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Franklin The Gungahlin Maremma


Tempus Fugit
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This is the maremma that no-one can catch.

Ha! Exactly. I don't understand how someone who really cares about a dog can let it just go off to roam suburban streets indefinitely.

I thought the exact same thing. Here I am thinking they literally chuck meat to him and here she is patting him. Bloody idiot.

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Really unfortunate situation.

I see exactly why those who oppose this are agitating for him to be caught - the dog poses an unnecessary risk not just to himself but those around him. Would I be ok with it if he were one of mine? No - I don't think anyone would.

I also understand that capturing this dog will probably mean euthanising this dog. I agree that this Maremma has made a choice....if he wanted to be a house dog....he would be.

I gather he has owners.....what's their role in this?

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Really unfortunate situation.

I see exactly why those who oppose this are agitating for him to be caught - the dog poses an unnecessary risk not just to himself but those around him. Would I be ok with it if he were one of mine? No - I don't think anyone would.

I also understand that capturing this dog will probably mean euthanising this dog. I agree that this Maremma has made a choice....if he wanted to be a house dog....he would be.

I gather he has owners.....what's their role in this?

I believe he was adopted and escaped the day after - I've seen very limited mention of them otherwise.

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Really unfortunate situation.

I see exactly why those who oppose this are agitating for him to be caught - the dog poses an unnecessary risk not just to himself but those around him. Would I be ok with it if he were one of mine? No - I don't think anyone would.

I also understand that capturing this dog will probably mean euthanising this dog. I agree that this Maremma has made a choice....if he wanted to be a house dog....he would be.

I gather he has owners.....what's their role in this?

I believe he was adopted and escaped the day after - I've seen very limited mention of them otherwise.

That would have been several years ago now, and they may have moved. He came from DAS so he would have a chip and they would be the registered owners. I believe they would have to be contacted if it were decided he was to be euthanised. I hope he goes to maremma rescue.

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The comment I saw is '"A maremma rescue organisation in Victoria had offered to re-homeFranklin should he be caught.' The impression I get is that Franklin's present carers have a genuine fear that if an attempt is made to catch and confine him, especially if catch poles, so beloved by dog catchers, are used, he will either become fearful and aggressive or go completely feral, shunning people and catching and killing wildlife and/ or livestock to survive. Either outcome would probably result in a death sentence.

I suppose the Victorian maremma rescue organisation doesn't have the resources to come to Canberra to catch Franklin and transport him back to their facility, while Franklin's present carers have an ordinary suburban backyard, of the kind from which Franklin has previously escaped from, that has resulted in the present stalemate.

Even the local dog rescue groups probably don't have the resources to confine a large dog escapist like Franklin.

I suppose any local Maremma breeder would have reservations about caring for Franklin, even temporarily until he went to rescue, due to health and quarantine concerns

Another issue is the length of time that he has been allowed to go semi-feral. Most LGDs are conditioned from a young age to bond with stock they guard. If Franklin were re-homed to an acreage paddock with livestock would he stay or would he seek out a hollow log in a neighbor's paddock?

Realistically, as with the border collie mentioned in a previous post, there needs to be a coordinated approach to capturing and re-homing Franklin. I'm not putting my hand up as I don't have a suitable premises, nor do I have any contacts with Maremma people or even dog rescue in general. When I started this thread I was hoping to elicit some constructive suggestions from Maremma associated DOLers.

As to statements that that the community is happy for Franklin to be at large, here is a comment someone sent to the local newspaper:

'My work colleague lives in Bonner on a street that Franklin appears to like to frequent. She is terrified of dogs after a bad experience as a child. Even though Franklin minds his own business and has never acted aggressively towards her family she does not let her children play out the front of the house (in yard) because of him. '

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Even the most well handled sociable dog has the ability to go 'feral' (especially if they escape before bonding to their new environments) AND survive, however, in Franklin's case he isnt feral, and he is being supported by the community. A dog in this situation is only going to allow trusted people near him.

We regularly rescue from the ACT and surrounding areas, collecting the dogs isnt an issue.... the issue with Franklin is that he officially has an owner, which is the people who originally adopted him from DAS. So effectively he has to be impounded as a stray, it isnt a case of catch him and give him away.

