sandgrubber

For those of you wondering about whether to use a kennel, a few notes. 1. No kennel is perfect, but some are excellent...and some are to be avoided totally. 2. In really bad kennels, worse things happen than wounds. I've been told that one of the neighborhood kennels where I used to live in WA overbooked at Xmas and was keeping some of the extra dogs outside at night. The kennel owner doesn't live on premises. Some dogs dug under the fence on Christmas Eve. Three were killed by cars on a busy road, and one was seriously hurt. 3. If something bad is going to happen in a kennel it will happen at Xmas. Kennels are fully booked for three weeks in a row and its the hardest time to find staff. This is worse for larger kennels who can't rely on family and friends to fill in for shifts. 4. Read the contract before you book in. Some kennels use contracts carefully written by lawyers to absolve them from all responsibility. 5. No kennel is better than its staff. Good staff leave bad kennels. Look for places who have had their workers for years, and avoid places where the manager and or owner doesn't sleep within earshot of the kennel.

I'd say PDE was more a symptom than a cause. I think an increasing number of people are turned off by the show scene and associate it with pedigree dogs.

Here in the US it's easy and cheap to buy vaccinations online...and works well UNLESS you need proof of vaccination. DIY isn't accepted. And rabies shot proof is needed for dog registration or entry into parks, etc. There are lots of public clinics that offer vaccinations for $15 to $25, however. Strangely, though, heart worm medication requires a prescription, and vets generally charge for both a consult fee and a lab test before they'll give you a script. Many breeders use horse ivomectin for heart worm to get around this.

I know a few Costco wholesale outfits have opened in Oz. In the US, the Kirkland Nature's Domain product is pretty much the same as Taste of The Wild and very reasonable . . . around $30 for a 15.87 kg bag. That's salmon and sweet potato, grain free. I'm sure it will be more expensive in Oz, but even if it's twice as much it would be worth looking for.

There are many sorts of 'bad' breeders. Some of them may be in it for the money, some are ignorant, some may be reformed by codes and policing. But I've noticed that some of the cases that hit the news are of a different sort. In the years i spent living in a WA kennel zone, I came to know a couple of breeders who had low standards of dog care. I mean basic things were wrong. Poor grooming of coated breeds, filthy kennels, no regular exercise, etc. The two individuals I'm thinking of we're both ardent showies and quite knowledgable about both breed standards and dog health. At some point in their lives, i think both were excellent breeders. But their lives went downhill. Relationships, health, money, booze .... the usual stresses that cause lives to crumble. Both ended up getting rid of all but one or two dogs and got out of breeding. If either had been busted during their period of decline, they could have become ugly news stories. It is sad that when people's lives fall apart, their animals often go down with them. Sometimes personal intervention, peer pressure, and sympathy may be more effective than the heavy hand.

Good idea, sort of. But I'd much rather see adult dogs used rather than puppies. As in the Ogden Nash ditty:The trouble with a kitten's that, Eventually it becomes a cat.It's not good to encourage love of puppies that doesn't extend to love of adult dogs.

unlikely. Glyphosate is the world's most widely used at chemical. It is among the most heavily tested, and in the USA they tested on dogs. I have a vineyard and could not break even without herbicides . . . I did a lot of checking...and couldnt pin much on glyphosate.

