Little Gifts

Social change is always the hardest part. We live in a fairly tolerant and socially just society yet we still have crime, stupidity and ignorance. Most normal people would not consider child abuse acceptable yet it still happens in increasing numbers every single year. One of your neighbours or someone you know may even be guilty of harming a child. So what chance do we have when it comes to animals? I think we, the people passionate about the issue can immediately: 1. encourage adherance to existing laws by all pet owners we come in to contact with 2. EXPECT that the agencies currently responsible for enforcing these laws do so 3. Live as role models for good pet ownership 4. Share our knowledge about good pet ownership in a constructive way (with the laws picking up the true criminals) particularly if you are a registered breeder or legitimate rescue group 5. Continue to be passionate and compassionate about the issue whether that makes us friends or enemies 6. Have a voice when the time is right. Social change is slow and it is about setting standards for others to identify and aspire to. So many people don't know any differently. Some people just don't give a shit. I want to live in a society that doesn't tolerate either. Responsibility happens at every level of our lives and owning a pet should be no different. In some council areas you can now get fined for not keeping your yard tidy. You get fined for parking too long in the one spot. You are expected to dress, speak and act a certain way in your workplace. You can't go into a shop and take a packet of chewing gum without paying for it. But you can starve your pet, dump it and get away with it? Why? Why are we so gutless to say that is not acceptable in our community/country? I wonder what the RSPCA would do if we started fund raising and putting out media messages of our own, saturating wherever we could across the country for change? Are we scared of doing this or of giving mixed messages or looking like radical activists? Should that matter? Just putting the idea out there because we still have free speech in this country and we seem to be afraid of hurting someone else's feelings by using it.

I know of several cats that returned to former homes after a move. One of the homes was half an hour away by car. Dogs have an amazing sense of smell and I can imagine him up on a hill sniffing into the breeze for something familiar. Despite bad weather dogs can still sniff out living and dead people in disasters and in the snow. So give him some time and hopefully he will be found heading home or turn up all by himself.

They were talking on the radio this morning about all children should know how to swim and that it should be taught at schools. I think animal care should also be taught at schools. I remember when my friends were always bringing the kindy bird or other kind of pet home to look after it on the weekend. But after kindy what? Caring for another living thing is something that would help kids grow up with more compassion and understanding. How many parents complain the kid wanted the dog but never looks after it? How many dogs get dumped because the kids left home and left the unwanted dog behind? This is an area we can have some impact on for the future and it may also curb animal abuse as well as abandonment. I agree that there is a need to assist the elderly to keep their pets. The same can be said for people escaping domestic violence (and I know there is some work around that happening in QLD). But I see an even bigger issue here in the govt agency where I work - landlords who wont let people have pets. I think some education needs to happen here as a lot of these landlords would have pets of their own but they don't want their tenants to have them. Even social housing (the old Housing Commission) allows pets! If a property is legally able to have pets then the issue should be about the tenants and their dogs adequate care of the house and property. We need more pet friendly rentals across the nation but I am more for public education than subsidising this.

First time I took my youngest to the beach she couldn't help herself and kept drinking the water. Then of course it kept coming out all squirty from her other end. As it was a long car ride home we had to stay at the beach for a few extra hours till it was out of her system. Some dogs just don't click to it not being good to drink (or eat the sand). Glad he is ok now - it sounded scary for you.

I took this of my sister's dog in the early hours of this morning. All I can imagine is she had a hot freckle?????

I love your horsies Ellz - they have such great expressions!

I got 90% How the hell did that happen? I don't think yearly heartworm should rate differently to other treatment options either. We do what we think is the best for our dogs and cover is cover regardless of the method. I just tried to register and they said my email address is already in use. What the? My email addy is not mainstream so how the hell could that be possible?

Her name is Cherie - she is not on DOL and she wont mind me mentioning her first name here. I don't know any of the names of her cav friends but figured it would still be up to you to assess anyone who said they could assist. Actually I also know someone who breeds aussies up at Redcliffe so I will check with her as well - she may know someone suitable too. I'd really hate to see you give up the dogs permanently.

My friend has just emailed back and she is not allowed pets in the complex she is currently living, but she will ask her cav friends and let me know. Hopefully you will end up with a few options to consider so the dogs can go to the right people.

