mita

That's an excellent summary. Thanks for posting it. It certainly highlights the evidence. No breed or mix is any more dangerous than others on breed label alone. So they highly recommend focus on dog owners, as they're the people who should be in control. Good to see prevention programs with school-age children getting good results. But that still leaves the most vulnerable group, the infants & preschoolers. So it'd be good to see concentrated programs aimed at parents of the very young children. In the Netherlands, where good data on breeds and bites exist, breed-specific legislation was repealed because they found no one breed more dangerous than any other. They recommended there be a focus on owners of dogs in cases where the people bitten did not interact with the dog that bit them. Training for dogs and education for dog owners and children can reduce the incidence of dog bites. A recent United States study reported that knowledge about dog bite prevention among young, school-aged children is poor.7 However, education programs in the primary school setting have been shown to alter a child’s interaction with dogs.8

I think you've brought up a good idea. It's pretty much established that people respond better to carrot rather than stick. And it's good to see DOLers posting examples of where this is already being applied. Here's hoping it leads to more being set up.

Council registration of dogs....with tags to wear on collars... pre-date microchipping by decades. ID disks on dogs' collars have been around since Adam was a chap. I read where King Edward VII's dog, Caesar, had an ID tag which said, 'I'm the King's dog.' Even the king of England was prepared that his dog might get lost. Was there any reason why the 2 dogs you've posted about, did not wear either or both registration tags and ID tag? I don't have sympathy for owners who lack the foresight to imagine what might happen if their dog gets lost....without any form of identification. I have sympathy for the pets.

Brisbane City Council has a good option, if a finder has picked up a dog wearing a current registration tag. An officer at the call centre gives one option where the finder can hold the dog temporarily while the council phones the owner. This may only take minutes. The officer then switches the owner thro' to the finder and they both can make arrangements for the owner to come collect the dog. We live near a shopping centre, with nice 'smells' that attract dogs that get loose, so have found quite a few lost canines trotting by. Most of them, thanks to the council's option, have been returned to owners who've arrived within an hour or so. Only odd one was when an owner of a Ridgie was switched thro' , by a Council officer, only to tell us they were out of town at a country wedding. We happily agreed that the Ridgie girl could stay the night. On the dot, her owners arrived next morning to get her. Tho' another one was also a bit odd. When the council officer contacted a Staffy's owner, he was actually in Melbourne on a business trip. The owner, after being switched thro' to us, then organised for the Staffy to be dropped into his mother's house (which was near us). We were happy to oblige. In all those cases, the dogs had been responsibly registered by their owners (& most were also microchipped tho' that hadn't been necessary to check). Owners who've made sure their dogs have identification of this kind, deserve every assistance in getting their pets back safe & sound. And the Brisbane Council does their bit, by allowing the pets to by-pass the pound system, if they have a registration tag. It's not surprising for some finders to have qualms about what might happen to a dog or cat passed over to the pound system....especially if checking shows no registration tag/microchip/ID tag. I have no time at all for owners who do not register/ID/microchip their dogs and cats.

My concern about Martin Seligman becoming a 'thinker in residence' refers to his most current work. Which is extending on his very helpful contribution re the critical role of optimism and resilience. That work saw him being regarded (& fair enough) as having evidence-based practical ideas around 'happiness'. Some of this has been made available in school programs. But more lately he's taken his notions further, like picking up on empathy. One of his supporters, Richard Layard, from LSE, has not totally agreed with how he's done this & his understanding of empathy...and I can see why. (RL assisted getting the school programs up in the UK). Interesting that the OP's worries revolve around empathy in relation to animals. So I would hope that MS does the scholarly thing in his new role, by placing his work in a critical context, which refers to contrary views. There's even a view that (unlike RL's) takes the entire 'positive psychology 'movement to task. Like the publication of Smile or Die! So here's hoping that lots of good debate and thought will flourish around the new Thinker in Residence. (By the way, I agree that there's been great advances re the treatment of animals in research....in more recent times.) http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2011/may/15/flourish-science-of-happiness-psychology-review

Ah, T, you made me feel better! Our tibbies did the same thing to me. First thing I taught them was that Bottoms on the Ground (Sit) brings good things, like cuddles & treats. Then the smart little wretches turned it against me. Whenever I walked past, they'd initiate their own 'Sit'....with bottom banging hard on the floor to get my attention. Eyes shining, waiting for the treat or cuddle that MUST come.....'You taught us that, so pay up!'. I never have to give the order 'Sit' to the tibbies.....they figure out from the context that a 'Sit' will serve them well. You're right about the coats....for some reason these little dogs manage to keep themselves very clean. They're cat-like. Your visiting tibbie should take a trip to the USA for further training. One of the tibbie owners there used to tell how he'd take his little pack of tibbies out hunting hares...

