mita

I'm appalled that the excellent lobbying from people associated with DOL, fell on deaf ears. And that the legislation has been passed anyway.

Daisy just can't take a bad photo, can she! Even when hanging out of her bed. She's so photogenic, she could be a super-model. I know what you mean about not liking a name....but then finding it really fits a dog. Our latest girl was called Annie. And I'd never call a dog Annie. But she IS an Annie...which can be said with a Swedish accent because that's where she was born. Annie from Sweden! I can hardly wait until that gorgeous girl is yours & you can figure what fits her. And take lots of pics, too.

I've adopted tibs at 3 yrs and 2 at 8 yrs, and have changed their names. It's surprising how quickly dogs answer to a new name. But I agree with you about seeing how it goes, because our latest girl at nearly 4 yrs, was so much like her existing name, that I wouldn't dream of changing it. Keep those pics coming, tho'. She's adorable.

Ditto! I actually like a dainty flower name for big sweetheart girls like this. Daisy or Lily or whatever.

asal, I googled it & there is a Potty Park made in North America. But that doesn't mean the email is a legitimate one from them. Good 'ole Ed seems keen to get 'shipping' price out of his customer before sending one on trial. Whatever...I'd ignore it, too. It's a problem for another continent. http://www.pottypark.com/

The bit about 'ranchers & farmers' is the tip-off, where that 'humane watch' comes from. Go a bit further & you'll see a reference to how 'we at the Center for Consumer Freedom' are musing about how the Humane Society of the US is faring. That center is a far right wing US organisation fighting a rear-guard action on moves in animal welfare that have any impact on food production interests (hence the 'consumer' bit). And, yes, there'd be far left wing organisations, too, in the US with a dfferent kind of extreme view about animal rights. In the opposite direction. http://consumerfreedom.com/news_detail.cfm...ure-politicking If you'd like 'our (Australian) RSPCA to be critically scrutinised, then I'd suggest we have our own rigorous means of doing that, without calling on barking mad extreme positions. There is, in fact, an Australian Federal Government position paper on Animal Welfare in this country, which starts off by giving the flick (but in nice language ) to any extreme position.

There's also a good book written by 2 US dog trainers, called Metro Dog: A Guide to Raising Your Dog in the City. It's aimed at the lots of people who own dogs and live in apartments in cities like New York. Contains heaps of good tips. http://www.ofspirit.com/tw-metrodog.htm

I think she's more like a cat than a Westie, waving her hands in the air as if she's batting at a toy. While Tone reminds me of a Beagle waiting to be picked up by his ears (as US Pres Johnson once did to his beagle, which shocked dog lovers). All this while Moving Forward & Standing Up. While telling us & telling us & telling us & telling us, they're doing so.

There was a brochure from Clark Rubber (Brisbane) in our mail-box & I kept the page that listed artificial grass. There was a wide price range from $29.95 up to $99.95 per metre. Only the $99.95 one specifically says 'Child & pet friendly'. Here they are: Synthetic Grass $29.95 per metre Ezi Green Synthetic Grass $49.95 per metre Lush33 Landscape Synthetic Grass $79.95 per metre Meadow Landscape Synthetic Grass $99.95 per metre (the one that says 'child & pet friendly'). This is also the only one with a note saying 'Price doesn't include the sand and rubber fill required to complete an installation. Here's the Meadow one (& some others) mentioned by the manufacturer. Children & pets referred to: http://www.tigerturf.com.au/applications/landscape/

Well, our 'Gran' had no special diet (until she got to 19 yrs when the UQ put her on low-protein). She got the same as any other dog we've had. I wouldn't have known what BARF was. I suspect that her genes gave her a sound immune system, a sturdy but compact muscular-skeletal frame & a laid-back personality. Her environment gave her adequate food/shelter, a life free from excess stress and good physical maintenance (like worming, vaccinations etc).

Our 'Gran' who lived until nearly 23 yrs, owed one reason to a German Shepherd. At age 3 yrs, then called 'Tessa', she was a confident bossy boss of big dogs (if she could get near them). One day she slipped thro' the gate & took off to abuse a German Shepherd going by. He very rightly gave her one sharp nip (no skin broken). Tessa turned tail & came screaming home, 'That dog bit me!' Only to be told she deserved it. And she'd got off lightly. The GSD could have torn her to bits, but simply gave her a good correcting nip. She never, ever tried to boss a big dog, ever again. That GSD deserves credit for fixing up one factor that could have shortened Tessa's life.

