Keira&Phoenix

Awesome story. It is so great to see a country who has so much BSL still (although it is dying over there now) using APBT's for these sorts of roles. They are such a driven dog and they love to work, they are perfect for these sorts of things.

Thanks for sharing.

Court finished. Decision will be made this Friday at 11 am.

Poor Lennox is still stuck in prison while they drag this out.

I am so sorry Jase, you gave him a great 8 years, I am sure he went knowing what true love and a kind hand was.

RIP Old mate

My dog had surgery on a luxatting patella, she was back to normal (ie not favouring the leg) in less than 4 months.

I would be concerned. Dog may just need some good hydrotherapy to build the leg back up without to much impact.

Did a specialist do the work or just your regular vet? I would suggest you go back and see them and possibly get a referral to a good chiro vet or physio and organise some hydrotherapy, it works wonders.

Thinking of you both!

Come on Mindy pull through, your Mum loves you and needs you.

Just wanted to add, I do lure coursing here in QLD and the dogs are definitely not muzzled. Actually their collars are taken off as well, they race with nothing on to stop the possibility of your dog getting caught up in the lines that run the lure along.

Most dogs are run separately anyways unless you have two dogs that you want to run together.

The problem was derogatory comments being thrown about by you and members of the rally group, don't act like you know nothing! shunning the very people who could have showed their dogs In a responsible manner was a great move

There was nothing but animosity towards certain people being part of the rally from the day go! Heaps of people have pulled out not a great thing In helping the cause

Good luck with It all

Exactly Danni. Not a great start.

Well I would suggest you look into something yourself before posting here based on just hearsay, because I can guarantee you will see nothing of the sort on either the group or the event page. I certainly would not have stood for that being posted.

Again, I have been extremely open with asking for opinions and suggestions from anyone and everyone and if your friends believed that the APBT was being forgotten or they had any suggestions they should have joined the group and posted or sent me a message.

I do not count what I have been told by VERY good friends as hearsay.

Sounds interesting. Best of luck finding doggies to take part.

Unfortunately I think certain comments in these discussions and rallys have turned Pitbull owners away from the particular rally. There has been a lot of "pitbulls are a lost cause", not really a helpful view to have when we are all supposed to be sticking together and working together for ALL dog breeds.

Sorry K&P, but I have no idea what you are talking about. Please direct me to any quotes, links or posts where anyone has said or even ALLUDED to pitbulls being a lost cause. Considering I myself am an avid pit bull fan as are a large percentage of the people in the group, I fail to see how you have gotten that impression.

Just because people are choosing not to do the same old thing over and over again hoping to get a different result, doesn't mean that we believe pit bulls are a lost cause and we are t in it for them. On the contrary, NOT focusing exclusively on pit bulls is what we believe a better result for that particular breed and ALL other breeds.

If you feel that holding a pit bull rally and speaking about pit bulls for three hours will provide a positive result for the dogs and inspire change in the public and the government, then I'm sorry but you are looking at the situation with blinkers on and these laws will be around forever.

Oh I am not saying hold a pitbull only rally. I am all for an Anti - BSL rally about protecting ALL breeds of dogs who are in danger, 100% behind that. We will only succeed in saving the already restricted breeds with the help of breeds who are on the chopping block and breeds who are on the chopping block will only succeed with the help of already restricted breeds.

I was just pointing out that a large group of people that I know who are PB people have come back saying that people have been not so much anti pitbull but just basically saying that Pitts are a lost cause etc. Sorry I missed the exact spots where it happened as I have been mostly absent off FB but will see if I can get them to show me where it was.

what if is was a little squealing toddler or a crying baby in a pram and not a puppy?????

Dog aggression and human aggression are two very different things.

ETA - Do you know what breed of dog it was that attacked and killed the pup? Just curious.

Unfortunately I think certain comments in these discussions and rallys have turned Pitbull owners away from the particular rally. There has been a lot of "pitbulls are a lost cause", not really a helpful view to have when we are all supposed to be sticking together and working together for ALL dog breeds.

