sandgrubber

Another effect, should this one get a lot of publicity and Grommet's owners win their case, will be that kennels will get much more conservative about letting dogs exercise. Accidents are waiting to happen at a lot of kennels. Unless each indoor run is attached by a gate to its own private outdoor exercise area, and there are no gates between exercise areas (a set up that creates a nightmare for lawn mowing), there's a lot that can go wrong letting dogs out to exercise. It's hard to know when one of your helpers is going to do something stupid . . . or for that matter, when you, yourself, might do something stupid. I would imagine that a few DOL members have had one of their dogs seriously harm, if not kill, another because a gate was poorly fastened, or someone took their eye off the dogs at the wrong moment. I know nothing about the kennel involved, and I'm not saying the event is excusable. For me, the very high responsibility, hard work, and lack of time off that go with running a kennel were good reasons to get out of the business (not to mention the low return on capital investment). I'm glad to have left it behind. I'd expect that the kennel's insurance company has instructed them to say nothing to anyone . . . so it's going to be hard to find out what happened in this case.

It's peak flea season here in Florida. My vet has suggested alternating flea treatments to get higher kill rates and avoid building up resistence. Comfortis is popular, and also seems to work to prevent heartworm. But it's expensive. The active ingredient in Comfortis, spinosid, is widely sold as an insecticide. It's ok with organic standards, and isn't toxic to any of the mammals it has been tested on except in absurdly high doses. And it's cost per g of active ingredient is more than a hundred times lower than the cost per g in dog flea meds. Has anyone tried making their own flea repellant from the pesticide version? What would be the dangers of doing so? (Spinosid + Ivermectin has proven to be a bad combination, but I don't use Ivermectin).

I am attaching the Finnish Kennel Club's vital statistics for the British Bulldog. See http://jalostus.kenn...x?R=149&Lang=en Finnland seems to be the only kennel club in the world that collects and publishes death statistics. They often show much shorter average life spans that most of us would expect. They put the average lifespan for a bulldog at 5 yrs.

Attached are vitals from the Finnish Kennel Club database. See http://jalostus.kennelliitto.fi/frmTerveystilastot.aspx?R=312&Lang=en (Finland may seem like an odd place to go for stats, but it seems to be the only kennel club in the world that keeps and publishes mortality statistics for registered pedigree dogs).

There are 700+ BMD lifespan reports in the Finnish Kennel Club's database. I've attached the cause of death statistics. Unfortunately, cancer looks like it's still a very big concern. Average lifespan, 7 yrs. Otherwise, they seem like a lovely breed.

This description doesn't do justice to Svartburg's extremely interesting research. I recommend going to the original article at Breed-typical behaviour in dogs—Historical remnants or recent ... homepage.psy.utexas.edu/.../Animal%20Personality%20PDFs/.../Svartbu...‎ For one thing, this is probably the largest temperament/breed study ever conducted. They did temperament tests on 16,000+ dogs covering 31 breeds (>40 dogs per breed). They also looked at the differences between working and show lines. Attached is their summary table on breed temperaments (ignore the file name, I got the author's name wrong).

Like so many questions, the answer is 'it depends'. I keep only Labs, mostly mothers, daughters, grand daughters, but ive brought in different, unrelated lines, and sometimes kept a dog or two. I've never ended out with dogs that don't like each other. More often, I've ended up with dogs who are tightly bonded....I'm now working to go from two to three cause my pup and my old girl are 6 years apart in age, and I worry about what the pup will do when the old girl gets too old to play, and eventually goes to the rainbow bridge.I'd say: 1. Let the dogs have a say. If your two like the possible new girl, great. If not, your asking for trouble.2. The age thing is important in the long run. I prefer to have dogs of very different ages, so as to avoid ever ending up with oldies only, high vet bills, and too much heartbreak in the span of a few years...or an excess of puppy craziness with no older dogs around to teach them dog manners.3. I wouldn't worry about the new house being finished ... So long as your present landlord is ok with three. I've lived with three dogs in a space under 20 sq m. It was impossible to keep clean, and I couldn't have guests over....but the dogs weren't the least bit bothered.

I'd say MOST dogs have genetic problems. Would I breed a Lab with EIC? Sure. It's not a good thing, and I'd prefer not to have it, but most affected dogs go through their entire lives without showing it. Would you breed a dog with allergies? Personally, I wouldn't, but many many pedigree dog breeders do. They just choose not to recognize that many allergies are hereditary, and no one is offering genetic testing....so the problem is ignored. How about a compromised immune system due to high homozygosity in the MHC/DLA? This is extremely widespread in breeds that descent from a very small founder population, and consequentially a high degree of inbreeding if you go back many generations. In some breeds, like Flatcoats and BMDs (both genetically predisposed to horrid cancers) it's hard to find dogs who are free from heritable genetic disease. As for breeding the 'nice girl' .... I wish more pedigree dog owners bred for temperament as strongly as they breed for looks. I'm not saying its ok to breed willy nilly. But this image of us, the pedigree crowd, as 'educated' and the rest of the world as 'ignorant' is pretty arrogant. I read quite a bit of genetics, and Im coming to understand about SNPs, microsattelites, etc. The more I learn, the more ignorant I feel. We have a way of paying attention to some genetic problems and kicking others under the rug. With the tide of popular opinion running against pedigree breeders, I don't think it's a good time to ride a high horse.