Jed I know someone in Brisbane who used to breed Cav's and who knows you or knows of you. I will email her now and check if she can assist as if she was I know she would be happy to care for your dogs as long as was needed. I know she broke up with her partner and moved so that may be the only reason she can't. Will PM you when I hear back from her.

This is a fantastic milestone! Go Tammy!

My young staffy girl Stussy is a toy lover. If I am having a bad day and am lying down with the doona pulled over my head hoping the world will just leave me alone she will jump on the bed with her fave toy of the moment and drop it onto my chest. It's so beautiful that she senses I need cheering up. My sister's husky cross Wolf has a terrible habit with poor Stussy. They start playing and Wolf grabs Stussy's inner back leg and flips her to the ground. If any of you have been to a rodeo it is the trick jackaroos use with poddy calfs to bring them down. Then when Stussy is down Wolf just looks around like "What? I aint done nothin!" And my oldest staffy Ricky has always had a thing for licking ears - inside and out, dogs and cats, she can go for half an hour on each ear easy. Why you would want to clean out someone else's ear is beyond me. She makes their ears so wet they can hardly stand up under the weight of all her spit. We all avoid her kisses afterwards!

Katie I always adored Harry's toothy face and could see how much he and Lola loved each other. He was a special boy. You let him go with love and when it was clearly his time. I am sorry for your loss but you did the right thing by Harry and that is what matters most. Alyson

Mine doesn't involve poo but as a toddler my favourite 'toy' was our dog Chimmy. No idea what breed he was but he was face to face with me so obviously he was of the short legged variety. Anyway I used to sit on the back steps gumming my vegemite toast and without fail Chimmy would steal it and make me cry and mum would rouse on me and tell me not to sit there where he could get it. One day I got angry about the loss of my uneaten toast and bit Chimmy on the ear. Chimy turned around and bit me back. Apparently mum came out to the back door and we were both sitting there crying.

I ordered some dog tees. They took ages to arrive and I rang and was advised it was a stock issue. Probably about a month before they arrived and then one was the wrong size so I had to send it back and wait for the replacement another couple of weeks. The guy was very apologetic each time I rang but I want internet purchased goods to arrive within a 5 working day period or I may as well just go to the shop and buy them. So I wont use them again.

Quick you just reminded me - my naughty girl also ate a couple of used tampons (my sister's) quite recently but she chewed them first so they came out ok.

My sister has taken the idea/info to Dreamworld staff and she is going to collect donations and make up as many boxes as she can with them. I'd rather spend money on this than for Christmas presents for family and friends!

How my staffy girl made it to 3 is a miracle. She likes the regular items like the stuffing from pillows and doonas and my ear plugs but she has eaten a whole pack of contraceptive pills, a 6 month supply of heartworm/worm tabs, some anti depressants, several cd's and dvd's and parts of their cases, parts from a wire basket, a mobile phone, jars and jars of vaseline, numerous tubes of lip balm, loads of tissues (mainly used) anything with plastic on it stupidly left outside the back door (think handles of washing baskets) and one of those energy saving light bulbs. My vet is horrified. I'm horrified. The dog doesn't seem to care and so far it has all safely come out one end or the other. She is of course a lot better now and my house is like fort knox. Whenever she is too quiet we always run and check and usually she has something in her mouth - it's where she puts everything she can find.

Ozstar is the blue in frenchies a health issue like in staffies? This fella is a real cutie but I'd hate to think he might have health risks associated with his prettiness.

I found the missing moles on my staffy! Phew - I didn't want to be left out!

I just got back to work after a few weeks holiday and sent the info around. So far 10 people want to help make as many packages as we can and another workgroup is going to do their own. I'm going to the post office today to buy our boxes. I'm so proud of everyone here for wanting to get involved as I harrass them all the time to fund raise for rescue so you think they would be sick of me!

