Little Gifts

Nothing to add to this but a trumpet fanfare and snare drums. Give it a full orchestra I say! This dog could've still led a long and full life if it weren't for a neglectful owner.

Sadly it is still the dog that pays the biggest price with its life. If the owner had only ensured it remained muzzled in public it could still be alive. I'm glad the GBH charge was made and that it stuck. Maybe having to pay out some money will make this idiot think twice about owning another dog. I'm surprised this thread has gotten so many comments about pitbulls and BSL. Isn't this what those of us who are ' deed not breed' want? The dog has already been declared dangerous due to previous incidents and the owner has not followed the rules. Yes its breed has been identified but at least it has been in a sensible way. The story bias for me was clearly about the neglect of the owner, not the dangerous nature of the dog.

It is one of the simplest and cheapest things you can do to ensure your pet is linked back to you yet so many 'devastated' pet owners have not even bothered. People need head smacks.

We always had fancy schmancy purebred cats when I was a kid while all our dogs were bitzers who just decided to move in or who needed a home. When we were on the farm we also had farm dogs of course. But when I was in my teens I got bowled down a hill by an Old English Sheepdog and fell in love. As a reward for good behaviour we drove down to a breeder and purchased an OES puppy for me. When I brought her home my sister thought I had got a panda bear. Phobie was a very funny dog. She did the most ridiculous things and amused us no end. The whole family loved her. We lived on the outskirts of town on a couple of acres. I walked her any day it wasn't raining, she went on regular car drives and because my parents had a business from home she had lots of visitors. She did lack canine buddies but she went leash free to the beach several times a week and just wasn't interested in other dogs. Most people would think a dog with a coat like that would not suit a teenager but I loved brushing and bathing her and her meals were always on time (even if they were scraps and tinned dog food). I had a job through school so made sure she had her vaccinations and heartworm. She never had a season but I got her desexed when she was one because I didn't want some dodgy neighbours dog getting at her (my thinking back then). I left home as soon as I left high school and Phobes came with me, living in beach front flats. A few years later I met a man and we went off travelling around Australia. I begged and tantied and cried but he refused to let me bring her with me so she moved back with my parents. I was gone a couple of years and as soon as I got back I found a place (without him) and she moved back with me. Unfortunately while I was away my parents ran out of heartworm tablets and not being dog owners didn't appreciate how important they were up here. Phobie had heartworm. She started the treatment but began to fade before my eyes. I had to get her pts but took her home to be buried. It broke my heart and taught me a very valuable lesson about responsible pet ownership. Yes my parents loved my dog and she loved them but she was my responsibility and I let her down. I didn't get another dog again for many years and by then I was in my own home and it was another dog who needed a place to live. I've gone off galavanting since then too, leaving dogs in the care of my sister for up to three months at a time but have always left enough food, medicine, spare money and instruction so my pets needs are not neglected in my absence. As I get older though and now have a heart dog I have a lot less interest in leaving them at all.

My SBT was perfectly fine having her nails done by me or at the vet or groomers but maybe three years ago she had a bath and nails done somewhere we didn't usually go and the girl got really angry with her and held her down to do them (which had never been necessary before). Now she is a nightmare and wont even let me massage her legs down close to her feet. Luckily I have a groomer who is good with troublesome fur children and it is all over in a couple of minutes but I still hate seeing her get so scared of something that needs to be part of her life. I've tried desensitising her to the clippers and just doing a nail here and there (rather than four full paws at once) but it continues to be one of few things that now scare her. The worst thing is her nails seem to need clipping far more regularly than our other two dogs who have no issues with having their nails done!

This must all be driving you crazy! I used to work with a lady who got up in the middle of the night to go wees. She walked up the hallway in the dark and being quite sleepy crashed head first into a standing clock in the hallway. She did her business and went back to bed not thinking anything more about it. The next day she woke and her face was a purple, swollen, distorted mess. Apparently she had fractured her eye socket and cheek bone walking into the clock in the dark and didn't even know it! For that very reason I have nothing in my hallway (not even any pics) and I walk with my hands out in front of me. This hands out technique is how I smashed my wrist when I fell down the stairs in the dark taking a puppy out for a late night pee. So now we also have a couple of those kids lights you put in power points throughout the house. Piddling in the dark is a dangerous activity!

