06/25/13

The Week in Tweets – 25th June 2013

This is our (almost) weekly segment where we review the content posted on our Twitter over the course of the week. It’s a long post! So make sure you grab a coffee and prepare yourself for some serious reading.

Before we get started, though, here is our current foster dog “Bandit”. More details on his adoption are available on his listing on PetRescue.

Bandit the crossbreed is 3 years old. He is looking for a new home and is located in South Australia.

Bandit the crossbreed is 3 years old. He is looking for a new home and is located in South Australia.

 

Tweet of the Week

Joanna starts with the premise that puppies should be able $20,000 each, to cover the costs of many overheads associated with their rearing.  However, the dog breeding world looks disdainfully on people who charge a high price for their puppies.  Indeed, Joanna describes a competition-like scenario where getting less for puppies is in some way admirable. Here’s a quote;

In dog breeding… self-abnegation becomes the real pride. I lost more money than you did; I neutered more show prospects than you did; I charge $1000, well I charge $800, well I charge $600, well I give them away and also donated my kidney to a puppy buyer. I breed twice a year, I breed once a year, I breed once every five years, I’ve owned this breed for fifteen years and never once have I even LOOKED at a dog’s genitals with intent to use them.

I had no hesitation in calling this piece the Tweet of the Week. It’s well written, humorous  and covering legitimate subject matter, too. If you read nothing else this week, please read: “How much do puppies cost? How the “breeders wars” hurt our community“.

 

Breeds and Breeding

Fast action ratting with terriers (video).

And then, in direct conflict: Swedish study found no link between modern breeds and their traditional work.

Soundness – understanding correct pit bull conformation and why it is correct.

Bitch line is the key.

Hybrid vigour – fact or fiction?

A commentary on the COA Crossbreeding Programme from a Chinook Owner.

Breeding Dogs for Intentional Defect.

What is a samoyed?

 

Dog Training and Behaviour

BAT Empowers Choice.

Operant Learning Illustrated by Examples.

Is it really disobedience?

Why does my house trained dog pee-poo indoors?

Why is training recall so difficult for dog owners?

Criteria in training.

Dogs’ Sexual Behaviour (video).

 

Sheltering, Rescue and Associated Links

Happy Endings: Cyclone.

‘It’s not us, it’s you’ – The Lost Dogs Home discusses high kill rates.

National Desexing Network – List of participating vets in Australia.

Carter Wants a Home.

SC Shelter attempted to cover up killing of family dog.

RSPCA and the Moorook Debacle 2013.

Bandit, 3yo crossbreed, for adoption in SA.

 

Dog Health

How the veterinary vaccine model is broken.

Spayed or neuter dogs live longer.

Win a 150g bottle of Rose Hip Vital.

Dog gets around with four bionic paws.

 

Other Dog Stuff

Upcoming Canine Science Conferences.

Working dogs, working together.

EB White and the Crime of Harboing an Unlicensed Dog.

What drives the evolution of brachycephalic dogs? – this one was almost the tweet of the week just because it articulated something I’ve been thinking about for along time.

Is pet ownership sustainable?

 

Dogs are cool like that.

Hero dog saves girl from icy river.

The dingo woman.

 

Other Animal Stuff

True Facts About Sloths.

Why the mantis shrimp is my new favourite animal.

You have to watch this one – Suki the cat at 8 months.

Why ferns have more chromosones than you.

 

Instagram

Myrtle kept jumping on the grooming table to be groomed!

 

Myrtle constantly on top of me!

Chloe all set to go to her new home

 

 

06/8/13

The Week in Tweets – 9th June 2013

This is our (almost) weekly segment where we review the content posted on our Twitter over the course of the week. It’s a long post! So make sure you grab a coffee and prepare yourself for some serious reading.

 

My matching border terriers - Clover and Myrtle, mother and daughter.

My matching border terriers – Clover and Myrtle, mother and daughter.

 

Tweet of the Week

This is my favourite tweet from the week just gone: Puppies taken from litter too soon develop behavior problems as adults. While there’s lots of questions to be asked about the specifics of the conclusions made, it’s still an overall interesting study.