I can only find one on either side and one underneath on my staffy girl so maybe she's not even a dog? I'm serious here - I can only find 3! Maybe they were surgically removed to confuse me or it is a secret staffy club conspiracy.....

i don't think it is so much that they are missing out on stuff as much as it is about people back here in aus thinking about them, a package at christmas for a soldier who has no one thinking of him/her at christmas would surely cheer some one up who is in such a god for saken place, some one taking a little time out of their life to think of someone else makes that someone else feel quite special - even if it is a complete stranger. thats how i feel about it anyway, so many other posters obviously feel the same way, would you not feel special to wake up one day and have someone deliver to you for no other reason than "because they could" a hamper full of stuff that you never asked for, stuff to spoil yourself with??? There would still have to be soldiers not lucky enough to have someone at home willing and able to send them surprise packages and I would assume that the soldiers already receiving stuff from home will be less likely to take one of the boxes we send anyway. It is the gesture that says we are thinking about them as well as the contents inside the box. I am going to try and make mine more festive now so it really is about spoiling someone. Or I might do something silly like say "There was a christmas raffle at work and you won it!" or do a 12 Days of Christmas kind of thing. I'm sure they will be well fed on Christmas Day but I'd like them to open up these boxes and go "OMG! Look at what someone has sent me!" Even if they don't use all the items they can swap or give them away.

Melz I was thinking about your last lot of questions. In our household we have a husky/shep cross bitch of 7. She came to the house with my sister who has her very well trained and responsive. But this dog thinks it is her role to discipline the other 2 dogs (as well as friends dogs when they are all together). We call her the fun police because she is always trying to stop play between the other two and if the younger one is playing by herself tries to stop that as well. She does other things like stopping the dogs from moving through doorways or up the stairs or from getting on the furniture without permission. She basically makes a high pitched bark noise and kind of snaps at them (but doesn't connect with them) and then looks to us (for praise or ????). Whenever she does it we correct her calmly, remove her from the situation and encourage the other dogs to continue playing. It has never escalated anything between any of the dogs but we feel it is not her role to discipline the others - it is ours. It is like she is dobbing on them for doing something she doesn't feel is right. Given I own dogs as pets and not for breeding or any other purpose, if I had to keep dogs seperate from each other to avoid the fights and injuries then I would have to rehome the dog causing it to an only dog home as obviously the environment I could offer it was not right. It would break my heart to do it but I think it would feel that I was failing it otherwise. But that is just me - I know there are others (like tdierikx) who have the strength and skill to manage it.

My two staffy bitches would fight until someone gave in and unfortunately for one of them to give in it would only be because they were seriously injured. I usually don't go mad on either dog. I immediately seperate them. I check the most injured one first simply cleaning up their wounds and seeing if vet treatment is necessary. Then I do the same with the other. I don't talk to them during this. Once I am satisfied that they are both ok physically and have both gone back to their usual calm selves I simply open the doors and release them into the main part of the house with everyone else. They usually go to each other and sniff each other and then lie with each other calmly. We have never had a situation where a fight has started again quickly after a previous fight. I am also like Erny though - I am the top dog in this household. I don't mind my dogs on the lounge or bed but if they want up they only get it when I say it is ok. They only get special treats and toys when I say it is ok and I give them out in the order I want to based on how well they are behaving and what we are doing. In relation to meals though we have a routine that works well and it is linked to how fast they all eat. The slowest has her bowl down first then the next fastest, etc. That way they finish at the same time and go out to toilet afterwards. If the young one is showing any signs of mania in her eyes while I am preparing dinner then I stop and go and do something else. And we have also done gesture eating for all the dogs and topped up the youngest ones bowl while she was eating so she can see that food comes from me - not the other dogs. We follow a similar thing with visitors. The young girl gets very worked up with excitement at the front door when someone she loves arrives and I will often shut the door again and send her away if she is struggling to behave. She calms down and can come and greet whoever it is with some control otherwise she would be snapping at the others and jumping over them to get closest, which is not acceptable to me. Basically I don't want any of the dogs to see themselves as higher than the others. I am the top and that should be all that matters to them. Our routines are about keeping things calm rather than reinforcing one dog over another. The other thing we will be starting soon is seperate one on one exercise/walks. Play is often only with the younger dog (the others are not into toys) but we have always walked and exercised them together and with other dogs we know. As the old girl can't walk as far now and wont use her dog pram we are going to try seperate walk times and see if this upsets or alters anything. I'm hoping it might reinforce that I am the one to look up to.