mita

That doesn't sound good, Mystiqview! The only way to keep ethical behaviours alive & well, is to have a Complaints process that works....& where those who don't do them on a regular or serious basis, get their membership cancelled. Would there be any role for the breed clubs to have membership lists of breeders who take what they do seriously & ethically? Once again, my experience with only a few breeds, is that the Breed Clubs have been great. (Take a bow, Sheltie Club of Qld, Tibetan Spaniel Clubs of Victoria & NSW and Poodle Club of Qld). It seems such a shame if the excellent work of those breeders get overshadowed by those who don't.

Yes, it's only necessary to compare Marty's pound pic with his pic playing with Lucy, to see how well Donatella's cared for him.

Couldn't agree more. I keep meeting decent pet owners who either !1) think pet people can't buy from 'show' breeders or !2) don't know how to find registered breeders of purebreds. I think any advertising should include a caution that suitable matching homes are sought. So that people are warned in advance that it's not just a case of handing over money to get a dog. Also it wouldn't hurt to say that the breeder abides by the ethical code of behaviour required by their registering body....the particular Kennel Association. Just a caution, too, that many good pet owners aren't familiar with what words like 'registered' and 'papers' actually mean in relation to purebreds. I'd also like some generic ads placed in The Classifieds, directing people looking for purebreds as pets to the excellent Dogzonline Purebred Community website. There's a treasure-house of information, links to registered breeders and puppy & mature dog listings.

Does each State's Kennel Association have a Complaints process? And is there something built into membership regulations that includes situations in which membership could be cancelled, due to regularly not upholding the ethical behaviours required? After not replying to a Kennel Association's request to Show Cause about whatever, to a level of satisfaction. If so, do people applying for membership have to sign their agreement to such Conditions, in the first place? My own experiences with registered breeders has been confined to a couple of breeds. In those cases, I've wished there was the opposite available. I'd have liked a means of registering my satisfaction and admiration for the work and attitude of those breeders.

So I looked up an English-language website from Berlin that covers pet ownership in Germany. :) Sure enough, your practical approach is reflected there. In the section, Owning a Pet, they include saying that kennel owners & breeders have to demonstrate they have suitable premises & means in place to care for animals. Nicely put. I was also interested to see that the 2 information links they give, include one to Animal Welfare Law & the other to the Ministry of Food, Agriculture & Consumer Protection. Now, in that Ministry, they've put a couple of aspects relating to dog breeding & sale of dogs, under the same governance. Here, matters relating to Consumer Affairs are separate. As I can't read German, I couldn't get the details, tho'. http://berlin.angloinfo.com/information/32/animals.asp

Me, too. Ridgie X.

What do you means by 'surely not the dogs'? Dogs policing laws??? Or do you mean Dogs.....the Kennel Associations? Who usually implements & monitors laws? A Government Department whose Minister is charged with implementing laws that have been passed by Parliament. And who is answerable to Parliament for doing so. I've pointed out that the many aspects that are related to the breeding & sale of dogs currently go across various departments' responsibilities. And are not specifically shaped to the needs of companion dogs. In the meantime, we have consumer action. How companion dogs have been bred is of vital importance for those who buy them as pets. There are consumer guidelines to find the best ways of obtaining quality & value. CHOICE (the Australian Consumers; Association) has some advice on obtaining a puppy or dog (on their website).....where they subtly point people to registered breeders and ethical rescue. They've added welfare considerations as well as quality/value. Those CHOICE guidelines would well be expanded to further help people know what are the best options.....& why (given that the 'why' has some sound scientific research behind it). Consumer action can be helpful in cutting off as many 'customers' as possible, from those who use puppy farming behaviours.

Very good point! I think this approach would help with a lot of problems that are not even directly connected to puppy farming, such as the general safety of the community. It needs a separate law that covers the breeding and sale of dogs. Like the UK has, but with a fresh approach to reflect Australian conditions (like differing State laws). What is currently in the ethical guidelines set out by DOGS Qld would be a good point of reference. And there's certainly research which would back the worth of many of those, re puppies & dogs being socialised as well as welfare generally. The unique thing about breeding & sale of dogs is that it has a 'paw' across a number of current legal areas. Like animal welfare, dog management, consumer interests, land zoning etc. The dog management aspect picks up your point about community safety. Currently puppy farming can thrive in Q'ld because it's possible to buy cheap, poor land that's designated for primary industries. Where the dogs then have the same status as livestock....which do not have the same developmental & welfare needs as companion animals.

I agree with you that 'puppy farming' is a set of behaviours in breeding & keeping dogs, rather than just a matter of numbers. Of course, the larger the number of dogs, the more dogs are affected. But even with a handful of dogs, they are affected, too. The set of behaviours are a selection from these: Lack of socialisation of dogs on the property. Failure to socialise the puppies. Subjecting the females to insupportable numbers of litters. Likely large number of accidental littlers. Poor nutrition and living conditions. Inadequate veterinary attention. Poor or no record keeping. Because of the research on the critical place of socialisation for puppies & dogs as companion animals.....I'd even call it a form of puppy farming is the dogs are raised in pristine conditions, but with no socialisation. Also if a handful of dogs are kept in a backyard shed. We need the law to reflect that breeding & raising puppies & keeping parent dogs is a different category from 'farm' animals. So there ought to be specific definitions of neglect & cruelty for dogs in respect to breeding.

