darlingdog

So basically I will give a back story:

1: At the beginning of last year I had an uncle who was diagnosed with a very serious cancer of the brain. He came to our house when he was very ill; he was very child like in mind by this time and was very dependent on his wife. Oscar was approximately 6-8 months old at the time he came and was absolutely drawn to him. He sat by him, sniffed him, and played with him, at one point even sat on him. Just basically took him on as his own (he had never met this person before).

2: I have a cousin who is 18 years old and retarded, she has been since birth. She cannot walk; talk, function really in any way on her own. She is obviously in a wheelchair, is fed, bathed etc. She will often come and stay at our house. The first time she came Oscar was extremely scared of the wheelchair, barked a little (which was ignored) but as soon as he saw her/sniffed her he fell in love... literally. When she stays here he will go up to her and lick her hands, try and stand on his back legs to see her face properly. As soon as she screams he runs in to check on her. He has at times snuck into her room and slept at the bottom of the bed near her legs, obviously prior to us realising he was able to get in the room. We have now overcome this issue and he can’t get in the room, so he spends literally the whole night at her door. He is such a boisterous dog... at all times, yet he is so so gentle with her. It is truly remarkable and shocking. She is most definitely his favourite person in the whole house when she stays, and he is very sad when she leaves. When she was younger she actually had a therapy dog, yet Oscar is more devoted to her than that dog ever was and he has only been around her approx 5 times. We never leave them alone together, but just watching how he is with her and how she responds is truly wonderful to see.

Sorry for the long post. Just wondering if others have similar stories or experiences, I would love to hear them. Just when you think you know your dog inside and out, they shock you in the best way possible.

Well I read here how your dogs have become more gentle with sick people, our experience wasn't quite like that though amazing just the same. My father in law used to visit with us quite frequently and the dogs loved him, he's a very gentle man. One of my dogs is quite introverted but always loved the father in law when he came. Anyway, father in law came to visit and my dog wouldn't go near him, sat in front of his chair about 2 mtres away and just barked and barked at him and I could not get him to stop, it was really weird ! Father in law was so puzzled, kept saying but the dogs love me usually !! Two weeks later he was diagnosed with parkinsons' disease and 6 months after that with dementia. That dog KNEW there was something not right with him.

Dogs that fit the criteria to be transferred to DAS are not admitted to the RSPCA shelter. They are transferred upon arrival.

I see three dogs pts at DAS this week. One that should have been - beyond question (the old blind deaf senile one). Much as he should have been cared for to his end by his owners, I cannot accept that rehoming him would not have been in his best interests at all. One that would have been a potentially dangerous dog if rehomed and very likely would not have been rehomed no matter where she was held. The last one is the only one I would question, and more information would be needed to make a decision on that anyway.

I think the main point needs to be that attention needs to be given for any shelter that is aiming in the right direction. Even if they reduce their euthanasia by one dog a year, that is a positive and a start to a better way of doing things. If things go on quietly as they have for so long, people continue to presume that they are the same. Public attention garnering increases awareness, donations and funding. This money contributes to continuing the efforts. That means more animals saved, not less. If an organisation has a moral standpoint to save animals then they should be supported, as things are heading the way they should.

I find some people's (and by that I don't mean you DG ) doomsday attitude of damned if you do and damned if you don't fairly frustrating. I can't comprehend the agenda of people that are determined to oppose no kill efforts.

Nothing is perfect overnight. It took a long time for RSPCA-type groups worldwide to go from independent animal welfare charities to funded animal control agencies. Trying to reverse that trend takes time. Without applauding efforts publicly how do you drive public and internal culture change?

Here here, well said.

I've tried to get the loose leash walking thing right - and for some reason I am hopelessly incompetent.

I'm going to wait for Steve to come to Adelaide for one last try - and if I'm still hopelessly incompetent after he's shown me what to do - I'm buying a harness!

Colosmo I agree - For those of us who are too dumb (or have dogs who are too challanging) I think it's probably a great tool

But Huski I also agree with your point that a trainer should be able to get the dogs walking lose leash - even if that doesn't translate to the owner being able to do it.

Well if Steve can teach me he can teach anyone

As far as the harnesses go I see no problems with them. If it means that an owner can walk their dog then that can only be a good thing.

