Two Best Dogs!

+2 The title had me thinking it'd be a funny or lighthearted news story and this is anything but...

Oh snook I'm crossing fingers for you and justice that he's reacting to the meds my heart goes out to the two of you I think I might get that video, I really got into the preview. It'd be good to work out what's in thistles head. Bit of anxiety, bit of not feeling safe, bit of fear? How to address and help her?

Hazy and Jules it looks adorable! Rave away about places you like :D Yeah the few beaches I have been in, closer to the city and minus a dog, have been chockablock with people. Which neither of us are keen on. Banking on the cold keeping most away and when summer comes I am happy to drive further out. Would do a weekend trip but don't dare miss obedience classes! Someday soon I hope tho. It's great to hear they have such a polite dog culture down there. Sometimes we just want to have coffee and not bother with dog socialising - we work so hard on it all the other time XD And of course - water fetch :D

Thank you both! The Mornington place sounds really picturesque because obviously a gorgeous dog needs gorgeous photos and I can appreciate a place thoughtful enough to leave space around their tables! It'd take a couple of walkbys so she can scope the place out (idk what she's looking for but letting her inspect and sniff a place helps her relax). Also a fan of that closer bay. Not that I mind long trips but sometimes closer is appreciated XD

Thanks for the warning about nudists! I don't mind but it's nice to be prepared XD that sounds perfect (although other ppl do share. We want to check out a new place every Saturday!) I'm good for steps! We will just go carefully. My main problem is I just don't know the beaches of Melbourne so don't know what they're like daily.

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Hey! We are hoping someone can share their secret Melbourne beaches with us? Willing to travel a couple of hours east or west around or in port phillip. We have to avoid toll roads so that may add time. Would like to check one out this Saturday maybe. It will be her FIRST VISIT TO A DOG BEACH EVER :D She loves swimming in dams and pools, so I'm hoping she'll be as eager for the beach. what I'm looking for: - ON LEAD BEACH. Don't fancy someone's "friendly" dog running up and ruining our chilling out play time. Hoping if other dogs are around they're obeying any on-lead rules. (I'll have the scared-vest with us but would prefer to let her play without it on.) - NOT A DESIGNATED DOG BEACH - because all the dog owners will be flocking there ;) so just no - I'd prefer sand - I have a bad leg and don't fancy having an injury. I'll wear my knee brace but still, better to avoid rocks. Also don't want her to cut her feet. Small pebbles are okay though. - Around port phillip somewhere - but like I said, willing to travel an hour or two. Maybe even three hours. She likes her drives. *I* get bored but she's quite happy to sniff and watch things go past. We are celebrating getting her damn NSW microchip registration FINALLY sorted. The NSW database has marked it as "out of date" and it apparently refers any NSW officers/finders to check out her rego on the national database instead of contacting old owner (a pound mgr??). I'd still prefer my name on it but I guess they're really anti non-nsw resident... So to celebrate, grabbing the long lead and introducing her to sand and sea! and I'll be back in a week to ask people about their secret hiking spots ;) Thank you!

Haha these are hilarious!

Edit: I've found this useful video that gives me some ideas and eases my fears on it ruining impulse control and instead helping - Has anyone used a flirt pole on their dog? I've borrowed one to try it out and thistle quite likes chasing and grabbing it. I thought we could use it to strengthen those muscles now that she's no longer underweight. But I'm worried tgat she will think this means it's okay to a) chew people toys and b) chase small furry animals like the neighbours cat (she roughs it up so worried) or birds or the rabbits*. Also if this will adversely harm her impulse control? General update: carried on a lot in class cause there was a strange dog chasing a ball. But she didn't carry on AT anyone, if that makes sense? She looked and carry on at me so was easier to get her attention and calm her down. Doing well at learning to sit calmly and not run away or at sudden movements. Could be a fluke class tho but feeling tentatively better. *i have two old rabbits. Thistle is not allowed near them and I have two doors closed between her and then when I'm not around. They deserve to have their retirement in peace..but just in case she does somehow get to their pen I'm hoping enough hesitating from her that I can prevent anything so I've been discouraging her chasing anything that isn't a ball or frisbee I've thrown. Worried since this is basically sheep skin on a string - she won't notice the difference? :s

