Remember how I posted about Dulcie’s puppies?
Well, Potter and Klunk are now four weeks old and are on the look out for their new homes. These boys are big!
(Unfortunately, little Sniper was slept on by Dulcie at about 7 days old and passed away.)
Firstly, Potter, with his flashy white bits:
I mentioned in a past post that Lucky wasn’t stay with us because we had a long term foster dog. It’s time for you to meet her.
This is Dulcie.
Dulcie the shar pei cross staffordshire bull terrier, upon arrival in South Australia
Dulcie was admitted to Queanbeyan Pound (New South Wales), and when her kill-date came around on the 6th of January she didn’t have any local options. Adelaide All Breed Dog Rescue organised and financed her save, having her flown to South Australia, where she was then placed into my care.
Dulcie the shar pei x staffordshire bull terrier
She showed herself to be a very sweet loving girl, very people orientated. She knows ‘sit’ and uses it to demand attention (adorably!). She adopted my fiancee, and spent most of the time hanging out with him. She was a bit of a grump with the other dogs, but that’s okay – that’s what I have dog yards for.
But there was a big problem… Continue reading
I just shared a moment with my newest foster dog. He flew to my state yesterday so I could foster him and find a new home.
He was hanging out with me in the kitchen, and somehow I ended up on the floor with him on my lap, giving him a cuddle.
I know dogs generally object to cuddles, and so I was rather attentive to his body language for feedback on this interaction. If you took a picture of this dog, in my arms, from a distance, he probably looked somewhat tense. However, his face revealed how relaxed he was: His eyes were closed.
Here was this dog, on my lap, tucked up to my chest, my arms supporting him, and my head over him – and this dog, totally at my mercy and relaxed, after knowing me for about 30 hours.
Buddy having a cuddle in the sunshine.
And I got to thinking, aren’t dogs amazing? Continue reading
Please note that this is an old post and some of my ideas have changed since it was originally published. I leave it up for historical purposes.
Recently, I came across “Minimum Health Requirements for Shelters”. I had the pleasure of working in an animal shelter that did meet most of these standards, and were close to meeting the remaining. This was a big shelter and had many resources, both financially and in terms of staff and volunteers.
However, I believe that my shelter was exception in this regard – many shelters do not provide an enriched and healthy kennel environment. The Animal Welfare Act calls for food, water, and shelter, and all kennels I know meet these standards, but we all know that animal welfare is a lot more than these essentials. Because of the complexity of animal welfare, the practice of kenneling dogs has been brought into dispute.
This post looks to examine how the lack of resources often means that rescues cannot meet these minimum health requirements, and that they ultimately have to make difficult decisions regarding the fate of their animals due to their lack of resources. Additionally, it will look at why many rescues kennel dogs, and the problems associated with long term kenneling. Alternatives to kenneling will also be considered. Continue reading
Please note that some of my ideas have changed since this post was published. I leave this post here, unedited, for historical sake (and some of the ideas are still relevant!).
The above mantra, “don’t breed or buy while shelter dogs die”, is one I wish to critique in this follow post. It is undeniable that there are ‘too many’ dogs in the world. Countless dogs are destroyed every day due to the lack of suitable homes. I have worked in an animal shelter and seen first hand the problems we have with dog population numbers. As such, I have constantly been asked to justify how I can also breed animals. To me, the problem is multifaceted.
Firstly, many puppy-buyers are uneducated and fuel the unscrupulous breeding of huge quantities of dogs through purchasing animals from unethical institutions. These puppy buyers often don’t know where their puppy has come from, yet alone how to raise the puppy to be a sound adult dog which they are happy to commit to for 15 years.
To counteract this first problem, I try to involve myself as much as possible in the education role. The obvious is having detailed discussions with potential puppy buyers to establish the suitability of Border Terriers to their lifestyle. Furthermore, through my work, I promote responsible dog ownership in schools. Through the work of “People and Dogs”, which I have volunteered for on numerous occasions, I have attempted to educate people before a puppy enters their lives.
Secondly, I believe the problem is based around an oversupply of undesirable crossbreeds. Working in an animal pound for several years, I saw only one Border Terrier enter the facility. There is not an oversupply of Border Terriers. There are too many dogs of undeterminable heritage, inappropriately raised, and with undesirable behavioural characteristics because of this. I do not feel like I am responsible for the destruction of crossbreed animals by breeding Border Terriers.
Finally, if I am incorrect and breeding border terriers does in some way mean that crossbred dogs in pounds are destroyed, I seek to counteract this damage by being involved in rescue. Not only do I frequently donate to rescue efforts nationally, but also take foster animals into my home. Having privately fostered and rehomed animals in the past, I now volunteer as a foster carer with the Greyhound Adoption Program.
I strongly feel that those involved with breeding should also be involved in rescue, at least in their given breed. As my breed does not tend to make their way into shelters, I support rescue in other ways. In this way, I feel that breeding border terriers is no way contributing to the problems in animal shelters.
(Please note that, indeed, this post is a repeat of a page I created on my other website, in which it promotes the border terriers I show and breed. I thought it had a place here, as a thought.)
Please note that some of my ideas have changed since this post was published. I leave this post here, unedited, for historical sake (and some of the ideas are still relevant!).
