goldchow

I don't know whether its still the same, haven't checked it out for some time now, but the CCCQ staff used to only give out names of any breeder members advertised in the journal. When I queried this ( I can't ever remember having prospective puppy buyers contact me through the CCC(Q) ) it had something to do with privacy which I can understand, however when I was wanting to contact several breeders in NSW, who don't advertise in their journal either, DogsNSW staff, who couldn't have beem more helpful and professional contacted those breeders and passed my number on for them to please contact me. I believe they can push their accreditation scheme and their accredited breeders as much as they like but while the general public remain unaware of who DogsQld is, what they do and where to find them, its nothing more than stroking other members ego and does nothing towards breeding better dogs. If the DogsQld (and other state registries) were to make their monthly journal available to the general public, showing their accredited breeders in the Directory that could be a whole different ballgame. Its the same old same old stuff, the state controls need to be more accessible to the public and need to be promoting their breeders to the public, not just to other members. We're constantly inundated with puppy enquiries, every one of them through Dogzonline. We had people drive up from Brisbane just last weekend to see the dogs and have a talk about the breed, they had no idea about DogsQld but they'd read everything they could on Dogzonline and the websites there for relevant breeders.

Agree with your post Steve and thats exactly whats going to happen. Think perhaps we all should apply for accreditation and then we're all back to square one, the rotten ones in with the good ones. ;)

Stonebridge a band of CCC members have constantly pushed for a democraticaly elected executive and twice we've been successful getting several referedum held, one only a few years ago, sadly the response and subsequent votes by Qld members was less than abysmal, virtually handing the current system a mandate to do anything they like. Couldn't agree with you more but if the members can't be bothered voting there's not much anyone can do.

I among many other registered CCC members often questioned why members of the executive or someone at their direction, with the know how on how dogs should be kept etc didn't undertake the occasional 'inspection', they'd only have to pay one or two breeders a visit every three or four years to show that they really were going to check out their members. I don't agree with other breeders checking on breeders, certainly not under this system anyway. I personally couldn't see a problem with this and I don't believe most reputable registered breeders would either. The CCC has always emphatically stated that they are merely a registry for purebred dogs and nothing more. Going to lots of shows doesn't necessarily mean they are good breeders, showing isn't everyones cup of tea and there are many who would like to particpate more but things like work & family committments make it difficult.

Re NSW Accredited Breeder sysrem I think they are still trying to sort out the finer details. DogsQ enforcing the existing COE would have been a much more acceptable solution in my books instead of creating a two tier membership system. I have no interest in applying for Accredition considering I've been doing all, and more, than their new system requires for 30 years because I assumed that was what being registered with a state control required.

DogsNSW are supposdely putting an 'Accredited Breeder" scheme together, also in response to animal lib & RSPCA demands.

$300 here too in Brisbane, includes the elbows, $1200 sounds an awful lot of money for what is a simple procedure for those who know what they're doing.

JulesP if there's anyone you know attending and you'd like to sit with them just lets know, we've had so many comments about what a great crowd all those attending are that I'm sure you'd have no trouble fitting in. We'd love to see you there.

We have many older dogs in and they cope very well. With all the family together in the right kennels they should be fine and once settled, which can take 24 hours sometimes to adjust they will probably thoroughly enjoy their stay. We often suggest for dogs who have never been kennelled before, and worried owners, to bring the dogs in for a short stay, perhaps overnight or for a day several weeks beforehand and this has worked very well. This isn't always possible at many kennels however.

We booked our flights several weeks ago due to the fact that reasonable flight times were disappearing very quickly. Marg Coles has changed her mind and has decided to come along also and will be travelling with us, she thoroughly enjoys the night. The Jika International isn't a huge place, with limited accomodation so anyone wanting to stay at the actual venue will need to book earlier rather than later otherwise accomodation will need to be found further afield. As Steve mentioned earlier, the MDBA has reserved all available accomodation for those attending the Awards.

Those were the photos I was most impressed with too. Abit of a drought here at the moment, only 46mil yesterday, been averaging 50 to 75ml (2 to 3 inches) daily, raining again today, up to 300mil forecast before the weekend is out.

I've done a couple of circular scarve thingis, different sizes, done on a big circular ring in the same manner as the tomboy stitch of schooldays rather than the wooden cotton reel. Saw them at a market and thought they were a great idea, problem is it does'nt get cold enough here to wear them, can be used in a variety of different ways.

espinay2 is spot on with her advice, I have a double coated breed and I shudder when a rescue comes in that more often than not has been clipped/shaved. It ruins the coat and as espinay says, its then extremely difficult to keep on top of and the clipping off often has to be continued. I have single speed Whal clippers and a TDQ (Take Down Quik) blade which is excellent for getting off the longer coats much more quickly than the ordinary blades. I have a large desexed chow boy here who has a massive coat and who also becomes quite stressed with any lengthy grooming, the TDQ blade does his belly, petticoats and underneath parts in no time and the rest of his grooming is done with a stripping comb, comb and strong pin brush in a series of sessions as espinay2 suggests. The Mars coat king is also invaluable for stipping out once the coat is under control.

