huck house

Thanks OSoSwift. It would be interesting to know . Apart from protecting stray members of the public, laws regarding signage and containment of dangerous or restricted dogs would have to be to protect emergency services. Reactive or territorial dogs might pose bigger hazards for them ?

We got our two bull terriers from Melton just over a year ago. The fate of our two if we didnt buy them was either being shot or used as blood dogs. I had culture-shock over the dog scene out there. Really horrifying. there is no doubt in my mind that dogs are being stolen as bait for organized dog fighting rings . Really hope it is a high priority to the police.

Hi! Sorry to revisit the topic so long after the original post. Great responses from the sad to funny to serious. Im still blown away that our dogs did not wake up, but even more relieved that they didn't. There really could have been a catastrophic incident. If Teddy had gone to investigate, he would have charged the police dog and the fight would have been major. I dont think the police dog was let off lead in the yard . The handler was controlling him on lead when I first saw them. It was to me that the police handler had remarked in a worrying tone that there could have been a dog fight. They must have to go in pursuit of a suspect , not wait for the door to answer, assessing risk as they go. I'm sure police dogs and handlers get injured doing this work. Prevention is the big lesson here! We put a big warning sign on the gate to give a heads up. I hope it deters thieves too. Since hearing about dogs being stolen for fighting we are putting a lock on as well. Im glad the gate is not visible from the street as I don't want to draw attention to my dogs. But it has been a reality check and something we should have done ages ago. I should have used the term 'alert dog' not 'guard dog' in theOP. All the dogs I have ever known or owned would let us know if there was a strange noise in the night. Maybe these two are heavy sleepers? Care-free? Neglected or never respond to in the past so why bother? A breed thing? Just lazy? I am thankful that we own such sweet welcoming dogs to all visitors but it highlights what a bright spark 'red dog' we owned for fifteen years previously. ;)

The police were urgently banging on my door half an hour ago wanting to know if I'd seen anyone running through our yard and what I know about the house two doors up. As I was speaking to the one of the detectives, the dog squad came down the driveway from my backyard with a huge psyched up gsd. ( stunning dog) I'm really spun out by the whole scene. We are new to the area but it hadn't taken long to work out how dodgy the house occupants were. The thing that's really freaking me out is how horrified the police were that my back sliding door and front window are wide open . I told them we have dogs and they could see the cat tower. They asked where the dogs are and I pointed to the bedroom right next to the front door where they were fast asleep with my partner .The dog squad cop said it was lucky they didn't come out or there might of been a dog fight. I have always felt secure where ever we have lived because of the dogs . But these two ( nor my partner) didn't even wake up , let alone come to investigate! The police had opened our garage , gone through the back colourbond gate , it was quite a commotion . I'm sure if someone had actually entered our room the dogs would protect us ...!?? Sorry, I hope this rant /vent makes sense. I'm really put off by the whole scene. :@

The dog owners are criminals. It is just like a hit and run if in a car. If , for example these people witnessed their child throwing a rock off a bridge that injured someone, they would probably take off then aswell. It happened to be their dogs that were the catalyst of an incident highlighting some people's negligence/ lack of responsibility or tendency toward criminality. The injured woman was wise to give these people and their dogs a wide berth, it's unfortunate that for whatever reason it wasn't enough . Walking towards people hogging the footpath with large dogs who are not willing to engage or acknowledge that people may be afraid of dogs sends a clear message to get out of their way. Similarly , when guys are drag racing down my street, I get as far from the street as possible. I don't have much faith in their driving skills or their comprehension of a possible calamity. I hope the OPs friend is getting help from police and that the image of large dogs isn't too tarnished by this incident.

I'm glad we have anti- discrimination laws in Australia. I hope we have more in the future including for those with pets who are marginalized ecconimically .It is stereotyping to suggest that a 'skippy' would make a better tenant. Regardless of how it is achieved ,it is still privilaged to own an investment property. Most who do likely own the house they live in too. To say investors might walk away and then renters will be sorry- only if the government scrap negative gearing- maybe house prices can be slightly more realistic. I think to suggest that people in any great numbers aren't trying hard enough to find suitable rentals so just dump pets, is out of touch with anyone finding themselves in desperate situations.

