

mita
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Everything posted by mita
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I owe Hobbes. 10 years ago, when I joined DOL, all I knew about pitbulls was the common idea they were born savage. You used to post about Hobbes & how he was a trusted part of your family, with photos of him with children. That gave me pause for thought... Then I met a lost pitbull girl in real life. And I had the confidence to give her the benefit of the doubt. Yep, she proved to be sensible, affectionate & biddable We caught her & found her owners. Thanks, Hobbes
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Good advice.
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Four Corners: Greyhound Racing: Live Baiting Revelations
mita replied to Boronia's topic in In The News
Great to hear! -
Four Corners: Greyhound Racing: Live Baiting Revelations
mita replied to Boronia's topic in In The News
Agree. It's the very opposite to RSPCA Victoria's first sensible recommendation. The self-regulation by Greyhound Racing has failed... so there needs to be a power & processes from outside their industry, to which they are accountable. This step just seems to be pouring more money into something that they've already not had the will to do properly. -
Four Corners: Greyhound Racing: Live Baiting Revelations
mita replied to Boronia's topic in In The News
You've said exactly what I've been thinking. We won't let it happen to these lovely dogs. -
Four Corners: Greyhound Racing: Live Baiting Revelations
mita replied to Boronia's topic in In The News
This is just the kind of information which should follow up the cruelty (true!) blitz. Showing that greyhounds, like any dog breed...& like humans, too!'... don't just fit a stereotype. 'Our' greyhounds were racing greys. The speedy little tibbie boy next door, Brockie, used to run with them, beating them by suddenly changing direction, causing a greyhound pile up. Their trainer used to call that tibbie his co-trainer. The greys' ambition was to beat Brockie, not kill him! It was all play. -
Four Corners: Greyhound Racing: Live Baiting Revelations
mita replied to Boronia's topic in In The News
As I said, that would once have fitted me. What greyhounds deserve is for far better & more information to be got to the general public. Which is what I've tried to do, since learning what really applies to these sensible, sweet natured dogs. Who can blame people for having negative ideas when the only information that hits the public arena in a media bombshell, is horrendous footage which seems to confirm worst fears? Bless the greyhound rescues... I have only admiration for how proactive they've been in promoting the best these lovely dogs can be. There ought to be a follow-up program that highlights them! They don't have the resources to buy media time & space. This is a greyhound 'industry failure'... it's their job to protect the welfare of racing greys, set & police standards... & do PR for this lovely breed, which in such large numbers need rehoming as companion dogs. So it's vital to get true information into the public arena. -
Four Corners: Greyhound Racing: Live Baiting Revelations
mita replied to Boronia's topic in In The News
When I'd had no up close, informed contact with greyhounds, I thought that the breed was just hard-wired to kill any small animal in sight. So I'd have fitted your profile of the kind of person that Grapvic wouldn't want to rehome a dog with, anyway. It was the 'education' given by a fine greyhound owner/trainer living next door that taught me it was the same for any dog. It's what humans do. And when a human does the right thing in raising greyhounds, this breed is one of the treasures of the dog world. I became a person who happily provided my precious little tibbie to be the small dog tester for the GAP program. My only quibble when asked, was if it would be a fair test. She already loved the racing greyhounds next door. GAP said no problem... & she finished up loving every magnificent, sensible, good natured GAP grey she tested. So did I.... I cannot recommend too highly these lovely creatures as companion pets. So, may the proactive begin. End the self-regulation in the greyhound 'industry', cheer on RSPCAs like Qld where they & the police said criminal charges are likely for the perps of this cruelty. Both have already conducted raids (the police have the same powers as RSPCA re animal welfare in Qld law). And get information to the general public about the best greys can be as racing dogs & as companions with not the slightest need to try to make them 'savage'. Quite the opposite. Oh... & get it called a 'dog sport', & not an 'industry' which turns the dogs into 'economic units'. -
You both are so funny.... suspicious wet trails and piles of continence pads! :)
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Small Breed Dog Wanted
mita replied to Cheyenne_Fury's topic in Dog Rescue (General Rescue Discussion)
Tibetan Terriers are gorgeous dogs. -
Four Corners: Greyhound Racing: Live Baiting Revelations
mita replied to Boronia's topic in In The News
