BlackJaq

I guess they might not want to alarm people when they have no proof either way? Duno

A dog has previously contracted it also on a property with affected horses. I believe this was last year in QLD. I don't think they figured out exactly how the dog got it but people can contract it through horse saliva and snot so maybe eating infected manure might do the same for the dog? I can only guess. Dogs had previously been infected in lab conditions only. Not sure if other animals like cats might be susceptible? ETA: Oh my bad, it seems Rozzie's link already had that info

I think a lot of pounds are scared of liability issues in case they let out a dog that ends up harming somebody... Maybe they actually believe that dogs of a certain look are dangerous? I have met a lot of people in real life who will swear that pitbulls are killing machines who go berserk without reason, even when they have never shown issues before.... People outside DOL are often a lot less knowledgeable than the DOL crowd

The description came from the ranger and she is supposed to be an American Bulldog cross (according to the previous owner) hence she presumably referred to her as a bull breed... I don't think every person within and outside of DOL constantly needs to be corrected on such minor issues.. I for one am glad that this ranger is so helpful and concerned for the animals in the pound and I think she is doing an amazing job.... Anyway she went in for her spay today and should be with a foster carer by now (organized by the local ranger) until transport. She is now safe with Eleventh Hour Dog Rescue :) Thanks Everybody who shared, cared and chipped in!

I hope the paper run some kind of article on how to avoid this entire scenario. I feel sick for all the dogs who end up in this exact situation due to their owner's ignorance or lack of care or both. And yes, the owners suck. Trisven's information made me feel even more ill.

So the dog is not actually dead? Will there be a breed assessment then? And why are the owners claiming the dog was killed? ETA: Re: Owners being away and leaving the dog at home, we do that as well... We do have escape proof kennels and my father in law comes over and feeds everyone and checks on the auto waterer. I am very reluctant to leave my dogs in a commercial kennel or pet hotel when we go away and judging by the threads on that topic on DOL many others also avoid it if possible. Unfortunately my family lives overseas and we are unable to take pets when we go to see them. I don't think there is anything wrong with leaving pets at home in a familiar environment as long as they are cared for and cannot escape.

I got some more details off the ranger:

Yes I would like answers to those questions as well, but it was hardly the dog's fault that it had less than stellar owners

Oh my bad hah! I will change the heading ETA: Unfortunately the lack of chip + registration (and probably vaccination I'd say) and waiting ten days to claim it, does not make the owners look responsible exactly.. But having the dog destroyed before the requested assessment, especially in NSW, where breed assessment could make it safe from BSL, is unacceptable to me.

http://www.bordermail.com.au/story/1643088/familys-devastation-after-dog-put-down-unknowingly/?cs=53 Family's devastation after dog put down unknowingly By NATALIE KOTSIOS July 17, 2013, midnight Codie Black, Jess Hingston and their son, Cobie, have lost their family dog after it was put down without their knowledge. Pictures: DAVID THORPE Codie Black, Jess Hingston and their son, Cobie, have lost their family dog after it was put down without their knowledge. Pictures: DAVID THORPEFamily's devastation after dog put down unknowinglyFamily's devastation after dog put down unknowinglyFamily's devastation after dog put down unknowingly A DEVASTATED Lavington couple is demanding answers from Albury Council after their pet dog was put down without their knowledge. Codie Black and Jess Hingston had been waiting almost a fortnight to get their dog, a 15-month-old American Staffordshire-cross named CJ, out of the council-run pound, Canine Country Kennels. Council rangers picked up the dog after it had escaped and declared it to be a pit-bull, not a staffy. The couple had asked for an independent breed assessment, which was due to happen on Monday. But instead of a reunion this week, the couple was yesterday shocked to learn CJ was euthanased on Friday due to a staff “miscommunication”. “It’s just not right, they had no right to put her down,” said Ms Hingston through tears. “She was such a beautiful dog and I wish I could have her back. I’d have been happy just to see her one more time.” The dog, which was not microchipped or registered, was picked up by rangers on June 30 after escaping from home while the couple was away for a few days. Mr Black said he returned home on Wednesday, July 3 and called the pound looking for CJ, but was told there was no dog matching CJ’s description. When he visited the pound last Monday, July 8 to double-check, he found his dog was on site but had been labelled a pitbull-cross. Mr Black was told he couldn’t have his dog back as it was a restricted breed, unless it was inspected by a breed assessor and reclassified. “I said I was happy to pay anything, I was going to get a loan to pay for it all,” he said. “I just wanted our dog back. We’d had her from a pup, we’d trained her and she was one of the most peaceful dogs ever.” Mr Black said he bought the dog from a breeder in Nurmurkah who assured him it was an American Staffordshire. The couple said they last spoke with the pound on Friday and were told someone would be in touch on Monday. But yesterday, the couple was informed the dog had in fact been put down on Friday, already buried at the neighbouring Albury tip. Albury Council’s team leader for compliance John Mulvey confirmed the dog had been scheduled to be put down on Friday but pound staff had agreed to hold off until an independent assessment could be carried out. “Unfortunately this information wasn’t conveyed quickly enough to avoid euthanasia prior to the assessment being carried out,” he said. Mr Mulvey said the owners did not come to claim the dog until 10 days after it had been impounded. Under NSW law, a dog becomes property of the pound if not claimed in seven days and unclaimed restricted breed dogs must also be euthanased after seven days. “Council is confident that an independent assessment would have confirmed the dog’s breed as a pitbull,” Mr Mulvey said. “Had this been the case, the dog would have been euthanised under NSW legislation.” He added it was important all dog owners microchip and register their animals so animals could be immediately returned if found roaming. Mr Black admitted he ought to have had CJ registered and microchipped. ------------ I do have to wonder if council did this on purpose to escape lengthy legal proceeding and possibly be defeated in court like a lot of other councils have recently experienced...

