_PL_

No, population control is dependent on the the number of reproducing females. Steralising males is practically irrelevent. Castration anxiety.

Expression of interest DD. I gather before impound is done you can place an EOI. If it's after due date the animal can go immediately after processing. Hence 'for immediate sale' :) IMHO yes it's fair & such a big improvement from the tenders, and they do full adoption vetwork now too.

God yes you'd have to be athletic! I saw my first really angry brown snake in Canberra and must have broken the sound barrier getting the hell away from it No wonder you're on patrol.

We always had Red Bellies around the place as kids. Nobody ever got bitten (animals included) and they didn't seem to be interested in anything except getting the best sunbaking spot. I actually thought they were quite shy. Maybe it was just the population in that area? Even the chooks were only lost to foxes or hawks...and one particularly hungry diamond python who pigged out so badly he couldn't escape the coop without help. eta: do they eat brown snakes or is that a myth?

You can't win :laugh: rescue always gets the pointy end of the stick. Reminds me of Everybody, Somebody, Nobody, Anybody

That's kind of where I'm at with kenneling and what I got from Greytmates post. They need a higher level of everything the longer they are there. And cared for properly, can live happily as many do in racing or breeding facilities. If you're running on a shoestring and struggling to do the minimum then unrehomeables are not going to have a quality of life at all. Or somebody is missing out while the resident high maintenance animals drain resources. "No-kill" -- I'm just completely over hearing it. Because people interpret the slogan as gospel. Therefore rescues/pounds must be evil when a dog is PTS and it becomes a life at all cost argument. (Oh but nobody protesting happens to want that dog in their home.) Again, haven't seen this shelter so no comment there. Just in general.

Good luck girls.

They used to be the 1 woman $50 no vet work place and as far as I could see had made a huge change in that regard. I've not seen or heard anything of the shelter so can't comment on what's happened now.

Good luck Larissa, I hope she doesn't get worse as she grows and just stays a little special. Sorry too Gillbear. It's so unfair.

Yes, I cared for a little chi baby with hydrocephalus. Canine Neurologist explained the progression of the condition and that basically no outcome is perfect although some dogs do live with it forever depending on the severity and malformation of the skull. When they are so young (like 5wks) it's hard to tell exactly how badly they will be affected as they grow. Shunt operations aren't successful, and even in perfect cases the shunt can still block. Some dogs are so mildly affected nobody notices, these dogs, if bred from can pass it along. Signs in pups are screaming fits and uncontrolled aggression, ataxia, trouble balancing/walking, vision impairments/blindness, difficulty eating and failure to meet developmental stages etc. There is an odd set of the eyes where they aren't pointing straight ahead, more down and outwards. This gets worse if there is pressure behind the eyes or increasingly wonky skull growth. I was hugely concerned with the pain factor. However her version of the condition was not painful. Everything else though, it was too much. My girl was a beautiful little thing, I still wish she was still here but she had to be let go. It's a heartbreaking condition. I'm sorry you have signs of it. Fingers crossed it's not.

And how exactly do you suggest councils and shelters pay for vasectomies? My understanding is that the procedure is far more expensive. Shelter staff are not misguided nor amateurs, I have met the most incredible shelter staff from all over the country. Have you ever worked or volunteered in a shelter? I gather not from your comments, perhaps you should, either that or keep your stupid misguided comments to yourself! And the vets, they are amateurs as well remember Nic. We're clearly up against rock solid logic. I hope you now doubt the evidence of your own eyes.

Yikes why do things need to be so intellectual. Things that look great on paper like there's no oversupply of dogs......break it down and there absolutely is an oversupply of certain types of dogs. Or maybe just an undersupply of storage while they're waiting for the homes that facts tell us are out there. Desexing, fine some people own entire dogs that's their business. Rescue: apart from the fact that all the big name welfare organisations have been doing it since forever, it's still regarded as the bare minimum for a reason. Such as the list above by Christina. Then there's the surprise news that we don't all live in a happy clappy no-kill land majority populated by proactive animal lovers. So leave that bull arab female entire when you rehome her, with no oversupply of dogs those 12 babies will be fine right? Of course, evidence/proof/studies and stats said so. And I can find a couple of greyhounds around somewhere, no reason to desex, they seem so popular!

