Leema

A muscular kinda pointer. :)

I have a 2003 Commodore Station Wagon. I had a shelf installed in the back, so I can slide dog crates on top and the spare tyre sits underneath (donut gas tank). The front half of the shelf is on a piano hinge, so it folds up if I need to. The two 'legs' at the front of the shelf are on hinges, too, so fold up when transporting an item in front of the shelf, or when I put longer items under the shelf. One photo is of shelf freshly installed, the other is when it was moderately used in a recent camping trip. (Only a two dog trip - easy!) Good things about this set up: *Flexible enough to put one or two or three PP40 crates in securely. *Flexible enough to take a trolley underneath (tyre in back seat), or whatever else I need. *If I fold down the back seats, I can still transport longer items. *The piano hinge is very worthwhile when putting heavy items in the car. I don't have to hoist it onto the shelf, but onto the bottom floor of the car. *I like that I have two handles on either side for securing items in the back. Quite handy. *I can fold down the seats and put larger crates in the back area. Bad things about this set up: *I am limited in crate height. *The shelf is not easy to remove and reinstall. It stays there permanently. *I can't sleep in the back of my car because there's a shelf in the way. *It's hard to reach things at the back of the shelf, and sometimes I have to fold down my back seats in order to reach things at the back of the shelf. *I would've liked more room at top to put 3x PP40 crates abreast, but because of the tyre's width, this wasn't possible. *When I transport big dogs, I have to put them in my back seat, as most can't stand up in the back of the car because of the shelf.

I think all puppies should be microchipped with details on the breeder, and the breeder be responsible for puppies they produce for life. This legislation would only need enforcement of microchipping, which is obviously lacking in some states as is. I wrote more about this idea here: http://leemakennels.com/blog/dogs-and-politics/62/

Is there anyone in Port August that may be able to do a yard check for me? This is a tentative request. Please PM me. :)

Thanks for the suggestions. I ended up using bug spray everywhere possible and hoping for the best... Car was swarming with fleas after transporting for rescue. I was hoping I might be able to 'starve them out' by not using the car for about a week, but apparently not. :laugh:

Is there a flea-bomb like device for cars? Where can I acquire one?

Alexis is great and I recommend Scholars in Collars a lot. :)

At the very least, CHANGE VETS! I think a dermatologist vet is a great option, too. I've been very impressed with vet dermatologists with my one consult (with a rescue dog).

I know dog bites are complex things, and the question 'are they good with children' tries to make simple a very complex matter. How do you answer? I could write an essay response to this question, but I need to add something simple to my repertoire that gets a point across without sending anyone to sleep. :laugh:

I prefer using older dogs, because I know what they are (they won't change like puppies - they're set!), I normally know what they will produce, and it gives me an indication of the fitness and health of the dog. I also know how many times they will be used at stud in their lives (to use a young dog, we can only guess his prolificness as a sire.) My last litter was sired by a 10 year old dog that had only been used at stud about three times previously. My next litter will be from an 8 year old stud dog that has no offspring on the ground (we're getting his semen tested first), and my next litter after that is probably going to be a 7 year old dog who, again, only has a couple of litters on the ground. To me, it makes sense to use fit, healthy, old dogs.

I got a tag with 'Rescue Dog' on it and my number on the back made up when I was surrendered an escape artist (which never escaped in my care, nor now in her new owners..). It cost me about $13 - normal rates from a pet shop. This particular dog went to a new home with this tag (as I was concerned about her escaping, though she never did) and after the 2 week trial, I rang up and asked them to post it back, which they did. I generally don't like dogs wearing collars, and I only really put this tag on dogs for the first few days they're with me, and then it gets taken off. For dogs that play biting games, they definitely don't wear collars.

Shame you're in NSW, Niki, because I have two beautiful Lab x BC x Kelpie young adults in rescue at the moment. :) For your interest: Jet: http://www.petrescue.com.au/view/163248 Mack: http://www.petrescue.com.au/view/163246

The video I just watched from the above linked was regarding a "staffy terrier" owned by grandparents that attacked the grandchild. The dog was carried from the premises wrapped in a blanket, presumably to stop cameras filming the dog - why would they do this?

I think one of the biggest things, across the board in rescue, is poor customer service. If you have an enquiry from someone wanting to foster, it should be followed up promptly and professionally. Too many rescue groups are, just, basically, unprofessional and some border on rude. This doesn't just go for foster carers, but your whole approach. There is the potential to be off putting at every level: People who want to surrender animals may find staff overly gruff or judgemental and choose a different group to surrender to, people wishing to adopt may feel under supported and look for another group, and, yes, volunteer foster homes may find staff rude, judgemental, or under supportive, and choose not to offer their services to the organisation. I don't know anything about your group, honeybun, and you may have excellent interpersonal skills... But you'd be an exception if that was the case.

And, an interesting read: The Rebuttal http://btoellner.typepad.com/kcdogblog/2012/04/on-assessing-blame-vs-focusing-on-solutions.html

Yes yes yes. I normally say there are 4 facets of dog bite prevention education: *Educate adults (especially parents) on how to read potentially dangerous dog body language. *Educate children on how to act around dogs to prevent dog bites. *Educate dog owners to socialise and train their dogs to be confident, stable, unbitey dogs. *Educate dog breeders to not breed from aggressive dogs. Though few dog bites occur with dogs roaming at large, there should be better council prevention of this occurrence. Right now it's reactive: We need some 'contain your dog' campaigns, that have been shown to be effective in reducing roaming dogs in other countries.

Since when is KC fatal? It's a self limiting disease.

The footage of the dog running alongside the bikes is gorgeous. So friggin' happy!

At the kennels we worked at, we used to use a disinfectant thrown on the floor and rinsed each day. I don't know what that product was. Whenever a dog vacated a kennel (i.e. went home), then that kennel would be sprayed with F10 in every possible place, including food and water bowls. The yards were rinsed with disinfectant every day, but water bowls were sprayed with F10 once a week. F10 was used on all yards that had had a kennel cough dog in them (sometimes on a daily basis).

Yeah, bleach can also burn dog feet, too, if they're not rinsed away properly. F10 is pretty good. I've got that stuff (correctly diluted) in my eyes before (shh, don't tell my employer) and it didn't feel like anything. It smells, but not in an overbearing way (just in an 'that's F10, not water' way). I understand it's really expensive, though.

I have a 4.5 year old, a 3 year old, and a .5 year old. I really like this current combination, but I think it's more about the personalities involved than the age gaps.

F10. Whatever you use should kill parvo as a matter of precaution. F10 and bleach does. I don't know what else does.

My bitch was measured when she was about 2.5 years old. We have never entered a trial, and she is now 4.5 years old. Does this mean she needs to be remeasured before competing, as her measurement was taken >2 months from her first trial?

This is my favourite book to recommend, too! Dunbar's stuff is good, but is a little bit 'extreme' in some ways... Mostly, you feel bad for doing anything idfferent. :laugh:

I allowed this poll to have multiple options, for those with multiple bitches. I look forward to hearing about your experiences.