courtnek

absolutely. yes, they could be. But in my experience, once it becae the law the majority of people will obey it. Not all, but even if the majority. we are still in the lead. I said it would not resolve the entire issue. If we can get 75% we're doing real well..

Crazy, you could try this. when you see her, put your PO'd emotions in a box, and say "y'know, I know alot about dogs. you seem to have a small problem controlling him/her. I can help, if you want..."then slowly, and with a lot of encouragement to her, show her the proper method to handle the dog. if you know how, show her the correct placement of the prong collar. Make her your friend. smile a lot. dont get angry with her responses at first, they may not be what you want to hear. She sounds ike she has a shell around her. protecting her by angry responses on her part. In the long run, she will respond. But you have to be patient, and swallow your own anger. I will help with whatever you need. 8)

In a lot of ways you are still a kid. You still have a lot of growing and learning to do. But in the dog space, you have shown you are a responsible person who takes the proper care of dogs seriously. There are a lot of adults (including this kids parents) who couldnt claim that. Maturity is not so much about age, but about responsiblility and accepting the fact that your actions will affect someone/something else. Being so young, you might be able to get through to this child better than an adult would. think about that for a minute. You could be the saving grace in this childs thinking about animals. Would that not make you proud? 8)

why do you think you need to ASK her if you can talk to her parents? She is a small child, walking a dog she cant properly handle, and zapping it with an e-collar. that in itself would be enough reason to contact her parents, with or without her permission. I am sorry, but too many people nowadays feel that children should be allowed to "have their space", "indulge in their emotions", "go with their spirit".... horse hockey!! children that young need guidance, not space; rules, not emotional outbursts; discipline, not free reign.....you can start giving those priveledges to a teenager, who has proven he/she can handle them, but not a 6-7 year old. That child is too young to be handling a dog without parental or adult guidance. She has proven she cant handle it well. I would try to teach her, since her parents obviously are not, since teaching is what she really needs. But if she doesnt respond (and from what you have said I dont think she will) then it's time to inform her parents. If that doesnt work, then its time to threaten to inform AC.

agreed. I think I signed a zillion petitions on that incident. *sigh* sometimes, as wrong as it is, we can get past the "boys club" at the Fraternal Order of Police.... ggrrrrr.... :evil:

mine is listed. But since people got it who arent listed, I would guess it's a mass spam mailing. I never open mail when its from someone I dont know.

Seij, I didnt say "drown", I said "down".....like the old west expression to "down" a horse when it was too badly injured to save. Back then, a broken leg could not be fixed on a horse (its extremely expensive and difficult to do now) so to shoot them was the kindest thing to do. and to everyone else, I am NOT saying that what he did was right. I am glad he got his just rewards for it. Especially since they were puppies. Now, I am an excellent shot. I could, physically, put an animal out of its misery by shooting it if I had to. I couldnt do it emotionally. The three dogs I have had to put down were all done by a vet.

[quote name='DogPaddle'][quote]I am NOT in favor of BSL but it seems that something has to be done. When we oppose BSL in our communities it would be most productive imho to propose and alternative. [/quote] I applaud this. We do need to come up with viable alternatives that municipalities will accept and be able to feasably enact.[/quote] and therein lies the whole problem. There are things that can be done, but no one wants to do them because it would end up costing more money than proclaiming a ban. Even if they could actually enforce a ban (which would only affect the honest, decent people. the crack dealers will find a way around it, believe me) it has been shown (primarily in CO) that it doesnt effectively work. People who really want to keep their dogs, move. or walk them at night. keep them out of site. I have heard of people taking their dogs to vets in different area's and using a friends address. there are always ways around it. and its not solving the problem. while not popular with everyone - these are some of the idea's I have proposed in the past - to the local govt and senate. 1. ALL breeders must be licesnsed, renewable every year. the licensing fee would depend on the "output"...smaller kennels would have a smaller licensing fee. 2. if you are NOT a licensed breeder, or AKC registered and showing the dog, it must be neutered. period. no exceptions. That can be any registered show dog, I only use AKC as an example. This could be tracked the same way they now track rabies vacs, the vets work with the county. there are very few animals that will not need to see a vet at some time, and rabies vacs are mandatory here. 3. In order to buy or adopt a dog, a test is necessary on your skills of dog ownership. (I had to take one to adopt Laurel). At least a miniimal course in basic obedience is required if you are a first time dog owner. Many shelters already require this, and if the person really wants the dog they will comply in most cases. this wont resolve every problem. the fact is there will always be problem dogs who are or become unstable. that cant be prevented. but, if all three of those guidelines are employed and enforced, the BYBing would be greatly reduced, puppy mills would be greatly reduced, and most people would have at least a basic understanding of the workings and needs of their dogs. this is not a cure-all, but it is a start. The "up" side to this, at least the first two, is that it will generate revenue. if you dont get your rabies vacs done in a certain amount of time here, the fine grows exponentially, and they will take the dog for non-compliance. The same can be enacted for non-compliance with neutering. some people will say this is a violation of their rights, and that it puts a burden on the taxpayers. I say not so. The neutering is a one-time cost, which most vets wil let you make payments on, and there are free neuter places available. as far as the breeding, it might just make some of the BYB's decide against doing it. The real breeders, who care about their dogs and their lines, will not object. At least not the ones I've talked to. They are tired of seeing all the bad press about their dogs, caused by greed and peoples stupidity. I also think the breeders license should include an inspection of the kennel and the dogs. The puppymillers will lose on that one. One other thought. There are laws in most places in this country where it is forbidden to marry and produce offspring within a certain genetic line...you cant marry your sister, your first cousin, your father or mother, etc. these laws came into affect because it was determined that inbreeding causes mental and physical instability. These children were often irrational, mentally handicapped, and physically very sick. sound familiar? 8)

