mita

That makes a lot of sense. Dogs Vic also used to have a photo on their website of their pet therapy team. And bigger dogs stood out. There were a couple of gorgeous Rotties.

Thanks for the heads-up. This should be a great talk. There certainly is good science coming thro', which shows benefits to people with dementia-type conditions. UQ has a research program & they reported on it, in their newsletter. After it'd been going for some time, residents who'd first refused to take part in therapy program with the dogs, started to ask could they now join in. Also the photo of the dogs in the program was very interesting. Not small cuddly dogs, but hearty medium to big dogs. I'll see if I can find that photo.

AWL QLD has a great idea for fund-raising and using people's backyards. Kids & others are invited to camp out in their own backyard on the weekend 30 Sept-1 Oct. People can put together a camping party of friends. Details here: http://www.outwiththedogs.com.au/

Yes, I'll add something more on to my original donation. I can't speak more highly of those folk who run the kennels.

I agree with you, ZZ. While I'm not dismissing what a frightening experience it must've been for the 77 year old lady. Especially as she was not to know, as the dogs were 'going' her, just how 'serious' their level of aggression was. As it was, she was able to fend them off & get inside to safety. But even then, it could've had tragic consequences if she had a weak heart or some other medical condition which could be set off by the stress. BTW, statistically this lady belongs to one of the major groups affected by dog bites/attacks. Small children, boys of primary age & older people. As much as I disagree with Matthew B's posts on these matters, it's useful to know that's how many people think (as megan & ME said). So it's the line which needs to be countered via informing the public. I wish there were a Dog Bite/Attack Task Force, made up of people who do have the knowledge & expertise....who'd examine & report on serious dog bites & attacks. Following on ME's comment about her own goofy dobe.....I once held the collar of a lost female pitbull for nearly 20 minutes while we tried to find an owner. When the blokes arrived home, they positively blanched.....'That's a pitbull!' Yet, she was (& still is) one of the nicest, intelligent & well socialised dog I've come across. Even tho' she was in a highly stressful position, with strangers. Not surprisingly, when her owners were located, they were really nice people who'd owned her since she was a puppy & they'd raised her well. It was a genuine accident how she'd got lost.

Good bumping! Lovely lady I spoke to at Fernleigh Kennels when I rang to make my donation. And she did all by the book. (02) 6931 2518

Yes, to this. But, along with Spot the Dog, I was disappointed about his generalised remarks on bull breeds.

As someone else said, her opinion (which she believes is fact) is an extension of the simplistic line that's been used to peddle 'designed' mixes in past years. 'Mix 2 breeds & you always get the best of both. While always eradicating the supposed worst of each'. And this includes temperament. A great deal of money has depended on getting people to believe that as a matter of faith, not science. Also as others have said, it arises out of ignorance about genetics. In this instance, also ignorance about how behaviour is shaped by environmental influences. As the saying goes, 'Genes supply the gun, but the environment fires the bullet'.

Yes. First person who drew this to my attention was a canine association registered breeder. She told me it was not uncommon for members of the public to confuse registration of dogs with a (local government) council for 'registration' as a breeder. Or to be deliberately confused by someone. At that time, Dogs Qld was called the Qld Canine Council. So even the use of the word 'council' helped that confusion along. That breeder also said there was confusion (sometimes deliberate) with the use of the word 'papers'. Which is used to describe a dog that has pedigree papers from a registry. But she said that people were sometimes shown all sorts of things as 'papers' when being sold a puppy. For example, hand-written or typed names of parent dogs (or more) on a piece of paper.

Pheebs, I get it now, what you meant. We both just linked the work 'adopt' with different ideas. Me....with being taken into a family to be well cared for. Wherever the pet's come from. And you....with it's common use in rescue. So it'd follow that you'd see 'adopt' as pulling on heartstrings. I did, too....but for a good reason. Taking a pet into a home is taking it into your heart as well. I don't think either of us is right or wrong. It just shows how people read the same thing and interpret it differently.

Trinabean, I think you did well in a really scary situation. A similar thing once happened to me when I was walking our 2 gentle shelties on a leash. An unleashed dog walking along with a woman, went into that same intimidation/attack behaviour. And, yes, I finished up totally tangled in leads around my legs. No way the woman could call her dog away. But I got lucky & 2 blokes in a passing truck stopped & came to the rescue. I'm with those who say you should report it. You have witnesses to the address where the offending dog went. And what an owner....who couldn't face up to their responsibilities for their dog. And I'm mighty glad that both you & your dog came away uninjured.

