Steph M

Surely you could still see he isn't and change it to something even remotely close. Haha. I think he is adorable, he is the kind of dog I like. Scruffy and cute!

I.like.mine dumb and happy too, Perse. I feel that!

Admittedly that leaves a lot to be desired but ignoring them or replying snappily only sends them right to BYB as well. Its a conundrum!

Oooooh he's so cute!

I would be very wary of anyone who selects predominately for colour, of course this is a factor but where it is the highest priority factor I would run a mile.

What an absolute tosspot. Keep in mind his article states he sells dogs up to $6000. Uh. Hardly the robin hood of puppies, giving to the poor children etc there. The whole article almost read like satire, I was expecting a punchline any moment there! Poor diddums.

Article here. Melburnians will struggle to buy a purebred puppy or kitten when the Victorian government's little-known plan to ban their sale in pet shops takes effect, the dog breeding industry says. The government quietly announced the proposed ban in the lead-up to the state election last year, although it is yet to specify a time for the ban's introduction.. Industry groups are irate , claiming the policy will destroy their businesses and drive the trade underground. "You will not buy a dog under $5000 shortly," said Greg Kirby, owner of Upmarket Pets at the Queen Victoria Market. Mr Kirby expects to lay off 15 staff when the ban comes into force. Advertisement Matt Hams, owner of one of Victoria's biggest dog breeding operations at Banksia Park, says the changes – part of a suite of laws designed to crack down on puppy farms – will put him out of business. "It's my belief that nobody will be able to breed professionally," he said. "The average family ... they simply won't be able to afford a dog. The ban comes among other measures designed to end the business model of puppy farms: Breeding dogs will be limited to only five litters in their lifetime; Facilities will be limited to a maximum of 10 breeding females; Pet shops will be able to sell animals only from registered animal shelters The legislative package has been welcomed by the RSPCA. "The deplorable conditions of puppy factories have made ... a large part of the general public angry at pet stores that may/most likely obtain their puppies from these factories," a spokeswoman for the society said in a statement. "Some pet shops continue to be the primary supporters of illegal intensive breeding enterprises" Upmarket Pets' Greg Kirby buys 30 puppies a week from breeders and online, as well as taking back puppy litters from dogs already sold, to supply his business. "Yeah, we do get puppies from puppy farms," he said. "But registered puppy farms, not illegal ones that have been run out of the backyard or something like that." Mr Kirby also said he bought some dogs from registered pure-bred breeders on a "without papers" basis, because members are not legally allowed to sell them to him. Dogs Victoria, who hand out registrations, deny this. His puppies fetch between $1200 and $6000 each, with long waiting lists for his most popular breed, the French bulldog. He says his legitimate business will be harmed in the pursuit of puppy farms, which he has nothing to do with. The industry claims pet shop sales make up between 5 and 15 per cent of all dog sales in Victoria, the vast majority of transactions being arranged over the internet. "The problem has never been pet shops," said Bob Croucher, acting CEO of the Pet Industry Association of Australia. "The public want an eight-week-old pup, they want it for their kids. Shelters do not sell eight-week-old pups." At Banksia Park Puppies, Matt Hams employs 15 full-time staff to care for about 200 dogs. He expects the legislative changes will put him out of business and push the price of a new dog to more than $7000. "If they take the professionals out of the industry, it's going to leave the industry back in the hands of underground backyard breeders." Smaller breeders of pure-bred puppies , who often own only a single breeding pair, are represented by Dogs Victoria. The chairwoman of the organisation's working group on puppy farms, Sylvia Power, welcomed the new legislation – but said when the big commercial breeders went out of business her members would not be able to keep up with demand. "The conditions the pups are kept in in the pet shop ... it's impossible to look after the welfare needs of the animal in those conditions. "The main problem I have with this legislation is who is going to fill the gap for the demand for the puppies." I have never read so much BS. Seriously. No more purebred dogs available under 5k. I have less than no sympathy for this guy. I also love his differentiation between legit puppy farms and those dodgy ones. Seriously. And that Poor guy from Banksia Park! Not.

I don't think anyone is saying the whole thing isn't barbaric, more refuting the suggestion these dogs need to never be released to the public. Such a sad notion.

That is ludicrous. Our whippet cross has definitely killed low flying birds before too, she's a turd for it. She also once got a rabbit while we were camping, I caught her, scared her and she dropped it but if I hasn't he would have been dinner. She also lives peacefully with chooks and cats, adores mum's SWF's and loves all kids. The mind just boggles. Better lock her up now. Of course they deserve homes, they need adequate testing and finding the perfect home for each one.

I'm worried about the calls to ban everything. Not only does that displace thousands of dogs, but it drives the whole thing further underground. Much the same concerns I have about banned 'puppy farms' etc, they're untouchable if you can't find them, same goes withdog dfighting etc. I'd hate for such gentle dogs to be further abused. I don't have the answer though, its all so horrible.

He is adorable! I love him!

I am not even a little surprised....

Course! We don't drink the stuff generally. What can I get you instead?

We can do burgers and soft drink? Count us in. Brooke has yielded. Haha!

We are still thinking about it!

I agree. Issue with sedation. being as well there's no studies (that I've seen) showing how sedation affects a dog in a pressurised environment, I've heard anecdotes along the lines of it wearing off a lot faster, or not being as effective. My concern would be a dog coming to and becoming aware of being in a crate, alone with aircraft noise would be very stressful. Its also worrying that they're down there on their own, so no one can keep an eye on them or offer assistance if they're struggling. Personally if I had a dog who had underlying health issues or needed sedating we would drive.

Lots of puppy ice blocks too! Cool stuff will be good for puppy teeth.

I hear awesome things about horse toys!

Looks a little like Gus's wart! Definitely vet though, if he's miserable something is up. Not like him to have the sads!

I can dig it....

She sounds like a horrible person. A horrible cold person. Did she get bored of her first kid when she had the second, and so on and so forth. Jesus. That comment about the bathtub made me feel sick. I'm.off.to hug Gus now. No matter how many kids we do or don't have, he and Rosie will never ever be loved less. Probably more, in fact. Loved by us and our potential future little people.

Ladies can I have the link to these baby gates with cat doors? I'm fantasising about a life with dogs who don't have cat-turd breath....oh my word, what a world!

Yep. But I usually get a camera first so we can laugh about it later. Time outs are for the owner to calm down I reckon! Science tells us that we have TWO seconds to reward or punish. And then you need to ensure the dog can work out which behaviour it was. No wonder we get it wrong! Yeaaaaaaah, there isn't a lot of things I can do in two seconds. Haha. No wonder Gus is a loon.

I was always taught there isn't much point telling off a dog after the fact, if I come in and Gus has shredded a pillow and is asleep in the ruins I just pop him out so I can clean it. Not sure if that's the best approach but he very very rarely wrecks things anyway, only the odd bin bag with delicious things inside. :laugh:

Where is Kirty the amazing? I'll look on some.local lost pages too, unfortunately way out of the way to go hunting for whippies.