I'm going to take a part of the downside here. I do not believe that puppies should ever be shot, there are too many people willing to adopt them. But what if you had an aged dog, with real issues, and the vet said "its time to put him down". but you cant afford the euthanasia. Its not cheap. I have had a number of dogs euthanized. over many years. its very expensive. a bullet to the brain will do the same thing. Thats hard for people to understand, but its over quickly. the dog doesnt suffer. he dies instantly. Since he was going to die by injection, anyway, why is this more wrong? either way, it's a painless death. Isnt that what we want for our pets? yes, you can hold them prior to injection. you can do the same thing, prior to being shot. they dont feel it either way...

I started to laugh at this, until the two Chi's next door went into ballistic mode, barking at something, and has all the neighborhood dogs in barkfest mode now. Including mine. THERE IS NOTHIHNG OUT THERE!! Some guy walked by with his dog. now the whole neighborhood is up in arms. If this guy would let his dogs IN they wouldnt be reacting to every leaf blowing by.... :evil: :evil:

unfortunately, the parents are probably letting her do it. "training by shock" has become way too popular. call AC. maybe they can do something. :evil:

I can agree with that. Pit Bulls were bred to be human-tolerant, for just those reasons. I dont like the reasons, but thats neither here nor there. I strongly feel that if you breed a Pit to a more people-aggresive dog you will end up with what we have now. the Pit's natural inclination to be human tolerant is now gone. The guard dog instinct has a big part of the personality. you end up with an aggressive dog (from both sides) that does not have the Pit's bred-in tolerance for people.

I have seen that before. It made me cry then, as well as now. Tomorrow is gonna be a hard day for a lot of people. I saw mostly Labs, Goldens, and Shepherds, with a few mixes and such. I always wondered why they didnt use hounds as well. They have some of the best doggie noses there are. I wonder if they just dont do well in situations like this....

it does exist, and not just in Detroit Metro. However, Detroit has one of the worst dog fighting problems in the country. Since this is a puppy, the odds are good it can be rehomed. If you dont like the people at the shelter handling it, you could call rescue societies to see if they will take and adopt out the dog. IMO, the big problem we are seeing with Pit's is that, in a lot of cases, they're NOT. I am fairly dog knowledgeable, but I took a test (someone put it up here) to see if I could "find the Pit Bull" out of about a dozen pictures. I didnt get it right til the third or fourth try. There are so many dogs that look similar to Pit's, and that doesnt even include the Pit mixes. I personally feel the mixes may be a big part of the problem, the well bred true APBT will not harm a person under normal circumstances. But any abused, starved, and mistreated animal can turn on a human. It's not just Pit's. The other problem as I see it is in the reporting of incidents. It's gotten so any flat-faced dog with a barrel chest and shorter legs is automatically a "Pit".....In reality it could be a Heinz 57 of Pekignese, dachsund, bulldog and standard poodle. it doesnt matter. If it has that face it will be called a Pit. thanks for taking the time to check into and think about this. We need more people on our side (And I dont own, and have never owned a Pit, but BSL is wrong. It gives the govt more power than I feel they should have to decide what kinds of dogs we can/cant have) :)

I got one too. I've never heard of them, and dont like the fact they have my email address, so I deleted it.

[quote name='Seijun']I think that if he was unable to find the dogs homes, it would have been best for them to have been killed if it meant sparing them from a horrible life in a world where they were unwanted and uncared for. Would it have cost him anything though to have had the pups taken to a vet to be euthanized? Also, don't think I am being cruel here or anything, but if done correctly, shooting [i]can[/i] be done humanely (i.e.-single shot, kills instantly)... Personaly, I would prefer for an animal to be euthanized by a vet rather than done by oneself with a gun-a weapon with the potential to cause such pain and suffering if not used correctly or in the hands of an inexperienced shooter. ~Seij[/quote] I disagree entirely. Puppies get adopted much faster than adult dogs. If you have to down one, I would hope its an old dog who could no longer cope. a bullet to the brain directly is a merciful death, but not for a puppy. They can find homes.

I think its maternal...when my kid gets sick I feel guilty too (like I could have DONE anything about it) Thanks HF> I tried the pantyhose thing and that worked great. it only stays on when she is laying on the bed with me (which is a privledge) otherwise she shakes her head so hard it gets displaced. But its working, so thank you.