 

Training and Behaviour

Somersault Dog Trick – Just Jesse the Jack Russell.

Target Stick training video from the Dog Trick Academy.

“He’s very protective”.

K9 Body Language – What’s my dog saying?

The Deception of the Dog Whisperer.

 

Rescue and Sheltering

Think what you could be saving this tax time.

Unhappy with rescue group’s adoption policies.

Know the opposition: Anatomy of a distraction.

Stop the Killing.

Crappy Dog – a story on pet adoption.

Only 2% of dogs die in shelters yearly – an oldie but a goodie from BorderWars.

Non-surgical sterilization: Getting shelters and spay/neuter clinics up to speed.

Why you shouldn’t adopt a dog.

Humane cat management.

 

Police Brutality

Police Shootings of Dogs.

Cops raid wrong house, threaten children and kill their dog.

 

Dog Science, Studies, Surveys

How do hand-reared wolves and dogs interact with humans?

Clues to cancer: Golden retriever cancer study (video).

Dogs and Kids Survey.

Puppy classes and canine parvovirus.

Interactions between shelter dogs: some new research.

 

Dog Health

Review: Rose-Hip Vital Canine.

Pfizer Pays for Another Rimadyl Death.

Do small dogs live longer?

 

How to go to the vet.

Not so Great Dane.

Dr Karen Becker and Dr Ronald Schultz on Pet Vaccines.

Questioning Traditional Neutering Recommendations for Dogs.

 

 

Dog Humour 

There’s a reason dogs are mans best friend.

15 Dogs Who Don’t Know They’re Big.

 

Other Stuff

Quirky Lyme Disease Bacteria: Unlike most organisms, they don’t need iron, but crave manganese.

Show Dogs Escape After Crash.

Considerations of a Puppy Buyer – Tips to establishing a relationship with your breeder.

A Sniff Is A Search By Any Other Name, But Is It Reliable?  Florida v. Jardines and Florida v. Harris.

 

06/1/13

The Week in Tweets – 1st June 2013

This is our (almost) weekly segment where we review the content posted on our Twitter over the course of the week. It’s a long post! So make sure you grab a coffee and prepare yourself for some serious reading.

But before we get started, have a look at Daisy from our 2012 litter, all grown up (and on a horse?!).

Border terrier bitch riding a pony with two small girl children helping.

 

Tweet of the Week

Our favourite tweet this week goes to a video showing training a dog for a voluntary blood draw. This is something that is not that amazing – plenty of zoo animals are taught to do similar behaviours. However, as dog owners, we get into habits of physically manipulating our dogs to ‘do what we want’ instead of training them to do it voluntarily. This is just a lovely example of what we could achieve with our dogs.


Animal Sheltering

Why do people surrender dogs to animal shelters?

Vets told to hand stray dogs into council or risk $700 fines.

Reducing Shelter Admissions with an Animal Help Desk.

Why PETA Kills.

How about a tax time tummy rub for PetRescue?

Group protests over death of dogs at Blacktown pound.

RSPCA, do they protect all animals in need?

Jackson, looking for a new home in Sydney area.

 

The Saving Pets Honour Roll

We shared an awful lot of Saving Pets posts this week – enough to give them their own category in this little round up. They just produce great contact week-in week-out.

Vets who reunite pet and owner to be slugged $700 – More genius animal management from Vic.

RSPCA NSW gives a big FU to rescue groups.

Companion Animals Taskforce – same same & not at all different.

Two young children injured by roaming dogs.

At the RSPCA NSW, a broken leg is fatal.

Moorook Animal Shelter inspected by the RSPCA.

 

Dog Breeds and Breeders

DogTime’s Slobbering Hatred for Breeders II.

So you want to breed your bitch…

Border Collie Epilepsy.

Dog Breed Identiifcation Study.

It’s who you know: Breed stereotypes & handler appearance.

Glen of Imaal Terriers.

Confusing Hoarders with Breeders.