Wow you do have alot of questions. My time is limited however I will endeavour to reply to your questions in stages. You might find some answers also on my website www.taukaichowchows.com and also on Senges website www.sengechows.com. Firstly many vets don't like chows, possibly for many reasons but it has been my experience that they either do not know the breed and/or they are not prepared to accept that the chow breed is very different to ordinary canines, and the chow is no ordinary canine. Because there are so few in Australia compared to most other breeds vets don't really have a chance to meet many. I've lived with many different breeds, mainly working dogs, crosses and purebreds all my life and I would have no hesitation in telling you that of all those breeds, I have found the chow, over 30 years, to be the most even temperamented and trustworthy breed of the lot. If you really get to know your chow, and understand the breed you can almost guaruntee his reaction to different circumstances. The chow is basically a guard dog entitled to the same respect one would give a doberman or a GSD. Many see the beautiful fluffy lion like dog and immediately want to pat or cuddle him, not a good idea unless you are the owner or the child of the owners family. Even a well socialized chow does not particularly like be handled by those he does not know until he's had the chance to check them out himself, one of the reasons the chow isn't the easiest of breeds to show. Yes the coat is insulation against the heat as well as the cold. The grooming is actually no drama if its done regularly with a good steel comb and a pin brush and making sure you are getting right down to the skin at least once a week. Shaving a chow is never recommended, the coat only grows back thicker then ever and tends to matt, making it almost impossible to keep on top of. If the chow is desexed the coat then becomes much thicker and very fine and this coat too is very difficult to keep looking nice without even more regular grooming which is why I don't desex any of my chows unless its for health reasons. Thorough grooming is essential when the chow is dropping coat and in the summer months. I do lightly clip the featherings and under the tummy of the oldies and the pets in the summer months mainly to prevent the collection of clover burr ans cobblers pegs which are pure hell to try and get out. Its totally beyond me why people buy a coated breed and then proceed to shave or clip the coat off. Slowly people are beginning to see the merits of the smooth chow. More later.

And so will I. The laws and powers of the RSPCA are being pushed in Tassie and Victoria, are already in in NSW, Queensland will inevitably follow.

Chows are fine with new arrivals depending largely on how the owners introduce them to the newcomers. Your term "cute' worrys me, they may be cute as a puppy however if you have read and paid attention to the info given above you will note that the Chow is not a lap dog or a toy or the easiest of breeds to care for or understand, requiring a dedicated owner who is able and prepared to spend lots of time with positive socialization and grooming for the puppy right through to and including adult hood. Expectant and new parents usually don't have that time and you will generally find most breeders prefer to place their beloved puppy with famaillies who have older children or with older people as companions.

All my pups are sold with a contract that should the owner for whatever reason not be able to keep the dog, it is returned to me. Fortunately I have the room and facilities to be able to do this although have only ever had to take back 3 dogs of my breeding, one was able to be rehomed to a lovely family who idolized him and he lived a long and happy life with them. I found this boy wandering the streets of Sth Brisbane and took him home to the people who had bought him. The familys circumstances had changed and the dog was left in the care of a couple of teenagers. He was 2 and a half years old, dirty and unkempt and fed when someone remembered so I offered to take him back. They wanted all their money back, after a bit of a discussion and it was pointed out that it would take me six months to get him back into some sort of decent condition they agreed to half price. I'd have given them all their money back if they'd pushed, just to get him out of that situation. The second one was older and was eventually put down due to having developed demodex having come from and lived in a stressful situation and the third stayed with me, returned at 3 years of age due to her terror of storms which the owners felt they could not cope with. When picking her up it was noted this girls only shelter was a single stand alone carport, not permitted inside so that explained alot. I have also privately done my breeds rescue in Qld for the last 25 years but try not to take in any more rescues now although still assist with rehoming whenever I can. If the dog is from a registered breeder I do suggest they contact their breeder and ask for assistance also.

Ask for Dr Phil at West Chermside Specialist Centre, think they call themselves Qld Veterinary Specialist Centre now, 07 33590777. He's the one I use and with an almost 100% success rate with a difficult breed.

