Little Gifts

He's looking so purdy! You must be very proud of him!

Goodbye beautiful girl. There'll be lots to do again over the bridge.

We rearranged our laundry and bought a double cupboard to store all the coats, blankies, treats and miscellaneous items in. That's just practical! Then we bought a coffee table with sliding doors on it so their toys could hide inside one side. There is also a crate in the shed containing doggy dress up gear (mostly Stussy's and mostly for Christmas). The number of beds though - well they are hard to find hiding spaces for (on top of the ones already spread throughout the house). I make a lot of their gear though so don't really spend much money. And I am a firm believer in colour coordination. The collars, harnesses, tags, leads, poo bag holders, collapsible bowls AND treats pouches must match for each dog or we are simply not leaving the house!

But how do people like this change if they don't learn something different? I don't want people like this to own animals again either unless they learn how to attend to their basic needs. He's a young bloke who probably thought the dog would just heal by itself. How will he learn otherwise? I suspect he'd use the same approach to raising a child too because he knows no better. He was probably bought up the same. I think there are quite a few neglect cases out there that happen for the same reasons - a failure to understand the needs of another living thing. Some relate to mental health issues and I do believe some offenders could treat animals differently in the future with education. I'm basing this on my experiences in statutory child protection. Some people can and do change. Some people just have no clue how to care for another (and are also quite limited in how they care for themselves), particularly younger people. I've also seen what the prison system can do to young men and women who go in for minor offences (like traffic offences). They are changed by the crime and violence that exists within that environment to the point they become a further community risk once they are released. There is no deterrent and no personal growth. It is a really sad cycle. But this young guy was already heading down the violence and crime path on his own so he is where he should be. I'm glad Buster has a brighter future.

Um if they care about animals why not provide practical assistance to this man so he can provide better care to his puppy? Animals can be very important to some homeless people. They are all they have in this world to love them and to care about.

I don't mind cutesy adverts but this one is far too long and I don't like using abuse details to tug at people's heart strings. I think they could explain a dogs background to give an overall picture of where it is at right now and if the rescuer needs to share more with potential adopters privately then so be it. A dog should have value on its own merits, not because of its tragic past.

People have known I love all creatures great and small for quite some time. They are part of my life but not my entire life so I always find a solution to meet their needs and my own. I've been lucky to have friends and family and workplaces who either share my love of animals or who make space for it so it has never been an issue. Everyone cares about something or someone and prioritises it when it needs to be prioritised. I don't have kids either but the three furry living things that I share my house with are dependant on me in the same way children would be so why wouldn't they need to be my top priority every now and then, like when they are unwell? For the past couple of months our dogs have not been our top priority (elderly parent issues). They still get fed at the times they expect it and play and cuddle time is now at night, while outings have all but halted. They are ok because we are still spending that quality time with them at night (which is also re-energising for us). It doesn't need to be a contest.

People may not agree with me on this but I don't think imprisonment is the answer to some crimes against animals, particularly one off neglect cases. What is a person going to learn about caring for an animal in prison? I'd prefer they were forced to take animal care courses or undertake volunteer work at a refuge. I'd also prefer they were not able to legally own or care for an animal in their own home until they had done some rehabilitative work or study. I am more than happy for puppy farmers to go straight to prison as they do the same thing over and over and over again for money (not one off neglect) and will just find ways to work around the system if they remain in our communities. As for the guy above I suspect he got prison time for his other offences more than the harm to Buster. They are taking him off the streets so he is not a threat to human beings, not other dogs. Oh and he should be made to pay back the money spent on caring for, rehabbing and rehoming Buster. make the sentence mean something for Buster.

Stussy has had loads of fun this week pulling apart the doona we are all trying to sleep under. I haven't had time to remove it so every night I just pick up the floating stuffing and we all crawl in. The large holes in it are affecting its ability to hold heat and Tempeh did get her head stuck through one of the holes last night. But why remove it and spoil Stussy's fun?

Mine never get people food or scraps from our plates or the table but that doesn't stop them sitting with their heads in our laps giving us desperate eyes from under the table while we are trying to eat. Stussy is probably the worst. She has a very long tongue and if I am eating at the computer table (which is lower) I will sometimes see (out of the corner of my eye) her lizard tongue trying to drag the plate closer to the edge or trying to connect with something tasty on the side of my plate. And you don't ever want to walk with a sandwich in your hand and accidentally drop that sandwich filled hand to your side. She considers that at her level and fair game. Usually the item is swallowed in one big gulp so even though she is excellent at the 'leave' command there is nothing but crumbs.

There is no Kong (or food stuffed in toys) interest in this house but pull out the Holee Molee jammed full of fabric and stuffing and its on like Donkey Kong!