Ah the banes of predictive text, let's see how my post goes. Thistle holds her bladder worryingly well, to the point of concern. She has unlimited water. Dinner is dry and meat at about 7:30-8pmish. At about 9:30-9:45 she goes out for one last poop and pee. We don't go inside until she's gone pee, minimum. It hurries her up cause she doesn't like being out there alone XD. Then she's good to sleep on the floor near my bed until 7am the next day where she gets to go out again before lock up for work. During the day she has a doggie litter tray but at night she doesn't cause different part of house. She's used it once and prefers to go outside. I have to keep on top of toilet breaks because Thistle will not ask to go out until she's absolutely busting. I'm worried it will damage her bladder so I give her lots of toilet breaks. It could be an age thing? Maybe gradually make the routine later and later so their waking time is same as yours?

I've only had her 6 months and only had one close call - the night of the dog attack she bolted but I kept my front gates closed so she stopped there. That gate has since broken so I need to fix that in case of other bolting and so she can join me in gardening. All the other bolt risks were on your usual walk so I walk her on a martingale to avoid a panicked slip. She lives indoors cause like with zombie bait - a scared dog that can clear 5 foot when startled is a bit risky. My backyard fencing is 6'5" but I don't want to risk it. She prefers indoors when alone anyway.

Not sure it's the right size for her lol

She's pretty touch loving but overall the best spots are under the chin (anyone she lets near her) and tummy/ inner thigh rubs - which are awkward cause her fur never grew back after she was shaved for desexing. She also loves cuddles and if I ignore her she'll rub herself all over me before testing a sad head on the nearest hand. Have yet to work out what the turning butt wag at me is. Not but scritches

