KKDD

Have you tried Richard and Mara Herba in Canberra. They run Bendora kennels and rescue huskys.

Thats just beautiful. RIP Daddy, you were truly loved.

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/world/1015357/l...live-by-pet-dog A toddler who wandered from her US home survived a near-freezing winter night alone in the wilderness by huddling up to her pet dog. Victoria Bensch disappeared from her home, in the US state of Arizona, with her pet Queensland heeler on Thursday night. The three-year-old was dressed only in t-shirt, pants and tennis shoes, despite the cold weather, local TV news station KPHO reported. But Victoria was able to avoid dying of exposure by holding on to her dog Blue during the 14-hour ordeal before she was spotted by a rescue helicopter at dawn the next morning about a kilometre away from her home. "She was able to stay warm with the dog," Yavapai County sheriff's office Sgt Jeff Newnum said. "It's probably what saved her life — it was extremely cold out here." The loyal dog was initially protective of the girl when help arrived but reportedly moved away when it realised the rescuers were there to help. "I don't even like animals and I hugged that dog so hard," Victoria's aunt said after the ordeal. The girl was taken to Phoenix Children's Hospital for an examination but appeared healthy and in good spirits.

Thanks Jigsaw, thats been useful.

Bump Doesnt anyone know of any behaviouralists who operate in or around Gloucester?

Any suggestions for someone to recommend to a person having a few problems with their staffy, please PM me.

The interesting thing in this article (other than the dog that gave birth to a toy) is not the size of the costs, but the variation between them - particularly for standard, 'non-specialist' procedures such as speys, castrations, vaccinations and chipping. Yes its appropriate for owners to be prepared to cough up for their pet, but at the face of it, it looks like some vets are just greedier than others. Last week I had a rescue kelpie pup with simple clean fracture in its hind leg. Quotes ranged from "starting at $1500" to $450. You can guess which one I went with. Pup is doing well.

Sorry to hear you lost Hazel Daisy. She was a fabulous dog, strong and smart. And pretty as well. RIP Hazel.

My dear old weimeraner girl Rachel went to sleep for the last time yesterday. Her cancer was making life difficult for her and just being 16 years old held its own challenges for her poor old body. Rachel we will miss your gentle presence in the house, the way you always had your head on the table when we were trying to have dinner, your huge booming bark when I was trying to get the baby to sleep, your big velvet ears and your beautiful green eyes. The shredded screen doors will remind me of you, and the couch looks and empty without you stretched across it, snoring and farting. You were my shadow round the house, too proud to be an overtly affectionate dog, but wanting to be by my side always. My big dopey baby, who wanted to follow me everywhere even when your old legs kept letting you down. Your head was in my lap and I whispered to you how much I love you, as you closed your eyes and slipped away. We will scatter your ashes in the bushland behind the house where you used to outrun Andrew on his mountain bike. And some of your ashes will go into the chook yard - since it was always your ambition to get in there.... We will always love you big silver girl. You have been a magnificent presence in our home and out lives and there will never be another one like you.

Looks like a dingo to me. Does she bark? I understand dingos dont bark at all - more a 'yipping' noise thats very different to a bark. And certainly that is the noise Iv heard coming out of the few pure dingos Iv met. If shes a kelpie x cattle she should have a big strong bark.

Estimating age of rescue dogs (as with breed) is a guess, but it is an educated guess, and can be quite accurate. The development of the teeth and also the development of the skeleton occur along consistent timelines with clear milestones, and up to about 5 months, age can be estimated to an accuracy of about a week. Up to 12 months, its not too hard to get age accurate to about a month, then after that it can get blurry. Considering a rescued dogs condition (especially the condition of its teeth), the amount of grey on its face, the clarity of its eyes all help, though these have to be weighed up against what we know of its background - ie, a young dog can have old looking teeth if its had a diet involving a lot of tinned food, or enjoys catching sticks in mid air. Illness can also prematurely age a dog. Conversely, a well cared for dog can have young looking teeth even when old. My 16 year old weimeraner has gorgeous choppers - shame about the rest of her. Grey on face can be misleading too as some colours and breeds seem to grey up younger than others. I have a black and tan dog who at 11 is just starting to go grey, whereas my all-tan dog went grey at about 5 years old. In my experience, vets use the same methods of estimating age as rescuers do, and are often no more accurate. Its not impossible to be reasonably accurate in aging rescued dogs - though I agree there are some pretty old looking rescue dogs around listed as pretty young. I have found it cuts the other way too.