Breeders are stuck between a rock and a hard place as far as I am concerned. If they refer to sales, selling etc they are accused of being too commercial or profit driven. I don't think the wording is manipulative at all. I agree with you Crisovar. I can't see anything manipulative in the wording either. In fact, I think 'adopting' is an accurate word to describe getting a companion animal from a registered breeder. 'To adopt' a child means to take him or her into your family & making every provision for care, love and support. So it's jolly good wording for a decent registered breeder, who cares about their animals' future lives, to use, if he/she wishes. I always talk about how all your p/b tibbies were 'adopted' from good registered breeders. Who keep a link & interest in them....a little like 'birth mothers'. And if I get a pet from a shelter, rescue group or from other source, I will always refer to it as 'adopting' that pet, too. Because my emphasis is on the care, love & support the pet will get on joining the family.

A 'yes' from me, too. A Cardigan Corgi might be a bit short for the criteria, but their great dispositions make it worth letting that go by. Our family owned one when we were kids & she was so adaptable and totally trustworthy. I think this breed is one of the hidden gems in the dog world. Another that's worth looking into is the Smooth Collie. I've not owned one myself but have been impressed with some owned by others.

Many years ago, I came across a pet store (in a shopping mall) that had some little kittens squashed into a box, that was none too clean, in the window. I let the mall manager know that I thought this was inhumane & didn't represent the centre very well. I also let my local state member know that I thought there should be laws about puppies and kittens up for sale. I took one of those kittens home myself....& told the shop keeper that this was not a good situation for young companion animals. I didn't call that kitten a 'rescue'. I called her Katie the Cat. She went down with cat flu' in the first days (no surprise), but pulled thro' with vet help. She lived to be 17 years of age. I still believe there ought be laws about sale of puppies & kittens.

Yes. Also the US Veterinary Association's Task Force on dog attacks. All variables were weighed up & they say the answer to public safety concerns is not banning breeds. Evidence is strong that the root of potential problems is in the variables that you quoted before. So that's where preventative action should be taken. Best run-down I've heard, was from a Victorian Rottie breeder (registered) talking on Radio National. The subject was the work of the Pet Therapy team from Dogs Vic. But when she mentioned that her therapy dog (& others, too) is a Rottie, the interviewer nearly fell off his chair in surprise. Rottie = Child Killer was beneath his question of how could that breed work with children & vulnerable elderly people. The breeder gave a succinct statement about decisions for breeding, raising puppies to be socialised and managing & maintaining good socialisation & training in adult dogs. Would apply to any dog. The Rottie Club of Victoria has this kind of excellent information on their website. http://www.rottweilerclubofvictoria.com/site/index.php?id=34

Dogs NSW should be a member of the taskforce. If the Pet Industry Associaton is on it....& Dogs NSW is not....then they've introduced a bias, from the start. If Qld research results can be generalised to NSW, a study showed that registered breeders raised puppies who were less likely to go on to present with one of the major problems underlying why dogs are dumped. It indicates that something positive is being done by a statistically significant proportion of registered breeders. That information would be very useful in looking at how & why a puppy's start in life is so critical. It was also revealed that the registered breeders produced far less numbers of accidental litters. The registered breeders are the one group who have documentation on their individual dogs (via the registration process) and who have some solid & rigorous research in their favour. So Dogs NSW should be on that task force. I'm with Aphra that 'evidence' and submissions should be sought from a wider group...& that would include gathering experiences from interstate (eg the ACT RSPCA, Rescue groups, GAP, Centre for Companion Animal Health U of Q etc).

Actually - under the Civil Liability Act in NSW (and from memory its the same in other states), an apology is not to be taken as an admission of guilt or fault. I wasn't making a point about the status of her remarks under the law. But it's good that you've posted on that issue. That's very useful information to know for any future incident. And to have a reference to the particular Act. I was referring to KL's feeling of guilt, if the little dog goes on to have some issues.

You're right. If the little dog has on-going issues because of the fight, the fault belongs to the lady who left it off-lead. And she knew it. That was the only part that was positive. She actually said so & apologised. In so many of the cases that DOLers post about, it's the person who caused a problem who finishes up abusing the person affected! Which makes me think this lady will never repeat her mistake.

Exactly. The lady knew she'd been at fault & apologised. I agree with lavendergirl that these kind of problems happen when all sizes of dogs are walked off-lead in a public area. It's the thoughtless human at the end of the non-existent leash, not the size of the dog. Here's hoping the lady learns her lesson & doesn't repeat letting her dog off-lead. A man who walked up our street with an unleashed dog, did. His dog, a large lithe x/breed was left running all around him...& up on people's driveways. I just caught this dog as it sighted Lily the tiny tibbie next door , who was standing inside her side gate. The dog raced up & was poised to jump over, when I yelled 'Stop!' Fortunately, the man followed up with a whistle & the dog took off. If he'd gone over that fence, he would've landed on top of Lily. Next time, that man came up the street, his dog was firmly on a lead.