I consulted with my vet. Her advice: Virgin bitches are often tight and chances are good that whatever the breeder felt will ease up in the weeks before whelping. If I do anything, she suggested doing a digital exam and an x-ray (to count pups) just before the pups are expected.

Unfortunately, equally true in the USA. And true for many breeds other than the APBT. Show breeders are often as bad as the BYBs when it comes to temperament. See www.svartbergs.se/pdf/Personality_in_dogs.pdf for an evidence-based study on differences between show line and working line dog temperaments.

Unfortunately, equally true in the USA. And true for many breeds other than the APBT. Show breeders are often as bad as the BYBs when it comes to temperament. See www.svartbergs.se/pdf/Personality_in_dogs.pdf for an evidence-based stud on differences between show line and working line dog temperaments.

I'd just like to address the bolded part above. Just how do they expect a dog to know the difference between a child trespassing to retrieve a ball and a burglar or someone of 'malicious intent'? I'm sure all dogs couldn't make the distinction -- act differently yes, but not know the intent of the trespasser. Are they expecting dogs to sit a course on human profiling now? They do not expect a dog to recognize malicious intent. Nor do they expect kids to have good judgement. They were hoping that whoever frames the law in its final form will allow the judge or some other authority to consider the public interest. That is, it is in the public interest to scare off the bad guys. It is not in the public interest to have dogs put their teeth into local kids being naughty. Did you never trespass when you were a kid?

Reproductive success in female wolves has been studied. Seems to show that reproductive success declines slowly from an early peak (~3 yrs), but is heavily influenced by nutrition and support from pack. I'd read that to say that mating after six years is fine, given good nutrition and adequate care. see http://www.youtube.c...d&v=B95eb-M4XPI

sounds like a hymen. that was my immediate reaction, too. Do bitches have maidenheads?

I'm fine with having a country vet recommend benedryl for bee-sting. Or say that aspirin can be used in a pinch for a dog in pain. Or help breeders adjust dosages to let them use much cheaper livestock meds with same active ingredients for use on dogs. Or, for that matter, point out where dog meds can be used by people. I've encountered all of these with good results. I agree that the nurofen for a cat probably isn't good and if there's a basis for making the recommendation (eg., nurofen does relieve pain and if you keep the dosage small enough, does no harm), it should be accompanied by stern warnings about not OD'ing. But most of us don't have our wits about us 24/7 and all of us make mistakes. There is a lot of crap in the official veterinary pharmacopia. I'm glad some vets don't buy into it and continue to think critically. Eg, having owned a vineyard where the dogs scoffed up ripe grapes to their heart's content, and having discussed this on vineyard forums, I'd say the extreme cautions about dogs and raisins are alarmist. A small percentage of dogs probably do have horrid reactions to grapes. But many many vineyard people have dogs and let their dogs eat grapes. No one in the networks I've traversed seems to have problems with this. Another example: extreme cautions about not letting your dog eat bones. Oui vey!

Came across a great video based on a study of reproductive success of wolves in Yellowstone National Park. The background includes lovely photography. See: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=B95eb-M4XPI They found body mass of female and pack size / number of helpers were best predictors. Interestingly, they found greys have more pups than blacks, but black pups seem to thrive better than grey.

I hate chaining. The only study I can find comparing chaining to penning found pens were no better for the dog's welfare. See http://www.naiaonline.org/uploads/WhitePapers/Cornell_study_on_tethering_and_pen.pdf. I'd be interested to see any objective evidence that chaining makes dogs vicious. Dogs vary enormously in their needs for confinement and their talents at escaping. Chronic escapists are routinely kept in runs with fencing over the top and concrete below (to prevent digging out). I would hate to see people with friendly, harmless dogs with no ability to climb fences held to the same standard of fencing as people with dogs that are HA / DA and good climbers. Do you want someone policing to ensure that you don't keep your dogs in the garage, on concrete? Do you want someone inspecting the way your back yard is connected to the garage? Or a gate between the garage and the street. Being housed in a secure back yard and garaged when weather was bad, or at night, would probably pass most tests used for secure fencing.Much better to worry about confinement for dogs who are truly scary, and let confinement rules be lax for most.