Thanks for those links tdierikx! I will give her a call during business hours tomorrow ETA: I have emailed her now

Hi guys I just thought I might open a separate thread for an older girl we have in Broken Hill (rural NSW) pound, because she has been there a long time now and I would really love to see her get a second chance after spending her life thus far in a pen producing litter after litter. Her name is Shakira (which, admittedly, is a bit of poor name choice) and she is 8 years old. She is fairly large and supposedly an American Bulldog x Neo Mastiff. Here is a picture of her: Are there any rescues possibly concentrating on seniors or large breeds or similar? I would hate if this was the end of the road for this lovely girl and she has somebody who is willing to cover her spay for her if somebody will put their hand up for her. Please contact Nina Hartland http://www.dolforums.com.au/user/26474-ninahartland/ if you can help her :)

I think people who want to change someone over night (or within a DOL thread) might be kidding themselves a little... Can't everybody just be glad that Chris seems to be taking advice on board? He is sticking around and continues to read and respond nicely in this thread and I don't think efforts should be made to drive him off when he might actually learn a lot from DOL in his own time. He has obviously made some statements that a DOL savvy person might not make but he does not sound advice resistant and not everybody knows what is supposed to be good form on this online forum. I actually think that Chris sounds a lot better than a lot of average Joes I have spoken to in person. How many people does everybody know in their neighbourhood whose dogs have never seen a vet, not to mention a vaccination? Anyway, just some food for thought. Chris, I am glad you are getting some good and helpful advice here and you are happy to take some of it. I am doubly glad that your girl puppy will be growing up separately from your boy, and I have outlined my reasons for this in my previous post. Please stick around and understand that there are many bully lovers here who simply want the best for their dogs and for their breed and some of us have become a little bit resentful over how badly these breeds are treated by backyard breeders and even the media. I don't think anybody is trying to attack you personally, the overall situation is just very frustrating for dog lovers.

I would go with the BM, too, but I might be a little biased, too, and have owned neither. And the only breeds that are restricted in various states are the ones on the restricted breed list, no idea why anybody would think "bull breeds" or Bull Mastiffs are on it. The American Pitbull Terrier or "Pitbull" is on the list, which is a bull breed, but there are plenty that are not on it. The Dogo Argentino is also on the list, as is the Japanese Tosa and Fila Brasiliero. All Except the Dogo are fighting breeds. Stuffed if I know what made them add the Dogo but according to the list, it is also a fighting breed (which is untrue)

Is the original breeder willing to take her back? Your chances should be good if she is papered but then again, you did say one of the parents was blue, so might not actually be an ethical breeder, registered or no If you were to keep them both I would suggest keeping them separate mostly, that means sleeping in separate areas, walking separately, separate one on one training for short sessions several times a day and separate puppy classes. I would really only let them together for short, supervised play sessions. As they mature, especially if they have grown up together and because their ages are so close, they may start to fight for supremacy and with this breed in particular, you may be faced with a situation where neither is willing to back down. This means they will seriously hurt each other if given a chance or may even kill each other accidentally or otherwise. Until then, if kept together, you are pretty much pushing shit uphill to stop them from egging each other on in destroying things, digging and doing all the things you want to teach them not to do, basically. If you have a job I honestly see no way that this will work out but even if not, you are pretty much taking on a full time job raising two pups of this type (or any two pups this similar in age, really, but damage is usually proportionate to size and they will become at least medium sized, very strong dogs) together in the one house. I doubt you will find much joy in having them and you may even get sick of both. In your situation I would definitely try to either return or possibly surrender one pup to a reputable rescue as I am very afraid this situation will end in tears for everyone otherwise

I agree, they should be prepared to take puppies back if things do not work out for whatever reason, partiuclarly within such a short time frame and are obliged to give a refund as far as I know.