I couldn't agree more. Since when has 'need' v 'greed' made any difference to the actual 'crime'....in that animals suffered in a way that the law makes people accountable for? There's a strong voluntary legal group, BLEATS, in Qld that concerns itself with animal welfare cases and how they fare before the courts. I hope they'll pick up on this 'odd' finding which doesn't auger well as any precedent for future cases.

I'm so, so pleased for you. Everyone did their bit to bring her home.....the people who kept her safe from traffic in their yard, the Ranger for knowing who she was, & the lovely girl herself for being so good. What a great welcome home she'll get. :)

Fair point. We were just talking about that the other day in relation to microchipping & dog registration forms. Dogs, especially mixed breeds, can get all sorts of creative labels. And 'mastiff' is popular for any dog that's really large & not recognizably anything else. Of course, I was using Bluebelle, in a not very subtle way, to point to rescue dogs. But, I got busted. :)

C'mon, ramp up your imagination, get creative....a lot. :) :) Looks like the RSPCA at Dakabin did. :)

Well said.

There's Bluebelle, a sweet 3 yr old girl for adoption from RSPCA Dakabin (northern outskirts of Brisbane). http://www.petrescue.com.au/view/146765 You can find other large dogs for adoption from various Rescues in Qld by searching on that same Pet Rescue site. Just enter Dog, Either Sex, Large & Q'ld in the search box. There's quite a few pages with profiles of the large dogs. Bluebelle's just one of them.

Good for this elderly lady & her cat. She is as she is... & does not deserve to be held up as some cautionary stereotype. She has the same value as any other human being. I'd wish her some gentle understanding and care.

I totally agree that these wonderful follow- up stories should be kept coming.....& shared with the public. They totally destroy any idea that 'dumped' dogs are not rehomeable. This lovely fellow has gone from one family's appalling behaviour to being the star he deserves to be. He's sure handsome! Well done.

Exactly. There's diversity across the community. Each to their own notions of what they personally like, or do not like. So long as it does not translate into unfairness or lack of consideration for children.

I'm sorry for your loss of Zedley. And it was great that BJ came & lifted your spirits. I can only speak for myself, but after my beloved Gracie went to heaven (too soon!), I couldn't even imagine another dog 'filling' her paws. After months, I bit the bullet & sorted with the same breeder, to adopt another retired show tibbie. In my heart, I kept thinking but she won't be Gracie (brilliant bit of thinking!). Then when the 'new' tibbie girl walked down the ramp of the pet transport van from the airport, she went straight to my heart & has never left it since. That was quite a few years ago, but I can see the same scene as if it were yesterday. When the time is right for you, I wish you the joy of your next dog.

Mango's sure got a whole community on his side.

You're experiencing the great joy of having 2 dogs that are real company for each other. And are also very easy dogs to live with. We've always had 2 dogs for that reason. All their play & chilling out together takes the demands off the humans. I'm not pushing you to adopt with this comment....but it's truly wonderful when 2 dogs get on so well as Marty & Lucy. The look on Lucy's face speaks for itself. There's no doubt that you & varicool would only ever pick the best home for Marty. He'd sure love one with another little dog to play with. You & Lucy have taught him how good life can be. Any decision about adopting is up to you. He sure is a mighty little fella.

They are lovely people to deal with at 4Paws.

The Labrador Club of Qld has a rescue/rehoming officer. Name & contact details on their site: http://www.labradorclubqld.com/breed-rescue.asp There was a female Labrador (Brisbane) on Pet Rescue. She was featured in the Courier-Mail last Sunday. But she was cream & I bet she's rehomed by now. Her name was Rita & she was gorgeous. Still may be worth searching the Large Dogs, Qld, in PetRescue's search. I only looked at the 1st couple of pages....& there was a Lab there. So could be more. http://www.petrescue.com.au/search/?a=d&g=a&s=l&l=qld&a_id= Another possibility is an adult lab from a registered breeder, who is retiring it to a good pet home. (Our Tibbies have come that way). Mature dogs presently for adoption from breeders are on the Dogzonline Community pages.

Well, the French Tibbie breeder just added to what people have said already. Bit far from Lhasa Apso. And his dimensions would fit an adult Tibetan Terrier....but there's no way of knowing if his coat has been cut (the coat distribution being a dead give-away for a TT). Her general impression was 'Terrier Mix' but nothing is clear about what went into any mix. I agree with T that dogs can turn out looking like, or not looking like, all sorts of things. People I know own a little dog called Coco. They get stopped in the street by often knowledgeable people who admire their 'Tibbie'. Coco does indeed look like a typical Tibbie. But they know Coco's background.....from a long line of Nature's Mixbreeds in their small country town. Not a whiff of a tibbie anywhere.

What blackdogs said, even tho' I understand some might scoff. I saw an example only the other day. Lily, the tibbie next door, gets put over the fence to play with ours, every day. She comes racing up onto our deck & jumps and dances all over our dogs' mats. On this day, her 'mum' had told me in the morning that her 'dad' was unwell. She was watching him carefully and, should things turn serious, she'd call an ambulance. Later in the day, Lily came bounding up our back steps. But, this time, she by-passed our tibbies & their mats. She raced straight up to me & sat in front of me with her ears back & a worried look in her eyes. So different from the usual 'laughing' little pricked- eared monkey. I said straight away, 'Your mum's called the ambulance, hasn't she!' When I went over to her 'mum'.....she started to say she'd just called the ambulance. But I said, 'I know. Lily told me.' So I'd agree with a medical check & a vet check in the OP's case. To cover both. But also review if your treating your dog's skin allergy has made him a little 'shy' about coming to you.