sandgrubber

Another not recommended tactic that has been known to work is the flying tackle. I did this once in adrenalin drive mode. I was unhurt and it probably saved the life of a smallish dog being attacked by a large staffy X. After the fact I was shocked that I had taken such a risk. However, having a 70 kg human land on its back will stop many dogs. I once mentioned this to a GSD breeder who said she had often used a flying tackle on her own dogs and it was effective. I once made a fight worse by spraying water on the dogs. Two GR bitches. Turns out the fight started with resource guarding, where the resource was an active lawn sprinkler. For water loving dogs you may need a fire hose for water to have any effect.

I'm trying to compile a family medical history cause I'm seeing a new doctor. My sibs say "osteoarthritis runs in the family". But it doesn't seem to be particularly focused on one set of bones or another. An aunt here with crippled hands, a hip replacement for my father, Mum had a lot of aches in her shoulders. I seem to have stiffening of vertebrae L2 or L3. With dogs we seem to consider the hereditary risk as specific to a particular joint, and focus heavily on hips and elbows (though I've seen crippling arthritis of the forepaws and I gather some dogs get bad arthritis of some vertebrae). I'm wondering, is there a fundamental difference between K9 arthritis and human arthritis? Or is the human version subject to heredity in specific joints, and we just don't look at it that way.

Good move. The same has been done by US with military dogs. If there had been problems I'm sure it would have made headlines. Pts'ing dogs is a horrible thing to do to their handlers. Btw, If you want RAAF to come out all caps in the title, enter it as R A A F.

They are all American brands. The OP was an American article. You get American brands in Oz. You need to check ... some 'American' brands are not made in the USA (eg, many, many, AKC products are made in China).

Private dog parks may be a good solution if you can find one. (Or if you have a chunk of land, you might consider starting one). I pay to belong to a members-only dog park. 14 fenced acres with two ponds, a sprinkling of toys, and a lot of shade (and squirrels). They are militantly anti-BSL, but aggressive dogs who are not controlled get kicked out (basically, if you get a lot of complaints about your dog, your dog gets banned). My guess is people whose dogs become targets (I've never seen this happen but it probably does) don't stay long. The outcome fits in with what AlphaBet states. The park is dominated by gun dogs and hounds (the dominant type in the bush hereabouts. Hounds often work in packs, and aggression is not approved), gundog x hounds, Bostons, a few standard poodles, boxers, Danes, sight hounds, sibes, and crosses of all the above. Some herding dogs (mostly BC's and Aussie Shepherds....they have an agility set up). Few terriers, bull terriers, or mastiffs (other than danes). Few lap dogs other than Bostons. A couple Dobes. My dogs (Labs) were afraid of the Danes, but it didn't take long for them to figure out that they are just big, not dangerous. Too far away to do you any good, but I think the OP's dog would fit in well.

In case you miss the Made in China, here's the BAD LIST

see also http://terriermandotcom.blogspot.com/search?q=dog+fight (I like the artwork in this one. Says pretty much what people say in DOL discussions)

Could be chemical. Dogs (and many other animals) have a second olfactory organ called the vomeronasal (or Jacobson's) organ. This is particularly important in hormonal / pheremonal communication. I often suspect there's something going on with this organ when a dog seems to react strongly and I can't see or hear anything.

Out of curiosity, what's in the kit? I seem to remember from the briefing I got that the central piece of equipment is an ice pick.

Standards often say something is "permissable". Should this be interpreted to mean it should not be penalized in conformation evaluation? I am thinking specifically of the "Small white spot on chest permissible." in the Labrador Retriever standard. I like white spots . . . they remind me of the St. John's dog, from which the breed was derived. I know of showies who dye the white spot but to avoid getting penalized in the ring. That seems wrong to me.