But my concern with a harness is how do you correct the dog or get their attention if need be? I'm sure I could put Kei on a Sporn/no pull harness and he would find it aversive enough to walk on a loose leash BUT when he sees another dog he goes into complete overdrive. At the moment I can give him a couple of light pops to bring his attention back well before he gets to the screaming, lunging stage (and believe me, if he gets to that stage he will pull through anything -including a prong collar). But how could you do this with a harness? In Kei's case I think he would break it if I couldn't bring his attention back and he got too worked up!

Re being able to break it, I don't think that the cord would break but certainly the plastic click clack thing ( for want of a better word !) might. On mine where this thing clicks together there are also 2 dee rings so I put an extra clip on these just to be sure so it then has that clip as back up if the original one fails.

I would like to see anybody walking my 50kg puller puppy on a flat collar lol

I started off using a sporn harness with Ruby, which I absolutely loved, I could walk her with my baby finger, but our trainer doesn't like the sporn (says it hurts the dog) and so we moved onto a Harmony Harness - which I didnt like at all and compared to the sporn, it wasn't nearly as effective. I now have Ruby on a Black Dog Training Halter, which is very effective, but Ruby ABSOLUTELY hates it.

Cosmolo and 4 Paws, a question for you both: Having tried (without success) the harmony harness, is there any point in trying the sense-sation harness that you both posted about?

The sporn harness hurting the dog ? What a lot of rot ! If you were having such success with it then ignore your trainer and continue with it. Used one for the past 4 years for play walks and provided you have the cords well covered with sheepskin or similiar of course it does not hurt the dog ! Why change something that works for you. A trainer is there to guide and educate you not make all the decisions for you !

O.K... for anyone out there who reads the puppy training tips and needs a laugh .

O.K. Archie your all well now and you need to learn a few things mate . First off this biting and chewing , it's not cool dude . I have read all the good oil and I am now going to sort out that golden retreiver brain for you .

Day 1 . Hey fella , you are biting on my arm !..prepare to be sorted by a much higher intelligence form . A loud strong NO !! ....... "Hmmm dad that ain't going to cut it ...I like biting your arm "

Day 5 . Arm now looks like it has been working on the lawnmower blades ..while it was running . Loud No is not cutting the mustard . Right I am man I can do this ...you are a golden retreiver Archie ... and I am the boss . I will move to the gripping your face and shake a little and say my NO right at you .

Day 10 . Have remembered now to be further away than a few inches when gripping Archies face and saying NO when biting . That way my bottom lip will have time to heal from when he launches in my mid command .

Day 15 . Have now moved on to pushing said lesser brain powered species onto his back and really saying NO ....Like I mean it ....like I am crazy dad Archie ... mess with me and you will get the horns .... " Archie thinks for a moment and then decides if he gets the horns he will bite one of them ".

Day 17 . Time out has been introduced . Everytime bite ..outside you go Archie for either a few minutes or half hour if your not learning ...... I will have to replace door soon as it is worn out from being opened and shut . Archie seems to like time out ????

Day 20 . Right am off to get my rifle ... not going to kill young mate Archie .... but maybe just wing him so he will know dear old dad means buisiness about this biting .

Day 21 . Archie ...this is bulldust mate , stop biting ....NO!!!! ....... Hang on ? ... he stopped !... what the hell ?.

Day 25 . Come on Arch ..you can bite me the once for old time sake if you like . You haven't bitten me in 5 days ?...

So this really does work !.. It just takes a huge comittment and it ain't easy .

Now to work on the chewing ........... " Hey Archie dude !...is that my bookcase you are gnawing on mate ?.. but what about the 20 teething toys I bought for you that all guarranteed you would love ?...... my books feel better on your gums huh ?...... better get back to this training stuff folks ...this should only take a few minutes ......or not .

P.S. in between said biting ( ex biting ) and chewing of everything ....we are having a lot of fun .

Just one for the mere mortals out there ( like me ) who read the training stuff and then feel like they must be a loser cos it isn't working for them .

I firmly believe that the RSPCA should be emphasising that even they are not able to cope with the flood of dogs looking for homes - and so have to send dogs almost weekly to Domestic Animal Services (aka the Pound).

The people who rescue from the pound then have to temp assess these dogs, advertise them, work their butts off trying to find homes for them - and mourn them when they are put down.

So: the RSPCA is ommitting to mention that YES they do indeed put some dogs down... by default, sending dogs to the pound when they have no space.

Which is reasonable; but neglecting to acknowledge this comes off as ego-stroking at the worst, shifty at the best.