That's all been a big test in itself. And she passed with flying colours. A prospective owner would be delighted reading your account of her big day out at the vet's, T. It seems to me that she looks to humans for everything she needs....& doesn't seem overly needing to prey on, or dominate, other animals (like the kittens & the feisty little dog). So I totally agree with your last comment.

Scarlet, you picked 2 of my favourite smaller dogs....tho' the shelties are bigger than the tibbies. We've owned both, shelties in the past & now tibbies. At one stage we had a couple of both. You're right, the breeds have different temperaments. The shelties had the working dog attitude of what do you want me to do. The tibbies' attitude is, what is the point of what you're asking me to do. If it doesn't have a point..! Like, an owner had her tibbie at training classes. One activity consisted of a treat hidden under cones....& the dogs had to find them. All the dogs, except the tibbie, had pushed over the right cone to get the treats. He wasn't into this, at all. Finally, his owner tipped over the cone for him. He wasn't interested.....seems he'd known there was something there, but his attitude was. 'I don't want that cheap treat. So there's no point!' Another activity was winding tunnels the dogs had to go thro' to get to their owner at the end. The tibbie's owner knelt waiting for her boy to emerge....& waited....& waited. Then she felt a nudge at her back. He was there behind her....he'd figured the quickest way to get to his owner was to by-pass the winding tunnel. Typical tibbie attitude, 'What's the point of going a long way round to get somewhere?' I don't think a tibbie would be a fit for the OP!

It's just that the little dog looks like it has 'down' ears like a spaniel (along with that colouring). Maybe it's just the photo giving the impression.

Poor little mites. They look very pretty, VC. Are any of the other rescues that take smaller breeds able to help, too? The little one, second from the left....I can't make it out clearly from the pic....but does it have a 'spaniel' look?

I'm glad the OP asked the question because I've discovered I know very little about Terriers (apart from some breed labels). Certainly not nearly enough to make a choice of 3 top Terriers. I have some learning to do!

I totally agree with these sentiments. I've returned to this thread & have found more interesting & v. useful posts. DOL at its best, when fair opinion, experience and knowledge are traded, civilly....as well as understanding the OP's predicament. And people care that a little dog gets a good home.

Excellent post. Very useful to compare LP with HD. With HD, it's not just a case of depth of pedigree (parent dogs, grandparents etc), but also width of pedigree (parent dogs', grandparent dogs' siblings). So you're right, LP is a problem that can happen despite best thought & effort by a breeder of small dogs. Mandimoore, good on you for your caring attitude towards this little dog. I like the way you highlight the little one's lovely temperament and your wish that a good pet home can be found (with the issue of the LP to be discussed). I've happily adopted (as a pet owner) a beautiful little dog with a glorious temperament....but with LP....from a breeder. And I treasure her. ADDED: Espinay, I just read your post. Another excellent post that I found very informative & helpful.

It's common among Tibbies & is called 'wilding'. Not all do it, tho'. The Tibbie boy next door was given the name 'Brockie' after Peter Brock the racing driver, because he'd do zoomies at great speed. When he'd pass my Tibbie girl, Angel, he'd grab her by the tail, & take her with him. He tried that once, with our other Tibbie girl, Gracie. She tipped him on his back & stood on him. Brockie left her out of his zooming, from then on.

I finally got thro' reading 'Our Rescues' on the NOWZAD site. All lovely, but puppy, Winston, has quite a few pics. He's so cute that no one seems to mind him chewing the phone cord or a soldier's kit. Says he was adopted by the 'Royal Navy'! And given the name Winston after Winston Churchill because he's such a brave little bloke. When funds are raised, Winston will be going to an owner in the UK. An Admiral, perhaps? http://www.nowzad.com/2009/12/winston/

A lovely story. I found some beautiful photos on this site. It means so much to the soldier's family (& his girlfriend) to have Peg safe with them in the UK now. They are so thankful to all who helped get her from Afghanistan to them.....& have repaid the expenses of the charity that organised it. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2068572/Family-British-soldier-killed-sniper-Afghanistan-bring-home-stray-dog-best-friend.html I googled NOWZAD, the Afghan-based charity that organised Peg to get to Conrad's family in the UK. They do what they can for the dogs, cats & donkeys of Afghanistan. It mentions how American Airlines are helping them transport a bunch of dogs & a cat to the US for returned American soldiers who'd made them their pets. They help animals in Iraq, too. http://www.nowzad.com/

From The News Manual re Defamation Law in Australia (now uniform). Whether something is proven to be true or not is relevant & would have been applied in the OP case: Truth Truth (which is also called justification) is probably the best defence. Formerly in some states (such as NSW, Queensland, Tasmania and the ACT) truth was only a defence if you could prove that a ‘public interest’ was served by publishing the defamatory words. This requirement has been dropped from the Uniform Defamation Law and now there is a defence if the defendant can prove that the defamatory imputations are substantially true.

