BarbedWire

Sorry, I'm not familiar with the term rheumy eyes, are you talking about droopy eyes (ectropian)?

If so then no, they are not meant to have droopy eyes. The standard calls for almond-shaped eyes. Not all of them have droopy eyes. It seems more prolific in the harlequin colour family, so it's not as simple as being related to excess skin on the face. I think it is actually hard to find a dog in the harlequin colour family that doesn't have droopy eyes, so therefore it's very hard to breed away from.

But I am happy to be corrected by someone more knowledgeable.

This is my girl, and she has very droopy eyes, but for a Dane, she has very little excess skin on her face. And I have seen dogs with a lot more excess skin, and they don't have droopy eyes.

I just want to add that I would appreciate it if people do not say overly negative things about her appearance. I wish she didn't have droopy eyes (for her sake) but I love her dearly and I find it unpleasant when people tell me her eyes are ugly etc.

Thanks for answering. The MacMillan diction offers this definition: 'rheumy eyes look red and wet because of illness, sadness, or old age' and I was referring to this photo from the link quoted by chequeredblackdog in #15.

I'm bringing this thread back up. I hope that's okay with HW.

There's a dog at DAS (a staffy x named Betty in Y30) in Canberra who only has until Tuesday 5pm 1 March. I am not sure how old she is but she is blind in one eye and looks as if she has had a few litters. It would be lovely if someone could help her.

My link

What is the story with the rheumy eyes? Are they bred to have eyes like that or are they diseased?

so would you all think it was a great idea if a breeder was carting their pups around from pillar to post trying to get a sale? Goodness knows what those poor dogs are being exposed to and what they are taking back to the kennels.

What are you thinking of? What exactly could they be taking back to their kennels? Saliva from human kisses?

eta nits? worms? radical opinions?

Oh I don't know, parvo springs to mind, seeing as how it can be walked into a home, don't know why it couldn't be walked into an office

OffTopic again. DAS pound have a special mat at their entrance which has been soaked in something. I thought it might be to prevent the spread of parvo although I have no idea. Do breeders take special precautions to make sure Parvo isn't walked into their homes?

A lot do. Shoes off or you have to walk through a tray of disinfectant. Some don't let puppy buyers visit until after the 1st vacc or they can look but don't touch.

Thank you Rebanne, I did not know this.

so would you all think it was a great idea if a breeder was carting their pups around from pillar to post trying to get a sale? Goodness knows what those poor dogs are being exposed to and what they are taking back to the kennels.

What are you thinking of? What exactly could they be taking back to their kennels? Saliva from human kisses?

eta nits? worms? radical opinions?

Oh I don't know, parvo springs to mind, seeing as how it can be walked into a home, don't know why it couldn't be walked into an office

OffTopic again. DAS pound have a special mat at their entrance which has been soaked in something. I thought it might be to prevent the spread of parvo although I have no idea. Do breeders take special precautions to make sure Parvo isn't walked into their homes?

so would you all think it was a great idea if a breeder was carting their pups around from pillar to post trying to get a sale? Goodness knows what those poor dogs are being exposed to and what they are taking back to the kennels.

What are you thinking of? What exactly could they be taking back to their kennels? Saliva from human kisses?

eta nits? worms? radical opinions?

From the point of view of someone who quarantines new pound dogs and does not take pups with only the C3 8wk vaccination out into the wide world.

Exposure to any pathogens humans can track around on their clothes or feet. That is anything from parvovirus to giardia to ringworm.

Access to any water another dog has slobbered in; for obvious reasons.

Urine or faeces of dogs, birds, cats, rats etc.

Close contact with other dogs. e.g After school holidays there is a spike of kennel cough from pets being boarded. Pups aren't fully covered and immune compromised pets can become very ill.

All of these things go both ways. 'Unclean' rescue pets can give things to humans & pets too or infect the environment because they can be invisible carriers.

To be clear, I'm not suggesting anyone is sending grotty pups to unsafe situations. :) These are just the general reasons we minimise risk as best we can. Know your enemy so to speak.

And don't say nits. You've made my head itchy! :laugh:

Maybe I am missing something but I thought the original article was about Canberra (Canberra Times) and workplaces in the Canberra CBD are mostly offices. When the writer says 'puppies' I assumed she meant the softer cuter? way of describing 'dogs'. Also the Best Friends Pet Rescue who are benefitting from the promotion do not usually have litters of pups. They mostly have adults. http://bestfriendspetrescue.org.au/dogs

Oh well, I don't really have an opinion on the topic. I just wondered what Rebanne meant. :)

ETA Maybe I have just got it wrong. Best Friends Pet Rescue do have some young pups on their website. :)

Yesterday I saw a woman in a cake shop buying a pie and carrying in her arms a young pup (CKCS). All the shop staff were petting the cute little pup. I am sure some hygiene rules were being broken. :) I did not see anyone washing their hands afterwards.

so would you all think it was a great idea if a breeder was carting their pups around from pillar to post trying to get a sale? Goodness knows what those poor dogs are being exposed to and what they are taking back to the kennels.

