sandgrubber

I don't think the photo looks much like a tree kangaroo. I have no idea what sort of animal it is, though it looks more rodent than marsupial. The quality of English translation in China is often poor, so the English word on the cage doesn't mean much. Can anyone here read the Chinese label?

I don't think racehorses are major contributors . . . here's from a NZ study (1999-2003) . . . based on a study of 5613 recorded hospitalizations from horse incidents . .. Analysis of NZHIS data for 1993–1999 found that 16 people died following horse- related injuries. For the period 1993–2001, 5613 people were hospitalised for horse- related injuries. Females accounted for 69% (n = 3893) of injuries and 56% (n = 9) of deaths. Those most at risk of horse-related injuries were young females between the ages of 10 and 19 years, who accounted for 35% of these injuries. Nearly half of the total injuries sustained (46%) were to those under 19 years of age. Those aged between 10 and 29 years received 55% of horse-related injuries. In those aged 50 years and above (9% of all patients), males were more at risk than females although the injury numbers for this age group were low (2.5% of all injuries). Northey, Glenda NZMJ 26 September 2003, Vol 116 No 1182 URL: http://www.nzma.org.nz/journal/116-1182/601/ This suggests it's the pony club group who are most in danger. Riding lessons and horses for hire contribute more to the statistics than racing. Falls are the biggest source of injury. No, the horse is not to blame, and much of the injury could be avoided if people wore helmets and observed basic safety practices. I'd say training a horse to chase dogs is about as amusing as rewarding a dog for hitting the fence when young hoons walk by.

Are you saying that dogs are capable of murder? I'd say even the worst HA dog acts without intent. . . .

All else equal, I'd prefer a clear to a carrier. It's a blessing to know all pups are going to be clear, and to be able to declare "clear by inheritance" with no more than a paternity test. I wouldn't rule out using a carrier, but the dog would have to be extra special to justify using a carrier for a serious disease. I'm more relaxed about EIC (exercise induced collapse . . . a recessive trait that's fairly common in Labradors) than PRA . . . as many affected dogs go through their entire lives without exhibiting EIC and very very few of the pups I've bred end out in the sort of heavy duty hunting / field competition circumstances where EIC can become a problem.

Yes, there are vast differences between dogs and horses. But I still find the hysteria about dogs curious, given, proportionally speaking, how few of them do serious damage. http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/dangerous-wildlife/2008/07/04/1214951042706.html Now death by horse is par for the course Jano Gibson July 5, 2008 Sydney Morning Herald AUSTRALIA'S deadliest animals do not lurk on the banks of muddy Northern Territory rivers or slither on hot rocks. Nor do they hunt in the shallows of the sea or crawl on eight legs. Horses are the creatures most likely to cause a human death, statistics compiled by the National Coroners Information System show. Cows are the next most dangerous, followed by dogs. Sharks are in fourth position, while crocodiles and spiders account for only slightly more deaths than emus, cats and fish. Of 128 deaths linked to animals that were investigated by coroners between 2000 and 2006, 40 were caused by horses.

That's fraud. She got off easy! I'd say jail time is appropriate for people who do things like lie about genetics, falsify pedigrees, or fake DNA test results. Shame on the Gympie Times for indicating the fine was for tail docking. Or should it be shame on the Magistrate for prosecuting the lesser offense and doing nothing about the fraud?

It may be fairly easy to smuggle animals into China . . . but not so easy that you'd sell them for $40/kg (dressed weight).

Thinking back, the worst harm an animal has done to me was a horse named Mandy. I was 10. Mandy didn't like kids and both bit and kicked. We usually got past her safely. One day I got kicked, and spent several weeks in hospital under heavy painkillers with a ruptured kidney. The usual, inadequate parental supervision. I don't remember anyone even considering doing anything with the horse . . . Why is it that a dog who sends a kid to hospital gets pts, while a horse that bucks, kicks, bites, or otherwise inflicts bodily harm is just accepted?

If the carrot and pictures don't convince you, try the price. $A40/kg for smuggled animal that can't be kept alive on food that is readily available? Come on! That's the equivalent of an Australian restaurant offering roast panda at <$100/kg. Not gonna happen. I suspect the whole thing is a send up. There are some people out there who really don't like the Chinese.

Thanks for posting. The whole journal special issue looks interesting . . . maybe worth posting it under 'articles about dogs' in the general forum as well.

Shocking that the owner skipped and left his father to hold the bag. I've been wondering why we haven't seen pictures of the dog . . . and whether a pit bull x mastiff, which some reports say, would fall outside the VIC visual standard for 'restricted breed' dogs. If this information is true, why isn't it making it to the press? Have the powers that be been suppressing it?

I think it was posted in General, but it should be read by breeders, so good to see it here, too. It reads like someone was trying to set up dog breeding as a government franchise. Harmless enough so long as the word 'should' doesn't get changed to 'must' or 'shall'.

Let's say the problem was: the dog is head shy and the kid approached it from the wrong angle. Would the dog deserve to be pts then? I think the alcohol thing is a load of rubbish. Society needs to learn to distinguish between dogs that will bite if pushed too far (ie, many many dogs) and dogs who will attack in a life threatening manner without provocation (very very few dogs). Then it needs to teach kids to recognise when they are pushing too far.

Not PC, but . . . if you are disappointed with having a child cause you won't be getting a puppy . . . something's wrong here. Next time I hope you get the puppy! They're more fun and less work.

