Erny

Holding yourself and Zedley in my thoughts and sending you wishes of strength that you will need to repair your stricken heart. What you do is the most selfless deed and Zedley is so fortunate to have you looking after his body and soul. for tonight, tomorrow and in the days to follow. Hold tight to the knowledge that what you give is a kindness for which there is barely greater. Yours Erny

What a lovely happy ending. My Christmas wishes are for far less rotten starts and far more happy endings such as this. Caraboose - well done to your Dad/Father-in-Law for taking this boy in. By the sounds, the dog couldn't have had a better Christmas dream come true :D.

With the ear treatments prescribed to Mandela when he was younger, I found them to be somewhat stringent and caused him pain. This made him very shy of having drops in his ears. I switched to "Ear Clear" - a natural cleaner and one which controls yeast infections and ear mites. A lot of success with this one, and Mandela, although still not enjoying the sensation, coped with it far far better than the others. I use make-up removal pads to wipe the ears out using the drops.

The truth in that is amazing. Well said, Aidan. Good luck and good strength to you both.

Hhhhmmmm .... thanks.

Oh dear - I'm sorry to hear your news, Aidan . Please don't take this as "advice" per se, as I really don't have the knowledge or qualifications to advise in matters such as this. However, as an interest, try doing a bit of research on Coconut Oil - the "virgin" "unrefined" "cold-pressed" stuff. AVOID the refined stuff like the plague. I've been using it with Mandela (digestive issues). It's too early to tell with him but I do believe it helps to soothe a disgruntled/upset gut and can lead to him being willing to eat where he might otherwise not. For those interested and reading here, it is the type of fat a dog can more likely cope with in cases of pancreatitis where they otherwise couldn't, so I've read. I'm still reading up on it but it is fairly heralded to be a "cure-all". What truth there is in that, I'm not sure nor do I necessarily have whole-hearted faith in, but there does seem to be quite a lot in it. Mandela loves it, as a rule. I've intro'd it gradually as it can initially cause sloppy poop, but now he's eating the full daily dosage of about 6 teaspoons per day. It contains antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and immune system support qualities also (helping the body to fight off cancer cells), from the numerous things I'm reading on it at the moment. But regardless of what you do, know we're behind you. It's tough, going through these times with our dogs.

I nursed one back to health after it got its wing caught up in a barbed-wire fence, back when I was a youngster. Took a chunk out of its wing - made a complete hole in it. Vet didn't believe it would ever fly again. Long story short, it recovered and flew when we released it. Beautiful birds and so fascinating to interact with and watch. I love how they balance on their pointy bottoms when Mum shares the nest (only just) with babes almost grown enough to take flight.

Has anyone found that it altered the colour and/or 'condition' of their dog's poop? Mandela's poop changed (not for the better) but he's so up and down with his digestive issues that it's hard to know if it was a coincidence or a contributor.

I personally don't want anymore laws that relate to any prohibition. We're flooded with such laws. It is stifling and we're being left with less and less room to move, is the way I feel. I think it deserves to make the seeking of education more encouraging though and to let people know that the getting of education is possible, that there are people out there to help them; that what they do does influence what their dog does. But please ..... not laws. We're over-regulated as it is, especially in Victoria. I'd like to see "General Common Sense" make a come-back, become more trendy :D. In my dreams ... <sigh> ETA: Personally, I think that if more and more people join in on doing the right thing (common sense and courtesy-wise) then it would gain in popularity without the necessity for laws and thus without resistance. ETA: A regular spot in the local-rag along the lines of "responsible pet owner corner", mentioning name of owner, including a picture, and why the person is a responsible dog/pet owner, could be a nice start.

I didn't know that. That's not a bad idea either. This is a rough sketch of how it used to be (City of Casey, at least) .... $xx discount for dog being desexed; plus $xx discount for dog being obedience trained. Total possible discount = $xxx Now it is : $xx discount for dog being desexed; plus $xx discount for dog being microchipped (which is compulsory anyway, so I don't see point in discount); OR $xx discount for dog being obedience trained. Total possible discount = $xxx (ie total possible discount no higher than it used to be). Which kind of takes the emphasis off obedience training IMO. Same total possible discount applies whether or not you obedience train your dog. ETA: In regards to the thread topic .... some food for thought. Don't forget that for dogs to behave well in certain environments they need to be proofed to those environments. So, who would set the criteria and how high would the bar be? If it is too high, it might prevent the proofing to what may potentially be new and novel environments which means we could end up with less and less dogs being able to learn to cope with them. As I said - food for thought. Be careful about looking at the ideal without taking into account how the ideal is attained .

If 'they' stopped thinking about breed and instead made all people responsible for the actions of their dogs (regardless of breed) as they were going to in the first place, we'd be better off. Whilst people keep thinking 'breed', it draws the focus away from owner responsibility and education, IMO.