Thank You Oakway, I'd thought of putting that up too but you beat me to it. Puppies in pet shops can not be banned under current fair trade laws so there's no point in everyone knocking themselves out over this. Steve has already posted the RSPCAs definition of a puppy farmer in a previous thread, please re read the thread Moselle, its scary stuff, plus the whole atmosphere of that roundtable discussion was about the RSPCA being granted more and more power as the overall, including ANKC breeders, animal welfare policemen, a private organization answerable to no one!!!! It is a fact of life that commercial puppy farms/mills whatever you want to call them, providing they are set up according to their councils environmental and planning laws will not be shut down, either by Animal Libbers or the RSPCA. In fact it was one such establishment that was held up to a mainly purebred dog audience at a seminar last February at Monash University, Melbourne as an example of the way dog breeding should be done. Yes it hurt, came out feeling I'd wasted 30 years of my life.

Imwvic is continually assisting owners caught up in this sort of thing and could posibly assist also.

The South Burnett Regional Council also held community meetings late last year to which mostly all breeders in the area attended. We were all rather stunned at how little the councillors involved knew regarding the keeping of dogs let alone breeding, I think they too were a little overwhelmed at the complexity of coming to some sort of reasonable resolution. We all came away feeling pretty happy that we'd been able to 'educate' and get our point across and were promised that council would look at a seperate solution re registrations etc for those of us with more than the usual one and two dogs. The Council here introduced the new registration & microchipping laws beginning of Oct, with little fanfare and not terribly well done and the offices have been inundated with phone calls from irate owners at the lack of warning and information given to ordinary householders. However as breeders we ourselves have heard nothing apart from the breeder Steve mentions above. The information now supplied in the council newsletter only refers to registration and microchipping, there's nothing mentioned about breeder permits or DAs. If anyone with more than six entire dogs is to be classed as a 'business' then this will include every breeder I know that lives in the area. As far as I am aware according to the ATO, six entire bitches need to kept before the pastime can be registered as a business. This was sometime ago that I contacted them so perhaps its different now and something I'll be checking on. In one correspondence from a councillor she states that they are still looking at a one price of Approx $225 for up to 25 dogs but to get this concession one must be a DQ member. At the time of writing ( June 2010) they were still dealing with town planning implications as required by State law. The whole debacle isn't looking promising and after the aforesaid breeders experience we're all waiting in suspense as to who the next one is to be with no one game enough to put their hand up for more information.

While not scaremongering I too would be extremely careful before agreeing to anything such as these supposedly great ideas. Last weekend in a search for a suitable stud dog I spoke to ANKC registered breeder friends who are currently affected by the new Breeder permit scheme on the GC. Both feel they are going to be unable to continue breeding the occasional litter as CCC members due to the requirements and the expense they are expected to outlay for breeder permits, concrete floored, weldmesh or other compounds, for two to four dogs who all live in the house, on acreage. As one said " Its a hobby for god sake, I just like to breed some good dogs sometimes to keep my line going and for some nice pet homes" We have MDBA members (all of who are ANKC registered & exhibitors) in the same location who have contacted us telling us they too are expected to build compounds (surburban yards) and one being harrassed to have a six year old bitch desexed.....because she's six years old. They have finally receive a reply from Mark Sheppard but so far nothing further has eventuated. I know Caboolture Shire, I also know that the old Pine Rivers shire was more amiable towards dog breeders than any other Shire. The new attitudes both Caboolture and Sunshine Coast have shown towards dog breeders has been like a breathe of fresh air but this Gold Coast pilot scheme which it seems is already being implemented state wide is not as innocent as it appears on paper. Even up here in what is often termed Puppy Farm heaven, an ANKC member happened to stick their head up and has now been hit with a $1500 'Breeder Permit and is under the gun to build kennels, miles from anywhere, no neighbours and small number of dogs all in good nick and happily and comfortably housed. Why?????? I've spent my life trying to live and keep my dogs within the required regulations, moved three times because councils change, their rules along with them so yes I am sceptical, and tired of fighting all these so called rules & regulations for a hobby that I loved. We already have more than enough laws and rules and regulations in place that aren't being enforced, why in heaven do we need more!!! And Carol. Steve is also an ANKC Breeder and can see these laws sweeping the country, not just Queensland, shouldn't we be sticking together???

Too true Judith Ann. Our breed isn't the easiest but I accredit the tremendous support and mentoring from so many of the older, long gone breeders that helped me over many of the 'humps' in those early years, This sort of support isn't often seen nowadays and it can be a lonely road without genuine assistance and empathy from like minded breeders.

http://www.goldcoast.qld.gov.au/t_standard2.aspx?pid=9027 The relevant links are shown here.

Exactly Souff. counted 14 litters of 'purebred. without papers' and crossbreed puppies, at the local markets last weekend, all backyarders, heartbreaking.