Agree fully that siblings or even two young pups shouldn't be going together. Especially when it is a small feel good article- sends the wrong message to the less informed. In my 15 years in newc I found the The Herald and one of its chief collumists to be extremely negative about specific breeds and dogs in general . in that sense I'm glad to see rotties featured in the article. ( Newcastle council also has a distinctly anti dog attitude as well. ) The Rutherford RSPCA is an extensive modern facility that is also the Pound for greater Newcastle . Any dog caught or found in town are taken to an interim shelter closer to the city. It is very difficult ( was 3 years ago) to have a dog released back to the owner from here either by way of them denying they have the animal or paying a maximum fine. It seems they want the dogs sent to Rutherford where they will be checked for microchips, owners contacted and fined. There must have been ( probably still is) certain protocols or quota system happening. State of the art facilities don't pay for themselves. The RSPCA had/has a real image problem up there so I hope the collaborative effort is genuine .. I thought badly of the RSPCA but am having my faith in them restored down here in vic .

For the OP and family to meet the dog they would be living with ,personality on full display , known by the locals is a great option I would have thought. Or at least one not to be discounted is the point I am trying to make.

I don't think there is anything wrong with looking at dogs that people are trying to find homes for themselves , even ones advertised at the milk bar. You could put the word out in your area. Great way to meet the locals and see dogs in their current environment.

With all that you have to offer , I'd be going for a second-hand dog between 2-3 years or a bit older. Personality would be way more important than breed. A dog who innately adores children and is given the chance to belong to two, will win over a reluctant child . A rehomed dog offered a new life won't squander or be ungrateful for a minute in an environment like you have. Fencing ! As if they'll want to leave! We have two rescues , 3rd and 4th homes, . Polite , adoring , fun , intune dogs. Purebred or mutt or cross, whether through a rescue, breeder or local paper . There would be a close to perfect fit for you guys out there . :)

The OP was questioning why dogs that are used for showing or breeding need to be rehomed under specific conditions. Could it be that those dogs are no more or less likely than any other rescue needing new homes to require specific conditions? Regarding whole dogs: as they reach maturity , or whilst still juveniles, do you think some breeders just find it easier to keep their dogs separate and dont continue the socialization process? Thanks for considering my questions. I'm trying to wrap my head around the 2 dogs I have , both have been used for breeding. We are their the males 3rd and the females 4th home.

http://www.mercer.edu/psychology/Faculty_Staff/Wright_JC/downloadable_articles/Is%20There%20a%20Relationship%20Between%20Canine%20Behavior.pdf I'm not sure if anyone will find this relevant , but this article is making the point that even obedience trained, show dogs can have behavioural issues/ problems.

Innocent/ potentially naive question- is part of problem that dogs kept for breeding are whole/ undesexed are more tricky to socialize ?

http://s3.amazonaws.com/publicationslist.org/data/pv1peguj/ref-7/Heritability%20of%20dominant%20aggressive.pdf A link from communityk9 Facebook

Rent on tme is the most important thing to the landlord.

Money is the most most important thing to a landlord. If two candidates are equal in all other ways, dogs will be a deciding factor against the applicant. The application forms ask if you have pets and if so what type. Others will ask if you have cats , or dogs and if so what breed. I suppose the agent/landlord is determining size and traits of the dogs from this and whether they may cause issues with the house, garden or neighbours. In Victoria putting down bull terriers would not be favourable.

We were out on the street with maybe 30 people watching Melbourne city fireworks . Some of the surrounding houses let off crAckers and a tiny little stumpy tail dog went flying through the crowd , down our steep, long street. It was fanging with it's head tucked in like a pocket rocket. Poor dog, and the rest of the animals terrified tonight. I hope they find their way home. Seeing that wrecked my night for sure.

Thank goodness. A realistic , informative report. Although awful for those involved, a fair and balanced account of the facts is exactly what dogs and the community need right now.

Sandgrubber, Agreed, times have changed, a cliche that is unfortunately not for the better. I had a ' red dog' cattle/bull terrier cross ' for 15 years in a newscastle . She died 2 years ago. Moved to Melbourne , a year later we ended up with two 'rescue' bullies both three years old. What an eyopener. I had not caught on about changing attitudes toward dogs. I thought Newcastle council were just anti everything, banning dogs from cafes etc etc. Thinking Melbourne was going to have a ' European ' attitude , dogs being allowed in the botanic gardens, parks etc. , the last 12 months has blown us away . Prior to Ayen Chol's tragic death , peoples attitude towards our dogs was fearful even hostile . Our new neighbours were sure they were a banned breed, drivers giving us filthy looks even when we are all in the car. After the incident , it escalated dramatically. Resisting hysteria is difficult, as we need to keep these dogs visible and represented in a positive light. Education has to be equal in cost of what is being spent now onenfotcemeny

