Trisven13

So sorry to hear about Iko.

I think it is a shame that DOLers have to fear flaming for these sort of decisions. Sometimes the best thing for a dog is to be pts, or to be rehomed and there should be no shame in doing it for the right reasons. It is a selfless decision when done for the right reasons and that is what you and your family were.

Some dogs just carry too much baggage from their previous lives, no matter how much we love them or work hard. Hugs to you and your family for trying so hard when others would have given up and for the courage to make the final decision which is harder on you than Iko.

A picture of Digby taken not long after he was surrendered to us. I was so happy to hear that Hannah wanted to adopt him as she had already adopted a dog from us that I knew was much loved. I hope you don't mind me posting this pic Hannah? Digby was a much loved dog before he was surrendered and his owners cried and cried and cried - they have kept in touch with Hannah and I know they were glad to know how much their boy was loved in his new home. He was a very special little boy!

In my experience I would also say that baby puppies are off your list of possible dogs now, sad but true.

The only dog you can safely bring in to your home is a fully vaccinated dog who is in excellent health and even doing that you need to clean up around your house & yard as much as is possible.

As a rescuer I have had parvo at my place a couple of times but each time it has been with a quarantined pup and we've been able to full bleach the area AND use F10 to clean up. I know that Panlewis have used another product that apparently cleaned up their property though I would be very careful. A committee member had parvo approx 18 months ago at her place and cleaned up very carefully HOWEVER a pup she was fostering 15 months after having no other dogs get sick, after a vet told her she had waited long enough, tested positive for parvo and it had never left her yard.

IMO it is just not worth the risk.

So very sorry to hear about Robbie Kamuzz.

Many of the dogs we get out of the pound have never been on a lead in their lives, particularly working breed mixes. From what you've described I would think that she was quite possibly the last of a litter who hadn't rehomed so she ends up in the pound. In the time she was with her litter and at the home of the person who owned the mother dog they are unlikely to have thought about putting a lead on her - she would have just been one of the pups and thats for her owner to do. I'm pretty sure she is now at a fear stage (I should just know that) so it could just be that making it all the more frightening. Our little Basset Fauve De Bretagne had never been on a lead when we got her too and displayed very similar behaviours - we got past it by putting her on a tandem lead with our Cavalier who she loves and she just happily followed him along. Within 15 minutes she was comfortably walking on a lead.

Of course everything that has been said is a great idea - just think its important to not get caught up on the "something bad happened to them" theory as often that will have you seeing "abuse" behind every behaviour and inadvertently rewarding it. Just think of her as a pup whose never experienced walking and then you won't send her any accidental messages either.

It will quiet possibly be worse tonight - don't mean to bring you down but better to expect the worst and get the best! He is a hound after all and they are loud dogs when unhappy!

From advice received for our new puppy who was screaming for our attention - I would be rewarding his quiet behaviour once he has been quiet for a minimum of 15 seconds. That doesn't sound like very long but with a hound, 15 seconds of silence is enormous . Gradually increase the time you want him to be silent before he gets good things. Marie is learning but has just had a bad screaming fit - took her about 5-10 minutes but that was my fault - I was stressed and made the mistake of yelling at her .

Well, it didn't take very long at all - about 4 days - and Marie appears to have learnt that screaming at the door is not the answer. If she does have a scream it doesn't last as long and once she has been quiet for a little while (a very little while at the moment) she is brought inside.

Hate to bring a subject back to the top but was doing a search. I just want to confirm I am doing the right thing with Marie the wonder pup. After being an absolute angel for the first 2 days she has been a right little shite for the last 3 . When I get home from work she starts a combination of barking/howling. I have been ignoring until she is quiet for a minute and then allowing her inside. Once inside she is normally okay.

All our dogs eat in their crates as with rescue dogs the dynamics change too often for them to eat together - she starts barking/howling once she has finished eating. Again I am ignoring her until she stops and then letting her out. Is it like controlled crying and they will get a little worse before they get better? Am I doing the right thing????? Really want to nip this in the bud early.

Yeah I'm going to add to the creepy stalkers too!!

We used to go to Hanrob for training too, firstly with a very difficult dog who was eventually pts, and lastly with my JRTs. Steve was awesome when I had to make the decision to pts with Wolf, empathised with the difficult decision and made me feel that I had made the right decision. With my JRTs he picked up every improvement and was always positive.

I remember dogs in the class who were SCAREY dog aggressive, yet Steve stayed calm, kept everyone else calm and helped the owner work with their much loved dog. I will never forget one Airedale Terrier whose owners came every Saturday from inner Sydney to training with Steve. They worshipped the ground he walked on - they said that they were putting their dog to sleep until they heard of Steve and when I met their dog he was lovely! I met a number of people there with their little dogs who had been on tv commercials and Steve always had a way of making everyone in the class feel like they were part of the experience too, even if their dog was never going to be on TV.

I didn't realise how lucky I was at the time to have him as my trainer for $7.50 per week.

I'm so sorry to hear about Girl Dog - she was definitely one of the special ones.