SK -I purchased a 42" crate from all pet homes. It is decent quality but the 36" that I just bought off a friend is definitely stronger and more durable, not sure where hers came from as it was her parents for their Lab from years ago.

I guess it depends on if your dog is going to try and escape or not? Neither of my dogs have really put it through the ringer TBH.

I have heard some horror stories from B&T places similar to Black Obsessions, this has included "helicoptering" a dog ie: spinning it around you by its lead and collar. Not nice at all. So please make sure you research if you do decide to go with a place and ask to watch some of their training sessions to get an idea of how they work.

Erny gave you some great advice. I think you really need to decide if it is going to work for YOU. Are YOU willing to put int he effort afterwards.

I assist in classes with my dog trainers, I general help out with the reactive dogs. Now I can take the leash from the owners of reactive dogs, hook the dog up to me and have a completely different dog within 10 seconds, because the dog and I do not have the same emotional connection and because I know what I am doing, as soon as I give the dog back we revert to the same behaviour unless the owners can take on what I have shown them and work hard on it and even then it will not be an immediate effect.

OK, Please tell us how all of you folks managed to attain your first show/breeding dog ???

The numbers of dog club memberships are falling, they all require new memberships and new exhibitors at shows.

Why not take just a little time to talk to these people instead of simply judging them via e-mail, you may just be surprised???

I think the OP discounted them because a) they said they were not going to use the dog for showing and b) they indicated that they knew nothing about the breed and provided no reason for wanting that particular breed.

If you want to become a show/breeder then you research the breed before you start looking to buy.

Huga!! So sorry I was having a mental blank when you said who you were! What a coincidence we ended up standing next to each other during the Dock diving!!

Great photos.

Was a really good day and have to congratulate whoever organized the event and set it up, it was really well done, definitely the best dog/pet event I have been to so far this year.

Thanks for sharing. I have heard the story and will be saying a prayer to the doggie gods that sweet Lennox will be going home.

Hopefully all the public support and support from celebrities will help to set him free.

Best ofluck to Lennox and his owners today.

I was told Safari was in this year.

Do you have any of the following models Mrs Deshonko

Awwww what a cutie!!! :D

Good on the man for helping it.

OH came up with a great idea

we need to fight the media back with their own weapons - words and pictures. Photos of our dogs how they REALLY are. Playing with children, hogging couches, frolicking in the backyard. All breeds. A dog is a dog and their true purpose to be with us is being tainted by the medias flooding of vicious looking animals.

come up and plaster them all over the wall of the coucil offices. Let them see the true nature and face of the animals they want to ban

I like this idea. Put pictures up on public notice boards, in community halls etc etc etc

Oh Minxy you should definitely come, I would love to see Kyojin again, I bet he is heaps bigger than the last time I saw him!! Big bear he is!

Mish will definitely introduce myself before squeeeeing over your puppy..........ok maybe there will be a little squeeing before introductions :D

Naww! How gorgeous, its always fantastic to meet breeds you don't see often.

Oh yay will be good to meet you Alyson!

Thanks Daisygirl.

Yeah where does the shuttle bus go from, just in case?

I will be working there on Saturday with Sid

Oooo, will look out for you and Sid (mostly Sid as I know what he looks like )

This article states the

The AVA advised the bureau that AVA members would not be willing to provide certification of unknown breeds based on a physical examination alone and more evidence would be required before that decision was made.

I am trying to contact AVA to confirm this. Does anyone have any phone numbers please?

http://www.spec.com.au/?sp=2&id=12452

Dangerous dog legislation is not the whole answer

More from the Hamilton Spectator

6 September 2011

LISA CAMERON

THE State Government’s new legislation to crack down on dangerous and restricted dogs has been met with some apprehension by south-west veterinarians.

Representatives from both Hamilton Animal Health and Hamilton Vetcare said while a definite solution was needed, this alternative might not have a strong effect on such a complex problem.

The tragic death of a four-year old girl in Melbourne, after she was mauled by a pit bull cross, has heightened the debate on what to do with dangerous and restricted breed dogs.