i dont think this is always true. i currently have 3 dachsies, and the two most trim, fit ones who have had the bets care have also been the ones that have had spinal issues. The vet says its often hereditary. my little girl is trim and has had three ruptured disks, all requiring extensive surgery, all occurred between the ages of 4 and 6 (shes 11 now). my male required surgery for the first time about 2 years ago. hes 10 and has always been slim and muscular. the other male (a rescue, who came to me in emaciated condition and abused) is about 7, plump but active, and has not had any problems with his back - touch wood. Hes the only one who jumps on couches or beds too - even though i discourage it.

its important to differentiate between dangerous dogs and restricted breeds. They are not the same thing, (despite what some journalists would have us believe) and have different requirements under the various state and territory legislations. Diablo from your comment it seems that SA treats them as one and the same thing. Some of the rangers round where i live consider restricted breeds as convicted dangerous dogs too.

Dogs that are not 100% reliable (is any dog 100% relaiable?) should be under the control of a competent person where ever members of the public will be, regardless of the law. Dog loose in a salon is not 'control'. Parents should be in control of their toddlers at all times (Iv had toddlers and know thats difficult, but thats what parents are for). A couple of irresponsible or just plain stupid adults in this story, and the poor kid and the dog have bourne the brunt of that. Mind you, if the journalist who reported it felt they could possibly have gotten away with words such as 'mauled', 'deadly' or 'vicious', Im sure they would have, so perhaps this indicates the child will be ok. Also lucky it was an identifiable breed, or they probably would have used the word 'pitbull'.

I dont think this is a fair assessment of the worth of online petitions. I work in a policy area of Federal govenment and the number of signatories on online petitions, as well as paper petitions, letters and other submissions are all reported to the Minister as part of the advice on various matters. I do agree though that you need to be very clear what it is you are asking for, and who you are asking. Ministers are always interested in public sentiment on the matters within their area of responsibility and change can be brought about if enough people kick up a stink. Good to see some practical action being taken anyway.

Thanks undershotfan. Looks similar to NSW. And just as reactionary. It doesnt appear to include a prohibition on passing a restricted breed to someone else, or to aquiring one...? Does anyone know if Tas, NT or SA have BSL?

According to Wikipedia, only QLD, NSW and Vic have restrictive laws relating to pit bull terriers. Rather than read through piles of legislation I thought I see if anyone here knows whether thats correct. I thought WA had some BSL as well?

My vet came to the house for my old dally boy. I was able to curl up in his bed with him like he always loved, and cuddle and talk to him as he went to sleep for the last time. So he went out feeling happy, loved and relaxed in familiar surrounds. The last thing I would have wanted would be to stress him, so doing it at home in his own bed was the most gentle send-off as I could give him. The vet took him out wrapped in a blanket and Pets at Peace collected him from the surgery for cremation. Wow, 9 years later and it still brings tears...

Yes the 'needle in a haystack' problem is what happened when the dog (the original one in this thread) was speyed, as whatever ovary was present, wasnt of normal size or location, and may be just vestigual tissue. So it couldnt be found. Its a very good vet who performed the surgery. Hopefully whatever ovarian tissue remains and is causing the phantom pregnancy, can be located while the dog is in season - as presumably it will be inflamed. But if its small enough theres no guarantee it could be found with a second abdominal search either. Phantom pregnancy's (as opposed to ones which produce puppies :D ) can happen in fully speyed dogs too cant they? Iv had another rescue who did the whole nesting and suckling (of a toy) thing, well after she was speyed. In this case there was no lactation, however and I dont believe the dog displayed any symptoms of being in season before hand - (although the owner might have missed it).

So this would be ectopic surely. Obviously a retained ovary can produce all the normal hormones present in an entire dog, (thus enabling it to produce the secretions consistent with being in season or pregnant) but a speying involves removal of the uterus, so pregancy would have to be ectopic yes?

