). It usually doesn't. We then place him in a fenced enclosure which is about 3mx4mx1.8m (height), covered by a roof of wooden lattices tied tightly to the walls and covered with shadecloth. We sprinkle food around the enclosure and place a kong with his breakfast in it before departing. This is the only way to distract him from barking hysterically when we leave in the car. He has a marrow bone once a week but that is quickly gone by the end of one day. He also has a few toys in there. Our 3 year old female lab is well behaved and stays in the yard. Our yard is fenced on 3 sides by 6ft corrugated fencing, we're in the process of asking our neighbour, again, to share the cost of fencing the broken wooden 5ft fence between our properties- they are reluctant to secure their investment property properly, despite having two tenant families which are scared of both dogs. The fencing needs to be done before we can install an adjourning higher front gate at the car port. I stayed at home today to watch what he gets up to when we're away. After eating his food, he repeatedly scales the fence to knock his head against the roofing. He shows no interest in his favourite toys and keeps jumping up against the fence and the roofing. There are moments when he settles down, usually when the lab is sniffing and wandering around that part of the yard. Other than that, he is preoccupied with escaping and bites and pulls at the chain wire fence. Our neighbours told us that he barks all day and he keeps knocking over his drinking bucket which is a real concern as the weather gets hotter. I have tried addressing his separation anxiety and getting him accustomed to the enclosure with little success. Am at my wits end and could use some suggestions to keep him distracted during working hours, until the fence is fixed. I have no control over when the new fence is installed as it's my parents' property but I am pushing for it by offering to pay their share of the costs. My parents are getting fed up with him because they've never had these problems with our other dogs but I am determined to try everything before I consider the possibility of rehoming. Please help if you have ideas/shared experiences/reccomendations for a good behaviouralist in Canberra

I have the same problem as the original poster. One dog expects me to get the ball after he's dropped it. I've tried waiting for him to catch on and bring it to me, but he refuses to. Would love to hear some suggestions on effective toy retrieval. Someone in another thread said to sit down with a book, ignore them and wait for them to bring the ball back- for as long as it takes, but judging from my dog's facial expressions, it would be a century before he takes some initiative! The other dog is a poo-muncher, she's taught me to pick up poo as soon as it drops :D

I walk my large dogs with both of them on either side of me, attached to one leash. The leash wraps behind my back so that I don't get suddenly thrown off balance. I set them small tasks beforehand so that they learnt to earn their walk: 1. Walk nice and slow around the carport and we'll go out the gate to the verandah. 2. Walk nice and slow under the verandah and you can go to the driveway. 3. Walk nice and slow on the driveway and maybe, just maybe, we can actually get to the footpath sometime before I have to leave for work! It was going surprisingly well (seeing as one takes very long strides and the other is a chronic sniffer of all things gross) and eliminated the need to get up early to walk both separately, until they decided to have a silly scrap fight towards the end of this morning's 30 minute walk. Back to the carport....sigh.

That's a great idea, though we're not fantastic cooks and our house is a constant lived-in mess. I will try that, thanks! I might also show them puppy photos of Brodie when she was ten times smaller and less 'intimidating'.

to darkabsalom for sharing her experiences. My family is also from a similar migrant background. My mum was always apprehensive of dogs because she was bitten badly by one (note: an individual experience rather than a cultural one). But my dog-crazy sister and I persisted and we started off with a samoyed, Jasper, followed by labrador and mastiff x ridgeback. Thanks to Jasper my mum now loves the large active boofa types- I don't think she could ever live without one now. We have two young families, Iranian and African, renting next door and the attitudes of each individual are different. Our two are very effective guard dogs (a little too effective with their voices and one has a very deep bark). Both the wives and the children are absolutely terrified of them and convinced that they are fierce and uncontrollable. We are very aware of this and always have our dogs on a leash if they are out in the front yard. The husbands don't seem to have a problem with them and are friendly with us but see the dogs less often than their family. I understand the various reasons as to why the fearful ones have that attitude, however I really wish they could agree to meet our dogs (with the gate between them and the furkids firmly on leashes and behaving on their very best) even just once so that our dogs learn not to bark at them when they go to and fro from their houses. I'm not seeking anything else as our two are still young, boisterous and live in a kid-less house- and those kids are convinced the dogs are killers. It is a problem which needs to be discussed and dealt with as they will be living next door for quite awhile and I don't know how to address it. I am worried that is why the kids never play in their front and backyards (compared to the Sudanese-Aussie toddlers who lived there before them, were always outside and adored Jasper). Any thoughts, suggestions, experiences in the art of persuasion and effective cross-cultural communication for this scenario? Should I write a letter/invitation and leave it with some cupcakes and muffins? Hire a sammie temporarily to join the crew as canine diplomat (there's no chance of my folks saying yes to a third musketeer/scallywag living at our house)? Boarding up the front gate will block their view but not stop their acute hearing. I am about to become a lawyer and I don't even know where to start! Apologies for hijacking but my mum was quite distressed that one of the neighbours pointedly scowled and ignored her in the supermarket and I really want to improve the situation. Here are my two 'killers' (sigh):