There are alternate registries that take this approach. Here's the policy of the Continental KC (continent seems to be North America...unfortunate name cause CKC is also the Canadian Kennel Club). In my region (deep South) you see a lot of ads for dogs with CKC registration. PAW Registration Application The PAW Program was established by the Continental Kennel Club to apply for registration of a purebred dog for which the original registration records have been lost or the ancestry is undocumented. The PAW Program uses specific photographs of the applicant canine and the verification of witnesses to determine if the canine is eligible for registration with the Continental Kennel Club. The PAW Registration Application must be completed and submitted to apply for registration. View and download the PAW Evaluation & Registration Program Requirements right here. To request a PAW Registration Application by mail, please contact the CKC Customer Service Center at 1-800-952-3376. Representatives are available Monday through Friday from 8AM - 12PM and 1PM - 5PM(CST). For working dogs and breeds like many of the hounds, where 'folk' traditions are strong and owners often have anti-establishment views, it seems to me that such registration is useful. Also for breeds where genetic diversity is significantly depleted and the main registry isn't letting in new blood. Also widely used where odd colors that aren't recognized by the main kennel club (eg,, parti-colored poodles, red,blue or grey Boston Terriers). There is a lot not to like about the AKC, and I'm sometimes tempted to shift to a registry that is more liberal about registrations. But doing so risks being branded a BYB.

Has anyone in Oz tried working with the Maddie's Fund people to try and get shelters to adopt the Asilomar Accords standard for recording? See http://www.asilomaraccords.org/ http://www.maddiesfund.org/ Seems to me that these are positive approaches to improving shelter outcomes....as opposed to pointing and accusing, and it looks like they are getting good results.

When I was in SES dog tracking, I took a dog first aid class where they taught us how to deal with bloat in an emergency. I could see immediately that I don't have the intestinal fortitude to impale an animal in attempt to let out trapped gasses, especially not without some sort of simulation where I could make sure I was aiming for the right organ. For most of us, I think the best bloat kit is the vet's emergency number.

In general, I find it sad that the rights of animals are seen so much as a question of sanitation, and that socialization is so widely ignored. Dogs are social animals. They are not sanitary beasts. I doubt that the humans who first cooperated with and domesticated dogs would be considered sanitary, and dogs were probably part of their waste disposal system. My guess is that unsanitary upbringing slightly increases puppy mortality, and greatly strengthens immune systems. Seems to me that the farm dog who finds shelter under some grubby attempt at a dog house or corner of a barn, but is allowed to run free, leads a much happier life than the sanitary crate trained dog who never goes off leash.

Could horses be trained to defend rather than run? Or is it inbreed?

I brought a couple from the US to Oz in my luggage. I ended out giving them away to a dog trainer. They worked great, but it took only about three walks on the prong collar and my leash puller was cured. If you can rent or borrow rather than buying, consider doing so.

the most frustrating statement: "do you mind if I put you on hold".

Too bad they couldn't get it together to outlaw selling puppies and kittens in pet stores. Apart from not selling to people under 16, which seems fine to me, this legislation doesn't look like it will affect responsible dog breeders. I'm glad 'hygenic' isn't defined in a way that excludes house-rearing.

Each time I see this thread title, I think it's going to be something about some tossing a poison sausage to a 'dangerous' dog.

Maeby, you might want to do a little reading of past posts regarding MCT's. Not so much to learn about cancer, but to get the sort of support that comes from knowing you're not alone ...and to lessen your association of MCT's with pugs. There's an active discussion in the palleative care forum, and it refers back to some other discussions.

How old is she? I've had bitches just stop at 6 yrs.

I think there's at least one more basic factor. If the immune system is functioning well, there's a chance that mutated cells will be detected and eliminated, rather than developing into a tumor.

Is this a suggestion to casually change breeds and get a new dog cause the present dog doesn't live up to expectations? Could also be a little arthritis. I've seen dogs go from couch potato to energetic when put on NSAI's. It won't hurt to try an aspirin morning and night for a few days. If that ups her energy level you can be pretty sure it's the arthurs. (My vets have told me that aspirin at low doses for less than a week is quite safe, but check the dosage, and don't go long term).

In my kennel days we had one client who looked and sounded a lot like a rural version of this guy. His dogs were the mainstay of his limited sanity. But he refused to desex, consequently ended up with a large litter of mother x son puppies. We could never convince him to desex his dogs. He lived in a hovel, and a large fraction of his welfare payments went to dog care. It gets very sad when the mentally ill find dogs are better than medicine. It's hard to know what to do to help.

Junk statistics. I wish they'd refine a bit. How many of those kids were in for antibiotics and a tetanus shot only, how many needed stitches, how many an overnight stay? I'd be concerned if a large fraction were serious, but I'll bet these figures include many kids who got nipped playing with a puppy.