Sheridan. re PDF: They took two dogs but she only wanted one back is that the story or am I reading it wrong?

First thing I thought of was someone sent in to have a look. Rescue attracts all sorts. Yes I've felt we were being 'checked out' before. No inclination to do anything except visit the dog immediately which just isn't the way we do things. Put simply, no matter what you do in life you can't keep having numerous strangers or even 'colleagues' visit your home without getting a nutter, a liar, a gossip or a crook. It's a matter of odds.

This old thread had a link sas :) GRAS

I'm a walk away too. Let me know if you're around Kat. As long as it's not raining! :laugh: My bad for missing the BBQ sorry. Looking forward to seeing you and Sammy.

I would find a good vet if it's just for a few hours. Or call the daycares - ask if they have a private room. Surely most places would have had show dogs before even if it's not policy to have entire pets.

I'm a walk away too. Let me know if you're around Kat. As long as it's not raining! :laugh:

This is the saddest story and the saddest decline into big vs small debate thanks to a few irrationally gobbing off then back-peddling. Quit banging on with excuses, common denominator is owners with no idea or in complete denial about what their dog is like in public. Believe the big vs small, innocent large vs feral yapper if you like but it's all just = winner vs loser every time. Rest in peace little one. I'm so so sorry. :rainbowbridge:

Well done Malti + what Mita said :)

Far too many pyo, mammary cancers and the occasional testicular cancer just for variety. One year we got on such a roll it was just assumed before pickup that there would be one of the above. Clearly stats are going to be skewed when working with pound dogs. The worse they are, the chance of being reclaimed drops to zero.

461 pet shops and 35 rescues - awesomely outnumbered. I don't actually understand the site. They list your name and you write your own page? Probably not a bad deal for anyone without their own website probably helps with google stuff or whatever it is when someone does a web search.

There have been a few threads recently about really dodgy "rescue" groups so I suppose it does hit a nerve, but just because there are a lot of passionate people involved in rescue here :) It's unfortunate that it does seem like a really extra-positive thing when a rescue will take a dog back if something goes wrong, because that should be the default position in my opinion! Exactly. :) Unfortunately not everyone knows if they are adopting from a rescue who rehome and run, saying your policy on returns is a must even if it's just to educate people on what to look for. So it might, sound a little negative to say it up front although at the same time, you're also selecting the right home (with methods some may call OTT) because you know it's best for the dog to not bounce back. Still, some adopters look at you like you're a little nutty suggesting they'd ever part with their new doggy bless 'em :laugh: at least it's a safety net.

I'm hoping I'm missing something but did you just compare restricted breeds to wild animals and say they need to be 'tightly controlled' like wild animals do? LOL, no you're reading too much into it and I did mix the metaphor. I mean BSL has been mentioned here already and just like restricted breeds it would be awful if people own a pet they are afraid for others to see, or in particular afraid to take to the vet (as I gather in VIC they were calling for vets to report pit bulls presented to them for treatment ). Victoria has not only outlawed foxes as pets but also pit bulls? Thats my only comparison here. 'Tightly controlled' refers to the fact that people can and do own exotic pets, and that IMHO acknowledging them with permits gives the owners the ability to keep them without being criminals, and is more helpful for the animals themselves. They are already here, in people's homes. Doesn't mean I want one or want new species imported or want to rescue one or agree with breeding them for a pet market- i.e. the squirrels mentioned in the article link. I want all pets to have access to healthcare and expertise not be hidden away by bans.

It is not almost impossible, it's something that can be measured in a controlled experiment by determining levels of cortisol and making other observations. This area of knowledge is the reason why zoos have changed so radically over the last few decades. Indeed. Which is why I said 'without the experts'. :)