DogsAndTheMob

Interestingly, it is more common for border collies to have half white or even fully white heads and solid coloured bodies than solid coloured heads and white bodies. In fact, I have never seen the latter. A performance-breeder I knew bred quite a few litters with puppies with half-white heads. In most litters, both parents were “Irish spotted” and the ratios of Irish spotting to half white heads was about 3: 1 - consistent with a recessive gene. However, one dog seemed to sire even numbers of pups with solid coloured heads and half-white heads. That could have been due to chance but he had a wide collar and a very wide blaze, so I wondered if he carried two copies of the gene that in most cases produces puppies with half-white heads.

I’ve owned German Shepherds, Border Collies, Golden Retrievers, a Siberian Husky, a Brittany and a miniature poodle (maybe - he was a rescue and was either a poodle-cross or a backyard bred poodle). I’ve loved all my dogs for different reasons and I can’t nominate a favourite breed. I loved my first German Shepherds for their combination of common-sense, intuitiveness and protectiveness. I loved my last German Shepherd because she was the sweetest, ditsiest dog who introduced me to the simplicity of owning a dog with no protective, predatory or even herding behaviours. If I could get another German Shepherd like my first heart dog, I would in an instant. I love my Brittany for the combination of intelligence and mischief that seems to be a characteristic of the breed. However, Brittanies are a high-energy, hunting breed, Velcro at home and very independent when running the fields, so I don’t know whether I could give another Brittany the home it deserves. My mini poodle was the opposite of the breed stereotype… brave, stoic, quiet and very loyal. Maybe that was because he’d lived on the streets before being rescued but I’d love another dog like him. I could talk about the fun of Border Collies, the fascination of my husky’s cat-like expressions or the ease of living with a Golden Retriever but I’m sure you’ve read enough about my dogs.

It depends. I would be very cautious about rescuing a puppy from unscreened parents. I would want to know other indicators of risk, such as the incidence of the disorders of concern in the breed and the apparent health of related dogs. A puppy from an oops mating between dogs that compete successfully in agility or retrieving trials might be less risky than one from a mating between two screened dogs whose hips were okay but not excellent. I would also want to know why the puppy was in rescue. Were there known but undisclosed health problems? I would want to be sure that I was not supporting deliberate unethical practices. With an adult rescue, I think the fact that the dog had reached maturity in good health might offset the lack of screening in the parents, because low hip scores reduce but do not eliminate the risk of orthopaedic disease in offspring. You may find this interesting, in particular the table showing the risk of hip dysplasia for matings of dogs with different hip scores. It would also be worth seeking out the referenced research paper on weight and hip dysplasia in Labrador Retrievers. I found it a real eye opener. I’m less convinced by the tables of breeds with high and low incidences of hip dysplasia. So much would depend on which dogs were being hip scored in each breed. https://www.instituteofcaninebiology.org/blog/citizen-scientists-lets-do-something-about-hip-dysplasia

I’m not in any way downplaying the horror of what happened to that dog and owner and I absolutely agree that it should not have happened. However, labelling every event as a dog attack means that the owners of large dogs say “my dogs are sweet natured”, think their dogs would never attack another dog and do not realise the damage their dogs could do.

I found yesterday’s “dog attack” report in the media very distressing. I can only imagine the terror of the person floundering in mud, holding their small dog in their arms and trying to protect it from two wolfhounds. But I wish the media wouldn’t immediately label events like this as “dog attacks”. I don’t know what happened and (as was pointed out in another thread) a small dog can look like prey to large hunting dogs, but I doubt if the media knew which dog(s) were the instigator(s). Immediately labelling such events as “dog attacks” builds public fear about aggressive dogs but does nothing to educate dog owners. Owners of large dogs believe that their dogs would never attack a smaller dog and owners of small dogs see their dogs as potential victims. So nobody is prompted to consider whether they should manage their own dog more carefully. The reality is that any fight between two dogs of different size could end very badly. Both small dogs and large dogs can instigate fights out of fear, “feistiness “ or predatory instinct, and once a fight starts, the fight/flight response prevents both dogs from calming down. It is our job to manage our dogs to minimise the risks and our responsibility to try to choose dogs that we can manage safely. If the media talked about “fatal dog fights” unless or until they had evidence that it was an unprovoked attack, that might help to educate the public.

