Dog_Horse_Girl

I might be able to make a Toowong meet...will see what I can do! I will need to get out and about when I get back to Brissy and what better way than with fellow DOLers!

And are some of us forgetting that humans are also animals? So people who think that "human life" is above "animal life" are a bit mixed up. Humans may have the ability to articulate certain things that they believe other animals cannot, but then again, perhaps it's WE who don't understand THEM rather than the other way around. Dolphins, most certainly have sophisticated social systems and systems of communication over distance. They can understand English well enough to perform certain actions on command of a human. Dogs are very similar, as are horses. And many of the ape family can use sign language as a way to communicate with humans. And apes use tools. So they have control over their environment and can exploit it in a similar way to humans. :D They just don't feel the need to go building rocket ships or the Taj Mahal - yet.

Good for you Chewy. Keep at it. Excellent work. :rolleyes: Yep, screaming baby with head injuries and near-death and yep, you would have stepped in to save the day. Meanwhile, in the real world, the OP was concerned for her safety, that of her mother and her dogs. Once they were safely home, the OP returned to the scene to find everything under control, as it was when she left it a few minutes earlier. So which bits of the story are you having trouble understanding? And why are you so insistent that your way is the only way? We are ALL different, individuals and we all respond to situations differently. So accept that and move on. The OP handled it her way. Fine if you disagree but don't make someone else feel bad because they didn't make the choice you *say* you would have made in their place. ;)

Can't make this one...maybe able to make next month. But northside in June should be do-able. :p

Yep, next time I'm in trouble, I'm going to yell for Chewy to come save me. Oh, and for the record Chewy, seeing as you asked such a totally relevant and meaningful question in this thread, the job hunting is over. Or didn't you see that thread yet? Jimmay - yes, please contact your local council and ask for Animal Control. They will take down the details and investigate if they believe it's warranted. IMO it's always warranted when someone lets their dogs out of their control, but council may see things differently depending on the severity of the attack/incident. No matter what - Jimmay did the right thing. I'll stand by to support anyone who's witnessed something that frightening because it's not something you expect when minding your own business in a public place. I've seen a few nasty dog attacks in my time and I can tell you that it's hard to get involved when you don't know what the dogs are capable of and you don't know whether they may turn on you.

There were 2 adults observing the incident. They were first on the scene. The dogs would have been safe if handed over to one of the adult observers. Both adults screamed and ran from the situation. Get over it Chewy. You weren't there. Other people were who were actually in a position to help whereas the OP was not.

Chewy - you are ridiculous. Just because I place my own safety and that of my dogs above complete strangers does not make me any less of a human than you. You hounded the OP when clearly you had no right to question her motives or actions. None of us have the right to judge in a situation like this. The OP was seeking support, not condemnation and I don't care what you think of my "psyche" as you put it. And BTW I also don't give a rat's behind as to whether or not I "got [yours] a little bit wrong". You come on strong and then magically back off when others point out the error of your ways. You're not interested in motives here; you just want to point out that you believe the weakness and wrongness of another's actions are not acceptable to you and that you are far superior when you weren't there and it's all hypothetical for everyone EXCEPT the OP. This is not the first thread in which you have asserted such a position and have been asked to tone it down by other posters. Perhaps you need to take a giant backward step and realise that just because you *think* you would act a certain way, does not mean that any other actions performed by others are wrong. They just do things differently to what you *say* you would do. Unless you have been in the same situation, I don't think you have the right to be so pedantic about how wrong the OP's actions were to not help complete strangers when plenty of others were on the scene and unencumbered by their own dogs. Oh, if only we were all as perfect as you think you are! And think whatever you like of my response. As if it matters to me.

My Mum would not have been strong enough to hold Tyson... My mum tried to walk over to the man whilst still having Pixie on lead with her! I yelled at her to get back and come to me and by that time there were more than enough people there trying to control the situation. I'm sorry but my number one priority is protecting my own dogs. I consider human life, especially a baby more important than my animals. A BABY face planting the concrete in a pram with heightened dog behaviour surrounding it would turn on my overdrive ESPECIALLY when there were 2 adults with 2 dogs on lead who could have worked out a plan instead of squealing off down the road. If your mother was fit enough to run off, maybe you should have squealed off home and sent your mother to assist. My Mum would not have been strong enough to hold Tyson... My mum tried to walk over to the man whilst still having Pixie on lead with her! I yelled at her to get back and come to me and by that time there were more than enough people there trying to control the situation. I'm sorry but my number one priority is protecting my own dogs. I consider human life, especially a baby more important than my animals. A BABY face planting the concrete in a pram with heightened dog behaviour surrounding it would turn on my overdrive ESPECIALLY when there were 2 adults with 2 dogs on lead who could have worked out a plan instead of squealing off down the road. If your mother was fit enough to run off, maybe you should have squealed off home and sent your mother to assist. geez it's so easy to judge someone else when you haven't been in that position yourself. I'm just glad opinions are just that, hopefully the OP knows this as well. I have been in worse That's all well and good for you to say, but you weren't in this situation. Why should you have expected her to help when there were already half a dozen other neighbours rushing to help? As it was told, the baby "faceplanted" after people were already coming to help. What more could she have done? Better to clear yourself of the area if there's nothing more you can do. Especially (emphasis on this) when she said that one of the staffies was coming after her dogs. To hell with human life when DOG-AGGRESSIVE dogs are coming after your dog. The baby probably only got scratches, whereas her dogs could have been killed. Putting you in this situation, you would have gone over with your dogs, and only exacerbated the problem. She did the right thing that was called for this situation, so don't you put her down for it. My god Chewy but you are so judgemental. You're not perfect (nobody is) so please stop trying to make the OP feel guilty for her actions in a situation where she acted appropriately. I wouldn't have done anything differently and I don't give a rat's behind as to how that makes you feel. Protecting myself and my dogs is far more important to me than some random stranger and a baby. So boo-hoo for me. I'm a coward and you're super-brave and awesome. Go find another thread to trumpet your superiority, eh?