I'd recommend reading the original . . . .great photos. Here's the text. Tuesday, Oct 09 2012 The 9/11 rescue dogs: Portraits of the last surviving animals who scoured Ground Zero one decade on By Anna Edwards UPDATED: 09:09 EST, 5 September 2011 Comments (119) During the chaos of the 9/11 attacks, where almost 3,000 people died, nearly 100 loyal search and rescue dogs and their brave owners scoured Ground Zero for survivors. Now, ten years on, just 12 of these heroic canines survive, and they have been commemorated in a touching series of portraits entitled 'Retrieved'. The dogs worked tirelessly to search for anyone trapped alive in the rubble, along with countless emergency service workers and members of the public. Moxie, 13, from Winthrop, Massachusetts, arrived with her handler, Mark Aliberti, at the World Trade Center on the evening of September 11 and searched the site for eight days Tara, 16, from Ipswich, Massachusetts, arrived at the World Trade Center on the night of the 11th. The dog and her handler Lee Prentiss were there for eight days Kaiser, 12, pictured at home in Indianapolis, Indiana, was deployed to the World Trade Center on September 11 and searched tirelessly for people in the rubble Travelling across nine states in the U.S. from Texas to Maryland, Dutch photographer Charlotte Dumas, 34, captured the remaining dogs in their twilight years in their homes where they still live with their handlers, a full decade on from 9/11. Their stories have now been compiled in a book, called Retrieved, which is published on Friday, the tenth anniversary of the attacks. Noted for her touching portraits of animals, especially dogs, Charlotte wanted 'Retrieved' to mark not only the anniversary of the September 2001 attacks, but also as recognition for some of the first responders and their dogs. More... The Twins of the Twin Towers: Of the 3,000 killed on September 11, 46 were twins, ten years on the surviving siblings tell their haunting stories US issues worldwide travel alert ahead of 9/11 anniversary 'I felt this was a turning point, especially for the dogs, who although are not forgotten, are not as prominent as the human stories involved,' explained Charlotte, who splits her time between New York and Amsterdam. 'They speak to us as a different species and animals are greatly important for our sense of empathy and to put things into perspective.' Bretagne and his owner Denise Corliss from Cypress, Texas, arrived at the site in New York on September 17, remaining there for ten days Bretagne takes a break from work at the 9/11 site with his handler Denise Guinness, 15, from Highland, California, started work at the site with Sheila McKee on the morning of September 13 and was deployed at the site for 11 days Merlyn and his handler Matt Claussen were deployed to Ground Zero on September 24, working the night shift for five days Most of the search and rescue dogs are Labradors or Golden Retrievers and Charlotte feels that the title works across many aspects of the story. 'I found the dogs, I retrieved them, they were there to retrieve the victims, it is nicely rounded,' explained Charlotte whose work is being exhibited at the Julie Saul Gallery NYC opening on September 8, in time for the anniversary. After working on a project about police canines and other working dogs, she was inspired to concentrate on the animals that played such a huge part in seeking survivors. Contacting the NYPD, the New York Fire Department and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Charlotte discovered that out of the nearly 100 dogs among the first responders deployed by FEMA, there were in fact only 15 still alive last year. Red, 11, from Annapolis, Maryland, went with Heather Roche to the Pentagon from September 16 until the 27 as part of the Bay Area Recovery Canines Abigail, left, was deployed on the evening of September 17, searching for 10 days while Tuff arrived in New York at 11:00 pm on the day of attack to start working early the next day Scout and another unknown dog lie among the rubble at Ground Zero, just two of nearly 100 search and rescue animals who helped to search for survivors 'They were there for the first few weeks, they were trained to find people alive, although that is ultimately not what happened,' said Charlotte, who will hold a fundraiser for the First Responder Alliance at Clic Bookstore in New York on September 29. 'I traveled across the United States to meet with the owners and portray the dogs. They are all retired and I spent time with each of their handlers learning about their experiences. 'It was moving talking to Denise Corliss, who is the handler and owner of Bretagne, one of the Golden Retrievers. 'She told me a touching story of one fireman who was there in the rubble, and how taken he was with Bretagne who comforted him as he sat down to catch his breath. Handler Julie Noyes and Hoke were deployed to the World Trade Center from their home in Denver on September 24 and searched for five days Searching for survivors: The dogs worked around the clock in the vain hope of finding anyone still alive at the World Trade Center site 'Years later at a Remembrance Ceremony, the same fireman recognised Bretagne and her handler and they had a touching reunion. 'It developed that even though the dogs couldn't find people still alive, they could provide comfort for the brave firemen and rescue workers of the emergency services.' Wishing to tell the other side of heroism from 9/11, each of Charlotte's encounters with dogs such as Gabriel and Orion and Scout stayed with her. 'The dogs are now old and they will soon pass away. Even during the time it has taken since my first work on the 'Retrieved' portraits to now, three of the final 15 have died,' said Charlotte. 'These portraits are about how time passes, and how these dogs and their portraits are offering us a way to deal with the things that happened as well as relying on them for comfort.'