I think I recall that one needs to be careful about Febreeze around animals. Not sure - could be wrong, but check it out first. I find OdourGo pretty good. I wash blankets as normal and use OdourGo in the final rinse. Are your dogs particularly smelly? Is that part of the problem? No offence intended, of course. But if they are 'yeasty' the smell from that can be somewhat lingering.

Dogs Put Down as Laws Bite - Casey Weekly No mention that the "visual guide" is not Breed Specific. No mention whether these dogs deserved the death penalty or not. No mention of why the dogs were surrendered.

WM ..... Lol. Be patient. You juz wanna party, girl. . Gotta take these things gradually :D

Hi Helen. Sorry - only just seen this. Don't think we've caught up since you posted and I apologise if I'm getting back to you so late. I'm trying to dig out your phone contact number now, but I will send you a PM. Erny ETA: I'm okay .

How gut wrenching. To Chris and Tony - my heartfelt condolences. No words would sooth the tear in your heart such a tragedy would have rendered. RIP Trek and Dharma .

RIP, Willow. Condolences to Willow's owners and to you, Sway.

You're quite possibly/likely right, Sway. But Vic Dogs could make it a bit easier to be assuaged for the reason behind the requirement by giving a response that was a bit easier to see the reasoning. I'm talking about a non-breeder with an Ordinary Membership. I need a 'for instance' to be able to understand how giving a Driver's Licence is going to stop non-breeders from avoiding the rules of the DAR. Before I go back to Vic Dogs to ask, maybe the answer is obvious. Maybe I'm just not devious enough to be able to imagine using trickery well enough to get away with doing the wrong thing . Can anyone suggest an example?

I contacted Dogs Victoria, querying about why an "Ordinary" Member (ie non-breeder) would need to provide the ID they are requesting, when their "Important Notice - Photo ID" only goes so far as to say that it is to stop "disreputable breeders ... from joining DOGS VICTORIA". This is the reply I got from them : Note that the highlighting is mine, and not Dogs Victoria. I could go back to them to ask directly, but in case it was just that I couldn't see the forest for the trees, I thought I check here first to see if this constitutes as an answer for anyone else. For example (only) ...... how would giving them a copy of my Drivers Licence : (a) protect Dogs Victoria members; and (b) ensure that people do not join in an effort to avoid compliance with the recent changes to the Domestic Animal Regulations. ??? I'm just not 'getting' it yet .

Thanks Sway. Why would they want to actually keep a copy of the drivers' licence, do you know? Isn't it good enough for them to just check off as being sighted?

Not sure what difference (legally/security speaking) it makes, but the flyer I go only says "Documents provided will be retained as per PrivacyLaws requirements". It doesn't have the first part of that quote you've put up, Sway. I have nothing to hide. I don't breed and I'm not registered as a breeder - not sure why the Photo ID requirement applies to "Ordinary Membership" if the only reason for the photo ID was to stop "disreputable breeders ... from joining DOGS VICTORIA". I don't know nor understand the obligation on Dogs Victoria to retain my information with the degree of confidentiality that I would like. My understanding is that there has been a certain other (welfare) organisation who forcefully procured membership information from VicDogs at one stage some good while ago. I don't have evidence of this occurrence, but I believe the murmurs that were made that informed me of this. I also have read where at one stage private info was stolen by an employee of that certain (welfare) organisation. (I don't mean the Vic Dogs info.) So yes .... this sort of stuff makes me nervous - it's too easy for people to rip off your ID these days. I see Dogs Victoria want a copy of my Aussie Drivers' Licence (the other alternatives on the list aren't relevant to me) as well as proof of my current address. I wonder if they'll be satisfied with me popping down there with the originals of these documents for them to sight (only). Does anyone know?

Schools? If there have been no sightings it could be an indicator that she is tucked away in someone's yard somewhere. Just summising, of course. School kids are excellent super sleuths and tend to know what's been happening in their immediate neighbourhood. ETA: A long shot .... but the other dog - is it missing the lost one? Has it been given the opportunity to track and walk the streets with the owners whilst out looking?

Haven't read every post but the ones I have read seem to be somewhat focussed on physical exercise being the major factor that needs consideration. I don't think I read any posts from the OP that talked about mental stimulation. IMO, mental stimulation and drive satisfaction is the highest priority and that needs to be structured so that it channels in towards and for the handler. It's great to give our dogs the opportunity to stretch their legs and run, and if we can organise to do that where it is safe for everyone (dogs inclusive) that's great. But the other will tire them out more readily and for longer than mere physical exertion and with careful structure can be utilised to improve problematic behaviour. Don't muck around - engage a trainer/behaviourist. Mark Singer (if in SA). Steve Courtney (if in NSW).

I completely agree with you Nekhbet. Like as if dogs need to be taught to bite!! Australia (especially Victoria) have it the wrong way around. The sport of Schutzhund makes for a safer dog. And the discipline behind the sport makes for more disciplined handlers too.

Is this a suspected "stolen" or "escape", Sway?