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Yes, so DAS or RSPCA have to be involved and if they can get in touch with the owners (the people who got him from DAS) and get surrender paperwork signed there is then a 72 hour "cooling off" period before he could be released to rescue or a new owner. If the owners cannot be reached and do not make contact within a 7 day period of DAS or RSPCA making all reasonable efforts to contact them, he could then be released as above.

Given that he clearly can be caught quite easily by at least one person a coordinated approach to get him off the street and legally somewhere safe seems quite possibly.

ETA and Franklin would be far from the first partly "feral" dog to go through that process and cope, even a number of Maremma have passed through DAS and RSPCA before.

Edited by Simply Grand
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well I have had experience with sevral "feral' unhandled maremmas that have come thru here... they are smart but will not be rushed. Success has always come when they have been given the time they need to adapt to a changed situation.

Maremma rescue victoria would be an excellent choice to help the lad. If i were near I would make it my task to get to know him and do my level best to ensure he lived the rest of his life safe and contented.

H

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Thanks for the link TF.

Makes me so annoyed. It's so romanticised. One comment in the story - "I think he does have road sense, I've seen him waiting at the traffic lights and crossing when they turned green".

And another comment - "would the response be the same if he was a pit bull or random cross breed with the same

temperament as Franklin, not a nice white fluffy dog?"

(comments paraphrased by me)

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I'm wondering what's happening to all the waste Franklin produces? Then again, if he's waiting at traffic lights to cross the road, maybe he's worked out how to use the public toilets :laugh:

I'm also wondering what happens if/when Franklin comes to strife and upon whose shoulders responsibility is going to fall for his care. No dog lives forever, and while it seems like he's doing okay now, I personally wouldn't want to be watching some elderly dog slowly deteriorating in health as it gimps around my neighbourhood.

Edited by YippeeGirl
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Makes me so annoyed. It's so romanticised.

People are propagandised from a young age to see dogs living semi feral as romantic. Off the top of my head, I remember reading Jack London's 'Call of the Wild' as a youngster. Then there was the TV series 'Littlest Hobo'. Recently there was the movie 'Red Dog'. Then there are the 'cheeky' camp dogs that live around some aboriginal communities and the cute street dogs of Moscow that use the subway trains to travel around the city.

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I'm wondering what's happening to all the waste Franklin produces?

Reading your comment the thought struck me as to what happens on Fraser Island in Qld. The island is a popular tourist destination but it also has a resident population of feral dingoes. Do the rangers pick up the dingo poo or don't people worry about it?

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I'm wondering what's happening to all the waste Franklin produces?

Reading your comment the thought struck me as to what happens on Fraser Island in Qld. The island is a popular tourist destination but it also has a resident population of feral dingoes. Do the rangers pick up the dingo poo or don't people worry about it?

Feral dingos?? Seriously, is this comment supposed to be sarcastic. Dingos are considered to be a native animal and those on Fraser are the purest there is. There are about 30 dingo packs, depending on births and how many the rangers shoot and tourists run over, that roam the 120km*24km island or about 20000 square kms. So I really don't think the dingo poop is an issue - the tourist poop however, is a huge issue, with numbers listed at around 380,000 a year. Don't walk around the dunes barefoot if you are camping.

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I imagine dingo poop, being all raw to be pretty comparable to what my raw dogs put out, only moreso.

We don't pick up much poop here, its white and dry within a day or so and disintegrates not long after. I really only pick up around the deck/doors, the rest is left to dissapear on it's own.

Different however if they have processed food, oh the stink....

Edited, obviously I mean in our yard! We do pick up publicly, duh. :)

Edited by Steph M
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I was thinking more along the lines of Franklin doing his business on nature strips and front yards.

I personally hate when dog owners don't pick-up their dog poo, especially if they let their dog go to the toilet in the same place multiple times. I assume no one is picking up after Franklin?

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I have talked to Maremma Rescue and offered to help with Franklin. The problem is his carers here in Canberra do NOT want him caught. This is a conversation with Mark who runs the page (copied and pasted).

Maremma Rescue could take him as a private surrender (once owner contact details are found from his microchip), or if he was impounded as a rescue from the pound.

**removed**

Unfortunately I don't believe for a second they are going to do anything about it. None of the people that feed him are interested in helping him. I have personally called DAS to voice my concern after nearly hitting Franklin one day, and was just laughed off. A friend of mine's daughter who is very dog savvy was also apparently nearly bitten by him when she startled him accidentally.

Edited by ronja
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