I once recommended an interstate rescue to someone in a similar situation and it was a mild disaster. The dog ticked all the boxes, but had a few screws loose . . . a lunatic that would require training up the yin yang to be a good companion . . . and might never get there no matter what you spent on training. If you go the interstate rescue route, I'd say post again and see if you can find someone you trust to do a temperament/health screening job for you. Rescue folks are sometimes more concerned with saving the dog than ending out with the best companion for they family. Bless them for the intent!

If minis are hard to come by, and you have experience with the issues of breeding animals and time to spare, I'd say, keep on plugging, go for a bitch that's worth breeding from, and make sure to keep health, temperament and conformation high. Go interstate if required . . . hell's bells, international if that's what it takes (NZ is much cheaper than other international). It's difficult to buy on a seller's market. But it's much more rewarding to be a breeder in a seller's market . . . the rewards aren't entirely financial . . . you also find a higher quality of puppy buyers . .. .more people who know the breed, love the breed, and will cherish whatever pup they are able to buy.

Publicity can do a lot, but there are limits. If there are more dogs than good homes, the outcomes are going to be messy (bad home) or sad (pts) or messy that goes sad (escaped, run over, impounded, pts, or production of more pups that have a poor chance of finding a good home). I have lots of beefs with animal lib types, but they're right about the necessity to limit the total number of puppies born.

Some of us have to be bitten once to be wise the second time. I don't think a bite is so much worse than falling out of a tree, crashing your bicycle, or getting your hand caught in the car door when your brother/sister slammed it on you, or any of the other little painful incidents that happen to kids when you allow them a little freedom. Reality occasionally draws blood and breaks bones. Kids heal rapidly. As I've said before, I think the problem is the use of the word 'maul' when 'bite' would be more accurate. There are dangerous dogs who might kill a child. Identifying, castrating, and confining such dogs should be a social priority. But most of the dogs who bite are basically harmless, with zero chance of escalating to a life-threatening attack. It is very sad for all dog lovers that the media is unable to distinguish between dangerous dogs and dogs that will bite if they are pushed too far.

Also, pick your weather. Many dogs are happy to get in the water on a HOT day, but reticent when it's cold.

That level of aggression at 12 months is worrisome. I can see why the owners had him pts. I've been reading dog ordinances in various places. Some US 'shires' (ie, counties or in a few places, boroughs) have mandatory desexing for dogs who cause trouble or are found wandering at large. Often there are escape clauses for first offenders, pedigree dogs, police dogs, etc. Repeat offenses usually result in the dog being desexed (if they got through an escape clause the first time around) or pts. I have mixed feelings about government intervention in dog ownership, cause often the politicians do it so badly. But it seems like this sort of ordinance would have helped in this incident. That is, the offending dog would probably have been desexed, and to the extent his attack was testosterone fueled (which may have been zero) the attack would have less likely. Even if testosterone wasn't a factor, the owners would have been given a strong message. Yes, owners, and breeders who breed unstable dogs, are ultimately responsible. But lax enforcement, and an all or nothing (warnings, then pts) penalty system make it easier for owners to do the wrong thing. Desexing aggressive or uncontrolled dogs at least removes dubious bloodlines from the gene pool.

You might try a totally different tactic and invite her over to feed your dogs properly. Go through the dinner time ritual, etc. If you do it right it will be a little embarrassing for her, and maybe she'll see the light. Maybe a dumb idea . . . who knows.

Basically every single fruit they have tried except the stuff which is actually dangerous to them like grapes The grapes thing is something of a myth. Yes, there are documented incidents of dogs having kidney failure after eating grapes. I've got 7 acres of grapes. The only way I could keep the dogs from eating grapes at harvest time is to keep them indoors 24/7. Which I don't. I have no idea of how many grapes they eat at harvest, but I wouldn't be surprised if they eat half a kg/day. I've asked on various grape-grower forums whether anyone's ever had problems with their dogs getting sick from eating grapes. No one has. My guess is it's a little like peanuts and kids. Yes, a few react badly. But it's a very few. . . . one in a thousand. For the rest, it's harmless.

Horrible story. Well told. So sad for everyone involved, and the poor pup. Wish there were a good way of getting it out to the people who need to hear it. Maybe a 'this could happen to you' U-Tube clip or something?

I've never owned a Dobe, but have shared homes with them on two occasions, and looked after several in kennels. Dobies are wonderful dogs, particularly if you like athletic, precise, obedient, trainable, almost military attitude in a dog. They are loyal, clean, and in my experience, non-destructive. The ones I've known haven't been cuddly, but not stand-offish either. They are what I'd call manageably protective. Their attitude tends to be one of guarding, but the ones I've known are quick to recognise who is a friend of the family and 'allowed' . . . as contrasted to the insanely protective dogs who make a life project of trying to get the mailman. People find Dobies frightening, which enhances their value as a guardian, but may cause social difficulties. One of the Dobes I have known well was supposedly bred to be non-aggressive, and was the most gun-shy, skittery dog I've ever met. If you dropped a frying pan, the dog would be found quivering under the bed on the second floor. This is not at all typical of the breed. Point being, do screen for temperament. Dobermans suffer from some serious genetic diseases, many of which can be tested for. If you do decide on a Dobe, make sure you understand these, and only consider a breeder who tests. Look for a pedigree of long-lived dogs.

Yes, that must be it. Thanks for pointing it out to me. Cheers, Sylvia anytime. Btw, lilli, what has been your experience with re-homing dogs that, for one reason or another didn't work out? I'd guess that the large guardian breeds, being dogs that aren't recommended for beginners, and that require careful management because they tend to be protective and extremely loyal to their owner, can be difficult to re-home . . . and are very likely to fail temperament screening in a dog rescue organisation.