Our "Grandma' ( formerly 'Tessa[), lived into her 23 rd year. She was deliberately thrown from a car when a puppy & we came by soon after. Gran was a little black with some white dog that looked like a cross between a poodle & a tibbie (but she may have been a Designed by God Dog from many generations back). Her nose was longer than a tibbie but she had that body shape & tail, but with a poodlely coat. Her personality was very laid back & self-confident. No ditziness. After being desexed, she had absolutely no illnesses or need for vet treatment of any kind, until she was 19 yrs old. Then she was put under the care the UQ Vet Clinic. They put her on a special diet because older dogs' livers are not working as well. She also had some tooth surgery. The dental vet told us he'd be using anaesthetic techniques which are used for very sick human babies...so it'd go easy on her. In her 23 rd year, she began to show signs of marked cognitive decline & she was helped to heaven. Our p/b Sheltie, Shelley, from a Qld registered breeder died in her 16th year. She, too, from the time she was desexed, never had an illness or needed any vet treatment, until the last 16 months of her life, when she started to become weak in her back legs. The vets said it was not treatable. She, too, was eventually helped to heaven. In Shelley's case, it couldn't have been personality. She was the original red-headed ditizy girl and drama queen ( we should have called her Lucy after Lucille Ball in I Love Lucy).

I got a message from a Qld Tibbie breeder. They're starting a Tibetan Spaniel Social Club of Qld . It's for both pet & show Tibbies and their owners to have some regular, relaxed meet-ups. Just for the pleasure of getting together! It'll be a great chance for our Tibbies to socialise with their kind & for owners to chat with each other. And swap tales & tips. I guess the majority of the meet-ups will be in Brisbane & the areas around. There's a form to fill in applying to join, with a modest yearly membership fee of something like $5. Please pass word around to Qld Tibbie owners. All Tibbies welcome, pet and show. Anyone interested can email me & I'll pass on the copy of the application for membership form (which has the name & contact details of the Tibbie show-person who's organising it). [email protected] I think this is a great move by the Qld Tibbie breeders, to bring together all the people who love their Tibetan Spaniels.

When I adopted our puss, I had to introduce her to the 2 resident tibbie girls. There were preparations before I first brought the puss out of the car & into the house. The 2 tibbie girls had been placed in a crate on the verandah deck. We timed it that the very moment they first laid eyes on the puss, they were given liver treats. We just kept this up as puss's carry cage was put on the floor in their eye range. More & more liver treats. Then the carry cage door was opened a bit & puss's head poked out....more liver treats for the dogs. We wanted them to associate the sight of the new puss with good things happening....like liver treats. So their attention was well taken with the treats. Next, we opened the door of the dogs' crate slightly & 2 tibbie heads pocked out....more liver treats. To our amusement, the puss joined the queue with the 2 dog heads sticking out....& got a liver treat, too. It was really funny how the 3 heads patiently waited their turns as each got a liver treat. After that, puss & the dogs behaved as if they'd known each other all their lives. But this worked, I think, because of the natures of the 3 pets involved. The puss had already been tested at the UQ Adoption Program as tolerating a strange dog being nearby. But we'd been told to introduce them with good things happening for the dogs first time they saw the cat, when the cat was in their line of vision & then when the cat was loose in the same room.

I wonder if a teacup Tibetan Mastiff would be worth 2 x $600,000. I know one, also named Yangtze, who lives in Brisbane. (Psssst! Don't tell prospective buyers, but the Brisbane Yangtze is actually a dainty Tibetan Spaniel girl. ) Slightly OT. But a Qld Tibetan Spaniel show person told me that her 6 month old Tibbie girl, took off for a great adventure at a dog show at Durack. She was frantic...where to look for her pup among the hundreds of dogs there. The Tibbie puppy was found, safely sitting between the front paws of a giant Tibetan Mastiff. Puppy must have thought, 'This bloke speaks my language and looks like a good place to shelter!'

Good point, Steve. An analogy would be like saying schools for children can only operate according to a magic number. When what counts is what's done, in a particular school, to get the best outcomes for the children. This is why I think the definition of a puppy breeding establishment has to be based on what is done there, for the adult dogs & puppies. Actions that give the best care according to a set of criteria. Which would include socialisation & variety in experience. I believe there are registered breeders who're already operating under such a model. They've already proven the point that it doesn't simply rest on a matter of numbers. Like, look at Jed's dogs. Even in the face of that awful tragedy, the RSPCA Qld congratulated her on how beautifully socialised her dogs were. They took them into temporary care for vet checks until the 'minder' breeders came to get them. The RSPCA made a point of saying in their media release that Jed was a respected breeder. Very clearly pointing out, this was no puppy farmer. Numbers of dogs that Jed had? Not relevant at all. It was what she did with her dogs that mattered. Therein lies the difference between good registered breeders and puppy farmers.