What are you thinking of? What exactly could they be taking back to their kennels? Saliva from human kisses?

eta nits? worms? radical opinions?

Doesn't seem to be the same situation.

Not yet but naming it the Belconnen Kelpie is the start. That name comes up on the firs link not the second. It can't be caught because it once had an abusive owner is the claim.

We now have the Belconnen kelpie being allowed to roam. https://www.facebook.com/CanberraLostPetDabase

https://www.facebook.com/CanberraLostPetDabase/photos/a.433804990142710.1073741901.147118475478031/448634791993063/?type=3&theater

Tassie that is such a useful response. I don't need to attend classes because I know what I am doing. I want her to do ten metres of accurate spot on heeling rather than fifty metres of lagging and looking around. The class I was in the other day had five dogs. Heeling was done as a group which I know saves time but I think it is bad for the dogs. I especially can never cope with it because I have a hearing issue and I so hate it and it makes me stressed which my dog may be picking up on. Even in the trialling ring where it is done individually I don't like it unless I know what the pattern will be because then I can get my dog to show off what she can do. Sometimes I think heeling is testing the handler's obedience not the dog's because for anything to happen the handler has to obey the judge's orders first.

I am sort of tempted to register her, and enter trials without the club's sayso. I will probably then be ostracized completely though. I think I will call her Beatrix Mary. I think that sounds princessy. :) Thinking! Thinking!

Thanks for the replies. Just an update. She has started in her new class and it is all falling apart. She doesn't want to heel any more and is so unhappy which makes me unhappy. I am not sure if it is something to do with the ground. Before class other dogs exercise there and they do lots of poohs and wees. The former is hopefully cleaned up but there was some there today that had not been cleaned up. I also suspect she might find the grass spiky. I usually work her on asphalt and she goes beautifully on that. She is a very small dog (toy poodle cross pug) and the other dogs are all bigger and I think she finds them overwhelming especially when they come too close to her. Today she was tied up while I was being a post and a BC came right up to her and she looked almost panicky. So in short if she is finding it stressful I am not happy and I have no reason to continue. However I will continue to train her at home just for me and just for fun.

Asking this very gently and you don't have to reply. Is the dog unhappy because you are unhappy? Are you feeling the pressure of being in a pre-trial class?

I had not thought of that but you may be partly right as you often are. :) Yes I am nervous going down there. I know that when I first get out of my car, but it's not because it is a pre-trial class. I am not feeling any pressure performance wise because I have done it all before and from what I can see she is the best in this class too. I would love a class where people just have fun and laugh and are friendly.

I do lack motivation as well. Because I have already done it, I can't see any point in doing it again. I want a happy dog. She is still a pup who likes to play. I want it to be fun for her. Maybe she is picking up on me but maybe not because she was happy in the earlier classes and I was nervous then too.

Maybe it is just my personality and my life experience. I guess I want to be happy too, and maybe doing obedience trialling again is not the way to go.

Thanks for the replies. Just an update. She has started in her new class and it is all falling apart. She doesn't want to heel any more and is so unhappy which makes me unhappy. I am not sure if it is something to do with the ground. Before class other dogs exercise there and they do lots of poohs and wees. The former is hopefully cleaned up but there was some there today that had not been cleaned up. I also suspect she might find the grass spiky. I usually work her on asphalt and she goes beautifully on that. She is a very small dog (toy poodle cross pug) and the other dogs are all bigger and I think she finds them overwhelming especially when they come too close to her. Today she was tied up while I was being a post and a BC came right up to her and she looked almost panicky. So in short if she is finding it stressful I am not happy and I have no reason to continue. However I will continue to train her at home just for me and just for fun.

Here's this week's effort. I am trying to use the rule of thirds. It is a lilac bush which will soon be turning brown and then losing its leaves.

,

Beautiful canetoad. The dogs are certainly enjoying their relocation.

Staffy breeds and children alike are placed in danger because of the 'Nanny Dog' myth. Labs too. Benefit of the doubt would be benign ignorance rather than deliberately ignoring the warnings.

You only need to watch youtube; there's hundreds of clips of dogs being soooo cute with the little baby climbing all over it; when it's obvious (knowing the signals) that the freaked out dog is doing it's very best to keep it's shit together.

Agree with the nanny myth reference. If I had a dollar for the number of times I have heard that staffies are good with kids so it's okay to leave them together, I would have enough money to buy those Ikea dining chairs I have my eyes on.

Most people do not understand dog body language. They think that a dog licking its lips wants to kiss someone and a dog yawning is doing so because it is tired, when both are signs of anxiety.