Beat me to it Daisy :rolleyes:

Steve, they sound like the Rolls Royce of quarantine areas - don't suppose you can post some photos so I can visualise it all?

We have a couple of committee members with acreage and we are hoping within the next 6 months to have set up some adequate quarantine facilities and I would love to have some examples to show to our committee. I have seen Jacq's & Staffy Rescue's in the flesh - but would appreciate pictures of any others that people have.

Do we need to have physically been to the property & met in person of anyone we vouch for or do we consider over the phone contact sufficient? Not trying to be pedantic here but thought afterwards that no-one has actually been to my house other than shepmax71 and the lovely flyball lady from St George area with the one-eyed dog

Name: Trish

Age (optional): 38

Location: Albury

Rescue Group: Albury Dog Rescue Inc

Time in Rescue: 3 years

Who can vouch for: Cordelia, Rozzie, ARF, Panlewis, Winterpaws, Nalacleo, Olly, CBL, AnnieK etc

Preferred Breed: Love all breeds but a fondness for sighthounds

Experience (if any): Just on the job

Another update with more information, due to a wonderful suggestion by a DOLer

Should of put this to discussion or vote before I went ahead with the thread

Microchip Yes

Vaccination Yes

Desexing Yes

Heartworm test No but highly recommended by both ourselves & vets (can't factor it into an acceptable to the public price) - do treat pups though. Also we have a very low risk by comparison to other areas here in Albury.

worming Yes

flea treatment Yes

vet work if required Always provide immediate vet attention when required but choose to pts over expensive treatments (parvo etc) as we do not have the funds for these events. On occasion a carer will pay out of their own pocket to treat a dog that has more expensive needs (I have done this myself many times). I believe that the $1,000.00 spent to save the life of one dog is better spent by our organisation on another 10 plus dogs with mild problems. It is, however, always a committee decision.

basic training/teach manners. Yes

house train dogs Dependent on foster carer

Dogs inside the home or outside. Dependent on foster carer but myself have them inside of an evening and outside during the day.

Are you prepared to give extra care for a submissive nervous dog. Have done it but the dog was not remotely aggressive, just frightened. Our committee WILL NOT rehome a dog with temperament issues and this includes fear aggression.

I had all my vegies etc chopped up ready for processing for tonight's food and the processor has died. Just for one night will it matter if I cook the vegies and stir them through the raw mince & heart? I figured that was better than nothing.

Next question is that I will now need to buy a new implement for making dog food - suggestions please everyone!!!

So sad fazel but how lucky you were to have had your dog for 17 years. I hope I am as lucky with my beautiful dogs.

Off-topic but welcome to another from the Border.

I'd always had problems keeping weight on Bart until I switched to a totally BARF diet - he looks a million bucks, his coat is shiny and his weight has stabilised at a nice level.

Must say I love the Sprint Oil but I use it for improving skin and coat - does help with the weight too but found it to be excellent.

I've seen an Irish Wolfhound doing flyball and whilst he was very entertaining I don't think you could call him "good" at it .

We have a foster dog in care at the moment who is a little JRT X Shih Tzu, only 12 months old.

Dudley is perfectly fine in a backyard with other dogs and has a great time, a little bit of male posturing which typical of a young male JRT who still has his dangly bits, but otherwise fine. His foster carer advised this morning that he walks really well on lead but when he sees another dog he wants to kill it. He has also nearly chewed through a lead when tied up at the shop for 5 minutes while they bought a newspaper.

He is only young and very intelligent so I would think that he is very easily trainable but I have someone wanting to meet him today and I want to give responsible practical information on what they can do. I have said that he would need to do further obedience training which they are interested in but what else could they do?

Everyone believes that he has had a bad experience on a lead and he now has a "get you before you get me" mentality and his aggresive behaviour is working for him as it keeps other dogs away but not sure on the best ways to work to get him past this. I'm obviously not looking for an internet diagnosis just a few pointers.

Obviously ensuring the human is top dog is the first thing but other than that.

What is a moisture magnet????

My vet tells her puppy pre-school class about a client who had a 2 year old dog. The dog was feed a premium kibble with raw mince every day and developed osteo-arthritis. It was attributed to too much phospherous and calcium or something similar???? I will ask her again tonight.

I use bok choy, celery or silverbeet as my green vegetable staples and add to that carrot, sweet potato or pumpkin and also apple or pear as a general rule.

Fruit over summer was often rockmelon or watermelon depending on price.

Darn it m-j - I thought you were saying there WERE herding lessons around Albury. Great information to pass on to people who adopt some of our working mixes.

BTW - can't come tomorrow night - teenager daughter has invited my parents over for dinner to meet her new puppy so I'll have to be home to actually cook it .

Do you think that applies to all greyhounds greytmate or would it be different if a greyhound had lived as a pup in an environment where it had to negotiate?

Bart has only been a pet as you know and my backyard has garden beds that my dogs run through and around all the time. He has also regularly been to my parent's property where he runs around with their dogs and it is all up hill. He hasn't had any problems and all of his tear injuries have come from teeth so far? Just curious.