mita

This comment about borzois is spot on, IMO, & can generalise. Like, I've thought that tibbies' self-referencing & being able to assess context & make decisions from that....relates to surviving alongside people in one of the harshest environments on earth. Tibet. I read the autobiography of the Dalai Lama where he explained how the Tibetan horses behave differently because of the need to survive in the extreme terrain. Like, the horses will first pick up rock movements, before their riders, & will instantly take evasive action. It's accepted that the horses will make decisions that don't depend on human direction. There seems to be a streak of self-referencing that runs thro' the tibetan dog breeds as well.

Agree entirely. Having owned a breed that's on the list, border collies, I couldn't agree more about their superb level of trainability. A lovely breed. But now I own a breed that is more self-referencing... tibbies. Their quality of 'intelligence' is quite different. The tibs continually appear to be running the context throught their heads...'And the point of all this is?'. If something has a point for them, OK then fine. And they'll never forget it. I've found this makes them superb alert dogs. They really can figure out from context what's going on & act accordingly. They have a list in their heads of OK visitors....even if the person hasn't been here for months. And they're super right when it's someone up to no good. So I can trust these little dogs' 'judgement'. I've found I have to train/manage tibs in a totally different way to the border collies. Which is fine, because we have different expectations/demands.

'Temperament' is not the same as 'behavioral traits' that tend to be found in the same breed. 'Temperament' is a pattern of responsiveness that persists over time. Same as for people. You can have 2 dogs from the same breed with similar behavioral traits but which have differences in temperament. And you can have 2 dogs from different breeds with similarities of temperament.

K-9 Caper Events in Brisbane off-leash dog parks, from April to June. Activities, games, competitions, stalls. Games start from 1.30 p.m. Final one for this year. The Gap Sunday 26 June. Full details, including location of the dog park: http://www.brisbane.qld.gov.au/facilities-...apers/index.htm Very good information on that website for how parents can train children to behave in a park full of people & their dogs.

It's happened to me, walking our 2 shelties. Open gate & out came a blue heeler streaking towards my shelties. I had nowhere to go in the split seconds.. I put my arm protectively in front of the shelties & the BH literally ran into my arm, teeth & all. So I got a bite. To be fair, the BH hadn't intended to bite me....& actually seemed stunned it'd bitten a person. I stamped my foot & said, 'Get out!'. By then, the owner had appeared & I told her that her dog had bitten me. Blood running down my arm! The woman just turned & walked back inside, BH followed her. Without a word. Went to doctor, got bite treated, then rang Council dog management inspector who was great. He, too, was angry that someone with a territorial dog would leave a gate wide open & would totally ignore the situation when someone was bitten. I emphasised the BH was after my dogs, it hadn't intended to attack a human. He was really amused. He said I was the first person reporting a dog bite that had stuck up for the biter. Anyway, he was then off to pay the woman a visit. His emphasis was going to be that her dog was allowed into public space, to attack. He phoned me later, to say he'd really read the riot act & applied suitable penalty. Turned out the BH was quite senior, 7 yrs old, & didn't test out as aggressive towards people, just as I'd said.

Samford Pet Resort is the only place I'd send our tibbies. For the reason that the OP mentioned, too. I want our dogs to be in accommodation that is most like home, not concrete pens & wire. Samford Pet Resort has a level of accommodation you can choose, where the dogs are in rooms that look just like bedroom/sitting rooms at home. It costs a bit more than the usual kennel-type accommodation. But is worth every cent. Our shelties used to go there, years back, when Samford Pet Resort had just started. Wonderful owners, Karen & Garth, were great with the animals. Our shelties used to walk away with them to their accommodation, tails wagging. The resort is now run by their son, who is equally as good with the animals. As is the staff. They have pick-up places from various vet clinics around Brisbane, for owners who prefer not to drive out to Samford. Very convenient.

Leema, this is an excellent post. You are right. The press release contains 'motherhood' statements. They say pet stores don't source from cruel & unregulated puppy farms & their sales numbers are less than from other quarters. But no evidence is supplied about where they do source from & if the conditions of breeding/raising meet the standards of state- of- the- art practices to work towards puppy welfare. Which should include after-care support Just a note. Those organisations presenting a counter-argument by setting out best practices for preventing later dumping, also need to supply evidence & not just state ideals. There needs to be means worked out to collect actual statistics, not just trade 'motherhood' statements. The total absence of regard for the critical issue of socialisation is highly significant, as you say. Not only the socialisation of the puppies, but also that of the mother dog. There's some evidence which links how well socialised a mother dog is, with the early learning of the puppies that forms the base to their adult dog behaviour. The pet buying public need to know how important it is to have documented knowledge of a puppy's background and the conditions....both physical & social...in which both it and its parents were raised. There needs to be an actual checklist, of what's required, that must be ticked off....& monitored to the extent to which the conditions are met. That, is evidence[/i], not just untested 'motherhood' statements.

As others have said, start with your lifestyle needs. Which change over a life-time. We always had the working dog breeds, going from border collies then to shelties. We were not small dog people. But we did own a small mixed breed rescue dog saved after being thrown from a car as a puppy. She was a lovely, sensible little housedog for 22 years. When she died, I realised I missed a small dog. Did some research & liked the look of the papillon. So when we went to the Brisbane Royal one year, I went to look at the small breeds, wanting to see papillons & talk to breeders. First row of little dogs I walked into, totally won my attention. I had no idea what they were. They had beautiful coats of all colours, sat calmly & confidently. But, most of all, they looked me straight in the eye, as if weighing me up, 'Are you a person I'd want to know?' I asked what they were. 'Tibetan Spaniels.' I'd never heard of them before. But I was hooked, did research, spoke to breeders....& we've only ever had tibetan spaniels since then. Calm, confident and once they've accepted you as a person they want to know....affectionate, smart & joyful. Every day I get the same impression, as I look at our tibbies' faces, as I did when I accidently walked into them at the 'Ekka years ago.