Just adding i agree that council is stretched and now under qualified to deal with new legislation in Victoria . Taupa, you are right , it's about community education at a very basic level. . Understanding that dogs are not 'sharks on legs'

ncarter, the compliance officer asked what type of 'bull terrier' the dogs are and he was looking at them. Sandgrubber, that is the point . Dogs had many more opportunites to socialize and practice avoidance . During the early 80's in Canberra dogs were always out busy . So were the pound . They would have made a lot more revenue than now. Our bassett hound and next doors Labrador were always out, playing with kids at school , hanging at the chicken shop,gardening with old ladies everywhere. as kids we knew which streets and dogs to steer clear of. German shepards were popular and territorial in the high income suburbs. 'pig dogs' , bull terriers were the pit dog of choice , tough dogs were the rotties and dobes. Not many situations arising needing the extreme measures deployed in this case. Media hype, lack of education , dogs left unsatisfied is creating the perfect storm.

Seriously, hysteria, the slow but sure degradation of the human- canine bond and the societal demands for a perfect world is creating a mean, unsympathetic , punitive attitude toward any loose dog. There wouldn't be many situations requiring the extreme measures used on Hector. My council ranger didn't know what an English bull terrier was , he had to ask twice what breed Teddy was. If compliance officers do not understand or are not interested in dogs, they won't care or handle situations as well as they could or should.

Jacqui835, in the 80's , roaming German shepards were scary in my neighborhood . Negligent owners at fault , as are the the bully owners of today. Bccrazy, I am scared of off lead dogs also , DA terriers particularly . However, as an owner of bully's , I am sensitive about comments that spotlight a breed being targeted in Vic at the moment. At learnt I cannot walk my dogs on lead along our creek in Melbourne for fear of encountering off lead BC's who are always miles from their owners, circling and stalking us. Remarkably amazing behavior and instincts being displayed, but scary and inappropriate . Any off lead dog not practicing avoidance is trouble. I love all dogs and am annoyed that I have felt the need to highlight any breed in relation to behavior that might lead to a confrontation between dogs or people.

Hi! No life , just hopeless! I still cant post pictures here ( kB too large? whatever that means) I started a facebook page! - HuckHouse and I will get a friend to help post pictures here. I looked up AHT which was another eye opener . One of the sites I looked at re- PLL was a : UK A layman's guide mini bull terrier . Lots of info and tips but it said PLL is hard to diagnose so a DNA test would be a good idea. I think Peanut has a slight greenish hue colour to her beautiful dark eyes, but again , it's easy to be parinoid... What does bother me is the genetic component to the diseases and that Peanut has been bred with. On our way out to meet her , in mid december an hour into our journey, the owner rang to say she thought Peanut might be pregnant . Luckily it was phantom as the owner said she'd need a caesarean , plus we know NOTHING about breeding, welping or how to find the right homes for Bullys . Im thinking of ringing her origional breeder on the papers to ask a few questions... Ultimately Im just glad Peanut isnt being used as a cash cow anymore and hope her puppies were problem free. We still miss our first girl too , it was a full year before we were ready to get another dog.... no regrets though, she gave us the bully bug!

Periannath, sorry for the late reply, when I read your post, I freaked out, researched PLL and other bully issues. Peanut had a sore squinty eye a few months ago which has made me even more parinoid. Our mobile vet thought she had a scratch on it. He is coming over tomorrow so I will tell him our worries ,as well as the specialist surgeon on wednesday when peanut goes in for her op. Hopefully her eyes are ok at the moment but I looked up eye specialists in melbourne and we will get them checked as soon as she is up to it. Peanut is 40cm tall , about 45cm long and quite wide. I am setting up a facebook page to link you to photos and videos. I am inept at the computer and can not work out how to post pictures here (I also accidently erased a message here yesterday so this is my second attempt) Her papers say nothing about her being a mini - we didn't even look at them for weeks after we got her. Please excuse our naivety regarding obvious purebeed issues . We had a bully X cattle ( I call a Battle ! ) for 15 years before we got Peanut. She was in a pretty bad way when we got her, with a major ear infection, sunburnt nose , dermititis etc etc. We think it is us who are lucky to have found her . "tremendous fun " alright ! We call her 'the bounce back bully ' as she has blossoms each day and reveals more of her spunky yet sweet personality. Thanks for your concern and wisdom.. I hope you get to see her soon . She is AdoraBULL!! We love 'love' love' her!