Had a disturbing call from a bloke who adopted a rescue dog off me about a year back. The dog, a large crossbreed, was desexed before she was adopted but the vet couldnt locate a second ovary - so assumed it was absent. Apparently the dog displayed signs of being in season a little while ago - bloody disharge, behavioural changes, and she drove the other resident dog, a desexed male, wild. Anyway, the bloke says shes putting on weight now, and is lactating! Has anyone ever heard of this before? The dog has had her uterus removed, so presumably cant actually be pregnant....?

I think on average this is a fair assessment of many smooths. Beautiful dogs with people they know, however.

1. What is my relationship with the breed? (ie breeder, first time owner etc) Iv owned them since childhood. Currently have 3 mini smooths - 2 males and a female. 2. Where and why was the breed first developed? Germany - they do lots of lovely flop-eared dogs in Germany dont they? 3. How common is it in Australia? Fairly common. 4. What is the average lifespan? You would be very disappointed if they didnt get past 15 years. 5. What is the general temperament/personality? They are loyal and affectionate, but having had quite a few (and I rescue them too) Im afraid Id have to describe them as frequently yappy and snappy too. The breed has been rated on some surveys as the breed most likely to bite - and I would not argue with that, despite them being my favourite breed. Mine are all delightful, but also yappy and snappy. They need a certain type of owner who is alert to their potential for aggression, especially around strange dogs and kids. They have a high prey drive and are territorial. Great watch dogs. Also very very cuddly and loyal to their special person. And they are a great size and shape for teddy-bear duties (their little legs dont get in the way). 6. How much daily exercise is needed for the average adult? A short walk is enough - they definitely need to keep fit and trim. 7. Is it a breed that a first time dog owner could easily cope with? Wouldnt be my first choice for a first time owner, particularly if there were children involved. 8. Can solo dogs of this breed easily occupy themselves for long periods? They can, but would need to get used to it. 9. How much grooming is required? Hardly any for the smooths. 10. Is it too boisterous for very small children or for infirm people (unless the dog is well trained)? More that children might be too boisterous for the breed. They need consistent careful handling to prevent cumulative damage to the spine. They are not generally a boisterous breed. A good breed for elderly people. 11. Are there any common hereditary problems a puppy buyer should be aware of? Dodgy spines. Ruptured disks that can result in a paralysed dog. A relatively common problem in this breed. Expensive and difficult to fix. Leads to a lot of dachshunds being put down prematurely. 12. When buying a puppy, what are the things you should ask of the breeder? (eg what health tests have been done (if applicable) and what is an acceptable result to those tests so the buyer has an idea of what the result should be) Best to check the spinal history in the breeders dogs. And check out the older dogs too as the spines can go just about any age.

1. What is my relationship with the breed? (ie breeder, first time owner etc) I have owned my girl rachel for 8 years. Adopted her when she was 6, so shes a grand old lady now. She is papered and was just too much dog for the previous owner, which is why she ended up with me. 5. What is the general temperament/personality? Rachel was very active and sometimes noisy when she was younger, and fairly silly but now she mostly likes to lie around on the couch. She is not the brightest dog in the world, nor is she is demonstative with her affection as some other breeds Iv had, but she is very loyal and devoted. Good with my kids too, but not so good with things like chickens and cats. 6. How much daily exercise is needed for the average adult? At least 30 minutes of intense exersise a day for an adult in its prime. 7. Is it a breed that a first time dog owner could easily cope with? I wouldnt cionsider this a good breed choice for a novice. Active, powerfully built, fairly strong prey drive, can be noisy. Definitely need training and lots of exersise to be good pets. 8. Can solo dogs of this breed easily occupy themselves for long periods? I wouldnt think this would be an ideal arrangment. 9. How much grooming is required? No special coat care for my girl and her coat is always beautiful. 10. Is it too boisterous for very small children or for infirm people (unless the dog is well trained)? Yes 11. Are there any common hereditary problems a puppy buyer should be aware of? My old girl is covered in lumps and bumps now, which I understand is common in this breed. Its not pretty.

Thanks poodlefan. Weak bladder would be reasonable after carrying a load of oversized puppes. I sympathise. Hopefully that would also mean there will be some natural improvement in time, though I will also work on desentitising her to human-initiated contact. Any other suggestions will be appreciated as well.