If the RSPCA were sending FUNDS over with the dogs they surrender to the pound, I wouldn't have a beef. As it is, the RSPCA are raking in money by playing on people's sympathy, without ensuring there is a flow-on to the rescue people who are dealing with the RSCPA's overflow.

So lets at least celebrate what is going right in this particular instance instead of immediately jumping on to what is still going wrong behind the scenes. I'm sure you are heavily involved in rescue and that weighs on your mind in that you are so overwhelmed that it's hard to see the glass half full. Think how much better things might be if more men like him stood up to be counted in the running of things. I know that this shelter is not the norm so lets applaud them for the change of culture and support the staff there in the pride they now feel for the job they do.

Amazing, a feel good story about a shelter That man is a wonderful human being and his blood's worth bottling as my old mum used to say !

Katy's favourite treat is fruit, especially water melon. A shame it is so messy, because it would make a great training treat for her.

I took some head shots whilst Mike was feeding her........She is seven months old now

I think she will be a drooler

We have a mulberry tree and a cherry guava tree and the dogs always pick their own fruit !!

Hi

Newbie here, I'm hoping you can point me in the direction of a good breed of dog for us. Neither of us have owned a dog before and initially were thinking about a sharpei but are unsure if it would be correct for us given what we have read about their style.

Our Situation is:

- Live in Sydney (fairly central)

- both in our late 30's, no kids and no plans for kids

- both working Monday to Friday 9 to 5, unfortunately no chance of taking the dog with us to work

- house has a reasonable back yard (big for inner city), secure and with suitable space for a kennel/shelter & water for the dog to be outside whilst we are at work

- want a puppy where we can at least meet the mother before buying, don't want a rescue dog (seen to many friends with bad experiences)

- need a dog that is happy on its own during the day (or otherwise 2 dogs that will keep each other company, although I expect 2 puppies may be a bit much of a handful initially as we don't have any experience)

- We are planning on a week off work each (separately) to look after the dog on its arrival with us

- must be friendly natured and happy to sit with us outside cafe's and bars enjoying being stroked by passers by.

- dog no bigger than knee height (body) at adulthood, but at the same time not a dog you can trip over by accident because it is so little

- prefer not too hairy and needing lots of grooming

Any suggestions?

I know you state you don't want a rescue dog but from your requirements I think a greyhound would be perfect for you and your lifestyle. They come to you after being fostered and having been retrained so you shouldn't have big probs with them and as ex racers they usually have been exposed to people etc. Just a thought.

Apologies if this has been posted before. I got sent this via email and thought it might be nice to share (for some reason the photos aren't working):

Lucky Dog....

Anyone who has pets will really like this. You'll like it even if you don't and you may even decide you need one!

Mary and her husband Jim had a dog named 'Lucky.'

Lucky was a real character. Whenever Mary and Jim had company come for a weekend visit they would warn their friends to not leave their luggage open because Lucky would help himself to whatever struck his fancy. Inevitably, someone would forget and something would come up missing.

Mary or Jim would go to Lucky's toy box in the basement and there the treasure would be, amid all of Lucky's other favorite toys. Lucky always stashed his finds in his toy box and he was very particular that his toys stay in the box.

It happened that Mary found out she had breast cancer. Something told her she was going to die of this disease.... in fact; she was just sure it was fatal.

She scheduled the double mastectomy, fear riding her shoulders. The night before she was to go to the hospital she cuddled with Lucky. A thought struck her... what would happen to Lucky? Although the three-year-old dog liked Jim, he was Mary's dog through and through. If I die, Lucky will be abandoned, Mary thought. He won't understand that I didn't want to leave him! The thought made her sadder than thinking of her own death.

The double mastectomy was harder on Mary than her doctors had anticipated and Mary was hospitalized for over two weeks. Jim took Lucky for his evening walk faithfully, but the little dog just drooped, whining and miserable.

Finally the day came for Mary to leave the hospital. When she arrived home, Mary was so exhausted she couldn't even make it up the steps to her bedroom. Jim made his wife comfortable on the couch and left her to nap. Lucky stood watching Mary but he didn't come to her when she called. It made Mary sad but sleep soon overcame her and she dozed.

When Mary woke for a second she couldn't understand what was wrong. She couldn't move her head and her body felt heavy and hot. But panic soon gave way to laughter when Mary realized the problem. She was covered, literally blanketed, with every treasure Lucky owned!

While she had slept, the sorrowing dog had made trip after trip to the basement bringing his beloved mistress all his favorite things in life.

He had covered her with his love.