When push comes to shove covenants on newly built estates and body corporate rules mean nothing. As long as a person is not doing anything unlawful on the premises or their unlawful actions are harming others, all those onsite rules supposedly designed to maintain peace and harmony have no legal standing in a court of law. Mind you, some body corporate peeps can be terribly unpleasant about getting their own way if a person tries to buck the system. I think a lot of the rules are quite elitist. I've been visiting numerous complexes the last couple of weeks (helping a sibling find a place to live) and many would be perfect for a pet owner - single level units, fenced in yards, fenced off complex, quiet street access, pathed areas, grassy areas, parks nearby (one even had a doggy door) but not one was open to renters with pets. One new place I went to obviously only had Stepford families living there. I could see kids playing quietly and swimming delicately in the pool but there was no kid noise because that was clearly against the rules. They told me their own gardener even came in and mowed/trimmed your enclosed back yard to ensure uniformity.

I want all those people who are breeding un-registered BSTs and Amstaffs to have to go and spend time in their local pound or RSPCA, black tagging those that are going to be pts, isolating them, holding them still as the injection is administered, removing all the collars and leashes after they are dead and putting their stiffening bodies into a garbage bag. I want them to look into the fearful eyes of all those wonderful unwanted dogs and watch them draw their last breath. I want them to be so affected they finally understand why their breeding practices prove they do not 'love the breed' one little bit and that all they were doing is making money off the pain and suffering of innocent animals. But of course I live in fantasy land.....

Fantastic news!

Happy Gotcha Day Zig! You've got a whole lot of love to give so keep on giving!

Part of the problem is also just how many dogs are out there who are sbt's, amstaffs, pit bulls or crosses of those breeds. Of course there is going to be a higher representation in attacks when there is a high rate of ownership. I own an sbt and a shar pei. They are both a similar height and weight but totally different body shapes. If I looked at my sbt I'd say she is a far more powerful dog, all muscle and grunt while my pei is very lean/fine looking. With her droopy lips and squishy face the pei looks about as deadly as a stuffed toy. Both dogs have very similar (and rough) play styles and neither has ever won a tug of war over the other. Sadly I can also state they are equally matched in a fight, with the pei showing a smidge more endurance than the sbt but exactly the same strength and instinct of what to do. Shar pei were originally bred as fighting or guard dogs and their extra skin helps protect vital body parts during an attack. So you could say it is a breed trait to be defensive/aggressive if they were so inclined or provoked, just like 'bull' breeds. But there are just not that many of them around (compared to 'bull' breeds) and I guess they wouldn't be considered a tough looking dog so the type of person who owns them will be a little different. You'd probably get laughed at by your mates if you said you got bitten by one of those rolly dogs off the toilet paper ads. Historically, when less 'bull' breeds were being owned there were other breeds of dogs considered the most dangerous. When I was a kid it was Alsations (as GSD's were known then) and later it was rottweilers and Doberman (which were often trained and used as guard dogs rather than pets). In the future there will probably be some other breed of dog (or cross breed) that comes under fire simply because high ownership is also reflecting in high attack rates. Maybe it will be SWFs! All the fear mongering about breed is senseless and good dogs are suffering for it. People need to take responsibility for the containment and behaviour of their own dogs around kids, people and other dogs/animals regardless of what colour or size it is.

The general public thinks their beloved dog (insert any breed or cross breed here) will automatically be fine with all other dogs simply because it is a dog and should understand other dogs, talk the same language, act the same, etc. They have little understanding of the important part puppy socialisation plays and they have even less understanding of those important developmental stages when fears can be imprinted. Some take their puppies to puppy school to show off how cute they are and some (if they can find time in their busy lives) go to further training so they can walk on a leash, sit and maybe do a cute trick or two. If their dog ends up with behavioural issues or poor recall they find something to blame it on. They rarely look at themselves as owners and identify how little time they really spend knowing and engaging with their dog (and becoming alpha), meeting its stimulation needs and ensuring the safety of their dog and other dogs out in public by not doing stupid things with it. Us humans are the worst thing that can happen to a dog. Instead of identifying the breed of dogs involved in an attack perhaps we should start identifying the 'breed' of owner?

