mita

Another 1.

This.

Many years ago when we were kids, our family cat knocked the landline phone over & it shattered. The then Telecom bloke came to replace it. He said it'd not cost anything if a human family member had done it... but not a pet. But he kindly got round it by writing on the 'cause' form...'Broken by L. Jackson (family name) in a fall'. Which was true... puss's name was Little-Bird (truly).

I suspect that lots of the celebrity-type people who support PETA in the US... are people who also loudly support protection of the environment & action on climate change. But they don't twig that PETA'S position is anti-science while their other 'causes' are very much based in science. They need to be told, repeatedly.... & as others have said, this case of the kidnapped & euthed little dog shows why.

It's not, it's an extreme animal rights organisation. They would rather kill all animals than see them "used" by humans for any purpose, including being a pet. As you say, Lisa, PETA holds an extreme position. It's also an anti-science position. As are most extreme positions about anything. The contribution to human well-being from the companionship of pets, is well established in the science. And it's not a one-way exploitative arrangement. Humans who value pets are proactive in promoting their welfare. PETA totally ignores this... & promotes the opposite in its activities.

Great idea.

Looks like it is true. Local television station aired the surveillance tape showing the dog being taken from its own porch... & the van with the PETA logo. Here's the station's video of their investigation trying to find our why, with numerous phone calls & turning up in person at PETA offices. No answer yet.... but they say they'll keep digging. There's a clue maybe in the station finding out that the trailer park gave PETA permission to 'remove strays'. But this little dog was on its own porch, as the surveillance tape shows. Even so, what a weird policy for an organization which claims to be 'for' animals, going around euthing dogs because they're 'strays'. http://www.dogingtonpost.com/man-claims-peta-stole-killed-his-family-dog/

Finally, we had to turn the air-conditioning on. Then the cat voted with her paws again... left the cool cement & breeze under the car & came up into the air-conditioning. Good tip for a Qld heatwave... get a cat & follow it.

Sarah, the cat's just voted with her paws. I brought her up from downstairs.... but she turned around & went straight back to where she was. Under a car parked in the carport across the back of the house. I just put my hand on her under the car... the concrete is so, so cool.... & a cooling breeze is blowing thro' ruffling her fur. Isn't that interesting.... the 2 coolest spots are outside!

Someone who knows about house cooling, told us that window glass is a major factor in interiors really heating up. It's the glass that catches & reflects the heat inside. Outside blinds cut down the sun heating the glass in the first place.... but drawing curtains inside helps, too. He told us that makes both insulation & air-conditioning work more efficiently. Presently, we've got all the curtains/blinds drawn... & just with the house being insulated, it's presently tolerable. No need to turn on the air-conditioning yet (will probably need it soon, tho' :) ). We're in the north western suburbs which tend to have slightly higher temperatures. The tibbies are sprawled on the polished wood floors... & they've picked an internal room that's sheltered from the outside (doesn't have any windows that look directly outside). I just went up & wiped down the outside furniture that's under the huge mango tree in the backyard. To my surprise, it's actually cool in that shade (not as humid), with a breeze blowing thro'.

You're miles ahead of where I was when I first took our sheltie to the UQ behaviourist vet. I had no idea of the dynamics involved in separation anxiety. I'd never even heard of it. I just thought we must have a seriously disturbed dog! It was a real light bulb moment when the behaviourist vet spelled out what was going on & that it had a name. Interestingly, she also said the sheltie was an intelligent dog & so would respond well to the relearning strategies that we had to put in place. Same as your situation, I didn't raise the sheltie or the tibbie from puppies. One was 7 months old & the other nearly 3 years old.

Would love that - thank you…..would you be willing to send the steps to my email address ? ….. [email protected] I would be most grateful….. Thank you No worries, Denise. I note you said that you have an appointment with the behaviour vet on Tuesday. I suggest that you do that first because a face-to-face assessment with the UQ behaviour vet, was our first step, too. There may be different aspects about individual dogs which need to be taken into consideration. I agree with HW about the need for an expert eye on a particular case. I'll still type out the steps we were given ... & will send it to you. But with the understanding they were based on an assessment of our dogs & their circumstances. So feel free, when working with your behaviorist vet, to accept or reject any bits or all.

Double post.

