mita

All the nice smells that he associates with you, are inside. Especially on the sofa where you found him lounging happily first time he 'broke in'. That's where you sit....so it's on sofas & cushions where dogs smell their owners the strongest. Same with other items that are handled a lot....or worn....by the owner. The owner's smell to a dog is like their being there. Your new doggie feels secure & safe inside where your scents are so strong. That's why one of the main strategies for dogs with separation anxiety is to leave dogs with items that strongly have the owner's scent on them. Like, old unwashed T-shirts and toys and rugs the owner has rubbed hands (& feet!) all over......or sat on. The positive thing is that your new doggie very much sees (smells!) you as his owner. He's not running away from you & your location. He's putting out so much energy in getting to you.....that is, where your smell is. And he's got good reason to want to stay near. He's learned from being in the Shelter, how awful it was not to have his own person there for him. Can you have the dog-flap made to a size where the dogs can come and go during the day? Then your problems would be over. He's already shown he's perfectly happy spending time alone....but close to the sofa with all your strong scent which made him feel you were with him. If that's not possible, is there some sheltered place outside, in an open shed or garage where you set up a day bed for the dogs. And even have an old chair/sofa there that you sit on yourself sometimes (getting your scent onto it!)....& where the doggie can hop up on, when alone. Put the same dog mat there, that he sleeps on at night beside your bed. So sitting on that mat during the day, gives him the same scent & sense of comfort that he has at night. Also put on that 'day' spot, other items with your scent on (as described above). Also in these early days, a chewy treat that takes time to eat. Make this day spot a 'good place' for the dog, by taking him there to get any treats or to have dinner. Also, to take high emotion out of you going away & leaving him alone during the day.....ignore him for 10 minutes before you go. Then ignore for 10 minutes when you come home. Take no notice of any excitement or his wanting you to pat or talk with him. Only when the 10 minutes are up.....tell him to 'Sit'.....then give him a pat.

What Telida said....

Good on you, Jo. Only recently, from way up here in Q'ld, I've been remarking on the truly lovely photos being taken of pound dogs in NSW....& that included Renbury, which I now know is your work. I've also noticed the same thing with Wyong pound. Other posters are right. Every bit of evidence shows that photos which show pound & shelter dogs at their best, help enormously in their getting new homes.

That is a perfect ending. And good on you, for getting in there to try to help those pusses.

That's very good advice. I would have almost had a heart attack, too. Ellz, thank goodness your dogs lived up to how well you've socialised them.

Sums it up. Quite a few years back, a young labrador bit someone at a public event in Brisbane. But everyone understood, in that case... including the bitten person. It was at a Blessing of the Pets on World Animal Day. Then-Archbishop of Brisbane, Peter Hollingworth, was going along the lines of dogs & owners, with a holy-water shaker (looked like a larger salt dispenser). He'd shake it in the direction of the dog's head. Most dogs just blinked, copping a sprinkling of holy water. Except one, a young labrador owned by the Councillor who was in charge of animal control. When the holy water shaker came at his head, the lab thought he & his owner were being attacked. So he bit the Archbishop's hand. Not causing awful injuries, but it was a bite. The Archbishop, who loved dogs, said it was understandable. The owner was a bit embarrassed as he was in charge of the city's dog control. The labrador had already shown his opinion...& was duly forgiven for mistaking an archbishop for a mugger.

He looks like a baby panda eating those leaves. Pickles is fast becoming a certified Rescue Assistant. :)

Here's the name & phone no of the person who looks after rescue of miniature poodles for Poodle Club of Qld. http://www.poodleclubofqueenslandinc.com/rescue.htm There's also a couple of good small dog rescues in SE Qld that I've seen have miniature poodles for adoption. I'll see if I can find the contact details for you. FOUND: 1. Name & contact details for the excellent rescuer who runs Small Dog Rescue. http://www.petrescue.com.au/member/603 2. Poodle Rescue Wide Bay/Fraser Coast [email protected]

Yellowgirl, a civil post that offers suggestions, rather than an interrogation. Especially the suggestion of filling out relevant details about the nature & work of Needy Paws on their Facebook page. That was my thought, too, when I found it. Then it would be self-explanatory. With the additional offer of phone numbers for additional questions & queries in person, that would make a useful communication package.

That's a decent offer to talk in person. Beats the hackles up all round tone that Net threads can take on.

I copied the actual words of the question asked by the OP. It asked if someone had the right to go up and pat a dog without asking for the owners' permission. Tell me why, in your scenario, you will talk to the dog first? And are unwilling or unable to speak a few words to the person who owns the dog? When in those same seconds, you could've displayed good manners combined with a reality check....and spoken to the owner... 'Is it OK to pat your dog?' The good manners in asking the owner, tests degree of risk. Only a fantasist believes that there can never, ever be any risk. And, it's not just risk... an owner has the right to not want strangers patting their dog. As someone else said, just as people have the right to not want strangers touching their babies & small children. So it's equally good manners to give the person the right to say 'No'. As another poster said, if a 4 yr old can do it.....& I experienced a 6 yr old do it....then so can an adult.