Here's the story of how they caught her - hopefully helpful for anyone else needing to organise a similar hunt if the unfortunate happens You asked, we answered: The Story of Angel's Rescue. Day 11 and we were all trying to stay strong and not lose hope despite the odds that seemed to be perpetually stacked against Angel and our ability to reach her in time. The weather seemed to be worsening by the day, the mornings hovering around -3 and lately thick frost had been setting in. There was so much to worry about- Angel’s ability to survive the elements- the weather, the terrain- she had on a number of occasions been sighted running in heavily forested areas thick with bracken. When out, she tended to be seen running along/on Midland Highway and we worried that as she became weary from exhaustion her road sense may diminish. More alarmingly, the sightings seemed to be becoming fewer and far between, despite all our efforts to canvas the surrounding areas of each reported sighting. The word was getting out- everyone we came across and everywhere we went people knew Angel’s plight and were rooting for her, but she was being seen less and less. It’s also incredibly difficult to comprehend just how many kilometres this little girl had clocked. Based on the sightings, Angel had covered at least 60km since she first went missing, probably far more. With the sightings becoming less and less frequent, we were flying blind, chasing our tails, always several steps behind. All we had to go on was supposition and gut feeling and hope. Any time we got a tip off we would all rush to the area, formulate a plan and then split up, only to spend hours driving around, through pine forests, endless farm land and countless towns where literally any and every area could hide an army unseen let alone a small dog. Each day we would tell ourselves and each other that today would be the day and each night we would reluctantly leave the area as night fell, disheartened and devastated to be leaving her out there. By Sunday, it had been over 48 hours since Angel had last been seen. Further concerning, the sightings that had come in on Thursday seemed to indicate that both couldn’t be accurate given the distance she would have had to cover. Given that none of us had seen her ourselves in that time it was impossible to determine if the tipoffs were genuine but they were all we had to go on. We had spent that time doing letterbox drops in the surrounding areas, driving around main roads, side streets, through the forest and speaking to everyone we happened upon, but nothing. Each morning by 5am at least one of us would be out driving around the relevant areas, putting up posters and strategizing about how best to proceed when there was so little to go on. Sunday morning, 8am a call came through that Angel had been spotted on Midland Highway between Elaine and Meredith. We all jumped in our cars but as usual, she had eluded us- within minutes of the sighting she had literally disappeared. We spent the rest of the day as we had spent each day before that, concentrating on that area and the next ones along, searching, searching, searching. At 3:30, we had to call it a day and reluctantly agreed that until we had more to go on, there was nothing else we could achieve. Some of us had to go back to Melbourne, to return to the lives we’d put on hold to search for this precious little girl, but promised to be on call as soon as any sighting came through. As we turned onto the freeway towards Melbourne- we got the call that would change everything and turned around. Angel had just been sighted in Elaine, back where we had searched all day and the day before. A couple from out of town had seen her sprinting through the Rec Reserve but lost sight of her. By chance they stopped in the general store, saw the poster and called us immediately. And so we rushed back, eight people strong but very aware that catching her was an impossibility and the best we could hope for was to be able to get an idea of where she was frequenting so we could set up a long term plan. G believed that she would head along the train line and parked there, and within minutes had her in sight. As expected, she spooked when she saw the car and ran straight for the bush and surrounding farmland and so we all split up so as not to lose sight of her again. With three of us in the paddock with her, Angel was running scared and looking for an escape route. Three stayed along the fence line, attempting to block her from running in that direction. The rest were driving, trying to keep eyes on the surrounding paddocks as she moves incredibly fast and we needed to ensure we kept sight of which direction she headed in. As luck would have it, the right person was in that paddock with her, a man who had been out day and night looking for her since this began. His calm energy was exactly what Angel needed and as she ran out into the middle of the paddock, away from what she perceived as the other, more immediate threats, he dropped to his knees and sat quietly. Amazingly, Angel began to approach, tentatively and timidly. As she got closer, he began to throw treats in her direction, drawing her in. The second she was within reach, he grabbed her collar and pounced on her, causing her to snap in terror and latch onto his nose. Thankfully there was no pain that would have caused him to loosen his hold on her, and luckily the others were there within minutes to help get her safely into the net and calm her. They sat and talked softly to her and fed her treats for a little while, and then slowly carried her across the paddock, with some holding her from below, some from above, some holding the net and others still holding the lead. No one was chancing another escape, we were all aware that we would never catch her again if she got loose. By this point Angel was calm, and as we got in the car she looked visibly relieved and fell straight asleep, resigned to the fact she had been caught and perhaps starting to realise she was safe and warm and there would be no more running. There wasn’t a dry eye in that paddock, particularly when we called Arun to let him know his little girl was safe. It was then time to rush her to the vet whilst the rest of us went to the hospital to ensure Gary had his nose seen to immediately. Thankfully, both Angel and Gary got the all clear (although Gary’s looking a little worse for wear) and the reunion between Arun, Czar and Angel was truly one of the most heart-warming moments any of us had ever witnessed. This story is so beautifully unique, mostly because of how strong this little girl is to have endured what she no doubt encountered during her time on the run but also because it demonstrates how much can be achieved when people band together to achieve something worthwhile. We want to thank so many people, too many to name individually but from the bottom of our hearts we thank you. Thank you for caring, for helping, whether from afar with words of support, with donations to help fund the search, with invaluable contacts, or on the ground, where we so desperately needed numbers and had so many of you hear our call and come running without complaint. To the people of Ballarat, of Elaine, of Meredith and further afield- thank you for listening, for agreeing to put flyers up, to keep your eyes peeled, for offering motel rooms and amenities and photocopying. There are good people in the world, and we have one incredibly brave little girl, now sleeping soundly for probably the first time in almost a fortnight to show for it. We have made lifelong friends and had our faith restored and that’s testament to the bravery of one little rescue dog, and the hearts she touched along the way.

Thought you'd all like to know that after 12 days of running scared, over 150km, they just caught Angel and she is now home! Check the Facebook group in first post for reunion pictures :) and what an amazing search and rescue that community did.

Graduate from doggie rehab (cough obedience and life skills class cough) Start the advanced skills class - non competitive agility, tricks etc Have her confidence up around strangers - coming along well Help her to not be so fearful of dogs and able to politely walk past other dogs while walking or hiking Go to the snow! Go to a beach! Amazing recall so she can go offlead and run! Teach her a super secret handshake ;) Get better at taking pictures of her :p Get her stupid NSW microchip updated to my nane so we can road trip through nsw without worrying she'd be taken back to the pound it's in! (This is hard when they're so uncommunicative! Doing a stat dec change of ownership :/ ) So not major dog comps but good (achievable!) goals for her I think!

