Loreley

I spoke with the Regional Manager of RSPCA NSW (I think thats what she was) today, after making enquiries about the Yagoona Koolie girl. She indicated that all NSW RSPCA actively work with Rescue groups that are affiliated with the Kennel Club NSW (?). They have a central register and, in the case of working breeds in particular, will contact a rescue group before making a decision to PTS due to ns great too She was going to check into the Koolie's specific circumstance and get back to me, so when I do I will confirm who she is, what level she is, and what the exact procedures (and costs) are expected for rescue groups when taking on dogs being released from RSPCA shelters. So if anyone has issues then we have a name that we can contact at least fo A and NSW. We can but hope, but maybe the tide is turning, when we have issues with one section, we can point them at the ones that are leading the way to assist with forming better working relationships across the whole country. I would love to see the document that RSPCA & Working dogs signed just to see what is included. Will keep you updated when I get more info.

Huge thanks for that, much appreciated, and certainly eases my worry a bit. Have been thinking about her for a while now wondering how she was coping. She originally came from Shellharbour and was transferred to Yagoona to give her a higher chance of being rehomed, that doesnt seem to be working though does it. Sigh. Ok I'll have to have a chat with my coordinator as we don't normally take them on if they are coping ok or not at specific risk Many thanks though, and will keep you posted

if you wear your tshirt i recon this woman would throw you out, she was so rude and dismissive on the phone when i rang back in february. I was appauled by her customer service regardless of which organisation I was representing. How did she know that I wasn't going to spring her myself privately? they would have lost a home for this dog by their manner if i had been a member of the public and any other dog that they house. There is no way I would be going back if I had been a customer. Funny thing is I can almost guarantee that this woman was the head of the shelter I need to know what she is like generally, whether she is submissive or really assertive. What her prey drive is like - cats & things like chickens How she generally interacts with other dogs and people. All the usual stuff I suppose - whether she has had any training etc etc. She's been in there since January (just checked my emails)so I really need to know how she is coping overall considering she's been there 6 months now. Whether there is any signs of developing issues as she is a working breed and they don't generally cope with being in small cages for long periods. and probably what they would charge us if we needed to spring her too. Pretty sure that it would be the normal adoption fee but they don't list them on their site, how convenient is that

thanks for that T I didn't even get a chance to scatch myself today, totally nuts at work. I hate the end of financial year so much to do and not enough time to do it in. Then the boss comes up to me this evening at 5.45 and is worried that I'm spending too much time at work Hmm well gee I dunno when you merge 2 areas and double the size of a third and give all that work to 1 person thats pretty much what you get :laugh: Gunna have to setup my own time and motion study just to show them what 'little' I do Back the lovely girl. If you could that would be really appreciated. I'll see if I can give them a call tomorrow and pretend not to be with a rescue group last time I rang them about her they were less than impressed that a rescue group had even dared to call them let alone have the audacity of asking to be put as a back up which of course they don't do :laugh: Hoping that they have had a change of staff since then

How did you go placing your whippet girl??

You can do a DIY version, a kids tshirt that fits snugly but not overly tight and use vet wrap around the tummy. The idea is to make it snug not tight. I have been using a thundershirt with my boy for a number of years now and can say that they do work, though it does take a little while to sensitize them to it.

yes, I'll be giving them a call tomorrow to get more info on her but I really need someone to run their eye over her to see how she is really going. She's been there for such a long time poor girl.

Hi All There is a koolie cross that doesn't look very koolie like in Yagoona RSPCA. I'm pretty sure she has been there for some time. Is there someone close that is able to just go have a look and see what she's like and how she is coping generally please Dog's name is Tess and her ID number is 268086 I may have a potential home for her but I"m sure she has been there for close to or more than 12 months and just need someone to have a look at her before I advise this person. Can anyone assist please ??

yeah thats what i figured but thought it was worth an ask.

My girlfriend and her partner have separated and their 2 dogs have been split up as part of this. They were young adults when they came together but really became best buds. While the separation is amicable, the dogs occasionally see each other for play dates, 'm not sure whether this is a good thing or a bad thing to be honest. I know every dog is different but generally speaking if you have a major event like losing one of your dogs how long before the remaining one progresses through this process. Particularly keen to hear from people that have nervous/anxious dogs as one of these has always been a bit anxious. Is it better to totally cut off and say no to play dates? would that help him progress more easily through this? or is the play dates helping. Any advice would be great as I've only got my own recent experiences to go by and we are still in the middle of that transition I suspect.

