Little Gifts

Probably a lot of Stafford crosses in my overall town but I just realised that there are only 20 houses in my little street, most have at least one dog and the most common dog breed is shar pei! There are three.

There is someone on the shar pei FB page asking where he can buy shar pei Labrador crosses (Sharadors?) in America like it was a really common breed. No-one has responded.

Thank you everyone for being so open as I know this thread could've gone belly up. It has certainly opened up my thinking about how breeders 'advertise' and 'sell' their dogs and how regular people 'find' a dog to buy. The realities are different to what I thought in that regard. As for dogs becoming available for a new home around the Christmas period, I certainly don't have any issue with that. You can't make a bitch pregnant when you want her to be or get her to whelp when it is convenient. I just don't like the idea of someone thinking a live animal would be a great Christmas present unless it was already in the planning and you had decided what breed of dog and were perhaps even on a waiting list with a breeder or six. Actually I didn't realise that either, that by the time you have pups available the people on your waiting list may no longer be interested. Plus you can't guarantee the number of pups you are having, that they will all survive and thrive or that they will all even be suitable for new homes. Breeding is a tricky business! As for the Christmas thing, as a buyer I can imagine it would be great for you to be able to bring your new pup home at a time when you might also have some days free to settle it in, so it works both ways I guess. But all that needs to be said is pups will be available from say 20 December. Santa or the Easter Bunny don't need to personally deliver them! The person who gave me several serves on FB was given a serve or two himself by another person who has owned two rescue pei and comes from the same country. She has since contacted me and referred to him as a woman hating red necked BYB! Apparently he deleted all his nasty comments to me but she saw it before he did. She took offence to his original post about the AKC as well as to what she believes is his interest in selling rather than matching his dogs to new homes and what that might then mean if the dog is no longer wanted. So at least it wasn't just me who found his approach off. But thank you all for sharing about your breeding approaches and experiences. I will certainly be less dismissive of any form of advertising based on what you have shared and hopefully the dodgy breeders/money makers are still easily spotted based on how they are marketing their 'product' rather than that living bundle of wonder. Edited to add something that might make you all feel good about being breeders - we were at Woofstock yesterday on the north coast and we saw so many amazing examples of so many different breeds! I saw breeds of dog I have never seen before or at other doggy events and they were well bred and healthy and the owners were proud and responsible souls. Very few oodles, a couple of those super rare blue staffies, a couple of truly ugly things that only a mother could love and some Heinz varieties, but the pure breds definitely took front seat on the day. It was wonderful to see (touch, kiss, cuddle, you get the picture!).

Excellent point Minimax! This is what I'm talking about. It is easy to develop assumptions and I guess I'd like to have my mind a little more broadened. Some more common breeds are also going to have more competition so a breeder would need to stand out amongst a bigger crowd and take advantage of a range of advertising options that are accessible to their target market.

My assumptions are also why I cannot understand why people buy from pet shops, puppy farms and BYB's. Look at what you get for your money and I haven't even touched on the quality of the dogs! Why the hell would you rip yourself off at a pet shop when you could get all this for similar or even less? Are we really so impulsive we couldn't wait for the right dog? While I am an active supporter of rescue I am also 100% in support of good breeders and well bred dogs.