We had a sheltie with separation anxiety. She consistently tore soft furnishings to pieces when we went out. University of Qld vet bahaviourist gave us steps to follow which, to my amazement, made a huge difference in only weeks. What we had to do, wasn't all that complicated, we just had to do it consistently. So when we later got a tibbie who used to bark when we went out, I applied them again... & she came good. If you wanted the steps, I'd type them out. Meds were not used with the sheltie. But temporary use of valium was recommended, by the behaviorist vet, for the tibbie, alongside the behavioral steps. Valium is actually a muscle relaxant, which helps hose down anxiety. But it doesn't act as sedation, so the dog's brain is available for the relearning in the behaviour modification program.

We had a sheltie with separation anxiety. She tore the cushions on the sunroom chair to pieces when we went out. University of Qld vet bahaviourist gave us steps to follow which, to my amazement, made a huge difference in only weeks. What we had to do, wasn't all that complicated, we just had to do it consistently. So when we later got a tibbie who used to bark when we went out, I applied them again... & she came good. If you wanted the steps, I'd type them out. Meds were not used with the sheltie. But temporary use of valium was recommended for the tibbie, alongside the behavioral steps. Valium is actually a muscle relaxant, which helps hose down anxiety. But it doesn't act as sedation, so the dog's brain is available for the relearning in the behaviour modification program.

We had a sheltie with separation anxiety. She tore the cushions on the sunroom chair to pieces when we went out. University of Qld vet bahaviourist gave us steps to follow which, to my amazement, made a huge difference in only weeks. What we had to do, wasn't all that complicated, we just had to do it consistently. So when we later got a tibbie who used to bark when we went out, I applied them again... & she came good. If you wanted the steps, I'd type them out. Meds were not used with the sheltie. But temporary use of valium was recommended for the tibbie, alongside the behavioral steps. Valium is actually a muscle relaxant, which helps hose down anxiety. But it doesn't act as sedation, so the dog's brain is available for the relearning in the behaviour modification program.

Thank you, shel & vix, for the courtesy in your replies. That was helpful your pointing out the donation button leads to specific steps that first spell out who Pet Rescue is & what they do. So the donation is going in that direction.. My own thought is that, within the format of a rescue's specific entry, it perhaps could be noted by that rescue where further information on how to support them, can be found (like on their website or facebook page) And thanks again for the service you have developed & I appreciated Shel's setting out in detail what it entails for you to do it.

My experience, too, when I found a lost Pit Bull girl running along the fenceline playing with our tibetan spaniels. All tails wagging! Turned out she & her spaniel-type 'sister' had strayed out of a yard where their family, passing thro; the city, were staying. She was a sweetheart ... beautiful colour, too. I had to hold her by the collar while things were organised to find her owners (which we did). She was a real 'angel' watching out for her daffy 'sister'. I'd say she was one of the nicest dogs I've met.

The photos are so beautiful of a beautiful, happy pair, who'll still be together. No wonder you loved them so much. My deepest sympathies for your loss.

The photos are so beautiful of a beautiful, happy pair, who'll still be together. No wonder you loved them so much. My deepest sympathies for your loss.

That's interesting!

[quote name='RuralPug' timestamp='1414941730' post='6588330' New Zealanders can manufacture decent pet food - Ziwipeak is a fantastic brand made there. It is not as readily available in Australia as it is in the US, oddly enough. :shrugs: You made me curious. I'd not heard of Ziwipeak. Went to their website where there's a search you can do, using your postcode, for nearest locations where it's available.. I got a pleasant surprise when at least 2came up, within easy distance... one is the Pet Cafe at Ashgrove. But they suggest phoning the store first to make sure that stocks are in: http://www.ziwipeak.com/where-to-buy-ziwipeak/

Ditto!

Just adding that even tho' there are common traits within a breed, the individual dogs can vary greatly. We had two much loved Shelties, a glorious sable girl, Shelley, and a handsome tricolour boy, Danny. Shelley came from a top Qld breeder when she was 7 months old & had grown too tall for showing. Danny was a rescue who'd been found straying in awful condition & never claimed. They were like chalk & cheese. Shelley was a noisy, bossy drama queen who had something to say about everything. And did eventually obey.... but made sure she took her time so you didn't take her for granted :) Danny was sweet, loving and quiet ... & so responsive. In fact his nickname was Saint Danny. Shelley's nickname was the Mouth from the South. But we adored them both.

What's one more lab if there's a match between the realities of someone's lifestyle & the particular behavioral traits of a particular lab! :) Way back, within a family setting, Caddie the girl would've got me to check her out further. Also the 'biddable' 7 month boy ... who's started his obedience ... if there was a lifestyle where a trained lab would thrive alongside its owners