Happy to say that things are travelling reasonably well overall. He only reacts to the pup (now 4 months old) when he's right in his face and allows the pup to play with them although he chooses not to interact fully with him. He does resource guard us but is not overly fanatical about it and his threshhold is increasintg the more time the pup is around, which is basically the same pattern when he first came to live with us. He does the growl and air snap and stops there, he has never carried it further than that. I am sure that he is telling off rather than being outright aggressive towards the pup. What I have noticed though is his overall level of anxiety is higher than it use to be, particularly after they have gone home. I can't quite put my finger on it, but he seems more anxious, its not hugely obvious (hubby certainly hasn't noticed) but I have noticed the paw licking and sucking on things again, not alot of it but it is there. I'm not sure if this is because he is now 'alone' and that is what is causing the anxiety or its the changes themselves (loss of dizzy, Mel, Pat) thats the issue or its the addition of the pup, or all 3, its now been nearly 2 months since all this started. I am considering getting him a buddy but my hubby is saying that if he resource guards and reacts like this to the pup then it wouldn't be a good idea to bring another dog in. Thats the dilema, do you think the anxiety is beng caused by the lack of another dog (another stable animal in his life) or would this just make things worse? If we go for another dog I would be looking definately at an older dog, nothing even remotely puppy which I am hoping would help. But I would not want to bring another dog into this mix if it is doomed to fail. In the meantime I have put his thunder shirt back on during the day while he's on his own, generally only use it for really bad storms now and will see whether this improves his anxiety overall. As always - thoughts, opinions, comments very welcome.

Just checking - Are you assuming that she is no good with cats & other smalls? or has she been tested? Can you PM me please and we can discuss further.

Great many thanks, the pup has been to the vet recently for vaccination and nothing was said when my daughter mentioned she was worried that they weren't giving him enough. Pup came from an accidental mating so the original owners are not breeders. He's on Bonny Large Dog Puppy from what I can remember. Thanks will let her know to increase his food.

My daughter has a 3 month old German Shepherd puppy who looks quite skinny. They are currently feeding per the schedule of large dog puppy food 1 cup at night and 2 x 2x4s in the morning. Is this enough? he seems really skinny or are they meant to look like that at that age? Any advice please.

I'm a nosey bugger Just curious to see who does what to keep your financial head above water. If you have someone wanting to surrender their dog/cat - do you charge them a surrender fee or equivalent? Are your adoptions free or do you charge? for what - flat rate? what it costs (so if the dog is already desexed then you would not charge for that?) Has anyone tried to obtain Government Grants to help with costs like vets & transport?

If you contact someone like Working Dog Rescue, they have fosters all over australia. There is a form you complete, a yard check that needs to be done. I think thats it.

my daughter moved out and they got an 8 week old pup. our old boy (5 years) was terrified of the pup. You could clearly see it in his eyes. The pup is now 11 weeks old (shepherd) and our boy is acting like the pup is just another dog for the vast majority of the time. Pup overstepped the bounds yesterday, Dodge flipped the pup onto his back, told him off until the pup squeeled then backed off. My hubby was horror struck that I didn't step in, he's accepted my explanation but I'm not sure he believes me. lol

great thanks, I was hoping you were going to say that

thanks for that, exactly what I was looking for we were basically doing most of that when we introduced this boy with our original girl. I've already fostered, and failed, so am not new to the pitfalls, my beautiful boy didn't come with baggage, he came with a full set of luggage long road but oh so worth it. No creature is perfect least of all us, so he fits well here :D as luck would have it the dog in question is a bitch, so thats good. She is only 12 months old, basically one of those 'pretty' puppies purchased, moved to the backyard at around 5 months and then ignored so I don't anticipate much in the way of training. I have contacted the pound and spoken to the Ranger there, she has only just come out of their quarantine and isnt mixing but isn't aggressive either, so far so good. Hopefully now that she is out in the main stream area with the others she will find her feet. I may well have to drive down to collect and I'm trying to work out whether to take my boy down with me to check them out, or whether it would be safer to bring her back here and do the intros. My boy does get very stimulated every time he goes in the car but eventually settles. What do you think? If you think its a recipe for disaster please say so

