Little Gifts

But what a life he had in those 7 months! Galah's are so inquisitive and he got to explore a whole new world with you and be part of an eclectic 'flock'! I know you were expecting to have him for years and fate had other plans but try and remember all the brilliant things about him because it was clearly brilliant sharing your lives with him. Fly free now Henry.

My mum keeps chooks - silky bantams and frizzle types which spend their days being clucky rather than laying teensy eensy eggs. But she has an animal hating neighbour and he complained to the council because.....wait for it......some of their feathers blew onto his driveway between the dividing fence.

I thought of that but even if they weren't crate trained, in the event of an emergency they would probably end up in one for a few hours while being transported. I guess I was trying to think of a solution that acknowledged the need to be prepared for fire season and shared the responsibility for that between the kennel and pet owner given the pet owner is choosing to use a kennel that could be in an evac area. The kennel owner would be responsible for moving the dog to safety so why shouldn't the owner provide the cage/carrier it gets moved in? And I'm assuming owner's would be warned in advance of the need to supply an evac crate. There would have to be a transitional period. And you will always get an animal who turns up without one.

This is simply an idea. To reduce costs to the kennel in a fire prone area would it be possible to ask every owner to supply a suitable crate that could be used in the event of an evac when they drop off their pet? And if new kennels are being built or old ones renovated could there be high shelf storage in every single kennel and these crates be put there so they are quickly accessible for each and every dog? I can't imagine staff having to drag crates from storage that may not have been used in eons and dragging them in to runs might cause some dogs to spook. I suggest this idea because many people choose kennels where they feel their dog is safe and cared for to certain standards rather than just for cost or location. If I used a kennel regularly/annually and was really happy with the service then this requirement would be fine by me. In fact it would seem sensible. Crates remain the property of the pet owner and so storage and maintenance is not an issue for the kennel owner. They would have to be clear about crate type as it would be no good if people tried to use cardboard cat carriers. And perhaps they are only a requirement in high fire danger periods. Why shouldn't a kennel owner ask a pet owner to share some of the responsibility?

What breed or mix is this cutie pie? Can I see a brachy snozz there? I hope her skin keeps improving and yes, we will be needing more photos!

You can always tell what time it is by Tempeh who must be fed by 7am, 5.30pm and a late night snack at 11pm. First she starts with the question mark noises about half an hour before("Mummy, are you paying attention to the clock?"). AS time ticks on we get nibbles, then your whole hand disappears in her mouth and she makes gnawing noises for good measure, then she claws at you with her paws to get your hands away from whatever you are doing and the noises and general carry on increase right through until the food is on the ground. It's really quite a spectacle. If I'm still in bed she will sit on me and still do all these things which would make me laugh except if I'm still in bed it means my sister is up and should be the one getting attacked. But in Tempeh's mind I am the food provider worth hassling for breakfast and dinner. And in Tempeh's quirky mind it is my sister's job to provide the late night snack so she only gets hassled for that. I could go into the laundry and rummage in the snack area and Tempeh would still be chewing on my sister's hand. She is odd.

Such a terrible outcome for both dogs. The foster carer and new owners must be devastated. RIP Millie and Megsy. It just wasn't meant to be.

Grumpette my sister was also an SES team leader for many years and family always came first. If one of the volunteers or one of their family had been affected by a disaster that took priority. No-one expected them to stay and help out and attempts were always made where possible to give them resources to deal with the crisis. I assume volunteer fire fighters would have a similar unwritten code. I suspect I would've done the same thing as you did - you assess the risk, consider your options and make an informed choice as it is happening. What you don't do is make assumptions or get complacent. No disaster event will ever be the same as another.