Mary forgot about dying. Instead she and Lucky began living again, walking further and further together every day. It's been 12 years now and Mary is still cancer-free. Lucky ? He still steals treasures and stashes them in his toy box but Mary remains his greatest treasure.

Remember....live every day to the fullest. Each minute is a blessing. And never forget....the people who make a difference in our lives are not the ones with the most Credentials, the most money, or the most awards. They are the ones that care for us.

Thanks for posting this, sometimes we just need reminded of the things that really matter ! Cheers.

My very difficult dog uses it. The trainer couldn't stop him pulling either, he still does pull but with nowhere near the force he use to. Just be careful sometimes they can rub his armpits.

Grey-fasting where did you get yours?

I also have a puller when out walking and the sporn harness is brilliant, no pulling whatsoever and I would highly recomment it. Re the cords rubbing the armpits, I had this problem also. Go to a saddlery and ask for some sheepskin covers for horse halters. These will slip on to the cords easily and you will have no more rubbing. I put a stitch in each end to stop them slipping.

Hello darlingdog

I sincerely hope you will send emails to the three contacts listed in the Post 30 link mentioned above. Cr Alan Pendleton, one of two councillors on the Blacktown City Council Companion Animals Management Advisory Sub-Committee, has publicly opposed mandatory desexing of dogs and cats from Blacktown Pound on a number of occasions at public meetings .

Please, for the sake of all the poor souls at Blacktown Pound (past, present and future), please, please everyone, write to this Councillor (and cc in the other two mentioned as well) and voice your strong opposition to the current system of releasing to the public without desexing. I hear too many horror stories of the types of people who trawl through Blacktown Pound specifically tarageting undesexed dogs, and dread to think what sort of fate has befallen the poor dogs that have been released to them.

Hi Mila's mum, no problem I will do that now. Cheers.

A Blacktown Council spokeswoman said the bidding system was introduced to discourage semi-professional and backyard breeders who would go to the pound every morning and buy the desirable animals.

What a load of dog crap. It's money - pure and simple. Why the hell arent they desexing before offloading dogs anyway?

I live in Queensland . I'm not a breeder just a pet owner. I had decided I had room for another dog here and wanted to help one out that was in need as there is no formal breed rescue for my favourite breed.

A bitch was on Blacktown pound web so a DOLer close by to Blacktown went to see her and put in a bid on my behalf. We had no idea of what to tender though would have been happy to tender whatever was necessary to get her out of there. I was also horrified to know that she would not be desexed before leaving. We were not successful and I was so worried that she would go to a byb or puppy farm but fortunately my DOLer friend stayed around and met the people who had got her and it was a lovely family which was a big relief to us.

The whole experience was just ridiculous, like raffling dogs off in my opinion and really needs looking in to especially the entire dogs and bitches being let go back out into the community to breed even more for the pounds and shelters.

I have since adopted from the RSPCA in Sydney who went to a lot of trouble to try to find a rescue for this pup (he was not deemed suitable for general adoption) . One of the other breed rescues they contacted had my details and so he came to live with me. I notice there is a lot of condemnation of the RSPCA on some of the threads. The ladies in the Sydney shelter went above and beyond to find a home for my new pup and my experience of adopting him from interstate was very positive unlike the experience with Blacktown pound.

I hope those of you who are local can put pressure on your council to make some big changes. Cheers.

If no x-rays were done, demand them!

I know exactly how you feel, although my old GSD boy's deterioration has been progressive. He struggles to sit and get up, cannot stand properly as he is extremely unsteady on his feet and drags his back legs when he walks. It breaks my heart each time I look at him as I feel so useless.

He is currently on monthly cartrophen injections as well as daily anti-inflam tabs (rimadyl) and swims once a week. It helps but like your boy, he has good days and really bad days.

I am having him x-rayed for spondylosis as he was diagnosed some 6 years ago with this but it was very mild at the time. I am now wondering if the spondylosis has progressed and could be what is causing his condition and not just arthritis.

I feel for you and your boy and apart from getting the correct diagnosis, the only advice I can give you is make him as comfortable as possible and spoil him to bits

I lost my old german shepherd last year. She had hip displaysia for the past 7 years so I was used to her being not really sound and she was also on the same regime of drugs pretty much as your boy. She then started dragging her back legs and struggling to get up more then usual. Turns out she had a degenerative neurological disorder quite apart from the hip displasia, that almost exclusively affects GSD's. . I would suggest that you ask your vet if this could be the problem now. Best of luck, they are such wonderful dogs.