It gets funny sometimes. My father told how he & my mother and their dog, Biddy, were in a crowded footpath in a shopping area. My mother was going into a shop, so Biddy and my father had to go back to the car. But Biddy started to follow my mother. So my mother called out & pointed to my father, 'Biddy, go with your father!' Dad said everyone looked at him as if he were a Great Dane, or something. :)

- is it just me that thinks it is not anyone's right to go up to a strange dog and pat it without asking the owners first???? This is what the OP asked. Was it anyone's right to go up to a strange dog and pat it without asking the owners first? Which is why I put good manners first that it would not be OK. No more than someone ought go up to a stranger & believe they have the right to touch anything that belongs to them....including their person. I linked that with caution, in terms of risk-taking. There are too many variables associated with a stranger touching a strange dog to operate on any Magic Golden Rule that, in the Best of All Possible Worlds, it should be OK. That's a fantasy. What's needed is a Reality Check with the owner, 'Is it OK if I pat your dog?' Amazing how few seconds that adds on to patting the dog....or refraining from patting the dog.

Sensible post. Good manners linked with caution when dealing with an 'unknown'. And it would apply to many other situations where you'd be intruding on someone else's space/ belongings. So I put 'good manners' first. Yesterday, when walking our 2 tibbies, I met a 6 yr old boy. He asked, 'Can I pat your dogs?' I answered, 'Would you like to make it a cuddle?' 'Yes, please!', he said. I told him to kneel down & open his arms a bit. Next thing he had a gentle armful of gold. I said to him, 'You were polite and careful. You deserve a big cuddle.' His mother, who'd supervised him, beamed.

It sounds awfully unfair. I'm no lawyer, but could the young woman take civil action & sue the owners? All I know is that takes money to do.....& stress....and there's no guarantee of success. I'm not impressed with the 'expert's' advice in this context either. You're in big trouble with 2 pumped up dogs that've just been strong enough to knock down a fence. Once I was walking our 2 little Shelties on leads, when a GSD came running at speed straight at us, across the park. No way was I going to leave the Shelties.....I bent & put my arms around them. In the last few yards, I screamed 'Stop!' to the GSD. Its owner was on the far side of the park talking to people. He heard.....& whistled the dog to 'Stop' Thank the lord it did. I'm not frightened of dogs, but that's one of the scariest things I've encountered. A big GSD coming full-pelt with eye on my little Shelties. It was a park where dogs were required to be on leads.

They have a Facebook page. http://www.facebook.com/pages/Needy-Paws-Dog-Rescue/354437464568066

They are indeed. Lovely people when I've spoken to them on the phone. Here's hoping the owner can be persuaded that it's best for the pets to be rehomed. I'll watch this thread to see if there's anything further to help Max and Karen help the 2 pets.

I voted 'No'. It should be a given that strangers do not pat a dog, out on the street, without asking the owner if it's OK. Otherwise, it's risk-taking. It's also intrusive. So it's a case of good manners to ask, as well.

I don't know if this information would help Catherine, in Ireland. Recently 6 show tibetan spaniels were stolen from their breeders' property in the UK. Nice ladies, two retired school teachers. A Facebook page was set up which attracted many people and networking started in earnest. Soon police received information that pointed to a Travellers' (Gypsies) camp 25 miles away. Gradually, 5 of the tibs were found (one still tied up in the camp). The extensive publicity led to a vet nurse checking the microchip of a small dog that'd been sold on. Proved to be the last tib. Incidentally, one early police theory was that the dogs would be spirited away to ireland. Seems there's some interchange with stolen dogs. I wonder if the 2 UK tibbie breeders would have any tips or resources to share with Catherine (another site called DogWatchAlert was also used). All 6 returned since publication of this article. But it illustrates the kind of networking that helped. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2080556/Online-pet-detective-solve-case-stolen-spaniels-retrieve-dogs-outside-travellers-camp.html

Oh, they are good aren't they? Really show the dogs off. I've been showing the pics to people who can't believe they're 'pound' shots as all the dogs/cats look like unstressed, handsome, loved pets. OT, but that Wyong Animal Care Facility has put out a plea for people to consider adopting their v. nice cats. There's stress on numbers as they re-work the cat facilities. And they don't want to euth. Scroll down for pics & descriptions of the pusses. Please spread word. Contact details & location & adoption info given: http://www.dolforums.com.au/topic/233388-wyong-animal-care-facility/

By coincidence, I've just had reason to look at photos of the dogs & cats for adoption at the Wyong Animal Care Facility in NSW. Whoever takes the pics does an amazing job. http://www.dolforums.com.au/topic/233388-wyong-animal-care-facility/

Good on you, Katdogs. Your sharp thinking saved Ted. And then we have other threads complaining it's 'too hard' to get a dog from rescue. Those who complain should read stories like this one.

I take my tibbie girls across quite a few suburbs, sometimes, to a particularly excellent vet hospital. Seems Ams uses that vet sometimes, too. The vet nurses have spoken very highly of her rescue and how its conducted.

And, I, a non-Facebook member, can now read it!

That sounds like the same as AWL Q'ld's Facebook page. I'm not on Facebook, but I can click on Wall and read all the updates, including anything they need. If I'm able to help, I can then phone or email the AWL. http://www.facebook.com/AWLQLD