I took one of my girls to be mated a few weeks ago. I didn't think to have Bruccelosis tests done so the stud's owner insisted on doing an AI. (This is my first time doing a mating in the US, and Bruccelosis isn't a problem in Oz). Everyone has their own system for doing AI. This woman put the girl over her knee after insemination and used her finger to prevent semen leakage for 15 minutes (ie, mimicing a tie). She mentioned that my girl had a 'stricture' in the birth canal. From her description, it was membrane-like, and something that could be torn. Has anyone had experience with such a thing? Is it worth having a vet check it out, or is this pretty common in virgin bitches, and something that will simply push out of the way when pups come through? Do bitches have 'maidenheads'? (edited in light of comments to, hopefully, draw further comment)

From what I have read, none of the measures you have described would have prevented the death of Ayen Chol . . . the tragic event that initiated the insipid looks based-dangerous laws in Victoria. Education of kiddies will help them avoid doing something stupid that sets off a dog attack from a somewhat-controlled dog. Most dog bites occur in the home, and most dogs that bite are not particularly dangerous. Learning to ask before patting the dog, and learning to recognize warning signs will not prepare a child to deal with a dog who is loose and truly dangerous. Leash and containment laws are fine, but accidents will always happen, and there will always be places where dickheads abound and enforcement is weak. As I read the news story, the reporter is making it sound scary to sell papers. I doubt laws that persecute owners if their dogs scare easy-to-scare children would be passed in many jurisdictions in the UK, the US, or Australia. The legislation seems to be looking for a way to target people whose dogs act like the velociraptors in Jurassic Park . . . and, like the velociraptors, are kept contained until one day when they get out . . . and cannot be trusted if someone goes over the fence. Dogs that don't just scare the kids, but also give the parents nightmares. If such dogs are kept in densely populated areas, they require fencing that can't be climbed --by kids or dogs as well as secure, locked gates. .

I think it's a great example of what differentiates a country vet from a city vet.

Dog legislation is difficult to write well. Unfortunately, we only know which dogs are REALLY REALLY dangerous after they maim or kill someone. The law in discussion has not been enacted yet, and is likely to be revised. Hopefully it will be judicially enforced in whatever form it takes. I do think societies need some way to give notice to people that keeping a 'junk yard' dog in the front yard is asking for trouble. I'd much rather see menacing dogs get reported and owners warned, reprimanded, fined, etc. than to have 100% of a dog breed banned because a small minority are truly dangerous. The article says "Speaking to the Commons last month Mr Heath added: ‘It is different for a garden, or sometimes even a shed. A child going to pick up a football that has been kicked into a garden should not be set upon by a dangerous dog. ‘They may be an intruder, but they are nevertheless not a burglar or anyone with malicious intent. A public–interest test must be satisfied before a prosecution can be brought. I hope that the guidance to the prosecuting authority will make that distinction clear,' The Daily Telegraph reported. With clear guidance to the prosecuting authority, I think such a law could be a big improvement over the Victorian approach to dangerous dogs.

I have known urban vets to make some pretty awful mistakes, too. Eg, a a friend had a Ceasar done: they sewed the bitch up with a pup still inside her. Fortunately, the bitch survived, though the pup died. Or another vet who said 'sure we can take you' on an emergency Ceasar and then left the dog waiting for two hours (instead of referring on to another vet) cause they already had two operations in progress (three of nine pups died). Vets make mistakes, especially when they get called on to make decisions at all hours. I think the OP should remove the Inexcusable Negligence from the title of the original post. That is a criminal charge and could be considered slander. What is described is human error, with blame to be borne by both the vet and the cat owner. As for desexing on the kitchen bench, I used to go to a mobile vet who was quite happy doing this for male dogs. So? They castrate livestock out in open paddocks.

You can be sued BIG TIME if a child comes into your yard and drowns in the pool, particularly if you don't have child-proof gates and pool fencing of specified dimensions. In Oz...in the USA...probably in many other countries.I think this is less crazy than BSL. It's likely to result in warnings and mild punishments before the law comes down like a load of bricks and has the dog euth'd. I do think they should institute parallel punishments for the parents of kids who harass dogs. Note in Sweden it is illegal to own dogs that are " inclined to direct aggression at people or other dogs."

Sorry to be a downer but subsidized and/or free Spey neuter services are available in many parts of the US. Including places where shelters are full of pits. Badrap Is a great organization, but if you look for pit bulls available for adoption in Oakland, you'll still find shelters are still overflowing with them. http://www.adoptapet...r&family_id=801 Lists over 300 dogs in the APBT category. Where I live we have http://www.nmhp.net/OperationPetSnip/tabid/142/Default.aspx . Locals are generally pit friendly....most of my neighbors have owned a one at one time or other (though some of them swore off the breed after owning one). But we're still awash with unwanted pits and pit crosses. I hate to think what it would be like if there weren't free and subsidized clinics available.

This comes down to linguistics and dialect, but in the USA, most dogs called pit bulls are back yard bred. serious muscle dog fanciers or dog fighters may track pedigrees, but mostly 'pit' means a dog bought or given away ...coming from a friend, neighbor, or shelter. Classification is so difficult that many places with BSL lump the Staffy and the Am Staff into the pit bull classification.