I let my bitch have three seasons before spaying but I guess that's beside the point here... I would also wait until at least 18 months with a medium/large breed dog but for sure you will need to be extra vigilant with fencing and such because your boy will be able to smell bitches on heat for kilometres and do his darnest to go and visit them, which could put him in danger of being run over by a car, being impounded by the ranger or even being shot by a farmer, depending on where you live.

I think it is always the owner's responsibility to contain, manage and control their dog. So, regardless of what kind of animal is being targeted, if the animal is on my property then that is though luck, including dogs. I would certainly not kill my own dog for harming a strange dog that wandered onto my property. If the animal is in public or on its own property, then it is MY responsibility to make sure my dog does not harm it. In saying that though, rodents and rabbits and yes, even cats, are pests and I would not be upset if my dog killed a feral one who crossed her path whilst we are out hunting (which can be on other people's property, with permission of course). Also, any dog or cat that enters MY property will be shot, whether it actually got around to killing my poultry or whatever or not. I don't really think there is all that much grey area here and I am wondering what made you wonder? Of course it would not be ok for you to bring your terrier to your friend's place and create a situation where your dog could kill her pets, and controlling your dog is your responsibility, regardless of your friend's choice in pets.

I don't really think it should make a difference what breed it was. Whether poodle or pitbull, the little dog is dead either way and the owner is still a twat.

I'm an old[er] lady with SWFs. I have yet to brandish a stick to ward off rampaging other dogs. I do, however, from time to time, pick up an interesting looking stick to use as a walking aid :laugh: :laugh: Sorry, I didn't mean old ladies in general, but in my area that is a very common sight. Like very common. Pretty much two out of three elderly people, not all just ladies either, walk their littlies with some kind of stick/crop/umbrella/weapon and they kind of need to (as do I) to fend off the huge number of roaming dogs around here. You complain about one and even if council do anything about that one, two different ones will cause a problem the next day. And five the next day. It's like a magical nest of shitty owners spews forth its darkness every day :p :p

I would complain regularly, in writing and with photos. Get all your neighbours and friends to do the same if you possible. Also, I started carrying a jockey whip when I walk my dogs in town like the old ladies with SWFs do. Works a treat usually

Would have been nice to see "Police are now investigating whether the dog's owner is a total f***twat" instead of the breed investigation...

Yep, cattle voltage should do the trick lol Seriously though, it sounds mean but I bet you wish you did it if somebody hit your sheep in their car and dies just because their parent refuse to control their children. A little pain now will save a lot of pain later and it beats the heck out of those kids climbing some fence one day and an angry dog being on the other side, ready to chomp their bums up a bit :p

I think Lilli is right in that most people only want the look, not a specific temperament. Many breeds are being changed temperament-wise to make them suitable for pet ownership only and many times things that are even written in the breed standard in the country of origin are completely ignored or even selected against overseas because your average pet owners would just not be capable of coping with that breed trait but still, people want that look. I read an article sometime, cannot for the life of me remember what it was, but I clearly remember the author saying "people want a Benji in a Rottweiler body" (meaning they want a generic, low level of activity, easy-to-get-along-with, friendly to everyone and everything, uncomplicated temperament but with whatever look they prefer, which many working breeds, whatever their purpose, just do not have as it totally clashes with their intended purpose) It is an extremely sad turn of events and makes a viable working breeding program for a lot of breeds very difficult indeed, especially due to large litter sizes and the number of actual working homes available. If you breed your dog for a job, and then sell it to a pet home, where the owners will have to work very hard to make life livable with this dog due to the fact that they just cannot provide the job it was bred to do, you are pretty much wasting your time as a breeder, because you get no feedback from that dog on how well it performs the job you bred it to do and a lot of the things you carefully selected for and even imprinted on your pup before it was 8 weeks old, are now a hindrance to the pet owners... But unless you sell any excess pups to a pet home (say your bitch had 12 pups but you only have 8 working homes lined up), what are you going to do? Stop breeding working line dogs? Compromise their working ability to be able to sell excess pups as pets? Kill any excess pups at birth? All the options suck, really and so a lot of breeds end up with pet/show lines only (I am not talking breeds where their original purpose is illegal now) and those that do have "working" lines often did have to make that compromise on performance and pet suitability. No offence to anybody breeding "working line" anything but except for a handful of breeds, this is reality because you cannot create working homes out of thin air and it should be the aim of a breeding program for working ability to produce pups that can and will work well, not to have a number of pups that are no good for the job so they can go to pet homes. If you don't use it, you loose it and anybody who thinks their pet bred, non working selected dog will perform just as well as a true working line is probably kidding themselves, especially if they never actually worked any of their dogs. *Dons flame suit* as I know my view is an unpopular one hehe

Once again, sounds like a job for hotwire ;) (it's nearly as useful as duct tape hehe)