Thank you! That’s very useful information. I was just reading a veterinary dentist’s blog which mentioned ball therapy but didn’t give details. The blog also said that tooth removal can weaken the jaw, so if the teeth don’t improve with a few weeks of ball therapy and maturation, I’ll consult a veterinary dentist in preference to my generalist vet.

My 14 month old Golden Retriever has slightly misaligned lower canine teeth. The worse canine presses into the gum behind the top canine and the better one presses against the top canine. Her incisors are well positioned but her lower jaw feels narrow in comparison with her upper jaw. The vet suggested removal of one or both lower canines. Her breeder hasn’t seen this problem before and isn’t sure whether removal is advisable but did say that my dog’s head hasn’t finished filling out. Looking through old posts here, I have seen comments that the lower jaw grows out later than the upper jaw. Questions: Might the position of her lower canines correct itself as she finishes maturing or is that unlikely, given her age? If her lower canines are removed before her lower jaw finishes growing, will that adversely affect her bite or other aspects of her jaw structure? If her lower canines are not removed promptly, will that adversely affect her jaw structure? Is it reasonable to have the lower canines removed when she is spayed, thus sparing her two anaesthesias?

Here: https://www.smh.com.au/national/maltese-terrier-joins-dangerous-dog-list-20091025-hehr.html#:~:text=They may look friendly and,the latest Dog Attack Register. I remember this story from the era when puppy mills were selling many “Maltese” puppies via pet shops. At the time, I thought it was unfair to label the breed in that way, because of the number of crossbred puppies sold as Maltese. Even though I’ve usually owned German Shepherds or other larger dogs and the only dog that ever bit me was a neighbour’s Jack Russell, I also thought (and still think) that it’s unrealistic to quantify dangerousness in a small dog by the same standard as dangerousness in a large dog. An aggressive Maltese might harm children, other small dogs, cats and small pets, but an aggressive large dog such as a German Shepherd could easily kill even an adult. I thought the same… Banning of those breeds by the QLD Government might have minimal impact because importation of those breeds has been banned for many years. I’m unfamiliar with the Japanese Tosa and was interested to look up the breed description. I’m glad that their importation is banned. I find the idea of a 90kg dog with dog-fighting ancestry quite perturbing. Even if 99% of Japanese Tosas were totally unaggressive, that one aggressive dog in a hundred would be very difficult for even the strongest person to control. Generally though, I don’t see much value in more breed bans. The sort of people who want big, intimidating dogs to boost their ego will just choose a different large, intimidating breed or cross-breed. IMO, the owners of dangerous dogs should face more penalties than the dogs. For example, it might be good to require anyone who has owned a declared dangerous dog to undergo a course of training or period of probation before acquiring another large dog.

It’s possible, I think. Blue fawn would be the blue dilute of black and tan. The wording of the American Staffordshire Terrier standard says “all white, more than 80% white, black and tan, and liver not to be encouraged.” The wording for the Staffordshire Bull Terrier standard says “Black and tan or liver colour highly undesirable.” I read that as implying that the recessive alleles for tan markings occur in both breeds. I’m more curious about the place from which the puppies were stolen. The news report says puppy pen, which doesn’t really tell us anything. Was it at puppy day-care, a pet-shop, a puppy mill or…?

We have three dogs at present but we’ve had up to six, when we’ve cared for dogs whose owners (relatives) have been unwell or travelling. I enjoy the energy of more dogs but there are increasing difficulties with larger numbers. Space in the car is problematic. I laughingly call my border collie a “manspreader” because he seems to take up as much space in the car as he can. Holiday accommodation is even more problematic, so I put holidays in the too-hard basket. My dogs get on well, but we rarely leave all three alone together. I’ve seen the consequences of a two-on-one dog fight. They weren’t my dogs but it took years for me to get over the experience. When my husband and I both go out, we leave one dog in the house or front garden and the other two in the back yard. Games need supervision. All three of our dogs play happy games together but the smallest, who weighs 16 kg to the other dogs’ 25+ kg, occasionally seems uncomfortable playing with two larger dogs. It helps to have dogs with the same play style. Herding breeds, in particular, play games which can sometimes be overwhelming for other dogs… and many of them bark when excited!