Yes, attention should be on what's happening now. The RSPCA's comments, both Victoria & Qld, are not in a direction of a ban. They clearly point to a problem at the underbelly of the sport ... they are not saying the sport per se must necessarily be cruel. (They may comment more later, tho'.) They offer sensible solutions, clean up the ugly cruel underbelly, no longer rely on self-regulation which has failed, bring criminal charges against those who've done the wrong thing, ban the guilty from ever owning an animal & revoke their licenses. As to Animal Liberation & Animals Australia, I don't know what their agenda is... maybe one or both want a ban. But the RSCPA, which has a more mainstream voice, doesn't appear to. This is the time to also point to what has been done well in the sport & by whom. The only time the general public hear much about racing greyhounds is when a horrible exposure like this happens. It feeds into the belief that greyhounds are only good for tearing small creatures to pieces. I once thought that, until shown otherwise by an owner/trainer who cared for the welfare of his dogs, did not do cruel things, made sure his greys were rehomed ... & still produced champions who were also great at being pets. So two things needed.... clean up the industry & present how it is best done to the public ( I like kirty's walk idea.) -
Four Corners: Greyhound Racing: Live Baiting Revelations
mita replied to Boronia's topic in In The News
Statement from RSPCA Victoria, seems to be aimed at cleaning up the sport, not banning it. They say it's marketed as a family outing event, so it's doubly appalling that ugly, cruel practices can go on underneath. Also that the industry is totally self-regulating, so there's a huge need for independent scrutiny. They propose that anyone found guilty of cruelty should be banned from animal ownership for life ... as well as having their license revoked. http://www.rspcavic.org/issues-take-action/animals-in-sport-and-entertainment/greyhound-racing -
Searching For A Collie (Perth)
mita replied to Dave-o's topic in Dog Rescue (General Rescue Discussion)
Yipee! Bet there's a very happy new dog in your family. :) -
Four Corners: Greyhound Racing: Live Baiting Revelations
mita replied to Boronia's topic in In The News
I was talking with our neighbours about the 4 Corners program. Our homes shared a long fenceline with the decent greyhound breeder/trainer (who's since retired interstate). They were horrified by the program but said there should be balance to show what decent trainers do. Otherwise this reporting is throwing the greyhound breed back to the awful judgment that was once made of them. All they can do, is horribly kill small animals. That's what we all thought before the greyhound man moved in well over 20 years ago... & boy did he educate us. He loved his dogs.... he actually loved animals generally... no need for any of the horrors of live baiting. So we saw what comes out of the other side of raising greyhounds like that. His dogs became champions & yet they were as sweet as any pet. He believed firmly that there was no need to make greys 'savage' in some way, so they'd get the keenness to race. I remember his saying once, in horror, that some trainers believed in keeping their dogs hungry. His secret was that his greys loved eating bananas! Lots of potassium. He'd laugh when race commentators said that his state sprint champion, Harry, had the killer instinct as he raced. That same Harry would hide behind his legs, when our tiny tibbie, bossed him around. Not only must the authorities go after the creeps who believe cruelty & privation are necessary to train greyhounds... & ban them for life from the sport. They must also clearly show how greys can be raised and managed so they have a decent life like any other dog. -
Four Corners: Greyhound Racing: Live Baiting Revelations
mita replied to Boronia's topic in In The News
Best practice = how little can we do but still make lots of $$$$ I don't believe anything will happen. There will be a bit of noise, some "show trials" and then it will be back to normal. The only way the cruelty will stop is if the sport was banned entirely. And that isn't going to happen (although it should). Best practice should be based on final criterion being the welfare of the greys. I saw it in one man & I saw the quality of greys coming thro' GAP. But that was only one person's snapshot view. If the 'industry' can't be proactive in working towards that as a regulated norm (with independent policing) .... then who can blame increasing public calls to ban greyhound racing entirely. Just my impression, but every time there's an expose, those calls seem to get louder. -
Four Corners: Greyhound Racing: Live Baiting Revelations
mita replied to Boronia's topic in In The News
I bet you would not be alone, in that. -
Four Corners: Greyhound Racing: Live Baiting Revelations
mita replied to Boronia's topic in In The News
