Little Gifts

I didn't want to comment because I thought I'd be at odds with others, but having grown up on farms as a kid it was that immediate solution to end the suffering of an animal. If the part of Mt Isa this occurred in was remote or a distance from emergency vet care or potentially a poor area with limited finances for vet care, potentially it was the kindest thing for the animal. Clearly traumatic for the residence to experience though and like a reminder of the true power of police. Sounds like the dog was free to roam like the street dogs so the fact it went under the wheels of a car is on the owners. No winners here except the dog's suffering was ended quickly.

LMO have you checked Facebook for any local Pekingese pages? I don't think I've ever heard anyone else on here mention having one! Definately a breed that was popular when I was younger, but I haven't seen one for years!

Wow. 7000 submissions and they were the key changes? I can just imagine the case studies in those submissions too, but that was it? A costly exercise and major opportunity missed. They obviously don't want to improve the overall life of animals in our country.

I couldn't even read all the way through. The thought of that turns my stomach.

Funny how all the small, independent rescues manage to staff, operate AND house/treat those same animals without any govt funding or national fund raising appeals. They honestly don't have a leg to stand on.

Correct me if I am wrong T but isn't education one of the banners that the RSPCA used to be funded for? They used to have a tv show, do school and other events and they have certainly used 'education' about abuse as a fundraising tool.

Something just dawned on me. I work with children subject to child protection intervention. The behaviours of some of them (who are not diagnosed with any condition that might explain some of those behaviours) would be considered outrageous and defiant. They wont go to school, they spit and swear at everyone in authority, they physically harm their siblings like they were in a Muay Thai match and they wreck where they live better than a demolition team. An old school parent might think a good whacking would set them right or that a stint with one of those military courses for kids would fix their attitude. But that is what living without basic safety and supply for a prolonged period looks like in many kids. This fight or flight is the result of ongoing trauma. They have no idea how to even recognise stability and thriving, let alone achieve it. I know dogs are not human but they live in our world and rely on us. What trauma do they experience when we don't meet their basic safety and supply needs? How long does their trauma take to shift to the background? They very much live in the moment but just think about what rescue even looks like to them. They get 'saved' from a difficult situation and then pass through many more stranger's hands before they find a new forever home. It's part of the process they don't understand that must impact their recovery from their overall trauma. The processes we follow in 'saving' them likely adds to their fears. Imagine the ones confined to pens in shelters - how do they destress or get to know their new environment? All they can hear is other barks of fear or anxiety. The smells are all chemical. Foster care is certainly better but that is still a move to the unknown for an already fearful dog. Honestly we are lucky so many dogs are so resilient and make it through as well as they do. The best option is really for far less dogs to need 'saving' and caging, fostering or adoption. They go from their mums to their new homes where they are loved and all their needs are met until the day the Rainbow Bridge comes calling. But since we can't even do that with kids it is unlikely it will ever happen with pets. So the next option could be either more limited ability to own what you know you wont care for properly or more informed and intentional purchasing and ownership.

Just horrific. I can't even imagine. What an amazing man to turn up with the right attitude and some sticks - just enough to get the attacking dogs to back off, but noone wants their beloved pet's last moments to be through such fear and violence.

Sounds like they don't actually want a solution, T. With the job I do we spread all over the state because we cover the entire state. We are also doing the same kind of in home inspecting work as RSPCA but with vulnerable children and teens. We are recruited and employed to cover certain geographical areas and all that comes with it (ie travel, long sometimes split work days, overnighters). We do have a couple of workplaces (spaces in courthouses) but we generally work from a home base and only meet in person every couple of months. It's not rocket science - our clients don't live in CBDs so neither should we. Oh and if we are travelling out of town and doing an overnighter we make an effort to not only do one client visit - we squeeze in as many as we can organise (whilst also doing admin work on our laptops whilst in our cheap motels at night if needed). What other inspections could these inspectors also be doing as part of that regional trip? Just excuses and zero reason to let animals continue to suffer while they ponder logistics. I'm sure some of their employees have skills (and love animals) but time and again they prove themselves to be heartless and toothless by choice.

This is Annual and they still get away with doing so little with so much? (Speaking about RSPCA more than AWL.)

I agree T. My vets run a tight practise and want to maintain a personal approach to their level of care. They did move out of their old long term location almost 2 years ago and expand slightly (new outfit of the new place, etc) but prices and their practise style did not explode to reflect that. I remember the vet nurse showing me through the place and showing me proudly the things they DIY'd like big pet murals on the wall. They never upsell, always ask for permission about tests and explain why they could be beneficial and always talk cost estimates when talking about treatment options. I'm paying for their knowledge and ability to work effectively with me and my dog as much as I am paying for tests, procedures and meds. They have offered me great deals in the past when we were trying to catch a street cat to desex her (they are great supporters of rescue). They've taken in some animals who were going to be euthanised and then done a ring around to find them a rescue/adoption spot. They squeeze me in if there is an emergency. And I've been able to simply ring and get vet advice over the phone with no charge on a couple of occasions (was happy to pay for a phone consult but they didn't want to do that). I think the difference is privately owned clinics have long term clients who take their advice and do all the follow through, so a mutual relationship develops and there are benefits to both sides to that. Then you have the people who call looking for the cheapest desex or vaccinations - they do the work and never see the animal again, so no relationship develops. Maybe they are the clients who can get a book price?

I might have to put my big girl pants on again and try. One of them I have 5 weeks supply of totally unused and the other is 7 days unused.

Beautiful Phoebe! Only yesterday a co-worker told me because of us fostering Albert (I was her work trainer and she spent quite a bit of time here with me and him) she had also decided to foster and her breed of choice is greyhounds! She got offered an ex racing girl called Millie yesterday and rang me all excited and sent me pics. I hope Millie has as good and as long a life as Phoebe. X

I remember when Albert was very sick earlier this year. After 4 days at the emergency vet over a weekend and public holiday one thing they didn't dispense to me for him was panadol. The vet said if he provided it it would be an extra $50, while I can buy a packet of it at a supermarket for a couple of dollars. But also from that event I have 2 lots of meds worth several hundred dollars that were either not started because he got sicker and ended up as an inpatient or because additional professional advice said to stop providing it. I secretly wish there was a return service on those items. Same when I lost Jonah and had just restocked his post MCT and chemo maintenance meds. I gave those to friends and rescue. Now I am broker I'd prefer a refund but am too embarrassed to ask.

Back in 1981 I lived on the beach (Holloways Beach) just outside of Cairns in a tent. Council used to come through and spray the midgies regularly. But the locals used to put some Baby Oil around their ankles and apparently the midgies don't like the smell. I assume you can still buy the product for babies and I doubt it will be harmful to dog's skin, so you could at least trial the same thing on your doggos for not much outlay? We definately used it for the 6 months we camped there and it must've worked or it would've been impossible to stay.