Be glad you're not in the USA on this one. The AKC not only allows pet shop sales, they facilitate them. See, eg http://www.thedogpress.com/ClubNews/AKC/PRIME-Pet-Shop-1001.asp

Also tolerance, which is often sadly lacking. Save the venting and raving for people whose actions are dangerous, not for those who are merely annoying. If you have to walk away from some situations, walk away. Lots of people out there are less than perfect :D. You're not going to bring all the idiots around to your way of doing things. One person's common sense is another person's twisted and warped point of view.

Worth noting that the tubal ligation can be done during a Ceasar with virtually no extra time or expense. Where do such bitches/dogs fit in the show ring? Are they considered neutered? Or is a hormonally intact dog complete with balls considered intact?

Sounds to me like Spud requires assessment, and the OP is doing the right thing seeking it. I don't think any of us can form credible judgement with no information other than the breed types and ages of the attacker and the attacked. It's always regrettable to PTS a young healthy dog, but if, after getting help in assessing the situation, the OP decides that's the right thing to do, I think she or he deserves our respect and sympathy. It's a painful call to have to make. In some cases it's the right decision. Sadly, there are lots of dogs needing rescue. If Alyosha's hunch is correct, and the pup is the outcome of breeding by a wanna-be pigger with no scruples about temperament, pts may be the best solution.

I find that a) corgis are chondrodystrophic . . . built in to the breed standard . . . ie, they are bred to have a form of dwarfism that results in short legs in proportion to the length of the back b) chondrodystrophic individuals have a much higher risk of disk problems (specifically, IVDD = intervertebral disk disease) c) many corgi sites, and veterinary dog sites, warn that corgis are prone to disk problems It is sweet that the Queen cares for her dogs. As the Beatles said: "Her Magisty's a pretty nice girl." Even people who think Royalty is silly widely admire The Queen for her strong, upright character. Nonetheless, I think that it's going in the wrong direction to cross two chondrodystrophic breeds. It's a bad example for the Royal-adoring public that the Queen has done so. Labrador breeders shrug their shoulders on a regular basis to people saying that Labs are prone to HD. In reality they are #87 out of 164 (where #1 is worst) in the OFA's list for incidence of HD (see http://www.offa.org/stats_hip.html). Sure, you can find incidences of Labs with severe HD . . . they're the most common pedigree dog in the English speaking world. But in terms of incidence, 86 breeds have worse statistics. The 'bad' reputation has a good side. It means that many puppy buyers pay attention to hip and elbow scores . . . as do breeders. If and when they get good genetic tests for HD, they'll be rapidly adopted by breeders. I don't know why corgi people are so defensive here. Defensiveness is bad for the breed. The corgi, by breed standards, has a form of dwarfism that is bad from the perspective of skeletal stability. If there were a back scoring method equivalent to the hip scoring method, all quality corgis would have bad scores. It may be true that this weakness only leads to clinical problems in a small minority of cases.. . just as a minority of radiographic HD result in clinical signs of dysplasia. Nonetheless, it's a genetic weakness. If you're going to cross breed, for dog's sake, breed away from areas of genetic weakness. In my book it is not acceptable to cross corgis to a breed that is much more severely chondrodystrophic. A dorgi is an abomination of a DD . . . just as a KCCS x pug would be a bad idea.

