15 July 2009

Neuter your mongrel dog!

15 July 2009 | MsCheeky

I received this email in my inbox this morning from a friend who knows I love dogs. It is from a government department bulletin board.

Hello
Can you please forward this onto everyone you know as these pups are going to the RSPCA if they can’t be homed.
They are 7 week old Kelpie cross blood hound/great dane.
Absolutely gorgeous dogs – if you want to see them please get in contact XXX on 0421 XXXXXX.
Thanks

I responded in part to my friend who passed it on:

I find the email offensive. Some dickhead lets their mongrel dog breed, then tries to emotionally blackmail people into taking the unwanted pups by saying that they’re otherwise going to the RSPCA. Not only the dog should be neutered, so should the owner! The RSPCA hates people like this. Gaaah, I can’t stand irresponsible dog owners.

Why oh why do people still allow their dogs to breed unwanted pups?

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sloppery10:08 am 11 Mar 10

We have a dog and a cat, and had them both desexed at the minimum age (according to the vet). I have pets all my life, and I think desexed animals actually make better pets.

cleo12:11 am 11 Mar 10

Well I have a pure bred toy poodle, my daughters brought her for me, as I had another poodle before her, she lived for 14 years, it took me 4 and half years before I agreed to have another dog, I have allergys to certain dogs and cats, my girls brought her from a breeder in Yass, my daughter was told that she had a groin hernia, and that most people would not buy her, the breeder also had an old poodle with the same problem, so the dog stayed with the breeder as a pet, I don’t understand some people, I have my little girl desexed and mirochipped, turned out it wasn’t a hernia but skin was attached to her stomach, anyway all dogs are designer dogs, the all come from the wolf.

motleychick2:28 pm 16 Jul 09

It’s so upsetting to hear all the stories about what some of your dogs have been through. I for one cannot understand how someone can abuse an animal, let alone a dog which is something that will love you unconditionally regardless of what you do to it.

I’ve had my baby girl for almost two years now, and I got her from a pet shop. I always said I’d go to the RSPCA but I was at the mall one day while going through quite an emotional stage in my life and fell in love with her as soon as I saw her. Needless to say we have been inseperable ever since (apart from when I go to work and leave her with nana [my mum!!]). But I was so disappointed with the staff at the pet store where I got her – they told me she was microchipped and that that was included in the cost. They lied. When I went back to complain about it they gave me some stupid excuse saying that girl that I talked to when bought her was new and didn’t know, and when I asked them to give me the difference of what microchipping would cost they said that she was cheaper anyway and wouldn’t give it to me. And that just grossed me out, that they actually put puppies on ‘sale’. So I wouldn’t have it any other way, I’m so happy with my Trixie, but next time will definitely be going to the RSPCA or pound to help a puppy that needs it. Knowing the way I get when I see animals I’ll probably end up going home with 5 new puppies!!

Sorry about the long post. Just wanted to tell everyone to now buy from Tuggers pet shop. From previous posts, it looks like none of you would anyway!!

MsCheeky1:19 pm 16 Jul 09

Wow, my cranky rant has hit a bit of a vein here. Sad to hear some of the stories, but uplifting to hear many others. All you good guys with pound and rescued dogs! It’s a matter of ongoing education in the community to reduce the number of unwanted and mistreated dogs, and I hope this helps a little.

I have two dogs of my own. One I’ve had for thirteen years, since a pup, and she’s a treasure. The other was a rescue of sorts. She came to me from an owner who apparently has a history of getting a cute puppy for his kids, then giving up on them very quickly when he’s tired of them – a cycle he has apparently repeated a number of times. She was quite crazy when I got her at six months, obviously had had little socialisation, left alone in a backyard all the time. A Jack Russell, she now gets on very well with my old girl, is a well-behaved inside dog, and has lost her bad habits, such as digging. She is still wary of and intimidated by many other dogs, however.

I also have a revolving door of looking after friends’ dogs when they go on holiday, and at the moment have a golden retriever pup that was bought from a pet shop. He looks in good shape, and behaviourally, seems ok. My friend probably doesn’t know of the existence of puppy mills, but I think she got lucky with this one.

Thanks all for your contributions – keep up the good dog work!

Enny12:29 pm 16 Jul 09

ant – she’s a maltese x, he’s a pure bred shih tsu. We have no idea what they did, or where. My dad in particular would just LOVE to know, it’s disgusting. And it happened in Canberra – it’s appalling.

We took him to a behaviouralist weekend, where they talked a lot about how training has a lot to do with correcting issues, that they’d only recommended two dogs be medicated (as medication is not a solution). After seeing him, he became the third dog they recommended, but time and understanding has meant we haven’t had to go down that path.

ant12:11 pm 16 Jul 09

That poor little boy, that’s absolutely shocking. How did they do that to a dog? What breed is he, Enny?