When we got our first foster, to be honest I had no idea. I brought him in the backyard allowed him time to settle then allowed our dog to go meet him under supervision. Our original dog is a very friendly girl though a tad over the top. The foster is now the dog in residence, our original dog moving out with our daughter. I know he doesn't like pups, though my daughters pup is now 11 weeks old and has been put in its place a couple of times so things seem to have settled. I am still aiming for a foster around the 7 to 12 month old mark as he's missing her terribly. My boy is around 5 now (at least the age was a guess by the vet), are we better looking for a male doggy friend or female generally speaking to opposite sexes settle better? or is the same sex a better option generally? But what I really need to know is what is the best way to actually introduce a new foster. Are there simple steps and dos and donts. Any advice would be most appreciated.

I have not been invoved in this before, can you please explain the processes & prices and location. Many thanks Cindy

Every post you make, every step you take.... making a difference one animal at a time :) http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.timesfreepress.com%2Fnews%2F2013%2Fapr%2F21%2Fhow-cleveland-stopped-killing-dogs%2F%3Fopinionfreepress&h=vAQFfKtn6&s=1

Nothing more than growl & a snap, not really had much experience with bringing pups in so what i'm seeing could well be normal dog behaviour. lots of buildup to them moving out and he doesnt cope with change either very well so will let the dust settle and if it continues will consult a trainer. thanks guys much appreciated.

The dogs are Koolie, the pup is a pure German Sheppherd, he's a big pup at 8 weeks old he is like 8 kilos.

We had a 12 month old girl then our foster boy came along. There was no problem initially, but after about 12 months he started to resource guard my hubby & myself. Not just with our other dog but the cat as well. We went through the putting her first, not allowing him on the lounge/bed etc and eventually things did settle down, we have had no trouble for a couple of years now. He is good at the dog park, and we recently had a tradie with a 12 week old pup and he was fine with that, didn't really play with the pup, basically showed no real interested after the initial meeting which had much tail wagging. Then my daughter brought home an 8 week old puppy, they (the original dog & the pup & daughter) are due to move out on the weekend. My boy has been aggressive a number of times to the pup, even when there is no obvious fussing over it. The pup put his paw on the our boys leg yesterday wanting to play and that was enough to spark off a growl & snap. We have reprimanded & kicked him outside, and he certainly knows that he is doing wrong. We have slacked off a bit with the rules and he is allowed on the furniture again, but there hasn't been a problem with him and for a good couple of years. There has been a couple of weeks of mad packing which has unsettled him, he doesnt seem to cope with change very well. I'm hoping that this will settle once they move and the household calms down. My next dilema is once this happens he will be the only dog in the house and I am keen to short term foster or adopt a pal for him, is this a recipe for disaster do you think? Will him being on his own make the situation worse with trying to introduce a new dog? Dizzy our daughter's dog has been with us & our boy for nearly 4 years now. Is there anything that i can do to help him over this or is it just something that i will have to constantly manage? and would he just be better off being an only dog? He does really enjoy my daughters dog, and they play beautifully, i really would like that for him again if i possibly can. When he first came to us, he didn't know what toys were, had no idea how to play, its been a long hard road and he has come so far with unpacking his luggage. I would hate it if he had to be alone if there is a way to help him move forward. I watched him interact with the pup today, he even stiffed it today, only 1 sign of trouble this evening when the pup got too close to him, by the look in his eyes he was afraid. of what I'm not sure, the pup, of being reprimanded .... god only knows. My son in law mentioned that his older dog at his place appears to be afraid of the pup also, is this normal for dogs that don't have regular access to pups? I am hoping with the other dog moving out, that has a very high prey drive, I can finally let my chickens out for green pick in the afternoons and am keen to continue with his herding training which he absolutely loves. If its just a case of waiting for the dust to settle, and when selecting a new friend looking towards an older pup or young adult for a playmate. Any suggestions, help would be much appreciated.