Pet Headquarters is hosting a Fundraising Fair to help raise much needed funds for the Animal Welfare League Qld on Sunday 11th December 10am – 2pm. There will be $25 microchipping, $12 hydrobaths, pet photos with santa, a jumping castle, pony rides, face painting, colouring in competition, sausage sizzle, ice cream for humans and dogs, Christmas gift ideas for humans and pets, I Information stalls, trash and treasure, live auction and silent auction, lucky number stall, competitions, popcorn, snow cones, fairy floss, doggy outfits, buskers, etc. There will also be Steam Train rides from Mitchelton Train Station on the day but tickets sell fast so it’s best to book early at Bendigo Bank in Blackwood St Mitchelton. Pet Headquarters provides a rehoming centre for AWL Qld that helps to find homes for their dogs, cats, puppies, kittens, rats, mice and guinea pigs. Address: Brisbane Pet Headquarters, 33 Blackwood St, Mitchelton, Brisbane (a north-western suburb).

I didn't say that a mis-match between owner expectation and the reality was the only reason for dogs being dumped. I said it was 'one' reason already teased out.....given by a significant number of owners themselves that they hadn't expected specific issues would arise. If you read the link I gave to the article about their research interest.....you'll see that Professor Rand says there's many reasons why dogs (& cats ) are dumped. And that they will continue to tease out both the human and animal factors involved (& the contexts in which they occur), using research protocols. What they have already, can lead to reducing some risk. given it's now known that what the person expects of a new pet at point of sale or adoption.....needs to be subjected to a reality test. And also that the socialisation of puppies (& mother dogs) is critical for the development of behaviours that will better help dogs fit into humans' lifestyle.

Leema, you have my for advocating the evidence-based. UQ has the problem of so many cats & dogs being PTS in pounds, as a major research study. Already one major reason why dogs are 'dumped' has been teased out. Owner expectations & reality didn't match up. It's also been teased out that early socialisation of puppies (& the extent of socialisation of the mother dog) is strongly linked with degree of risk for dogs being dumped due to the effects on their behaviours. Registered breeders were found to do better in relation to this, than unregistered breeders. Interestingly, UQ put the knowledge about 'expectation's into their screening of new owners in their own Adoption Program (of rescued dogs & cats). Questions presented new owners with the realities of dog or cat ownership and probed attitudes/knowledge.....as well as any past pet ownership (best predictor of future behaviour is past behaviour). Done via Adoption Application Form....followed by face-to-face interview, based on the replies. That Vet School now includes a Shelter Medicine hands-on subject for all vet students. http://www.uq.edu.au/graduatecontact/general/alumni-support-animal-welfare/ (Also very good work on this issue comes from Monash University.)

Which is of interest to the people living in the surrounding area. As I said, I spoke only for myself, when I said I'd run the flyer past the police, when I'm there reporting the incident anyway. I can't say if it's within or without any by-law or preferred procedure. I have no doubt that the police will treat the matter seriously & will agree that some kind of warning is necessary to dog-park users. The OP can make up her own mind. What is important, is that she's doing something about the potential for awful tragedy.

Good point, RubyBlue. Also I'd suggest you show the flyer to the police when you report the matter to them. Just to double-check that you won't be innocently doing something wrong by putting it up. I don't know the law, so have no reason for saying that. But, speaking only for myself, I'd double-check. The people who go to that dog park & their dogs are very fortunate that you're doing something about the matter. As someone else said, small children can equally be in danger from any baits laid.

You are right. The bloke's threat to lay baits in the dog park, should be reported to authorities. Would the other guy who heard the threat, along with you, back that he heard it, too?

Here's an article from the Qld Times, last March, showing Rhino, a 15 week old pup at the Amberley air base, just prior to going to a foster-home. Great pic of Rhino, posed in front of a Hornet jet. Seems he also had a pile of siblings, all names starting with 'R'. http://www.qt.com.au/story/2011/03/08/meet-rhino-the-new-raaf-recruit/