Good offer. I hope the little one continues to do well.

My tibbie girls' needs are pretty simple. Maybe because they're Buddhist Just a joke, I know dogs can't pick their values & ethics system. But the diet which suits them best is a natural one, using vegetables sourced from not too far away & chicken, fish & yoghurt. Their bed-clothing is recycled. From St Vinnie's. They're not into playing with manufactured toys. All the things that make them happy in life, are free. Like walks, company & cuddles. Their slippered hare-feet seem to be leaving a fairly light footprint on this earth.

Zoe is indeed a fighter! That was a lovely description from her breeder. More warm thoughts to you & your lovely girl.

You sure did a good job in sounding out a reality check for that bloke. You're right, tho', when you said he was already committed to his 'dream' idea.

AWL Qld, on the Gold Coast, has a dog (golden retriever) with a handler (retired teacher) who visit a school for children to read to. They were seeking to expand this program & asking for similar interested owners & dogs to contact them.

I love his school uniform. Interesting that the teacher says the children are calmer with the dog in the room. One of the sheltie breeders, years ago, was also a high school teacher. She used to take a sheltie with her. It was in the days before rules about no dogs. She said the same, especially about how the horde of adolescents would leave the room. With the dog in the room, they automatically were quieter, less rushed & made less noise generally.

You got it right....heartless! And cowardly, too. Game to say insensitive things like that, in cyberspace. Parvo puts the dogs & the owners thro' hell.

KK's right. There's been a huge surge in parvo cases. The virus has thrived in the moist & warm conditions following the flooding & big wet. http://www.dolforums.com.au/index.php?show...p;#entry5230288 I hope your girl pulls thro', as others have said, dogs can. Puppies are so vulnerable. Every best wish coming your way.

Reported in Courier-Mail. Moist & warm conditions following Qld's flooding has led to a huge increase in number of parvo virus cases. Even some areas are reported as having more cases than others. Good basic information in this article, with info on transmission, how it has its deadly effect on dogs...& prevention. http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensl...f-1226024703224

Raising dogs in apartments is commonplace in big cities like New York. A dog trainer's written an excellent book called Metrodog: Essential Guide to Raising your Dog in the City. Which means living in apartments. I was lucky to find a copy in our local library. Incidentally, a lot of the tips this trainer gives would be useful wherever the dog lives. Check out the Product Desciption here. And also the reviews by people who live in apartments & who've used the trainer's guidelines: http://www.amazon.com/Metrodog-Essential-G...r/dp/0446679186

I wish I were closer to AWL Qld to do something more hands-on than financial support alone. Yes, the UQ adoption program is one of the best places to get dogs & cats from. Our cat came thro' that program & she's great. By the way, unvaccinated dogs are all over the place...leaving their 'presence' on footpaths, in parks & other public places. Human shoes supply a transport system. True however there is an expectation that anyone purporting to have the dogs best interests at heart would behave in a more professional and responsible manner. Let's be honest, if a breeders behaved like this they would be hung drawn and quartered. the same rules should apply to rescue as it does to breeders JB, you've taken a general statement I made & interpreted it as having some unwritten significance about the rescue group....or any rescue group. I simply made a statement of fact, highlighting the general importance of getting dogs vaccinated. Which is why I started the sentence with 'By the way...' That is, As a side issue.

I wish I were closer to AWL Qld to do something more hands-on than financial support alone. Yes, the UQ adoption program is one of the best places to get dogs & cats from. Our cat came thro' that program & she's great. By the way, unvaccinated dogs are all over the place...leaving their 'presence' on footpaths, in parks & other public places. Human shoes supply a transport system.

There was a lovely pic of Chompy in the Sunday-Mail. Posed with the dear little grandson of the couple who've adopted Chompy. The little dog actually has quite a pretty little face, despite the one tooth sticking out. The new owners say that Chompy settled in as if he's lived there forever. Another sign that he's thriving with love & care, is that his hair is growing back.

Yes, get your stronger fence up, however you do it, as soon as possible. Those dogs are a tragedy waiting to happen & the attitude of their owner sums up why. Make sure your gates are a good barrier, too, in case those dogs get out onto the footpath & try to come via gates. Can you make a cat enclosure for your puss, too.

Another post with commonsense.

Your posts have all been common sense. Wherever unvaccinated dogs come from, risk comes, too. Also interesting to speculate how many dogs taken to dog parks by their owners (& out walking generally) are unvaccinated. Pity there aren't some standard, accurate resource articles that can be given to all new rescues and foster-carers. The point of this thread was that the OP was not made aware of risk and what to do in the face of it. And risk awareness/management wasn't built into the rescue's process. It's often been advised on DOL that people who want to start rescuing or fostering, should begin by being part of, or mentored by, an experienced group who know the ways & means. As I've posted I was fortunate that my first contact with a rescue was with someone who explained how they worked in an 'at risk' environment for disease & why... & what they did about it. Always knowing, at best, they could minimise it.

Yes, this was in my first 'lesson' on rescue, too. Unvaccinated dogs from all sources are included in the risk. Such as surrendered dogs from owners who've neglected to vaccinate. And unvaccinated dogs are moved around & taken into the public domain all the time, as you say. It was explained to me this is the reason that registered breeders are aware that parvo can be brought in via visitors' shoes. A good reason to be specially vigilant when they have litters. Back to the need to be aware of disease risk wherever dogs are from. And the steps to minimise transmission, at the best.