I had a sheltie with separation anxiety. This was the advice of the behaviorist vet which worked (to my surprise!). .Give her a day bed where all good things happen for her (like being given treats, meals, lead put on for a walk). .Put on the day bed any toys she likes & also an old unwashed T-shirt of yours. Rub your palms all over the toys, too, to get your scent on them. The owner's scent acts as something of a substitute (like how we carry a photo of our loved one). .Leave a radio playing up out of chewing height. (Some dogs do well on classical music because it's calming, others a 'talk' station. .Get her used to being on this day bed, with all its goodies, even when you're home .When you go out, ignore her for 10 minutes before leaving & 10 minutes after coming home (pick a minute when she's taking no notice of you, to call her over for her pat). This takes any emotional drama out of your coming & going. . Never pay any attention if she's whining, or jumping up, or following you to get your attention. Turn your back/ignore & wait for a moment when she's focused elsewhere & is quiet. . Only then, tell her 'Sit' & give her a pat & cuddle. The penny will soon drop that any moves to try to get your attention will not be rewarded. Only when she's quiet & not 'demanding' & after she's followed a direction on your terms, might she get attention. .In all your dealings with her, put this Nothing In Life Is Free strategy in place. She has to follow an order to get all the good things she like. 'Sit' first for treats, a pat, meals, lead on for walks etc. This helps her learn she can't 'demand' things of you, including your presence. The vet behaviourist told me the sheltie would do well & learn quickly. I thought she was buttering me up because I had a difficult dog. But everyone in the household followed these directions....& the sheltie's behaviour began to modify in a few days. We had to be consistent & within a couple of weeks, she'd totally changed to the point where she'd ignore me for 10 minutes when I came home!!!!

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Whoops! Will start again! :)

I'd agree that Tibbies are different little dogs. My Tibbies are not like the ones you describe at the breeder you visited... they love to cuddle on laps & are not barkers. One's from Sweden & the other's from NSW. It would never occur to my tibs to get higher than my head if I'm sitting down. They like to be at my feet, at my side or on my lap. In fact, I just got back from the groomer who remarked how she loves how my tibbie cuddles in to her neck. Our first Tibbie, who came from Q'ld, was selected to be a therapy dog at a children's hospital because she, too, was cuddly & loved to be with people. The Tibbie next door came from Victoria & tends to bark (but not mindlessly), and is aloof with strangers. She has a different temperament from mine. I can honestly say that I didn't love them, although the breeder does. They weren't really my type of dog, but hers would suit lots of people, just not me. She had some babies there though and they were about the most adorable things I've ever seen. Well, the behaviours you described are not like the Tibbies we've owned or own now. In fact, it seems ours have very opposite traits. We love ours....& so do others....because they are so people-friendly & cuddly. The young male vet examines our girls by sitting on the floor, because they love to climb into his lap. Maybe there's lines with different temperaments. As I said, ours have come from Sweden, NSW & Q'ld. And not one behaviour from your post fits them.

DOL has made me look out for the Finnish Lapphund....& also the Swedish (Vallhound?). I haven't seen any yet, but would like to, in real life. The DOL owners have described them so well....& enthusiastically. Also I've loved looking at the Australian Shepherds that DOLers have posted about...& described. And I was delighted to see 2 gorgeous specimens in a car outside a pet supplies store. The first Border Terrier I saw was one who jumped into our neighbour's car in the driveway. He was lost & after being taken to the vet (& then the pound)....the vet adopted him when he wasn't claimed. Smart little dog! Recently, I saw another Border Terrier at a doggie event. The owners were chuffed when we recognised his breed. They said that strangers rarely did.

I'd agree that Tibbies are different little dogs. My Tibbies are not like the ones you describe at the breeder you visited... they love to cuddle on laps & are not barkers. One's from Sweden & the other's from NSW. It would never occur to my tibs to get higher than my head if I'm sitting down. They like to be at my feet, at my side or on my lap. In fact, I just got back from the groomer who remarked how she loves how my tibbie cuddles in to her neck. Our first Tibbie, who came from Q'ld, was selected to be a therapy dog at a children's hospital because she, too, was cuddly & loved to be with people. The Tibbie next door came from Victoria & tends to bark (but not mindlessly), and is aloof with strangers. She has a different temperament from mine.