My Mum would not have been strong enough to hold Tyson... My mum tried to walk over to the man whilst still having Pixie on lead with her! I yelled at her to get back and come to me and by that time there were more than enough people there trying to control the situation. I'm sorry but my number one priority is protecting my own dogs. Yep, I'm with you Jimmay. In this situation, protect oneself and one's dog/s above all else. Go and get help by all means. But never put yourself or your own dog/s in danger. I always carry a phone when I go out walking. My response would be stand back and call for assistance. You did nothing wrong as far as I'm concerned.

Wow, thank goodness you're okay. :D And yes, that's one of a gazillion reasons why all dogs should be restrained in vehicles.

He can only take one dog and he's elected to take Ruby who is his dog anyway...he's in a unit with a small yard so one dog is okay but more than that and he'd have the same issues I'm having with council regs (same council area). My parents don't like dogs inside and have said they would put my dogs in the shed if I/they stayed there temporarily. Not going to go there...the dogs would fret something terrible being housed in the shed. Which means they'd be noisy too. :D It's not a bad shed...and they'd have access to a fenced 1/2 acre...but Lilly wouldn't cope with the 'wildlife' on their block! They get all kinds of birds and critters as they have the back half as natural bush as possible. The front half they wouldn't have the dogs in because that's their 'garden'. Which I understand. The best solution is for Ruby to go with him. She'll be happy with him and I know he'll be glad of the company. He tells me he's lonely. I'll adjust. It will simplify things for me as well...and reduce my expenditure a little, so I shouldn't complain. I can still see her as we probably won't be living too far apart once I get back to Brisbane. ;) I'm just having a sook.

I've discovered that I'm allergic to dog saliva. Not the hair or dander but saliva. :D Only I could have that sort of allergic reaction...

I don't think we should gloss over the fact that he does use physical violence, there was a video going around recently (briefly) of all the times he has kicked a dog in the show. I think this is something we should definitely not emulate. Of course, his more zealous fans will come in here and tell me that "it's only a tap", but no matter how gentle it is, the dog's responses tell the story. I agree. It is a tap, and there is nothing in that whole stupid video doing the rounds that shows me a dog who looks/acts like it's been hurt. If I had the choice between a tap on the butt or the green dream (which is the other alternative for some of the dogs shown on his program) I know which one I'd be asking for! I think the "dancing" description is a great one. His body language is amazing. I think Cesar Millan's methods not only work effectively, but they show ordinary people how easy it can be to have control over their difficult dogs, in some cases dogs that were heading for the Green Dream. Dogs are pack animals. Dogs are social animals. They learn, from a very early age, by their mother's pushing and dragging them, nipping and herding them. What Cesar does mimics those actions. There's something truly beautiful about the way he interacts with dogs. And what he does WORKS. Try positive reinforcement with my problem-child Ruby. Sure, it works for some things - but not others. When she's in the mood for it, she can lunge at one of the others with surprising swiftness and accuracy. What stops her is my intervention. A hand here or a foot there to block her, combined with a loud noise to take her focus off her target and back to me. She gets it. And it hasn't ruined her in any way. She still loves and trusts me. Completely. But she knows that I make the rules and she has to live within the boundaries I set and maintain for her. :D

I'm heartbroken. I love this dog, even though she has cost me a fortune in special food (allergies), surgeries (tumour on spleen, ruptured cruciate, full dental etc), and can be nasty around food, toys and the like. No arrangements have been made yet. But I just can't keep three dogs any more and expect to get a rental property I can afford. I'm so sad. I will be able to see her of course, but I'm going to miss my 'little brown dog'. :D I'm just going to have lots of cuddles with her...make lots of happy memories...for both of us.

Oh, it's so hard to see them grieve isn't it? When I lost one of my dogs, the other had not known life without him as when I adopted her, Aussie had been with me since a young pup. So when he died suddenly (old age, but still sudden), Ruby was a bit 'lost' if I can put it that way. Truth be told, so was I (and the ex). We decided to go find her a companion...and ended up adopting another shelter dog. Ruby picked up almost immediately - this was just a week after Aussie had gone, so very quickly after his death but we felt it was the right thing to do. It helped take our minds off things too. You know your boy better than anyone else. Do what you think he needs...if that's a change to the routine, try that. If it's fostering or temporary care for another dog, try that. Whatever you think may help...