I have an 8 yr old desexed female and her 2 1/2 yr old entire daughter. . . both females. There is no clear dominance . . . the mother sometimes tries to direct the pup's behaviour, without much success, and is somewhat dominant re. food. The pup is dominant when it comes to greeting people and seems to lead the hunt for gophers and other small prey. The dam humps her daughter every morning for about 20 seconds in the excitement that ensues when I first wake up and they stomp all over me wagging and looking happy. I have no idea what this means to the dogs, but it's harmless.

Are they? I think that's quite a generalisation. I don't agree - at all, particularly not when it comes to Corgis...it's not a "common" problem for them IMO/E My sister in law gave up corgis after two of her three had serious spinal problems. See, also http://www.corgi-tra...ealth-problems/ Are you saying the 'dorgi' is a good cross?

I was surprised to learn that the Queen has only two corgis . . . and two dashund x corgi's. See the royal website at: http://www.royal.gov.uk/TheRoyalHousehold/RoyalAnimals/Familypets.aspx Sure killed my respect for the animal sense of the royals. I'm not rabidly anti DD, but I can't see the sense of crossing two breeds, both of which are prone to back problems,

Can someone explain to me what is so awful about spiders. OK. Some of them bite and are poisonous, but most are harmless and prey on obnoxious insects. It's pretty easy to learn which are dangerous in your area. (I am female, but don't get it. Why are girls so upset by creepy-crawlies . . . and mice?).

My late mother had a rule that she didn't want to own a dog she couldn't lift. I see that as sensible guideline. I'm 63 now and can still lift my Labbies, but I've got my eye out for a smaller breed next (thinkng Boston . . . they're easier to come by in the US than in Australia). Of course it was always understood that the kids would take the dog if she passed. As it turned out, she was looking after a foster when she was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, and the dog went back to the rescue organization.

Your "facts" not supported by science. See, eg: http://www.leecharle...packleader.html Quoting from the beginning of that article: Myth #1 - Dogs Obey the Pack Leader The biggest myth is that dogs have an instinct to obey the "pack leader." New research shows that wolves live in extended family units, not dominance hierarchies. Even more surprising, however, is that wolves who settle near garbage dumps don't form packs (Coppinger), and that coyotes also form packs, but only in the winter when small prey is scarce. This suggests that the pack is neither a dominance hierarchy nor an extended family, but exists solely for the purpose of hunting large prey, a dangerous enterprise that requires intense commitment and cooperation. It also requires a group of like-minded individuals who share a common purpose, but who also possess strong differences in temperament. It's these differences in temperament - long thought to be an integral part of the pack's hierarchical structure - that enable the wolf's pack-style of hunting to succeed. And while it's true that only one animal leads the pack when they hunt, that animal is not the pack leader: it's the prey. There's no question that dogs and wolves will gravitate toward anyone who exudes confidence, who gives clear signals on what you want from them, particularly if those signals and behaviors are in-synch with their instincts for group cooperation. But they clearly don't gravitate toward someone who's intent on dominating them or pushing them around. In fact, they don't like that at all. But don't just take my word for it. Here are some links that will help you understand the real pack dynamic: . . . article proceeds to quote several sources who have studied wolves or wild dogs

I am 63 years old and have four retained canines . . . because my permanent teeth never came in. The canines are worn down and puny, but better than nothing. Not sure if dogs are the same as people, but in people, the tooth falls out because the adult tooth comes in and gives it a push. The retained tooth is not a problem.

The most tragic fat dog stories come from dogs like Obie who are companions to old people suffering dementia or other debilitating problems. You can hardly condemn an oldie who is loosing it for taking joy in giving treats to the dog . . . nor can you be too hard on the extended family, who see that the dog is a major source of joy for an oldie whose ability to deal with day to day realities is falling apart. It would be more compassionate to praise the people who recognized the problem and convinced the old couple to give up their dog than to blame the owners. Hey guys, what happened to positive reinforcement! p.s. I'd rather be killed by kindness than by cruelty and neglect.

