Little Gifts

It is amazing how much wrong you can find with a dog who has been rescued. Then it depends on how far the rescue group is prepared to go. I know any dog I rescued/fostered deserved the same sort of treatment I would give my own. Very easy for a dog who has [forgotten name - similar to parvo] to rack up a bill of a few thousand dollars. Coccidia DDD? Food bills can be quite high and to attract a good discount a rescue might put in a bulk order that is worth thousands. There could be utility bills to pay or maintenance/upgrading costs if they have a shelter. There could be a vehicle that needs a service. Plus a rescue might owe money and be paying off vet charges so while no one dog might've cost $8000, the last ten dogs in who were health checked, vaccinated, micro-chipped and desexed might've run up a bill to that level. Plus, how often will a smaller rescue group ever have that amount of money at one time? It is their opportunity to clear debts or purchase necessary items for future use. Rather than delete your message and block you and make you suspicious they could've private messaged you or explained their financial situation in general terms in response to your post. A rescue group is not cheap to run but I too get put off when all you see is money, money, money. I prefer the ones that share stories about past and current rescues, who share the highs and lows with their supporters and who also add educational info to the mix.

I just love his name! And isn't it amazing what that council are doing to ensure he gets back home? Lucky he wasn't in Vic in the 'care' of LDH.

I don't even know where to start with that owner but that pup has teenage surrender written all over it already with her as its owner.

People could buy a rescue dog for around the tenth of that which probably has as good a pedigree and health check as what he is offering. It is so maddening!

Martin McKenna (dreadlocked dog whisperer) sticks his finger in his mouth and rubs his teeth then sticks it into the mouth of a stressed out dog as a way of calming it down. I know when our pei is stressed our SBT gets in there and gives her teeth a good licking too. Spit swapping has a purpose. I used to have an SBT who was a hard core licker. She liked cleaning out the other pets inner ears. We also had an old cat and she would lick that cat top to bottom until it was dripping with her spit. In particular she loved to lick my mum though so mum came up with the idea of putting eucalyptus oil on her knees before a visit, which automatically repelled the licker. If I ever remove any eye goobies, scabs or ear wax off my lot they then try to eat it off my fingers. Clearly I don't feed them enough.

And where was the kelpie's owner SG? Did the owner even see what happened? The issue can't be managed if the owner doesn't acknowledge it (or give a sh*t). Same old....

His judgement day will come. The fall from his perch will be swift and painful.

I know, I was being a smart bum. A wound like that could easy go to the bone. Size doesn't always matter!

Thanks Westiemum! I'll read the report tomorrow when I'm not so tired.

Are you reading from your mobile? It says 1.5cm here on my big screen computer! More a scratch than a laceration!

Hi everyone - resurrecting an older thread because I am actually considering pet insurance and am starting from scratch. I have less cash on hand these days if something major was to happen so am considering this as a preventative, ongoing measure. I have an SBT who is 7.5 and who has no ongoing health issues. I also have an almost 3 year old shar pei with no ongoing health issues. Had some skin allergies for a couple of months last year out of the blue but all has cleared up. She had entropian surgery as a pup and gets dirty ears but no infections and we keep on top of it. Despite her young age when I got a quote for insurance on her it was far more expensive than the SBT! I can see that others have recommended PetPlan. I think my house and car is with Allianz so I will definitely check them out. I was also thinking of Medibank Private as I have my health insurance with them and will get a discount. But what am I looking for in pet insurance? I know I worry about Stussy needing a teeth clean sometime during her life but all that routine stuff can also add up. And when does an excess apply - is it just hospitalisation (like for people)? Thanks for any advice you can offer so I know what to look out for in their policy disclosures.

Hmmm, so we have an escaping dog who attacked another dog and while trying to separate the fighting dogs a woman was also bitten. It all comes back to those stupid owners again, doesn't it. If Izzy couldn't get out of her backyard then she wouldn't have spent the past 21 months in a cage. I know accidents happen but these dogs are paying with their lives. They don't understand what they have done wrong.

Fantastic news! I felt so bad for you at the time, not being able to offer any help given we have three here too. I couldn't imagine not being able to share a house with them!