I get what you're saying, Steve. But it comes down to the definition of dog breeding which would be used to describe a Development application. A clear definition is needed re exactly what is to be developed. Because, on that, rests the nature of the facilities & activities to be approved or not. I'd be arguing that a definition of dog breeding which reflects what we now know about best practice must also go into a breeder's permit system (something like what's in a pilot project on the Gold Coast). With the critical issue being socialisation. Lack of adherence can result in loss of that permit. I may be turning into a Pollyanna , but I've got high hopes in Qld, now that the U of Q which published the research on the critical importance of socialisation will be sharing a campus with RSPCA Qld which has always said that the bottom line that defines puppy farming is failure to socialise adult dogs or puppies. The Gold Coast venture may finish up being a starting point for the whole of the state (& Dogs Qld was one of the 'designers'). I don't detect any general anti-breeder sentiment in Qld. In fact, the research here & the field experience of the RSPCA is that the good breeders actually prevent welfare & dumping problems for dogs. So good breeders shouldn't be impeded from doing what they do well. But I don't get those same vibes from Victoria. So I can understand Victorians feeling concerned.

The bottom-line problem with puppy farming remains, even if accommodation is clean, the dogs well fed & vet treatment made available & checked by authorities. And that's the issue of socialisation whereby the puppies are not socialised to be close to humans & to be exposed to a range of experiences, sights & sounds (as appropriate to their developmental level). It's been scientifically ascertained that there's a key 'window' of opportunity for when that must occur with puppies. 6 to 14 weeks. It's not psychological waffle. It links with the maturing of the neurological system, the laying down of brain cells. Exactly the same as occurs for children. Horrible thought, but if young babies/children are similarly deprived in that early stage, there are long-term consequences for learning and behaviour. So the provision of socialisation, of both puppies and the adult dogs, is the final, essential criterion for whether someone who's breeding puppies, is a puppy farmer or not. There is even evidence that the extent of socialisation of the mother dog, affects the behaviour of her puppies. It's therefore just as important to continue to socialise adult dogs. If there's to be any monitoring of dog-breeding, whoever does it, there needs to be developed a scientifically viable checklist of actual socialisation provisions. Shouldn't be hard to find. There were criteria set out in the study which checked for the extent & influence of socialisation. Also criteria is available from people who are breeding/raising puppies for specific purposes to work alongside humans, like the military dogs. And, especially, from those registered breeders who have been found to socialise their dogs well. 'Farming' in the sense of raising and caring for livestock is totally inappropriate for breeding/raising puppies bound to be companions to humans & sharing their lives, whether as pets or working or both. It's socialisation that counts...& that must be provided for and monitored.

I think you're right. The same people wouldn't walk into a classroom where children were being taught... leading their own children behind them & looking for a 'play' opportunity. But they have no idea that dogs have to do their 'learning' in a similar structured way.

3 No's for both my girls. I dips my lid to the breeders associated with their lines. I don't know if the future will throw anything up.

Just my opinion, but I'd say "no' to Option 3. The pets would be left unsupervised & without human company for most of the day for a very long 4 week period. Too much danger of fretting & of trying to escape to find you (the dog) or for wandering to find someone else (the cat). I like the idea of your dog having a holiday back with his breeder. I wouldn't worry too much about his picking up some different 'habits' from his rellies. Easy to get him back into the routine when you return home. The vet option sounds promising, too, as both the dog and the cat would be together. But that would depend on what kind of attention, housing & exercise the vet clinic provides. I'd also be just a tiny bit concerned that they'd be in the vet clinic for long nights without a human on the premises. But, as you say, maybe there are other options people can suggest.

He doesn't look anything like a 'funny looking chihuahua'!!!!!!!!! I came across a lady with a black & white tibbie & told her how nice it was to see a Tibetan Spaniel. She nearly fell over with shock. She told me she'd owned pet tibbies for 15 years & I was the first stranger who'd ever recognised the breed!

I know how that bloke felt. It's a bit of a shock whenever someone recognises my tibbies as Tibetan Spaniels. Hardly ever happens & when it does it's usually from someone who's got a relative that owns one or it's someone from the dog show world. Most people guess they're a bit like a Pekingese. But when you put a Peke beside a Tibbie, they're quite different. My tib girls are golden (Nina Zena is a platinum blonde & Annie's a strawberry blonde)....so women more often comment on their hair colour than their breed. With remarks like 'Who's their hairdresser?' Interestingly, men like Nina Zena because they say she looks like someone shrunk a Golden Retriever.

I've seen people do this, too....with a massively busy road outside. Couldn't believe it!

Thanks for that. I didn't know there was another place offering the 'Room at Home' accommodation.