Yes... as I said in my post, our neighbour who represented best practices was a decent & intelligent man. His day job was as public servant. Nobody's yet answered my question why best practices, which I witnessed, do not get presented in the public arena. The public is left with the notion that these pathetic excuses for human beings are the only ones. It's not a case of who's in the majority or minority. It's a case of expectations of what must be regulated as the norm in greyhound racing....i.e. best practices. And examples also presented to the public so they know that decency & intelligence can (& must) exist in greyhound racing. Dispelling the notions that cruelty is required for an owner/trainer & his greys to be successful. If steps aren't taken to be proactive, then the public can hardly be blamed for joining in the chorus of those who want greyhound racing banned. -
Four Corners: Greyhound Racing: Live Baiting Revelations
mita replied to Boronia's topic in In The News
Appalling Really appalling. I'm speechless. Hardly surprising. Don't worry Wreckit only dabbled in racegreys for a couple of minutes with a few freebies she was given. Hardly the font of all knowledge of racing practices. Yes, but this kind of 'stuff' goes into the public arena... with no balance of how decent trainers/owners work. I'm just as appalled by the lack of emphasis on best practice. -
Four Corners: Greyhound Racing: Live Baiting Revelations
mita replied to Boronia's topic in In The News
Well, I know a trainer who doesn't use rabbits or any other living creature. Neighbour who lived next door for many years & who bred, owned and trained his racing greyhounds. Successfully, too, at least one became a State sprint champion. A decent, intelligent man who knew that his dogs could be trained to run following a lure, not a live animal. The point is the training is being done to run races .... & it's not necessary to use living creatures as lures so that they can do so at a high standard. He put great emphasis on socializing his pups/dogs because he believed that his greys would be retired to good pet homes.... which he took the responsibility of finding. So his dogs were socialized with small children... and even with our small breed dogs (who loved those greys). He won considerable prize money with his greys...& he'd donate a portion to the rehoming of racing greyhounds. Having seen how this man responsibly managed & trained his greyhounds, I had no trouble with agreeing when, from a separate source, I was asked to provide our small dog in the testing of greys in the GAP rehoming program. She had to trot, then run behind, alongside, and in front of the greys. With all the magnificent greys she 'tested', every one was calm & sensible with her..... showing no interest in chasing the little furry, living dog. For her part, she already adored well raised greyhounds ... & the only time she was distressed was when the 'tested' greyhound got into another car to got home! -
Small Breed Dog Wanted
mita replied to Cheyenne_Fury's topic in Dog Rescue (General Rescue Discussion)
The Tibetan Spaniel Association of Victoria puts any Tibetan Spaniels available for adoption on their rescue page. Presently there's a splendid little Tibbie boy, named Luigi. Trouble is he's located with the RSCPA Central Coast NSW. Don't know if your parents would be interested in interstate ... & I don't know if RSPCA NSW does interstate (Qld RSPCA does). http://www.tsavaustralia.com/rescue.htm ' You can search Pet Rescue for specific breeds by doing what I do to find any Tibbies. Google 'Pet Rescue Tibetan Spaniel Victoria' Just replace 'Tibetan Spaniel' with any of the breeds you've listed that your parents like. The search will throw up some that've already been rehomed... but you can pick out the ones still available. The crosses will come up, too. -
Beautiful work, huga! A few of the shelters & rescues had Valentine Day promotions... but I think yours was the best! I love Princess.... the look on her face has all the dignity of a princess!
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Searching For A Collie (Perth)
mita replied to Dave-o's topic in Dog Rescue (General Rescue Discussion)
Sorry for going O/T, but my breed of interest, tibetan spaniels, is one of the most popular breeds in Scandinavian countries, like Finland. One of my dogs actually came from Sweden... & her father was a Finnish champion. I'm on an international list with a lot of Scandinavian breeders & pet owners, & there's never been any reference to a rule about adopting a pound dog before getting one from a breeder. Those countries, in fact, tend to have a low dumpage rate... so they tend to help out other countries that do, by bringing in dogs needing rehoming. I know that Sweden helps out with dogs from Ireland. Here's a site which explains how Finland does that, too, with some other countries. http://petdynamics.org/2013/03/19/adopting-a-rescued-dog-in-finland/ -
Spaghetti Eating Contest - Golden Retriever Vs German Shepherd
mita replied to HollyMilo's topic in General Dog Discussion
And that GSDs are artists! :) -
She's so pretty! Would make a wonderful close companion for an older person.
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Searching For A Collie (Perth)
mita replied to Dave-o's topic in Dog Rescue (General Rescue Discussion)
Sprocket is a very handsome, good natured BC X with a WA rescue. Still under 2 yrs of age. Details on his Pet Rescue link. Click to enlarge his pic: http://www.petrescue.com.au/listings/328639