The State Government introduced new legislation to Parliament this week to better police restricted breed dogs and create a massive incentive for owners to register their animals.

Minister for Agriculture and Food Security, Peter Walsh said the legislation was the first of several measures to get rid of restricted breed dogs including pit bulls.

“The legislation…ends the amnesty to register restricted breeds on September 29, meaning any dog identified as a pit bull not registered after that time can be seized and destroyed,” he said.

“The changes will close legal loopholes to ensure pit bull crosses become a restricted breed and a visual standard for identifying pit bull terriers will be gazetted tomorrow to prevent some of these dogs escaping regulation because of uncertainty over their breed.”

Both Hamilton Animal Health’s Dr Kristabel Lewis and Hamilton Vetcare’s Dr Lauren Alexander –Shrive said just focusing on pit bulls was no way to fix the serious problem of dangerous dogs.

Dr Lewis said the new planned legislation was focusing on pit bull cross breeds, but it was sometimes very difficult to determine the breed of an animal based on appearance alone.

She said all dogs, no matter what breed, could present a danger depending on the situation and how that dog had been raised.

“You can’t predict it and you can’t tell which dog it is going to be; it is such a risk particularly to children.

“I do worry that if you get rid of one breed then you are going to possibly find that another breed, maybe in ten years or so, will come forward that have been bred to be aggressive. Getting rid of one breed is not going to fix the problem; people have to take more responsibility.”

Dr Lewis said it was the responsibility of the owner to ensure their dog was restrained and housed correctly and that it was trained and behaved in a safe matter.

She said not just restricted breed dogs could be dangerous with dogs known to attack if their territory was invaded, or if they were panicked or scared.

Dr Alexander-Shrive urged all south-west residents to register their dog ahead of September 29 so there would be no chance that their animal would be seized by council.

She said the restricted breed issue was serious and unfortunately there was no easy solution that would fix the problem.

“Some cross bred dogs look like a dog on the restricted breeds list but they are not. It is really important that people register their dogs so they are not seized by mistake.

“This new legislation is a good thing because it will encourage people to register their animals. However a lot more is needed and owners need to ensure they take responsibility of the housing and behavioural training of their animal.”

The Australian Veterinary Association (AVA) has described the new legislation as a short-term solution with the risk of lulling the community into a false sense of security that the danger is over.

AVA Victorian president, Susan Maastricht said the new legislation would do little to address the overall problem of dog bites and attacks.

“It’s important to recognise that most dogs don’t bite, and only a tiny proportion of dogs are aggressive,” she said.

“However, effective control and management of these aggressive dogs is absolutely necessary through regulation that works. Owners must be held responsible for the education, control and actions of their dogs.”

Dr Maastricht said declaring that some breeds were dangerous and others were not was misleading.

The AVA was asked, by the Bureau of Animal Welfare, if Victorian veterinarians would be willing or not to examine a seized animal to decide if it was a restricted breed and should be euthanised.

The AVA advised the bureau that AVA members would not be willing to provide certification of unknown breeds based on a physical examination alone and more evidence would be required before that decision was made.

Southern Grampians Shire local laws co-ordinator, Brain Urwin said the new legislation and any improvement regarding dangerous dogs would be welcomed by the shire.

He said council advised people against owning a dangerous dog and welcomed another plan by the State Government to employ more Animal Control officers for Victorian shires.

“Council welcomes any initiatives regarding more employment of Animal Control officers in the shire,” Mr Urwin said.

“Council does not have a dedicated animal control officer, but has two full-time Local Laws officers and part of their roles/ duties it to attend to animal control issues on an as needed basis.”

With this in mind. This will hurt owners too. Because now how is Melissa Brown (who got the letter from the Council, the letter which is a couple posts above) going to get a Vet Cert saying her dog is an Amstaff and take it to this meeting? So no the AVA won't be helping the Govt but really leaves anyone with crossbreeds in the lurch seeing as they have no one to say there dog isn't a PB. It's a lose lose situation.