Lab's are the "mistaken" breed. Their breeders pronounce them "good with kids, the perfect family dog" like Goldens, but unlike Goldens, Labs need a WHOLE LOT MORE exercise, and obedience training. I have had both. Goldens tend to be more laid back, more easy going. Labs are animals with a working drive. Although Goldens are also workers, Labs seem to need more exercise and more stimulation. This is just from my experience with them. so you take a high energy dog, friendly or not, and put it in a low energy home, and it gets frustrated. even the most laid back lab needs to be walked and run a few times. then you treat it like a king, and suddenly you have a bored, exercise starved, thinks'he's king, dog on your hands. and Labs are very powerful, physically. so they bite. I am a low energy home. But I walk my lab mix, and have a yard and another dog for her to play in and with. I guess I get really aggravated with the statistics, since they never take the home life into consideration. for any dog...

my dogs collars are always on. They get upset if you take them off. Freebee whines.... they are web collars and not leather, and have plastic attachments. they could easily be broken off if caught, but there is nothing in my house to get caught on, and nothing in the yard. when we go out for walks, they are on harnesses. their collars hold their tags (required here. rabies tags have to be in evidence on the collar if the dog gets out) and are imprinted with their names and phone number. My cell, so they can reach me anywhere.

well, she didnt like the zip strips, so I tried an ace bandage, which she was ok with but it keeps slipping off. So I think I'll try HF's pantyhose method. that sounds good. she is on the antibiotic because the infection was bad enough to need it. The vet prescribed it. It's deep in her ear, and wasnt coming out with any cleaning. I noticed since starting the antibiotic that it's "breaking up" and coming to the surface, making it easier to clean out. you couldnt see it looking in her ear, it was that deep and "lodged" down there somehow. The vet said her eardrum is ok, and that this infection has probably been there a long time, I have never had a dog that needed regular ear cleaning, so I guess I didnt do a good job of preventing this. :oops: :oops: The vet actually said "never had a floppy-eared dog before, did you?" but she was smiling. I said "isnt Free a floppy eared dog?" (the Lab) and she said "no, Free is a '1/2 floppy'....her ears "perk up" in the front and allow air to enter freely." I guess its the fact that Laurels ears hang down flat on her head, now that I realized it, there is no way for air to get in there. they hug the sides of her head....she said that if I can air them out and keep them clean, the infection should stay away. She thinks three hours a day of airing out will probably be good enough. *sigh* I feel both stupid, and guilty. Poor thing....shouldnt her ears have "smelled bad?" they didnt.... I forgot to ask the vet that. :o

I have a hound, with floppy ears. they get infected all the time. I clean them, give antibiotics, it goes well for a while and then comes back. I am trying my own treatment. **I** believe that the reason they get infected so often is that there is no way for air to get in there. the earways never get to dry out, which is a breeding ground for infection. DO will correct me I'm sure (and I hope she does) I have piled Laurel's ears on top of her head, and secured them loosely with zip strips. I only do this when she is laying on the bed with me. so I can watch her. that's about 3 hours a night. If she is on the bed with me, she will tolerate the zip strips. She probably thinks thats better than ear cleaning anyway. she doesnt fight the zip strips. she looks miserable during ear cleaning... I wil let you know what happens...

I think that would depend on both whether all the dogs drank the standing water, and the internal immunity of the dogs in question. I asked because I have heard of things like this before, with hurricanes and tornado's. The water gets tainted somehow. Is there still alot of standing water? You could possibly bottle some of it and take it in for testing for bacteria and such. That's the only common denominator I could think of...

OH HF!!! I am SOOOOO sorry. Poor doggers.... could the water be contaminated in some way? From the hurricane? do you and hubby feel ok? do any of the other dogs seem sick? Maybe try boiling the water first, then letting it cool? my thoughts and good vibes going out to you. :cry:

I taught PushyCat years ago (with a lot of hard work and continual monitoring) to not leave our property when I let him out on nice days when I'm home. He has an escape route into the back yard if something should come up (nothing has so far). The window in my living room has a hole in the screen. PushyCat let himself out, and Ford soon followed. Kyle was watching all of this, and saw Pushy take Ford to task when he tried to leave the property. Took him by the scruff and then made him come back. Wazzup with that? I have never heard of a cat trying to make another cat follow human rules.... :o :o :o :o

[quote]Cells may be concentrated in a horizontal "visual streak" across the retina. This provides more sensitivity to movement along a horizontal field of view. Wolves have a pronounced visual streak. Other animals, such as humans, have cells concentrated in a central area, called the "area centralis." This allows better focus up close. [/quote] this makes perfect sense to me. Wolves have to both see (farsightedness) and smell, game fairly far away. Once closing in on the kill, they use their noses and sense of movement to take down the prey. They dont really need to focus up close, the prey has been chosen, and in most cases is running, so it's not hard to follow and take down. I am farsighted. I have to wear glasses to see things up close, but at a distance longer than my arm things get clearer the farther away they are. However, I could detect movement up close, no matter whether its blurry or not.