Little Gifts

Happy Birthday Mac! I'm glad you have been thoroughly spoilt!

There is clear evidence between animal abuse and human abuse. A $900 fine is zip deterrant for future crimes on the general public (or on other animals) by this guy and all the other maniacs in waiting out there. I watch a lot of those animal cops shows from America and it seems that so few of them result in any charges being laid. Yes there are physical and mental health issues and plain old ignorance that results in a lot of animals being neglected but SO WHAT! At the very least these people should be stopped from owning any animals in the future until they prove themselves fit for the task. And regardless of their income they should have to pay treatment costs (even if they have to pay it off over years) so they understand the financial burden of owning an animal. I'm getting tired of all the excuses because the situation is not getting any better for all these animals.

So much for fact checking articles when they can't even get the names right! And so much for non-biased reporting. I hope most SMH readers understand if you have a high ownership rate of a certain breed then you will also have a high representation of that breed in any studies.

I once had a dog go suddenly lame and he had constipation. From memory the compaction was pressing on a nerve making it difficult for him to walk. The vet fed him Pal and got that poo out and he was fine again. So I hope it is something quickly fixable but he must see the vet.

This. If I took any of my dogs into my vet with even slightly overgrown dew claws she goes mad at me! How the hell this vet nurse can get away with rotting teeth is beyond me! Ask her how she would feel if she had unattended dental decay, nits and dirty hair next time she calls so worried about her precious dog! I watched a show last night about a lady who runs a cat sanctuary and rescue in LA. She has almost 800 cats at her rescue and her local pound puts down 200 cats a day so obviously the situation is uber crappy. She gets people who call wanting to surrender cats and kittens multiple times a day and she berates them endlessly about their animal ownership stupidity and neglect. She gets real personal and hangs up on them too. She does take whatever they want to dump and offers to free desex any cat they choose to keep but she makes them suffer her anger and dislike for it. I was cheering for her.

I admit to opening my front window curtains as far as I can every morning only so Tempeh can sleep on my bed with the winter sun on her!

I think it is at least worth trialling and it is a very green approach to addressing the problem too.

Well that's a first world problem I appreciate never having experienced (yet)!

Is it being advertised on Scumtree? You can also report them there so that dodgy breeders don't taint the efforts of good breeders using the same website. I'm not a breeder but I would assume if a potential customer asked me a genuine question and was interested in becoming more informed about how the breeding process works I'd answer whatever questions I could. I also don't think the question you have raised here is an unreasonable one when you are considering buying a live creature that you will have for at least a decade.

You have to trust your gut. Unfortunately we all know we can't rely on other people to be properly managing their dogs even when they know they might be HA, DA or FA. I've actually seen people come into my vet carrying a small dog without a collar or leash on saying "my dog doesn't like other dogs" like it was my problem and I should move away. Well stick it in a effing carrier if that's the case or buy it a collar, leash and a muzzle if you are going to bring it out of your car! You don't have to have a high IQ or good attention span to own a dog and take it out in public! If I was ever trapped in by a dog I was unsure of I would actually call to the owner and ask them to hold their dog closer while I went by. For all I care they could think it was my dog that was the issue.

If only he knew how many fans he has!

What I don't get is the inconsistency regarding livestock and companion animals. They will warn and give the owners of puppy farms and large BYB's every opportunity to comply with minimum standards (while said companion animals become less and less suitable to be rehomed without intensive work) but here they just cull sick cattle (whose purpose in life may have been to be meat on our tables anyway), without endlessly encouraging the owner to do the right thing? I guess they think they can get away with shooting a bunch of cows out bush and let's face it, they wouldn't want to transport cattle to a shelter for care and treatment given they are moving out of the shelter business. Starving cow pictures don't rake in the donations like emaciated dog pics do. I'd care a lot less if they shot a few deliberately neglectful owners.

I am yet to hear of a dog piddling on their jammies because of how they are made. They are pretty much all open on the underside for that reason. Although if your dog piddles on his own front legs then yes, the jammies could get it! Here's a pic of the Cold Frog style I just made for a fine coated dog with spondylosis (limited mobility in neck and legs).