I was on an international shar pei page on FB today. Generally people post pics of their pei and ask for advice on pei related issues. Sometimes someone will post pics of a new litter they have bred. But today someone I haven't seen before came on and posted they had a litter available for Christmas and then went on and bagged the American Kennel Club saying it was no guarantee of a quality pei, etc. I thought that was weird as I don't think including negative info ever helps sell anything. There was a pic of a litter, which would either make them quite old Christmas presents or another litter was pending. I couldn't help myself and posted that advertising pups as Christmas presents was not a good idea and that to avoid beautiful dogs ending up in the rescue system down the track, buyers should put more thought into choosing a breed and breeders should be scrutinising the buyers so their peibes go to the right home. The breeder immediately jumped down my throat calling me special names, which indicated they have heard this before. I reiterated that my post was only about the Christmas present message and that I had not said anything negative about the breeder or their dogs and that I genuinely hoped they found great forever homes. I think I posted twice but the breeder posted numerous times spitting venom at me personally. I think they showed themselves as not being the nicest of people to anyone else who read the thread. I can't imagine buying a dog from them and being able to sort out any post sale problems in a pleasant manner. Anyway I am happy to be wrong about doing this, but here is my position on breeders that I'd like your feedback on so I can become more enlightened: Unless you are a new breeder building reputation, I assume that a good breeder usually has buyer interest in a litter, sometimes even before they are conceived. I assume that a good breeder likes to assess the personalities of their pups and the needs of a forever home so they can make a good match. I assume that with vet and food and other costs, a breeder does not make a financial killing on having a litter (ie being a good breeder does not equate to being a wealthy one). Given they are not breeding to accumulate great wealth, I assume that a good breeder is only having as many litters as they can manage and as many litters as the breeding bitch can safely manage. I assume that a good breeder gets buyer interest from a range of sources including word of mouth, repeat buyers, advertising on their own website, personal FB page, on dog sites(like here on DOL), in dog mags, at dog shows. For me I personally consider random posts on general pages, Gumtree, newspaper ads, shopping centre notice boards, signs on posts and fences to be slipping below the good breeder line but appreciate that a new breeder does need to spread the word differently. The latter ideas suggest to me that the breeder will sell to the first interested person rather than choose the best new owner from those who express interest. I assume that a good breeder is active in their breed development in some way - reading new material, attending shows, networking with breed specific clubs, that kind of thing. I assume that they are experts in the breed I guess. I assume that a good breeder likes to receive updates on their pups and remains concerned about their health and wellbeing as they grow. I assume that a good breeder has nothing to fear from maintaining contact with a new owner. By that I mean that if they suddenly get an email from a buyer out of the blue they read it with interest rather than trepidation. There are probably other assumptions I have, but is this too much? Am I off track? Am I wrongly assuming that a good breeder is as passionate about breeding dogs as I might be about owning one? And am I wrong in assuming that cashing in on the festive season does not look professional or value the actual animal?

Our heart dogs have been referred to as being a mirror of our personalities. Stussy is all attention seeking, love me, love me, love me, whatya doin?, drama llama like her mummy (me) while Wolf is a bit of a watcher and waiter, pat me but only where I want it and where I want it, act your age and not your shoe size but if you are caught being stoopid just roll your eyes and tell them to get over it just like her mummy (my sister). Then we have our little Doodle Bug, Tempeh. She seems to belong to all of us, human and fur. After a year of living here she is still learning new things and she has helped all of us to be a bit more nurturing and understanding. She is constantly asking questions and expressing concern (she's a talker!) and if anything is a bit out of the ordinary the ranks rally around her. I love that she has brought out a new side in all of us. She gives all of us a lot of joy and laughs. In a way she has turned us into a family, with her being the new baby that we have all bonded over.

This afternoon when I looked in Ams car, the engine was on and the air cond was running, she had one pei on the driver's floor, ready to operate the pedals, the other in the driver's seat ready to steer and third in the passenger's seat to spot for trouble. Yep, they found it! All were returned to their rightful locations before the trip proceeded safely onwards!

I think that second photo is just beautiful - the dog, the composition, the focus, the colours and textures, just everything about it is beautiful! Congratulations Buttons!!!!

Oh no! Come on Cody! Mummy can't cope with any more health issues in her fur babies! I really hope this is a one off incident Rach. I know you must be sick with worry but it sounds like you got her to the vet in time. Sending positive thoughts.....

Spot on there LG - although "very intelligent" is subjective in this case... lol! Next time you are in Sydney, come on around, and I'll give you a crash course in suture removal... I will even give you a couple of suture cutters to keep... hehe! I can show you the quick and easy tablet insertion technique too... works for large or small dogs... T. I swear your explanatory post wasn't there when I did this one! I wouldn't have responded if I thought you were online and able to respond yourself! And I agree about the farm thing. Lots of making do occurs when you live hours from the nearest town, regardless of whether the illness is human or animal related!

Sorry, just need to add that T has worked in a shelter, fostered squillions of puppies and is a very intelligent cookie so she has developed a higher level of understanding and knowledge about certain canine illnesses and treatment options. Obviously she can't just go and ask for drugs to treat an issue she knows is presenting itself in one of her dogs, so 'training' may conjure up something a bit more cocky than she means. I'm sure her aim is to just be dealing with a vet on her same wave length who is able to acknowledge her level of skill in being able to manage a health issue without the additional assistance some of us might need. I can't even get desex stitches out of a foster dog myself and DoG help me if I have to give a dog a tablet that can't be wrapped in food! On the other hand I provide excellent post surgical care and have never had a vet make me leave a dog in overnight after a surgical procedure!