My SBT Stussy has a high prey drive but is absolutely useless at catching even a mouse already caught in a trap! She chases everything in the wrong direction! I don't really want her to be the kind of dog who goes beserk over a small animal or bird in the yard and living in cane toad land I don't want her outside at night frothing for a catch. She has had crazy face before when over stimulated and I try to avoid her getting to that point over anything. My approach might sound lame but what I do is encourage her discovery of something but ignore/discourage any efforts to catch and disembowel it. She knows that is my job. She has always had an excellent response to my 'leave' command (thank goodness!). It seems to be a strategy that satisfies both of us. I also buy her big, colourful, non-animal stuffed toys from an op shop each month and I encourage her to go crazy with it. They normally last a couple of seconds before the brains are spilling from the skull (zombie kill). I never give her a stuffed animal type toy. Once she has finished whatever is left over is immediately collected up and removed. Stussy has always loved tug too and her fave is either just a simple fleece plait or the limbs of a stuffed toy. I actually have footage of her teaching a foster to play tug with her. She'd throw it in his face till he latched on. Initially he'd just run off with it but he eventually got the idea. She's always very gentle in her tug play and always makes sure the other dog has appropriate room to grab on too. She is likely to leave it rather than compete for it if the other dog is more aggressive with it.

There is no online link to the story on TT Adelaide's website but it says a record litter of 17 pups was born and if you would like to purchase a pup call Craig on XXXX XXX XXX. What the hell? I've never seen them be selling agents before! The comments are very scathing of the family saying they were on Centrelink and had bred and sold puppies before. It looks like the puppies are those rare blue staffies too!

Why? Was he so bored that this was all the entertainment he could find?

We have a couple of dogs in our suburban street who are regularly loose. You can always tell when they are wandering because it sets all the dogs up and down the street off. Both chase any dogs being leash walked and one goes for the postie and anyone who parks near its property. Then of course you have the issue of driving around them when they are chasing something or even just when they are going for a casual stroll. It is a pain in the arse and the owners don't see the chaos even a friendly wandering dog can create in their little area. I too would be very angry if I had horses who were regularly being affected as they could injure themselves. Of course I wouldn't be killing the dog but I would be on to council about it if a discussion with the owner didn't change anything. Some people take no responsibility and it is always the dog who pays the ultimate price.

Snugglesafes here too. The great thing about them is they hold their heat all through a long, cold night (unlike hot water bottles). Unlike heated beds/pads (which can be chewed/outgrown) they can be safely used by cold humans too! And they last forever with next to no care.

I sign quite a few Change.org petitions but this one had me shaking my head. I certainly don't condone animal cruelty but oh the stupidity of owners who think their failure to meet local by-laws that are designed to keep dogs and other animals/people safe don't apply if you have a friendly dog! There are a lot of animal hating nutters out there and this is yet another risk you place on the head of your beloved pet when you knowingly let them wander. The other thing that really truly bugs me is when people take children and teens on discovery jaunts that have the potential to end with some kind of bad news. They don't need to see their parent scream or the family dog dead or even be part of a confrontation with a dog hating neighbour. Be an adult and protect the child by leaving it at home (just as you should've done with your pet). I wish their was an option on the petition site to 'unlike' or comment how I really feel. She facilitated the death of her own dog and now wants justice for it but is not prepared to look at the part she played in putting Dutch in harm's way. Oh if people only had to sit a test before they could own a dog! https://www.change.org/p/rspca-tony-abbott-jail-time-for-people-killing-someone-else-s-pet?utm_source=action_alert&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=234066&alert_id=KYSNMKDGpm_kWtLMnyzi4ryBhAcrjjYRrozvGPu2vEBh7nz%2BJ%2FNH0s%3D

Beenleigh Veterinary Hospital. Vets are Renata and Sydney. Both are amazing - Renata is German and sort of old school while Sydney is younger and of Asian descent and up with all the new stuff. 3287 2599 (know that number off by heart!) Good luck with poor Juno. We were just back in there this week with another emergency - found mammary tumours on the old girl who had the pyo late last year. They were all cancerous and have come up so quick. Sydney kept the clinic open as he wanted to talk to us in depth about what he found during surgery and show us xrays, etc. Took us out the back and everything. Did some extra stuff he didn't charge us for too.

I have never owned or even fostered a ball lover. Perhaps it is me who is broken? I don't have very good ball chasing legs!

How are things progressing????

If you want to message me your email addy I have several resources from the Dreadlocked Dog Whisperer that we have used for our dogs successfully. As a kid he lived with wild and stray dogs in Ireland for a number of years and he has only learnt to read and write as an adult here in Australia in the past couple of years so a lot of his work is through drawings rather than text. I have two of his books but he has also emailed me a lot of his other resource material over the years as he is just that kind of man who likes to give back. He does not mind his information being shared either. I also have some great visual charts on doggy language and reactivity (and maybe another?) drawn by Lili Chen I can also send you by email.

I didn't know Bunter was sick too and that Danny had another thing wrong with him so I feel for you and your purse! Poor babies! We are going through something similar with my sister's old dog a new and serious ailment every other month since she hit double digits. Just as well we love them!

Very impressive Victory Rolls!