So so sorry, there's nothing I can say that will make your grief or pain any less than it is. You did the right thing...even though it breaks your heart.

I hope Lucy improves regardless of whether you continue the chemo or not. When Ruby's large tumour was discovered, the possiblity of it being lethal was quite significant. We were very lucky in that it was benign but we had to wait almost two weeks for the path results (over the Christmas period). The tumour was very firmly attached to her spleen so the decision was to remove the lot and hope for the best. We would not have opted for chemo had it been a more deadly tumour...we would have simply got on with it and given her the best life possible with holistic treatments. Sending you and your family hugs...and strength.

I had a similar experience. I had a lovely but slightly well-worn 1950's sideboard/buffet with two glass slider doors, drawers to one side, and two timber doors at the bottom. The two timber door handles had been sheared off in a house move but I still had the key and the doors still functioned as doors. I rang the first charity to offer it to them. They asked about its condition, I explained good except missing two door handles. They refused to consider it even though it would have cost almost nothing to put a couple of handles on... The next charity I rang, no problem, their attitude was lovely: The lady said, "We'd be delighted to take it and will pick it up on Saturday and even though we don't normally lug furniture down from a highset house, we'll do it because you're on your own." It's ridiculous that some charities have these rigid and senseless criteria for taking what is essentially FREE stock to further their business (and make a tidy profit).

As Monah said, green tree frogs are toxic. Lilly got one when we lived in Darwin, I didn't realise they were harmful. She killed it rather quickly as greyhounds are very efficient at killing stuff. But within 5 to 10 mins she was retching, this progressed to awful vomiting then the runs. I called my vet (of course it was Sunday!) and the nurse said to observe her. They were rather surprised it was a green tree frog and they made me go and check - yep, it was not a toad but a green tree frog lying dead and mutilated in the garden right where Lilly had been. I spoke to my vet a few days later and he was aware of the toxicity. He said he would bring his nurses up to speed - the two on duty were international vet students (both qualified vet nurses, both studying a higher veterinary qualification and doing some of their internship or whatever it's called, in Australia). I don't think Lilly went near another GTF but she still hasn't learnt to leave the toads alone. :rolleyes:

It is an approx 6 - 7ft wood fence. I heard him barking and growling and went outside and realised he was on the other side of the fence. I went around and knocked on the door and they let me through to get him. They are scared of dogs so I found out this morning. Okay, so the neighbours are scared of dogs and I would think that Hector is picking up on that fear. Dogs are very sensitive to things like that and they will use opportunities to "tell" people when the game is up. Try putting an anti-climb bias at the top of your fence on that side, OR build a fence within a fence to stop his access in the first place. This can help enormously. I also agree that your dog is at the age where things change and before they truly settle into mature adults. It can be quite a challenge keeping up with a dog going through this adolescent stage. Anti-bark collars can be hugely successful for lots of dogs...I hope Hector is one of them. :D Talk to your neighbours. Explain that perhaps Hector is sensing they are frightened of dogs and ask them if they're willing to work with you and the professional trainer to find a solution. Good luck, what a horrible situation for you all.

Oh, no advice...just hugs. ;)

My girls are inside the house when I'm not home. I am always worried that Ruby would fence-run and bark at the neighbours and that Lilly might get a cane toad. And of course with Molly being so tiny, I am a bit worried that she would squeeze her way out somehow. I do separate Molly from the other two. I have baby gates everywhere. When I buy my own place, my plan eventually is to build a secure patio type enclosure. It will have solid walls to chest height with opening windows and security screens plus a lockable security door. I think some artificial grass at one end on a concrete floor would be most practical and they could have a choice of soft beds and hammock/trampoline style beds too. A fixed bucket and bowls for water. A solid roof. Ceiling fan/s for cooling in addition to the windows. I could even petition it off so that dogs could be isolated from each other if needed. I'd also have power points so they could have music and a DAP diffuser plugged in. Having a concrete floor would mean I can give them bones without worrying about the mess it causes.

Sadly, the RSPCA would not be likely to take any action against this situation, even though the dog's living conditions are not exactly ideal. If it's toileting then it must be getting food and water, and if it's on a balcony it must have shelter. There, basic needs met...no problem for the RSPCA to investigate. It has "more important" things to do, dontcha know? Talk to the owners about rehoming the dog. It has no quality of life in this situation. Offer to help them find a more appropriate home if you can...has the dog been desexed, is it wormed, vaccinated, chipped etc? As for the barking and lack of council action, keep at them. Keep a video diary. Once a day, ring them to report what hours the dog barked for that morning. Once a week, send them a link to your video via the web. Demand they take further action, it's their JOB to stop this sort of thing.

***Bumping*** to stay current.

***Bumping*** This needs to stay on page one in General for as long as possible...so I'll keep bumping the threads up when I can.