There has to be common sense used too. If I was a volunteer fire fighter and fires were in my area I'd probably want to be there to help. But if I had say 100 animals on my property and only a single, not yet adult person to care for them (feed, water, exercise, medicate and clean even without the added stress of a natural disaster) then I'd probably have to put my hand down and say no, I am needed at home. What if I as the only adult got trapped away from my home or even injured/killed while fighting that fire? What if the fire turned and threatened my home and I wasn't there to help? If I ran a kennel and my main adult helper had to go out of town at the busiest time of year then I'd probably also have to consider how many animals I was able to care for during that time. Would I have the time and physical capabilities to feed, water, exercise, medicate and clean the cages of 100 animals? Surely there is a yardstick for such things - x number of staff to x number of animals? These things exist for a reason - to ensure all the animals needs are met. I'm not saying the kennel owners deserve our vilification but they had a lot of charges in their care and they had a responsibility to make sensible decisions regarding their care. I would personally be very angry if I found out there was only a teenage girl looking after so many animals for a period of time. Remove the fire from the equation and that poor girl didn't have a chance in hell of addressing any crisis situation that may have arisen. What if a gate got accidentally left open and a dog fight happened or a dog ran off? Even if one of the animals fell ill she wasn't old enough to drive a car and get them to the vet. I think the maximum I've cared for in an overnight situation is 14 rescue dogs and a load of cats in a cattery (who looked after themselves) and it is a lot of work. They didn't have a handful of pets on the premises - they had around 100 and they were their primary carers at that time so had to consider their needs as a priority at all times. I've been involved in numerous disasters involving cyclones and floods up here in Queensland in a professional capacity and have seen the results of animals left behind. I only have one fire experience - trapped in a car in a bush fire in the NT many years ago. So yes an evacuation plan needs to look all pretty and clever but when it comes down to it, if those dogs went into crates, piled up on the back of a ute and were driven to a safe and shady location, stayed confined but got food, water and toilet breaks then most owners and the authorities would've understood. I say most because some will never get how an emergency works. But I for one could never get over the thought of one of my dogs trapped in a cage while it was consumed by fire. In my experience making poor decisions is not uncommon during natural disasters. Lots of people don't evac because it has never happened in their area before or it all happens too quickly and they get frozen by fear. But when you are talking about a business and innocent lives are involved we have to expect more erring on the side of caution. You wouldn't expect a boarding school or a hospital, a rural retreat or even a business where the staff lived on site to just wait and see, particularly when evac plans would take a long time to action and other places are evaccing around them. You also wouldn't expect all the key decision makers to be offsite doing other stuff. They would be onsite, kept informed and ready to spring into action when it was needed. So while I appreciate the owners must be shattered by what has happened I think several negligent decisions were made that left these kennels and the animals in them at unnessecary risk. It is something to be learnt from. My heart goes out to all (including the owners) who lost an animal at these kennels.

And here she is all grown up with her favourite person in the world - my mum!

Here is Tempeh as a foster pup (she's the one in the front) -

Where are you going? Why not buy her something on your trip so she knows you were thinking of her and appreciate what she is doing?

I see the OP as a pack thing. One pack member has something, the Alpha goes over to see what it is the pack member gives it to the Alpha, the Alpha either decides to keep it for themselves, give it back or share it with the whole pack. That's what would be happening in the wild isn't it? I want to know what eyeball sniffing is all about. I've had two dogs now that like to sniff your eyeballs, no licking, just intensive sniffing. What kind of special smells come from there?

Kirty, go back and re-read this whole thread; what he was like when he first arrived, the advice you got, the things you tried. Perhaps that can put some perspective on things for you right now. I'll be honest, I thought he sounded like a very troubled dog right from the get go with so many issues that needed to be addressed before he would even have the opportunity to be considered adoptable. I wasn't sure it was even possible to change who he had become (bastard owners!) so was amazed at your achievements with him. But maybe, just maybe there is something unfixable about this boy? Maybe his wiring is a bit loose? I feel awful saying that. I can't imagine how heartbreaking it must be to see him regress. Hugs to you right now.

We want the general public to choose their dogs (particularly something like a dane) from a good registered breeder so if that breeder was not playing by the rules then they are giving their peers and potentially the breed a bad name. DOB them in - you can't play by the rules only when it suits you.

I once had to knock on someone's door asking for an old shopping bag because Tempeh had done so many poos on our walk we had run out. Her last one was right in front of their letterbox. I picked it up and carried all six bags of poop home with me! I could never leave 'our' poop behind. I'd carry it on leaves if I had to!

I've always considered that term in relation to bybers and puppy farmers who basically breed a hitch until she either stops falling pregnant from matings or birthing viable pups. My foster failures mother was 15 when she was surrendered with her 3 month old pups. From memory she had dementia. No idea how many litters she had had.