 

Dog Training

How to watch a training session  – this is a horse blog post, but it was very close to becoming the Tweet of the Week. It uses some great examples of horse training and asks you to critically appraise them.

The Best Teachers from Lessons from Layla.

Is punishment an effective way to change the behavior of dogs?” asks Stanley Coren.

Sit, Down, Stand – Game from the Dog Trick Academy.

Useful dog tricks performed by Jesse – this was close to the Tweet of the Week, too, because it’s just cute!

Crufts 2013 Dancing video.

Shadow handling for agility.

Being Tough from Eileen and Dogs.

 

Dog Behaviour

Guilty Dogs on the Radio.

Free Training Resources.

Mounting by Any Other Name…

Moving with a Reactive Dog.

It won’t be the machines we have to worry about… (On dogs who know when to beg for food.)

Pavlov inverted: reward linked to image is enough to activate brian’s visual cortex.

Relationship capital.

 

Children and Dogs

Tips for your dog Before and After your baby is born (PDF).

Bringing a baby into your home.

A boy and his seizure dog.

 

Other Stuff

Siberian Art Jewelery.

Simple home made diets for dogs and cats with renal failure.

Does your dog eat anything & everything?

Veterinarians and Vaccines: A Slow Learning Curve.

Cool dog collar from the Warlukurlangu Artists’ Aboriginal Corporation.

The 49 Most WTF Pictures of People Posing with Animals.

 

From Our House

Friends – Myrtle & Breaker on Instragram.

Our latest foster, Bandit, on PetRescue and on Gumtree.

05/22/13

The Week in Tweets – 22nd May 2013

This is our (almost) weekly segment where we review the content posted on our Twitter over the course of the week. It’s a long post! So make sure you grab a coffee and prepare yourself for some serious reading.

But before we start, just a quick picture of a rainbow that was visible at tracking training on Tuesday.

Rainbow at Blackwood on Tuesday.

Rainbow at Blackwood (South Australia) on Tuesday.

 

Tweet of the Week

Fascinating and weird! A National Geographic story on “Resurrecting the extinct frog with a stomach for a womb“. I don’t know what else to say!

 

Rescue and Sheltering

An almost-tweet-of-the-week post, called “Foster Caring for Dummies” from Maggie’s Farm.

Get involved and take a foster care survey: “Someone like you? Our foster care survey“.

The SavingPets posts I tweeted this week: “There is no death row at the RSPCA“, “Celebrating 100 years of the Lost Dogs Home“, “The worst advert for an Australian rescue dogs & adoption. Ever.“, “Empty cages, empty incinerators“, and “RSPCA NSW just like No Kill (except with killing)“.

From Team Unruly: “So you found a stray…

Beautiful pictures of Munster and Bungee – Fetching Puppies (from the Ruthless Things blog).

No more ruff days for Bruce.

Old and New Ways to Find Lost Animals.

The lie at the heart of the killing.

What influences a dog’s lenght of stay at a no-kill animal shelter?

DogTime Smears No-Kill.

 

Dog Training & Behaviour

One person’s experience with the dog whisperer.

Fenzi Dog Sports Academy.

From Companion Animal Psychology: Positive Reinforcement and Dog Training II and Do dogs find their owners presence supportive when a threatening stranger comes near?.

From Patricia McConnell: Why do male dogs scent mark so much? 

Steve Courtney’s Philosophy on Dog Training, a brief overview.

Dominance Dog Training – Is it worth discussing anymore?

Why I don’t need to be a pack leader.

 

BSL and Dog Bites

iKilling Dogs – the new BSL app.

Dog evaluations – a quick side step.

From SavingPets, two victims of BSL: Baby and Diva.

Dog Bite Conference, Italy, June 15th and 16th.

 

Legislation and Dogs

Save the Future of the Working Dog.

Anger over proposed dog laws.

Campaspe Working Dogs’s response to the draft for the Code of Practice for Breeding and Rearing of Dogs.

Florida’s Pet Lemon Law.

 

Dog Breeds & Breeding

Incorrect certified PRA result issued.