My old SBT girl always hated going to the vets. She'd usually pee, poo or puke in the waiting area or consult room to express her dissatisfaction. Since the vet staff knew us well it ceased to be embarrassing. On her very last trip to the vet to be pts we didn't give it any thought. She was injected and we stayed with her and were just talking to her, stroking to her and kissing her. Then suddenly we heard a splashing noise and my sister and I started to laugh through our tears when we saw urine pouring everywhere off the table onto the floor - there seemed to be litres of it!. Two vet nurses we knew well came in and started laughing too. I know it is probably a normal body reflex after a dog has passed but that was so typical Ricky, letting us know she wasn't happy about being at the vet by leaving a big mess behind!

We have three dogs and I make them toys (and dress up gear!), buy them bags of toys from the op shop to destroy, buy them quality treats and usually spend a small fortune at Christmas and birthdays as well. So I might actually be saving myself some time and money with these boxes!!!!!! And if nothing else, I know Tempeh will love eating the box it all comes in!

Whenever I've had a sick dog I've spent quiet time with them just lying on the bed, giving them cuddles of patting them in an area that doesn't hurt. They usually fall into a lovely deep sleep knowing someone is just there, watching over them while they recuperate. It's like kids who feel unwell who like to lie in your lap and have their hair stroked - it's just comforting without being intrusive.

If I was constantly upchucking I'd be feeling pretty miserable. Dogs have a survival thing going on so it could be stressful to him too not feeling strong enough in his pack and knowing he is unwell but can't change that. And if you or I were only keeping down tiny, regular meals we might have lethargy simply from having less food in our bodies. He's had lots going on internally, the poor boy. Can you change the dynamics for him a little - instead of worried mummy could you be more energetic and distracting? Will he sit out in the sun with you and have a cuddle or does he like to potter around the garden with you? Anything he enjoys that he can manage might lift his spirits or make him forget for a bit. As for Gussy cat being in the wars she will hopefully just need some rest for it to come good. Everything hurts more as you get older remember!

We have three dogs so I was thinking a $45 every two months for all three wasn't that big a spoil? To start with I was going for the Christmas box as it would be a surprise for all of us if I didn't choose what was in it! And anything they don't like can go to a local shelter. But now, tell me, should I go with Olly's Box or Ruv's Box????? Edited to add - only Olly's does a Christmas box so I've ordered that and will try out Ruv's in the new year and decide from there. I have been officially enabled!

Would I really be spoiling my dog if I signed up? I love getting packages in the mail so why wouldn't they?!

I'm glad he is keeping things down now. I hope it stays like this!

What a nightmare to lose two together but from their perspective they'd probably say they found heaven the minute they came to live with you. You only have to look at the photos to know their lives were full and happy.

Fingers, toes and paws crossed here that the regurg slows so he is getting nourishment.

I am terrible at getting photos because she isn't a camera fan either but Tempeh can create such a forlorn face that she no longer has any pei wrinkles. Everything just kind of drops. She also has amazingly mobile ears. They are like little periscopes looking around above the water for other ships.

Yep!! I had room for probably 50 dogs if I wanted, but very rarely did I go over 10 and then that was usually when I took a litter under 12 weeks old because they could be safely housed together and better than having a single baby. Very true. Hadn't thought to express it from that angle because this sounded like the type of place where as many dogs as possible were being squeezed into whatever space was available without consideration of what happens after that. All just for the sake of saving lives. Shelters and kennelling certainly have a purpose in rescue but so many just don't seem to get that quality of life balance right. It would be much easier on the dogs and the staff/vols if they did.

None on my lab owning friends have ever clipped their dog's coats and we live up here in tropical Queensland. I thought their coats were designed to deal with a variety of temperate conditions. I'm sure someone like Tapua might come into this thread and share her vast knowledge on the breed's needs.

Thank you so much for that info - I can now research the Asteraceae/Compositae family and if I have anything in my yard from that group of plants I will be taking it out. Every little bit of info helps I think.