It seems that my post is being misinterpreted. I was being a little facetious. Who keeps a child on a lead or in a crate? What I am saying is that it is easier for the owner of a dog to supervise it that it is for the parents to supervise their children. Ideal parents know all about the dangers of leaving dogs (especially strange dogs) with children, but not all parents are ideal. Once upon a time, not that long ago, I did not know and I think I was a good, probably better than average, parent. I think dog owners should know not to leave their dog, which they would have chosen to own and would have accepted the responsibility that comes with owning that dog, with children they do not know. I also think the dog owner is more answerable because it is possible to restrain a dog.

edited for clarity

Thank you for the replies especially re figures of eight. When I trialed before I did not find other trialers at all supportive. I thought they were cliquey which is one of the reasons why I did not enjoy it. Perhaps I came across as unfriendly though because I was so stressed out.

I have been checking out calendars for future trials here where I live and there are not many. About 4-5 to the end of this year. That is a lot of waiting around for that third pass. :)

I have not decided which way I will go yet. I know she could title quite easily (she is such a good heeler) but she could also learn lots of tricks and maybe that would be more enjoyable.

another dog failed by its owners, and a child failed by the adults.

What are the adults supposed to do? Keep the child on a lead or in a crate while the dog is visiting?

Thanks everybody and Snook I just found this site and I now understand more, especially the road leading somewhere. I think I might just concentrate on the composition for the next few weeks.

http://www.photographymad.com/pages/view/10-top-photography-composition-rules

I have been reading an article titled "The Top 5 Photography Tips For Absolute Beginners" and it discusses the rule of thirds. I am trying to get my head around this. It also says that all cameras have a grid option, but I can't find one on my camera. Maybe it is just too old and too cheap. When I look at your photos I am looking for the rule of thirds, and sometimes I am not sure. Trifecta does your photo at the races have the top horizontal grid line at the tops of their heads and Scottsmum is yours going down the first vertical to the lower horizontal?

I hope you don't mind my basic questions. I promise I will try hard to find answers elsewhere before I ask here.

Thanks TSD. Normally I don't mind failing especially with computer related activities but I do hate failing at a dog trial. I think I feel embarrassed. My first trial my dog ran away into the next ring. Was I red-faced and apologetic?

I have a question about ringcraft and I don't want to start a new thread so perhaps you can help me. I have been searching for information about figures of eight and I can't find anything. I used to know but I have forgotten. Which circle do you do first - the one with the dog on the outside or on the inside. I think it is the one with the dog on the outside because hopefully it still has momentum. Also do you do the figure of eight as two equal circles, two sectors, or two triangles?

I wonder if those dogs that were returned to their owner were desexed or is that another law which is too difficult to enforce and is ignored?

Thanks cat and snook. Here is a photograph I took recently. I was quite pleased because I understood that it was difficult to photograph black dogs.

Sorry all but I know I seem to have dropped out of this thread after just the one photo. The recommended book has arrived but I have not even opened it because January was a very difficult month and it has continued on into February. I had heart problems and had to have medical tests (still ongoing), my warfarin levels went topsy turvy, then someone ran into the back of me and I was without a car for a few weeks, then my granddaughter had meningitis and was in hospital. ATM it all looks clear so I will try to get back into it, although your photos all look fantastic and I sort of feel I am a kinder kid in with the year twelves. :) Snook that photo of the milky way is amazing.

So your first step is to work out at least one small positive change that can be relatively easily and cheaply made by the facility... starting small and moving forward in small steps still moves you toward your ultimate goal, yes?

The petition you refer to has a valid basis, but it is not offerng up a positive solution - just calls for someone else to figure out a solution. Regardless of the 900 signatures, I don't see much action will be taken by those called to fault in that case... even though the issue is relatively major and does need fixing.

Local Government departments are usually more than happy to work WITH people who offer solutions to their problems... and even moreso with those willing to go the distance to assist in implementation of said solutions. It's all too easy to point a finger and say that something is not right and needs fixing - but that rarely gets a positive response - the complainant needs to be willing to be a part of the solution process for it to actually get anywhere...

T.

T I love your posts. :) ATM I am trying to get more information from the relevant departments, and I am waiting for replies. Then I will do as you suggest.

That on-line petition is not what I would be trying to emulate. I had visualised standing outside shopping centres with my clipboard and asking strangers to sign. I would not know how to set up a Facebook petition. On Facebook I have 14 friends and I have unfollowed 6 of them because I can't be bothered with the drivel they post. That petition has shocked me actually. The petitioners are from opposite sides of the fence and they have all bonded together just to get the pound staff. I don't want to have a go at the pound staff because as I have said elsewhere I think they do the best they can and I personally like the ones I have met. Perhaps we need a friends of the pound group who raise money to improve the facilities for the dogs. Not sure.