My two cents . . . the quote: "He said it wasn't Jack, didn't even look like Jack. He yelled but he didn't flinch - his eyes were glazed over. .. " deserves attention. That doesn't sit with the picture of a pampered, dominant animal. The spoiled vicious brat of a dog shows his mettle a few times before he reaches four years. dancingbc's hypothesis of brain malfunction trumps the hypothesis of 'spoiled dog that hasn't learned who is boss'.

Killer dogs to be taken from couple Louis Andrews, Canberra Times, September 19, 2012 Read more: http://www.canberratimes.com.au/national/killer-dogs-to-be-taken-from-couple-20120918-2651b.html#ixzz26reRP7Z5 Two dogs' reign of terror in a southside suburb appears to be over, with a tribunal ruling the killer canines posed too great a risk to children and animals. The ruling prompted a outburst from an owner, who threatened to ''burn down the houses and smash the cars'' of the people who spoke out about her dogs. Mira and Aaron Sarlija last week lost their second appeal against a decision not to issue them dangerous dog licences for their beloved Stripe and Kayla. The seven-year-old Staffordshire German-Shepherd crosses were linked to the deaths of four animals - three cats and a dog - in Fisher in the space of three months. In July ACT Civil and Administrative Tribunal senior member Jann Lennard was satisfied the pair killed cats Sugar and Mummy, as well as Maltese Shih Tzu cross Brandy on April 2. She upheld the decision not to grant a licence, and last week appeal president Bill Stefaniak dismissed the Sarlijas appeal. The decision paves the way for Domestic Animal Services to put the pair down. But they remain in the care of authorities, as their owners have several weeks to lodge an appeal in the ACT Supreme Court. Sugar, Mummy and Brandy were killed in their own backyards. Ms Lennard said it was also likely Stripe and Kayla were involved in other attacks in the Fisher area. They were also implicated in the death of one cat and the injuring of another in February. In statements to the tribunal - some made anonymously out of concern for neighbourhood reprisals - residents spoke of a climate of fear in Fisher. Mummy's owner wrote: ''Knowledge that these dogs may be returned to the owners scares us all. We will never be able to let Sam, our cat, play outside again. We will never be able to let my grandson play outside again.'' Domestic Animal Services deemed the pair dangerous dogs and refused to grant licences to keep them. The Sarlijas fought the decision in the tribunal, arguing they would take steps to secure their yard so the dogs could not escape. In September a follow-up inspection found the dog owners had taken steps to dog-proof the yard, but more work needed to be done. In the tribunal hearings, the pair painted a picture of a strong bond between them and the dogs, sisters from the same litter who had always lived with them. ''It is quite clear Aaron and Mira love their dogs very much,'' Ms Lennard wrote. ''However, this case is not a test of how much the dogs are loved.'' When the senior member upheld the decision not to issue a licence, Mira Sarlija launched into an abusive tirade, threatening to ''burn down the houses and smash the cars'' of the people who complained. Ms Lennard said her outburst was unacceptable and ''served only to underline and confirm [the tribunal's] assessment of her reliability''. I'm surprised the owners didn't face charges of threatening witnesses . . . it's clear they are aggressive people and need to be kept on a leash.

I'd worry more about smaller spiders that get into your house and are likely to bite in daily encounters, like sleeping dog putting head down in the wrong place. Size doesn't correlate with danger in spiders. We have tarantulas here. They can get to be 100+ mm. People are terrified of them, but you'll have a hard time finding any documented evidence of dogs harmed by a tarantula bite. See: http://atshq.org/articles/found.html

This is one of the reasons you need quality staff with dog handling skills. Most dogs welcome handling, but you always get a few who don't tolerate it. It's not sufficient to have kids who love dogs. And then there's the occasional Newfie or other heavily coated large dog, especially if they come in with a matted coat with seeds and burrs, where tick checking requires skill and patience. I'm glad to be out of the business. It's too much responsibility, too much capital investment, and too much hard work for a business that's anything but lucrative.