Honestly, I’m not sure. On an ethical level, should other pets receive poorer quality or lower cost veterinary care than dogs and cats? What veterinary care is, or will soon be, available for other pets? What are the costs of that care?

IMO, the biggest shame about this story is that it trivialises an important issue… that owning and taking good care of a pet is becoming a big luxury. There is an increasing pressure to pay more to feed our dogs than to feed ourselves and to routinely treat our dogs with a greater variety of (usually expensive) preventative medications than ever before. On top of that, emergency vet care costs have skyrocketed from hundreds of dollars to thousands and potentially tens of thousands. The up side of this is that it’s at least partially because of better and more available diagnostic procedures and treatments. The downside is that people could easily become trapped into debt spirals. The couple in this story are almost a caricature of “first world problems “. I watched an interview in which she really did complain about having to sell her designer handbags! But the same scenario could easily happen to a family in financially precarious circumstances. It’s easy to see how people could opt for treatment then find it difficult to say “enough” as costs spiral (there’s a branch of psychology called “sunk cost theory” which explains this.) I don’t know that vets are to blame, either. Most get into that career because they love animals and it might be equally difficult for a vet who initially described a hopeful prognosis to recommend euthanasia after investing time, effort and emotions into patient care. And they need to cover their costs in order to stay in business. I’m not convinced that pet insurance provides reliable protection, either. So many things seem to be considered as pre-existing conditions and increasing monthly costs can make insurance prohibitively expensive as dogs get older - just when the insurance is most likely to be needed. In short, I don’t think there are any easy answers but if a young person asked advice about getting a pet, I’d probably advise them to think twice about getting one at all.

I follow a snake identification FB group. Herpetologists in that group have posted photos and video of snakes in as far south as Melbourne sun-baking on cool winter days. I don’t know whether those snakes are less likely to bite, but they may be less commonly encountered in winter because they stay closer to their resting places. But I’m no expert. I wonder if the higher mortality rate in dogs bitten during winter reflects reality or it’s a random consequence of the small sample size.

This is an interesting study on snakebite in dogs in Southeast Queensland. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/avj.13159 The seasonal distribution of cases is interesting but scary. There are cases throughout the year with only May, June and July having substantially lower risk - but not no risk. I was surprised by the high proportions of staffies and Jack Russells among the cases, although perhaps I shouldn’t have been. ”There were 88 dogs and 3 cats. The dogs comprised of 21 Staffordshire Bull Terriers and 4 Staffordshire Bull Terrier crossbreds, 10 Jack Russel Terriers, 3 Labrador Retrievers and 2 Labrador Retriever crossbreds, 2 Australian Cattle Dogs and 2 Australian Cattle Dog crossbreds, 2 American Staffordshire Terriers and 1 American Staffordshire Terrier crossbred, 2 Boxers and 1 Boxer crossbred, 1 Bull Arab and 2 Bull Arab crossbreds, 1 Kelpie and 2 Kelpie crossbreds, 1 Toy Poodle and 1 Toy Poodle crossbred, 1 Fox Terrier and 1 Fox Terrier crossbred, 2 Great Dane crossbreds, 1 Miniature Fox Terrier and 1 Miniature Fox Terrier crossbred, 1 Rhodesian Ridgeback and 1 Rhodesian Ridgeback crossbred, 2 Weimaraners and 1 each of a wide variety of other breeds and crossbreds. Age, gender and bodyweight from these cases are presented in Table 2; only age was associated with mortality status (P = 0.007). The cats comprised 1 male neutered Burmese, 1 male neutered Ragdoll and 1 female spayed Domestic Shorthair.”

