Little Gifts

There was also footage through that link of what might have been a red belly on a guys windscreen in broad daylight. He and a friend were inside the car, outside light industrial businesses and he was screaming because he had no idea how to get it off. It eventually fell off and hopefully headed to a cooler spot. If it was me my car would still be abandoned in the middle of the road until someone could guarantee that the snake was not somewhere inside my car!

I think you need K9Angel! She is the Queen of doggy birthday parties, including cakes!

I've been thinking about you guys today and hoping you and your doggies have all stayed safe. I think it is bearable if you have a stinker here and there over summer but repeated back to back days of it can really take their toll. Stay cool!

I just saw this article on FB. Not a hot car but a doggy death from being left tied up in the full sun. Horrible and avoidable death. http://www.sunshinecoastdaily.com.au/news/heat-claims-life-of-dog-on-chain/2137026/?ref=hs

He really is a Pei Poster Boy! (clearly broken though given he loves water)

Is Didi crossed with a lab or a Stafford? I can see both in her cute face! I love black dogs! I think it is a great idea to document her life. They grow so quickly.

A fiend of mine is still traumatised about her cat and the RSPCA's lack of response in pursuing the person who ordered his dog to attack and kill it. He even took photos. There were independent witnesses to the event, car rego details, dog and man details and the attack happened on a public street in the daylight but the RSPCA say there was insufficient evidence to go after anyone. Sometimes you have to wonder how much evidence they need and hearing the stories above you have to wonder at their definition of suffering. And I still haven't forgotten the RSPCA officer who when I was seeking assistance to rehome some goats in kid left on my sister's farm after she had been removed from it threatened that my sister would be charged with neglect if she didn't do something for the goats (even though legally she wasn't allowed on the property any more, they couldn't be moved because they were in kid and they didn't have a roof over their heads let alone another farm for the goats to go to). So it's ok to be a hoarder, neglect animals and be given repeated assistance to address concerns that can never be addressed but if you find yourself in a difficult situation and proactively seek help to avoid any concerns even occurring you are chastised and threatened. Good on you RSPCA. I often wonder how many independent rescue groups would be necessary if the RSPCA did the job the public 'thinks' they do? There are probably thousands of dog rescue groups established around the country and on top of that you have rescue and rehab for cats, horses, marsupials, sea life, reptiles and even chickens! All are running on the smell of an oily rag filling a void, while the RSPCA is operating on millions and saving far less of those all creatures great and small than the public think. How did this happen? Having seen some ugly sights in dog rescue I don't even buy that the RSPCA sees the worst cases and hence has higher overheads and lower rehome rates. Independent rescue is picking up the pieces that traditionally the RSPCA and local council should be doing. Why should caring neighbours be cutting fences and saving other people's animals? In a disaster (such as the Bundaberg floods) why isn't the RSPCA the go to org? Instead it is individuals organising and donating food from outside the affected area, liaising with a rescue group inside the affected area to make it happen on the ground. Then there are the media headline grabbing cruelty cases that do make it to court. The sentences given to offenders are light, the public are outraged, the RSPCA again threatens to pursue mandatory sentencing but due to limited resources the outrage on all sides continues. Here in Qld they got a new Act in 2001 but apparently it still isn't good enough! As our national body mandated to investigate and prosecute I would rather they spend all the donations they raise (have you see how many ways you can donate simply from their home page?) doing what no-one else can do and at least do that one thing properly. Grow some balls and pull in the reins. Stop moaning about how you need the public's constant money help and get on with it! I'm getting tired of the carry on and can no longer support it.

I can never understand how people leave animals, babies or the elderly in cars on hot days, leave the air con on and think that will suffice. My car is fairly new but the idling air con is nowhere near as cool as the running air con. The car heats up uncomfortably quite quickly. I always wonder how desperate you have to be to buy something if you can't go home and drop off your immobile or non-shop suitable travelling companions first. Having worked in child protection I once had to locate a parent who left a newborn screaming in a new 4wd with the air con on and the car unlocked. She could not see the car from inside the shop and obviously couldn't hear her screaming baby either. She was incredibly lucky she only got me and not someone who would've liked to steal her nice new car and dump her baby off somewhere. She was a new mum and very upset that her baby was upset so I doubt she will ever do that again. I had flames blowing out of my nose and one defensive response from her and I was taking that baby with me!

Do they do this? Hilarious and really very clever if you have that hard to get at itch! I was also thinking that before buying new furniture Nathan's owner probably considers the fabric and angle of the backrest to ensure Nathan is not disappointed! Us dog people get it!

My only advice if you are trying to make your own is to consider movement space for your dogs and the ability of the fabrics to stand stiffly rather than collapse in on your dog. I think it would be quite scary to feel like you were trapped inside a collapsing bag if the fabric was too floppy, especially if the dog's movements caused it to kind of dip in while you were wheeling them. If using a steel shopping trolley then I would also be concerned about making sure it is well padded around the steel mesh. Imagine an old dog bumping against steel or getting a nail caught. Proper dog prams are made of fairly stiff but lightweight materials to restrain your dog, provide air flow and which are easily washable. The light frame is designed to maintain space for the dog to move around in. The sides are also up higher than babies prams to stop your dog from jumping out. I reckon check on ebay and gumtree for secondhand ones to keep the costs down rather than make your own and have a dogastrophe out in public.