His lead issues are something we see with most of our chihuahuas actually, they just totally resent leads. They seem to see them as Dog Degradation or something.

Enny12:08 pm 16 Jul 09

Both of our dogs are rescue dogs (we had another, who sadly passed away from a stroke).

One of them was rescued from a puppy farm in Sydney, she’d had three litters before she was two year old, and you’ll never meet a sweeter animal. She’s the perfect lapdogs, has so much personality and just wants to be with people, even after ones in the past have used and abused her.

The other one was a stray that we got from the pound, and we’re presuming he was also used for breeding. He was an ‘entire’ male and purebred, but has an amazing amount of psychological issues. He’d never been on a walk before (leading him from the car to the house resulting in him spinning and squirming on the ground, having never been led anywhere – and watching my mum take him for a ‘walk’ for the first time was both hilarious and heartbreaking, he straightened his legs and refused to actually move, but he’s much better now), he won’t walk on grass or dirt, he only does his business when he’s under cover, he doesn’t eat treats (he bats at them with his paws), he becomes obsessed with moving and/or shiny things (ants, sunlight through a hanging crystal, reflections in chrome lamps), he flinches when you go to pat him, hunches up and back when he is still (like has been kept in a small cage), and has enormous separation anxiety when one person leaves a room (spinning until he is sick, biting his tail until it bleeds, crying and barking)….

I just wish pet store sales would be banned, that people would spay/neuter their pets, that people would rescue and adopt pets rather than paying hundreds or thousands of dollars to people who are just using these animals for their own profit.

ant10:17 pm 15 Jul 09

I can never view the RSPCA’s “dogs available” thing, I’ve had the same problem with a local employment agency and realise it’s my ad blocker. Evidently they use some ad server to run that bit of teh site, and it gets blocked.

deezagood10:06 pm 15 Jul 09

Well said three paws. What kind of dog do you have – will keep an eye out for you at the park!

threepaws8:35 pm 15 Jul 09

Ivan76 said :

I picked up my fur kid (red healer x bull terrier) (note: a bull terrier is NOT a pit bull so don’t start) after driving past a sign saying “free pups” whilst on holidays on the Gold Coast almost 10 years ago now. The condition of the pups was appauling with all pups severely worm infested & flea ridden. Despite this, my dog (Scrappy) picked me as his new owner and I have been truly blessed over the last 10 years to own such an amazing friend.

My point is, in my experience, regardless of the breed being pure or not you will not find a dog like this in any store & if you do you will not have a story half as interesting as this one..

When you buy a dog from the RSPCA, you are not sacrificing anything over the experience from buying a breeded dog from a store, in fact, you are buying an animal with a history which in my opinion makes for a more unique pet.

If you’ll indulge me, I’d love to share my experience of adopting an adult dog from the RSPCA.

Eyeballing some puppies there one day, a staff member explained to me the benefits of adopting an older dog (older than 6 months-ish), those benefits being that they have had a behavioural assessment and the staff can talk to you about the personality of that dog, their strengths and weaknesses etc, “what you see is what you get” to an extent.

After a time visiting in person and on the internet, I fell in love with a particular dog about 3 years old, and decided to adopt him. There was a problem however, he had been recommended to go to a house without cats, of which I have three (indoor).

The staff worked with me to develop a way in which they could be indoors at the same time, but with no opportunity for a dog/cat war. They were very concerned about my cats obviously given their recommendation of a cat free household, but I was confident that we could all live in harmony albeit with seperate dog and cat areas inside my house, and I had to prove that it could work (please note that I would NEVER put my cats in danger, worst case scenario was that never the twain shall meet). They gave me heaps of reading material on the issue of Dog V Cat, and I am thrilled to say that after about 6 months after we adopted him, the cats and dog were all sleeping in a giant fur ball together, and continue to do so.

But back to the dog, the knowledge that they had of him (which I presume was only based on their time with him as he was a stray) has proved to be invaluable, and even months later I was able to call them and ask for advice about his training and behaviour, and they were always happy to help.

He is an absolute gem and although at the time I found it slightly over the top that they *almost* didn’t let him come home with me, hindsight tells me that they went above and beyond to ensure that he was going to the right home, not just for him, but for me and my cats. That just doesn’t happen at a pet shop.

So yes, it may be a bit more work to adopt a dog from the RSPCA, but they actually give a who and they seem to do their very best to make sure that it’s a ‘perfect’ match.

How much I love my dog, and appreciate him coming in to my life, is why I am so passionate about the RSPCA, and why I have such a distaste for pet shops selling puppies and kittens.

Pets are hard work, and buying a pet shouldn’t be as quick and easy as picking up a loaf of bread on your way out of the mall. When I am ready for dog number two, it will be the RSPCA all the way.

Thanks for letting me indulge.

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