Little Gifts

Very sorry to read this. You have dedicated yourself to your fur babies and Bunter could not have had a more loving home. I know this one is going to hurt so take care of yourself.

Happy tears! I just love their relationship and loved that story! Thank you Boronia!

How exciting Taliecat!

Thanks PK. I actually found a 15mm collar in with my old rescue gear just yesterday (obviously used on a pei pup) so I have been able to measure around the hardware. The prong end is the part that clips in - it looks a bit like a fork with 3 prongs. They are fatter than I expected so I need to make the section on the bandana that the collar slides through wide enough or they will be useless! Hopefully someone with an XL sized dog might still be able to help me out!

I got given some fun canvas prints and because they are odd sized remnants I thought I could make some of those bandanas that slide on over a dog's collar for Craft For Paws Fundraising. I have medium sized doggos so I've made a pattern for them. The webbing on their collars is 25mm wide and to get over the prong end of the buckle I need to make the top section 45mm wide. Now I'm assuming large breed dogs would also use 25mm wide webbing on their collars. I'm also assuming small breed dogs would use 2omm webbing. But I have no idea about XS and XL collars. So if any of you have breeds in those categories would you be able to measure the webbing for me and if you have a tape measure run it all the way around the prong end and give me that measurement too (it is deceivingly large)? I'm just trying to maximise how much I can make with the fabric so thought a variety of sizes might be nice. Thank you! PS Here are the 2 trial ones I made today for our medium doggos and the odd sized grey 'medium' freebie that got me thinking about this idea in the first place.

I don't think they will be banned either but if we, the people who attend these events advise the organisers now that we no longer want fireworks and want other entertainment options that are already out there, then it will be them who choose to spend their money in other ways. Otherwise we boycott these events and everyone who relies on them loses money and they get the message then. Councils are the first place to start because they put on NYE and local shows and plan well in advance. Write on their FB pages for a start. Oh and I should add that the business who create the fireworks shows also do the laser lights and music and some are moving into drones as funds permit so they will not lose their livelihoods. Can't speak about options for firework sellers though.

What a cutie and obviously a beautiful boy who will always be loved whether he is by your side or not. X

Here you go - China using drones to create a unique display to see in the New Year. Let's move with the times and say goodbye to fireworks. Tell your councils and major event organisers now so they have no excuse to keep using them over the coming year. https://www.facebook.com/jim.cook.14268769/videos/2935428783142444/UzpfSTU3MTgwNzgxNjoyNjE1OTE4OTExNzk0Nzgy/

Lots of people have been saying fireworks should be banned but I see it as one of those vicious cycles. People do make a living organising these events and food, alcohol and taxi/uber companies also benefit from them. Usually it is councils or private businesses engaging them (some are also state government contracted via festival grants) in the belief they are a public drawcard and they are locked down many months in advance. So how do we get the message out that the general public can still happily celebrate without them (if that is of course true)? Will they be happy with a laser light show and music instead? (I'd like to think so) because they are already being used in conjunction with fireworks so organisers could simply shift focus without a great income loss. I myself have not gone to see fireworks for many years because I know how much they can affect some animals. They are illegal unless you are licensed yet every New Year some idiot is letting them off in suburbs. How do you deal with stupid? I've never heard of anyone being fined for letting them off illegally either. Same with the Chinese lanterns and the impact they can have on the environment (as well as fire risk). And bloody balloon releases! Lots of impact on all of these but so many people still enjoy and participate. Can we change all that? It seems like such a no brainer to just cancel them and give the money to firies but it doesn't work like that. I do know people involved in these big events and they plan all year and they are a huge source of income for many industries. They only provide what is being asked for so if we are real about this we need to be asking for something different or things will never change. It seems so insulting that we were even considering having fireworks displays anywhere in our country when the other half of it was already on fire but they went ahead as planned and paid for. So now all we can do is see what changes can be made for the coming year and let our councils and event planning businesses know that is not what we want anymore. No fireworks for New Years or outdoor concerts or festivals or weddings or sporting events or royal/local shows. Even if still legal we have to influence them to find safer ways to entertain us. We owe it to all the lives and livelihoods that have already been lost.

Hi Taliecat. I must confess I stopped looking at any new posts in the Rainbow Bridge area after we lost Tempeh (almost 13 months ago now). I wasn't up for reliving the pain of losing a beloved dog, particularly when they were still at their prime. I am so very sorry for your loss and can tell you that even after all this time I still talk to Tempeh, feel her around me (she is happy) and also still sleep with one of her coats. It hurts noone and gives me comfort. It keeps me connected. I think about her now and smile because she feels happy and free of her demons. But seeing your post about Dozer also brings up some guilt because back in August my girl Stussy (12 and a stafford) had all these lumps come up suddenly and the ones I was worried about were nothing, but the one on her back was a low grade MCT. We had some issues post biopsy and she had to have it removed under more urgent circumstances but she sailed through it and her recovery. She has also been losing a little weight and getting a few brain farts since but there are no signs of it showing anywhere else inside or out. At the same time as Stussy was having her surgery another famous stafford, Tonka the Concreter (almost 9) had the same issue and surgery. He didn't survive his either. His family were devastated and the community who follows him were also devastated. I don't know why cancer takes some babies and not others. I really don't. And I don't know why great doggos get hit with such awful illnesses that they don't deserve. I wish our love was enough to save them all. So I'm very sorry for your loss as it hits close to home. All I can do is hug Stussy a little bit tighter in Dozer's honour. X

And you can work so bloody hard and use all your knowledge on a case and still not have a positive outcome. If you were a hairdresser and even 1% of your customers left your salon crying and grieving every day imagine how that would affect your psyche. I often think too after people lose an animal in difficult circumstances that they no longer want to deal with that vet, because it is easier to blame someone for a loss. And people talk so perhaps others avoid that vet too over another. So all your training and skill and career success is dependant on always having good outcomes, which is not realistic. They deal with life and death every day but they also deal with the different values owners place on those lives. They also see the irresponsibility impact too. A very demanding career choice but glad the rates are dropping - perhaps due to the exposure the issue has had.

Sorry, I know I am late posting. I have had fosters here very unmotivated by food (due to stress) but in need of some very basic training still. I think T put me on to lamb puffs and they always worked! I have fostered a breed of dog with some dietary do's and don'ts and we had no issue with the lamb puffs with any of them. You can break it into smaller pieces too and I like that it is dry so your hands don't get so yucky as it would with wet food.

Yes not really a financial win and certainly not a win for all the animals who lost their lives but it sets a legal precedent for other cases at least because we know it has happened before like this. I'd really love to hear from an RSPCA worker you know. I'm sure many of them have to be animal lovers and it can't be an easy job seeing neglect and abuse. Maybe they stay hoping to be part of creating internal change? Maybe they try to do their best in amongst all the bureacracy and bullshit? I have my own personal experiences having volunteered cleaning, feeding and interacting at one of the old shelters and also fostering for them. The longer I volunteered the more the gloss came off and I could see a very non-animal focused culture. Everything to do with animals with extra needs was just too much of an effort. Lots of bad memories and I've never understood why it was allowed to get like that and even get worse.

A win against the RSPCA. https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/court-finds-rspca-inspector-negligent-in-shooting-of-131-pure-bred-cattle-20150526-gh9yia.html?fbclid=IwAR1Hy--zEiTUgMbHbqMCevTwIFAe45fQHMf25KalD9sEuruBe_gyAxoaCmI

T and Asal - all the things I was thinking. I don't want it to be true but sadly I can see them doing it. I wonder why it hasn't been picked up out here?