For the Shar Pei enthusiasts on DOL… This handsome dog is looking for a home. https://www.adoptapet.com.au/pet/a_362052

That’s a really good point. It seems that sometimes the interpretation gets ahead of the science and questionable beliefs get embedded in our culture.

I think that should be assessed on an individual basis. I compete in dog sports and I see many successful competitors who are in their 70s and even 80s. I’m not just talking about Obedience and Rally but also the very active sports like tracking and agility. One friend in her 80s is campaigning two dogs in the higher levels of Agility and Jumpers, which requires multiple runs in a day. My friend and others like her are inspirational.

That’s good to know, thank you. It’s not a term I’ve heard before.

The wording seems to be an amalgam of excerpts taken from other ads, which is also suggestive of a scam. https://www.horsedeals.com.au/listings/sweet-natured-gelding-3fd9c9e7-003e-428f-9acd-014223618df9 “More woah-than-go attitude, 3 good paces and relaxed on trails, arena and obstacles. Genuine all rounder.Great to C/S/F, good feet, sound horse with clean legs. ” http://valleyviewranch.net/Gypsy-Creek-Oleander.htm "Ollie" is what every Horse Lovers Dreams are made of! Ollie is a Once in a Lifetime Partner! He is ready to meet you at the gate, saddles and bridles quietly. Walk over to the fence or block, climb up, turn around and Ollie has already sidepassed up to as if to say, "Slide on, Lets go for a ride!" Ollie has been in all types of country and trail rides the very best. Ollie was used by a cowboy to day work and was duded in the mountains of Colorado and in the desert of Arizona. Ollie was broke to drive and was an essential part of a carriage business. He drives single or in a team. He’s done weddings, wagon rides in town, and private events!

My first thought on reading the ad was “scam” because of the AUD, which I’ve seen in scam ads for puppies. But I can’t see anything else that obviously indicates a scam… except that scammers often seem to advertise glamorous breeds like highland cattle, baby doll sheep and maybe gypsy vanner horses. Also, is “gypsy vanner” a name that’s used in Australia - or would it be advertised as a gypsy cob here?

Honestly, I think there is room for compromise. The well-being of the dog should be the primary consideration and all parties should take some responsibility for the interstate sale of a dog without the purchasers first seeing the dog and assessing whether it will be a good fit for their home.

https://www.npr.org/2023/04/12/1169466830/worlds-shortest-dog-pearl-chihuahua “The two-year-old measures exactly 3.59 inches tall and 5 inches long, according to her vet, Dr. Giovanni Vergel of Crystal Creek Animal Hospital in Orlando, Fla. Put another way, she's shorter than a Popsicle stick, barely the height of a credit card and about as tall as a toilet paper roll.”

Banning ear cropping has been very effective in Australia; I don’t think I’ve ever seen a dog with cropped ears. Tail docking was banned much more recently and that move was very unpopular among show breeders but most breeders have complied, perhaps because conformation show regulations changed in line with the law. I suspect many breeders would either crop/dock their puppies themselves or get it done by a “breed expert” rather than a vet, even if vets could and would perform those procedures. I think this is particularly in the case of those American Bully breeders, given their reported links with organised crime.

I’m glad that you and your vet were able to save your puppy and that he’s gone on to have a good life. With regards to runts, I have seen quite a few puppies that were born small but were catching up with their littermates by six weeks. It used to be said that this was due to their position in the uterine horns, but I don’t know what current medical thinking is on this. My puppy and another puppy with kidney failure that I know of were both normal size at birth then started falling behind at weaning. I had a GSD that, in retrospect, had many of the symptoms of a liver shunt and died under anaesthetic at 5 yo with extremely abnormal liver markers. At birth, he was the size of a newborn kitten.

This made me briefly question my decision for euthanasia but I don’t think she could have been saved, even in the short term. In the two hours between our arriving at the local vet and our arriving at the specialists she went from a bright, alert puppy that had been vomiting to an obviously unwell puppy. They took her away and when I next saw her (to hold her for euthanasia) she was shuddering and seemed barely aware of her surroundings. I thought they would have stabilised her and felt guilty that I’d taken over an hour after arriving at the specialists to make a decision.