I have stayed with my vet for reasons far more important than money. I've been with them since 1988 and a lot of the nurses and admin have been there since then too. It is a hospital so they have all the mod cons but are in a small town and have smaller and slightly daggier looking premises. I've been a VIP customer for at least 15 years now. They are open the same long hours as the more commercial vet practise that operates here too and not once have they ever tried to upsell me or charge me bogus fees. In fact I get loads of freebies in services and goods. They also provide homeopathic services and after hours support. They love animals. I love them! Although my favourite German vet is getting older now and I don't know how many more years she will be able to crawl around the floor with Tempeh saying "Dahlink!"! Peiradise also has the most amazing vet for the rescues. She has this way of ignoring the dogs to alleviate their stress while still undertaking a thorough examination. It is uncanny to watch! And she takes on some difficult cases as a personal challenge, just for her own learning! We are very lucky to have her and I feel better knowing I have a vet with pei specific knowledge (on top of the amazing general doggy knowledge my own vet has). I know she totally cut back the price on Tempeh's entropian surgery just because she was a foster failure. I think a good vet and practise become an important part of your community too. They are not just another business.

My sister's dog, The Fun Police, seems to have a definite sense of humour and she isn't doing it for our attention either. She seems to get a disturbing amount of pleasure by trapping Tempeh in the hallway and lying on top of Temp and Stussy's toys that they are playing with. She knows they wont challenge her and that all games will abruptly cease without the toy. If it is a toilet roll she has also been known to give it a bit of a nibble while looking them directly in the face. She's not into toys so seems to be doing it just to get up their noses and do a Muttley laugh under her breath!

Amanda there are always different perspectives on DOL. Many DOLers have concerns with how the RSPCA is run and their 'statistics'. It is a huge issue and people are going to have different perspectives on what should be done and how. Don't take any of the comments to heart. Your petition made a difference and that is what matters for these horses. Good on you for affecting positive change. I always say one person can make a difference, and you have!

Continuing OT but related to the above, I am a Coles Online customer and did actually post on FB that I was disappointed in the content of the brochure, using my own name etc but no actual venom because why bother - it was already there in spades. So today with my Coles order I got this sticker. I don't buy any dog specific items (chicken necks, sardines and greek yoghurt) and certainly no PAL food. And how would they know I have adopted dogs? So I'm not sure if everyone got one or if they matched up some of the complainers? I'm into stickers so will be using it! Edited to add it seems all Coles Online customers got one. Cool!

That's a big prize for a radio station to be giving away!

And you ought to have seen all the pics people posted of their 'staffies' sucking on kids dummies with babies lying on top of them and the like. Epic Fail on Coles part. I bet they don't use that 'expert' again!

I can't remember it fully but some vet or animal specialist wrote a pamphlet for Coles advising families looking for a new pet to avoid terrier breeds. A dog lover got a copy of the pamphlet when shopping and circulated it. There was a call by the people boycotting Qantas for their decision not to fly staffords (or maybe Am Staffs?) to also boycott Coles - it was happening at the same time. Some of the FB messages to Coles from families who owned SBT's in particular were brutal. Coles responded but I didn't think their response was good enough so I doubt others did either. Sorry, I have fluffy brain again today.

Yes, cause the world needs more foxy chis! And wow, she thinks $100 is a lot? Wonder what she is planning on charging for the pups? Very sad Georgie did not give her full name!

Fantastic work! But why oh why do dogs still have to be neglected until they are in a life and death state before they get help? I'm sure her original owners always had a belly full of KFC and beer (can't guarantee they were good with ear hygiene though).

They had a recent canine related PR disaster so I am very pleased to see they are doing this!

I'm so sorry Jules. Run free now beautiful boy!

I know of a case here in QLD where the owner died in an accident, leaving behind two young, healthy and perfectly trained pure bred dogs (large breed). Despite advice and rehoming offers the family had both dogs pts on the basis they felt the dogs would miss their owner too much. Very sad but what can you do?

It would hardly be a loss this election if the dogs paw printed a vote or two or ate our ballet papers. I think this election will find a greater percentage of unusable votes than any previously. All the trees that have suffered in the name of politics. Now where are our dogs going to pee?