Would you feel the same way if these dogs dug into your yard and attacked your dog though? Even if it were only their second time out? We had a dog get our chicken a few months back and it was devastating. They're still pets and its still absolutely heartbreaking to go out and find them that way, I can understand why they're calling for them to be moved, now they've done it they'll keep finding ways to do it. Its sad. Why don't people learn the first time the dog gets out that it needs to be the last? Yes I would. Even Considering Thistles recent experience being attacked by a dog. In our yard. That's why I mentioned suggestions for how the owner can prevent it happening again. Especially since livestock aggressive doesn't necessarily mean dog aggressive or people aggressive. Personally I'd surrender an aggressive dog cause I couldn't handle it, but if she reckons she can then she needs to secure her fencing to prevent this happening again. Like I said. In the post you disregarded. I've lost chickens to escapee dogs too. And goats. And rabbits. but you know thanks for trying to invalidate my views, the unwanted reminder and the hurtful attempt at emotional blackmail. I'll be ignoring you in the future if this is how you like to communicate :/

I've been to that cafe, it's lovely, the fencing is secure and animals well cared for. I hope the owner fixes up their fencing and works on some impulse control for those dogs. The poor chickens wouldn't have stood a chance But I also don't think it's something to have the dogs taken off her for. The owner showed up straight away and didn't deny responsibility. That's rather extreme for only a second escape. She should get major fines and possibly dangerous animal rego - then she'd have to get better enclosures for the dogs. They're definately not livestock friendly and they know where the animals are now. Even if they can't break in again they'd run up and down harassing. Better enclosures.

I love Justice's ears! They're so gorgeous. He's got a lovely face too, very intent look there XD Maybe next time you suspect a con you can try ignoring him? Whenever thistle has a "freak out" over something not immediately obvious I make a point about acting casual and chill as if whatever scared her is no big deal (seriously they're just new curtains come on now). I rarely actually comfort her these days, a lot of it is redirecting and distracting (unless it's a potential bolt or mindless struggle scenario, then it's holding on and calling her name calmly until her brain turns back on )

Thanks! Yeah we want to avoid the other dogs for now. She's never seen snow so don't want her to stress. I'll practice the chains Friday night so maybe we can go this Saterday! I hope it's not difficult, I don't want to have an accident :/ Do you have other spots you can suggest? We are in the city but I don't mind the drive. We're both country girls who moved to VIC so don't know the areas. Otherwise I was thinking well just map out your route then pull over wherever looks good.

Thanks! I take a lot of videos to show people what she's like at home ^^' they're all used to seeing her stiff as a board or cowering so I like to let them know there's a happy puppy that just needs some help coming out of her shell

Thistle really got the hang of it tonight - we moved onto an acutal box and ended up ! It's nice seeing her so waggy, she really likes puzzle games. She's also not scared of flappy bits on boxes anymore! That was lots of fun, after a couple more sessions I'll grab the more portable shoebox and we might try this in somewhere outside the house (Best Friends Store?) and after a couple of (successful) lessons there, move it to the Petbarn (she still cowers an awful lot in there, because we don't go often but it is quieter/more space than Best Friends). Hopefully it will be enough to relax her and associate outside the house with fun.

I was just making some gifs but got excited and made a whole video. I cut out all the silence as she ate her treats (cough dinner cough) (She's waiting to see you in the link!)

These are my plans since I trust her with few people and she doesnt trust strangers. I don't have the option of having random family members over, she can't stay in a random house, she can't stay with other dogs, most of my friends are NOT dog savvy or lack appropriate transport. The added stress of I need to be there for a 24 hour overlap with new house sitters and I don't trust random ones and for a couple of hours transition with the house sitter I've used once before (can't just hand her the keys and let herself in, I have to be there) One night = yeah sure she'll be fine. Feed her a big meal in the kong when I leave, several bowls of water and her indoor toilet. Have done before and got a very excited greeting when I got home lol. More than two nights = find someone to house sit for me. She doesn't do well in new environments with new people More than a week or house sitter isn't available = suck it up and board her with our one on one trainer. She doesn't like him cause he's a big bloke but he'll know how to keep her calm and secure and will work on what obedience he can. Long and short of it, it is less stressful and safer for her to just be left alone at home for a single night rather than upset her with new people and new places.

Hey, Also finding this useful. I thought you'd like to know this is the thread that got me to find and join dolforums! Back in late may I was googling for dog friendly snow trips in melbourne and this thread was one of the first results - it's been shared around at work with fellow dog-owning friends as a good reference. I have it bookmarked as well! We haven't gone yet, but hoping to go up to that area soon. I even bought snowchains for the car (and will practice putting them on/taking them off before heading out) and reckon the dog will like it.