Maddy I LOVE the pei model that Etsy seller owns. I even messaged her about him ages ago. I think his name is Paddington (or maybe Winston). HazyWal - How are you putting your pyjamas on? I do head then stick my hand in a front leg and pull a paw through, then do the other front leg the same. Then stick your hand through each back leg pulling the paws through. To take off I normally do one back leg, then the other and peel the whole coat forward over their head and they usually just walk out of the front legs. There is an art to fitting the back leg on onesies and even though I've now made loads I still have probs if the measurements I get given are too long in the length and leg areas. The way the pattern works when you add length along the back you also add fabric width and length in that whole back leg area. It's a pain. Some can be fixed and some can't. I've just custom made fleece coats very similar to the Chilly Dog ones I've linked to below. I had a similar pattern and a customer had a need for a warm coat for a dog that couldn't do legs. I don't have photos yet to show you but we put a print on top and a plain underneath and she wanted tie straps rather than clips or Velcro. I've already made a pattern to make a double sided pair for Tempeh as I have a cool pink camo for the top and some hot pink for the underside. I'm naming my version the Cold Frog after Tempeh. I'm hoping to perfect them for next winter as I think they could be a good option - expand the back end for good thigh coverage, particularly when they lay down, and make the underside as long as possible without them getting widdled on to give chest and belly warmth. They only need to go on over the head and be wrapped. I've also talked with one DOLer about pei-jays with wrap around legs. Those clips they use on babies onesies would probably work well but I don't have any quality ones so was going to do them with Velcro closures. I worry that would be a bit scratchy or bulky in the armpit areas though. I haven't seen anyone making this style but with some trial and error it has to be possible and there seems to be a (small) need. Chilly Dogs (The Cold Frog has more bum coverage and comes in patterned fabrics!) - http://www.chillydogs.ca/index.php/product/index/30

Look at all the love for you in his eyes! I wish I had a camera when I first woke up this morning. Hot morning breath woke me before the alarm. I opened my eyes to see my heart girl Stussy had not only burrowed her way under the doona but she was lying side by side with me, face to face, with her head on my pillow, fast asleep. Usually she burrows in, fully submerged under the blankets and lies at right angles so she can kick me in the belly. How can I not love her!

I'm sad - his bum is hanging out! Did I make it too short????? I don't like doggies to have cold bums....

At least all the animals are accounted for. And Enigma, thank you to whoever from your group gave me advice on FB to ring Mildura Pound to see about donating to getting this transport arrangement back on the road. They are already shut but I will call again tomorrow to see what I can find out.

We feed all ours according to Tempeh's strict schedule (or she is sure she will die from starvation). 7.30am and 5.30pm. I just split half and half. There is also a treat at around 11pm as this seems to stop Temp from getting vomitty before she has her brekkie. I'd much rather pick up poo than clean up a bile vom bom.

I agree about the trial and error thing. My sister also bought a range of other supplements all at the same time but we started using the Sascha's Blend, it worked and we haven't even opened the other stuff. I can see a big jar of Joint Support and another called Techny Flex Canine still sealed. There could be others hiding in the cupboard. Obviously there are a few options out there on the market!

Totally OT but last night I met a lady with a whippet and an Italian greyhound who wants some pyjamas made for them. I was asking about her 'iggy' and she stopped me and said "I don't know what you are referring to.". I thought iggy was a common term? Apparently not! I think she liked it though.

My sister has a husky shep cross who is 11.5 years old, so a large breed and quite elderly dog. She just started to age over the past year and developed mobility issues from arthritis. She started on the weekly shots for a month and saw an instant response. She also started on Sascha's Blend sprinkled on her dinner at night and my sister bought her a magnetic blanket to lie on at night on her bed. It was six months before she showed any signs of mobility issues or pain and had to go back for another round of shots. We've also offered her heat pads on really cold nights but she is not interested. She is on a kibble for ageing dogs as she was losing weight on the Black Hawk the others get. I am absolutely amazed at how nimble she is just with what has been done to assist her so far. The other dogs in our house are a lot younger and more playful but the old girl will happily bounce around and play zoomies with them. Her appetite and thirst levels have increased and I think that is the Sascha's Blend. She hates pain and will cry at the very hint of it so I am confident these couple of things have improved her quality of life greatly.

Given this is/was a private transporter for rescue, I'd be happy to donate towards replacing that trailer if anyone knows who I can contact about assisting financially. Even if they were insured they will probably be out of pocket. I'd love to see Noel back on the road again doing what he does as soon as possible. Transport options help save animals lives as much as them having somewhere to go does. This is just such an unexpected kick in the guts for rescuers and their supporters. Just sad all round.

I can't stand to think some ran off in fear from the accident site. Reminds me of the little crestie that has never been found after the breeder's dog trailer was involved in a bad accident (last year?). I still think that dog is alive and living with a family somewhere. Scary experience for humans so imagine being in a crate, heading to the unknown and going through this. I hope all the survivors (human and animal) pull through no worse for the trauma.

Life sucks sometimes.

I'm looking at this from the perspective of how children usually fall. If the legs were tangled and the dogs were around the outer area of the child I can see it falling on its bum, knees, hands and possibly even falling into the dogs themselvesbut I can't quite picture it being flipped so it landed a clean head hit. Children are very low to the ground and are used to falling when learning to walk so they have a plopping kind of fall rather than keeling right over. So yes, I can imagine a child getting a head trauma tripping up or down stairs or an adult being pulled over by a dog getting a head smack but a child's fall from a horizontal surface just seems to be so different. If it wasn't there would be a lot of head injuries happening while children learned to walk. It is possible this is true but it just doesn't feel right to me.