It just dawned on me that within a fenced dog park pretty much every centimetre of the ground has been peed and pooed on at some point so you have to feel a bit sorry for those idiots wanting to eat food on that ground! And I can appreciate that if a resident or visitors closest bit of beach was an off leash dog section then it may be a tad irritating but what if that bit of beach was closest to a nippers surf club and every weekend there was an event or training? You wouldn't be screaming at the parents and trying to kick the kids. Nope you'd mutter under your breath about needing some peace and quiet and simply go to another section of the beach. Same if you went to a park popular with cyclists or skateboarders. If the bulk of the activities taking place at that location did not suit you you would go elsewhere. My closest section of park is a bmx track so why would I try and walk my dogs there even on leash (or have a picnic)? That's just stupid. Given we have such a high rate of dog ownership in this country, lots of good weather, so many parks in every town and beaches along most of our coastline then I don't think an expectation of some of them being for dogs is unusual.

Even acknowledging both sides of things, the threats of violence and name calling were unwarranted AND they were the ones doing something wrong on that section of beach - drinking alcohol from glass bottles. Ernie was being a dog and they were being thugs. I know which behaviour I think less desirable in public.

Why not try a long line? Ernie gets to frolick and run but can never get too far away? I attach one to my sbt if I ever feel she is getting over excited and potentially unreliable recall wise.

Isn't it illegal to drink on the beach? I would not be impressed by that AND the fact they were drinking from glass. Even if they only leave one bottle behind that threatens all other beach users. The woman who screamed at you over reacted to what occurred and was abusive so I'm not surprised you lost it back at her. There are so few off leash options for dogs and even less options if they like the beach. If I was sitting on a beach where dogs were running untethered I would not be at all surprised to have a wet and sandy visitor and wouldn't even care if they ran over my towel. In fact I'd much rather experience that than young women drinking and abusing other beach users. As far as kicking a dog, if someone tried that on with any of mine I'm not sure I could control myself either. There is no need for threats of violence in this situation and it just shows you what kind of people they were. You have every right to be angry at them and how they treated you and Ernie. I once had an elderly couple call me every foul name under the sun when my SBT ran past their swf's on a leash free beach. I think they thought she was running at their dogs (she was running back to our gear on an angle from the surf) and over reacted but never bothered to apologise for the things they said. My dog was so shocked when they started yelling at her she ran back behind me like she knew she was in trouble but didn't know why. No point trying to even reason with people like that. I know she didn't do anything wrong for a dog and that is all that matters.

I've been feeling like a thread killer or someone who lots of people have on ignore. I go into a new post with excitement. Post something then it all goes dead. So little to get riled up over these days so yes I agree, DOL is quiet and getting quieter. How dare people go off and have lives!

I live with my sister and she is amazing when it comes to human catastrophes but when it comes to her dog she is absolutely useless! She can't even clean up a vom bom! So there is a lot of work on my part when it comes to her acknowledging things about her ageing dog and getting something done. Sometimes I have to calm her down and stop wrapping her dog in cotton wool too. I think the biggest bug bear I have is that even if I am asleep and she is awake and doing nothing she will let the dogs wake me up for their breakfast. We've talked about it but the situation continues!

This is what bugs me about new laws. It shouldn't matter how many dogs an individual owns. If they are on land zoned as suitable for that many dogs, if the dogs have suitable housing and fencing, adequate vet care, appropriate food and stimulation then who am I to say they can't have more than 20 dogs (because we've had this discussion before and clearly some people do have valid reasons for having that many dogs)? Laws already exist to protect them against neglect and abuse and instead of moaning about the plight of puppy farm dogs I would prefer the RSPCA (and state governments) doing more to police and prosecute. Hit back yard breeders and hoarders and dodgy rescues and pet shops and yes, puppy farms in their back pocket so that it is no longer viable to own and breed dogs. Honestly, if you and I can search online and find a backyard breeder and puppy farm then why can't the RSPCA? Why do conditions need to be so deplorable that some of those animals have to be pts when they are 'saved' before they do anything? The only thing this newly proposed legislation will do is make some more money for the government. The people who operate under the radar or who lie or find loopholes will continue to do so. Those who do the right thing (and who always do the right thing) are not the people causing the overall problem. It makes no sense to me that they want to identify more potential wrong doers when they are not even stopping the ones they already know about.

I think they would be far nicer to sleep on than a self inflating mattress when I go camping!