I stood on a red belly when I was a kid and we both ran off in fright! Well he slithered more than ran. He was sunbaking on a rock at our creek and we were down there playing. I've had numerous snake encounters over the years, including with death adders, which is probably why they scare me.

I know this will make me sound horrible but I have a front yard where snakes can live and I am right next to a huge series of parks and water courses where they can also happily live. But I only have one backyard for my dogs and I don't want snakes there. The problem is my dogs think they are protecting us from the snake. We already had our own expensive vet visits for two dogs as a result of a large unharmed python a couple of years ago. I am also a little afraid of anything but greenies and the huge ones terrify me so I don't want them here for me or my dogs. It is hard though because I do like the idea of providing a natives friendly yard but you can't then choose which natives visit.

We've got an outcome on this case today. It's not detailed in the story below but also: 'In addition, the maximum 10-year banning order from owning or being in charge of an animal was imposed on each of the individuals and the Company with an exception by the court that Dean Peace would be allowed to own and be in charge of two desexed working dogs.' http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/law-order/rspcas-largest-puppy-farm-prosecution-in-victoria-sees-breeding-family-fined-205000/story-fni0fee2-1227542394478

Run free now beautiful boy. You made it to a marvelous age. Although I'm sure it still wasn't enough for those you left behind.

I had one adoptive family who I think were quite worried I wouldn't cope after a particularly lovely boy who had needed a lot of tlc had left my care. They reminded me numerous times I could drop in anytime I wanted to see him! And they kept in touch on FB and came to some events with him. But he couldn't have cared less about me from the minute he walked out my front door. Mine were tears of happiness for him really that he was finally ready to give a new life a shot and that he chose an actual family with young kids to start his second life with (very different to what he'd had in the past).

I just read Petals' story and she was definately one of a kind. We can learn a lot from her spirit and determination. I'm so glad she got to live a long and fulfilled life despite her illness because I think she deserved it. I don't doubt that as she aged her disabilities bought some other challenges for you to overcome. I hope you update your spaniel journal articles to reflect these challenges and the achievements from them when you are up to it as they could give someone else in a similar situation hope. Fly free Petals and catch as many butterflies as you can.

Aren't puppies just magic! :D

Why does the journalist need to verify this as a source? As I read it the discovery of the FB page by the Merry's was what lead them (not the journalist) to start a major campaign to bring the Sandown breeders to justice. Their campaign was successful, they had enough evidence to have charges laid and the breeders have now been convicted. There is also no info in the story regarding whether the prosecuting legal team used any evidence from other disgruntled owners on the FB page but you would assume so based on quotes re the court case. It would be stupid if they didn't. They have also said 36 breeding dogs were involved so I would also assume the courts and any owners involved in the court case would now know who the sires and dams were if suitable records of matings were kept. As for hip scoring, if it wasn't done then this would also be important for the court case. If it was done then again it would be shared with any owners who were party to the court matter. This is a media story on the outcomes of the court case, not a full court report and not an expose on the breeders by the journo.

What a horrible experience for a puppy owner to go through. I don't think the fines were harsh enough (they should also never own or breed a dog again) but I guess that reflects the limitations of the law. Rebanne it sounds like their litters threw more than just one or two HD dogs (which makes more of a case for it being genetic) and of course they lied saying their stock was 15 years free when instances of HD had already arisen. They also kept breeding from the same stock without caring about the heightened risk factor or doing any testing. At lots of points along the road things could've changed for the better. I think their ongoing negligence for pups bred under their care puts them poles apart from a good breeder and hopefully most sensible people will see that. I don't think you can fully guarantee the health of any living thing despite the care you put into creating it but to do nothing when faced with the truth is wrong.

Bargain! Maybe you should put this in the show thread as I'm sure someone was asking about them only last month.

Definately a step in the right direction. If only other states weren't such wimps. I'd be interested in what good breeders think of this though - will it restrict you or create major burdens? Is four litters from a good breeding bitch acceptable for continuing a good line? What if your breed only has small litters? I would think this is a great opportunity to also get the word out about people buying pups from good registered breeders - how to find them, how it works, the benefits, time differences, etc. My other question though is are pet shops still free to just source their puppies and kittens from pet farms located interstate? Or is legislation and policing already in place to address that?

We diverted a bite to a nose boof and praised with high value treats too. Basically no wiggly fingers were ever placed in front of the dog - only a low closed fist. Whenever he touched it with his nose he got praised so it turned into a 'touch' game. Fists are not as fun to chew on either. We started with the treats inside our closed, loose fist which encouraged sniffing rather than biting and moved on from there. It was fairly quick.

Gosh look at all the texture in that pic! So simple yet so full of light and shade and life! Plus it tells a story. I wish I was even an eighth a photographer as good as you!

Bloody eye twigs!