This is me a la Peimy Whinehouse at Woofstock last year saying hello to this beautiful old boy in his stroller.

Pre air con I used to put the fan on in front of bowls of ice so it would blow cooler air over us. I know the ice wont last all day but perhaps something similar could work using frozen water bottles rather than ice cubes? That could last longer.

I bought a doggy pram from World for Pets for my old Stafford girl. She absolutely did not want to be left at home when the other dogs went for a walk but she was so slow and prone to tire that we had to come up with another option. She found the pram embarrassing but it was a practical solution that enabled her to continue to be part of the pack and get out and about. I will say that it set the more active dogs back on their leash training for a bit both having to manage an old dog walking and also with the pram. We'd get tangles and delays and I spent so much time focussing on the old girl and making sure she was ok that some bad habits developed with the other two. All good now though. My pram is navy blue and shaped like the pic that Marion added. It took the weight of an sbt with no problems. It has a clip inside that you can attach your dog to and it zips up and there is all see through mesh so the dog is safe from jumping or falling but can see and has plenty of air circulation. The bottom is padded and there is a shelf underneath and a cup tray at the back. We also used the pram at a Peiradise event last year where we had puppies that couldn't go on the ground. The pram and pups drew a lot of attention.

I had a foster boy who squirted me twice just doing stretches. Once we were on the bed. Blerch. I think the vet said he had weak muscles in that area or something. He was the same boy who vomited up a load of live worms (even though he had been wormed). Both things still make me shudder.

Some rescues actually assist people to rehome rather than surrender their pets so really, for some dogs this is the step before true desperation sets in and a good dog needs to be surrendered, sent to the pound or pts. I truly believe there are genuine circumstances requiring well loved and cared for dogs to find new homes and if it ever happened to me I would love to have some control over finding the right new owner for my fur baby. As long as the potential dog is right for you and you for it, you have saved it the heartache of being surrendered or worse.

I think Stussy would sound like Phoebe Buffay from Friends - all love and fluff! I think Tempeh would be Sabrina the Teenage Witch - the world revolves all around her 'issues'. Wolf would be some kind of tall, scary headmistress type with an imposing voice.

Buddy's story touched many of us and made us look at grooming practices and the safety of our dogs in a whole new light. I have shared Buddy's Story with all my friends who use grooming services and my vet so that no other dog suffers from such carelessness. To you and Leah though Caz, I would remind you who Buddy was in life. I'm sure he would approve of you bringing this issue to the dog community but at some point I'm sure he would want you to let go of your grief and remember him as the beautiful, happy soul he was and shift your thinking to celebrating his life rather than being angry at his loss. You've done your job. Time to take comfort in the dog you knew rather than the dog you lost. Buddy and his story will live on and I hope after this anniversary passes you can move on too. Love you guys. XXX Alyson

Welcome Canetoad! :D

And she's got he own song "Give me one Reason to stay here and I'll turn my back around...said I don't want to leave you lonely, you've got to make me change my mind..."

I know! I keep thinking I would be most owner's nightmare! And here we are wanting our dogs to fit into our crazy lifestyles! No wonder they get confused!

Random post deleted! Maeby what happened to your lovely post?

If I were a dog a potential new owner would need to know: - I shed long hair everywhere and need to be groomed daily. - I'm crap at ball games and have short, useless legs so don't waste your money taking me to agility classes. - Sometimes I need alone time in my crate. It's not you, it's me. - I like lots and lots of toys but do look after them and will tidy up behind myself. - I can't stand the same food day in and day out. And if I don't eat it the first time don't bother trying to feed it to me again. - I wriggle a lot in bed. Sometimes I like to stretch out and other times I like to curl into a ball. Deal with it. - I like all kinds of different animals. But not snakes, big spiders or snooty cats and especially not in my backyard! - If it's hot I expect the air conditioning on. If it is cold stick the heater on high! - I like to go for drives in the car. I also like going to the beach. - I don't like doing anything that takes a long time. This includes baths and walks. - I can't be bothered barking at nothing but would like to tell you all about my day. - Even though I'm quite social I'd prefer to be an only dog. And I like other people's kids but like it better when they go home. - I don't want to know about all the dogs you had before me. - Don't use baby talk on me and don't feed me loads of treats then call me chunky! How rude..... - I understand if you need to stick photos of me up around the house and have me on your FB page and phone. I look good! - I'd also like to add that I give excellent cuddles and kisses but I am not a random humper! - My pedigree is not good enough to want to breed with me so desexing me is fine. - I'd currently be considered mature aged but plan on living to be really, really old so we still have years of fun together! - You might sometimes need to check my sanity but you will never ever need to question my loyalty. I just thought of another very important point: - If I need a tablet you will need to master the art of peanut butter sandwich making and squishing it in amongst the crushed nuts so I will eat it.

I have an old school friend on FB who recently got a catahoula and said she was going to breed from it (I think in an arrangement with the breeder she got hers from). Since she has not bred any dogs before I asked if she was aware of DOL and suggested she join it because of what a great resource it is. Plus that breed is still rare out here so I'm sure we'd all like to see pics of a litter!

Michael Flatley....PMSL......

Deleted for stupidity and confusion. Need more sleep.