Is Shiva a ‘sound’ dog?

From Terrierman: The Shiro Mim – Japan’s early answer to radar and The Scarlett Point Terrier.

Bull terriers: head case.

A history of Crufts.

 

Dog Health

Community-based veterinary public health.

Choice on Pet Vaccination.

From A Mastiff Blog: Exercising Your Mastiff Puppy and Spay or Neutering Your Mastiff or Other Giant Breed Dog.

Free or Inexpensive Spay and Neuter listed by US State.

 

Other Dog Stuff

The heat(map) is on… The colours of canine welfare.

What is a good life for dogs?

If I Should Die Before I Wake.

Jade Fountain seminars on 3rd of June in Belmont.

 

Animal Stuff

Keynote presentation abstract: Antoine F Goetschel.

How much do you really love animals?

Children with autism show increased positive social behaviors when animals are present.

Matty the Baby Sloth.

Tears flow freely as US lab chimps see sky for the first time.

 

Instagram

How is this comfortable, Breaker?

Breaker, Digger, and puppies.

Millhouse.

04/25/13

The Week In Tweets – 25th April 2013

Gee, I’ve left this segment for a little too long, and now we have oodles of awesome links to get through. For those unfamiliar with this segment, it’s where I share links that were posted on my twitter. It’s a big post (even in good times) and provides a few hours of good reading with a cuppa.

 

Tweet of the Week

The Tweet of the Week (the ‘must read’ post) was very hard to find this week amongst some really awesome content. There were oodles of really good posts to read, and I’d urge you to look at more than just this one.

BUT! I did choose one, and that was Ruffly Speaking’s “What is a “sound” dog?“. This is a really great explanation to dog anatomy, and will make for good reading. It is simple enough and illustrated to be extra helpful. A must for showies, but others in the dog world will find it of value, too.

 

RSPCA Stuff

Free cat microchipping and desexing program in Victoria run by the RSPCA.

From Saving Pets: “What walking in the Million Paws Walk is really supporting” (a must read), “RSPCA NSW announces support for Companion Animal Task Force recommendations“, and “Not so precious: When an ear infection proves fatal“.

Hunter RSPCA kill rates “too high”.

And in response to RSPCA SA’s raid on Moorook Animal Shelter: A news segment on Channel 7 and, from Mark Aldridge’s blog, “RSPCA, do they protect all animals in need?“.

 

Rescue and Sheltering

This one was close to being the Tweet of the Week. The Dogged Blog is fast becoming one of my favourite blogs! We tweeted their post, “Know the opposition: Why are you blaming the shelters?“.

And this one was up there in Tweet of the Week competition too: “To save animals, you have to like people“.

And this was a really good article too: “Ripples in the Rescue World“, about the damage that rehoming inappropriate dogs does to rescue and adopters.

A plea to the rescue community.

American Strays.

The problem with dandelions (on common breeds who become lost).

Innovative Sheltering.

Council told fewer pets killed at animal shelter.

From SavingPets: “Is Albury pound about to kill your cat?” and “An easy trick for less adoptions“.

Arrest sheds light on ‘dog flipping’ issue.

From YesBiscuit!: “AL Pound Kills Freshly Bathed Cat Upon Arrival” and “The Irresponsible Public Helps Reunite a Family in Memphis“.

Select Committe on Dogs and Cats as Companion Animals Submission by CAWS.

‘Frantic’ search for dogs lost in Hume crash.

16 incredible transformation photos of shelter dogs (really sweet post).

 

Dog-Human Aggression

Dog detective examines fatal dog attacks.

Poll: Dog attacks terrorise family a second time.

Police under investigation over ‘dog’s’ witness statement.

‘I don’t want my dog on death row’ (breed specific legislation).

I Speak Doggie – a video for children on dog safety.

From Canine Aggression Blog: Dogs, Police and Use of Force – Part 1 of 3 and Part 2 of 4.

Why dogs bite and how they warn us.

From the ‘For the Animals’ blog, which posts a lot on violence towards dogs from police: “Campaign Police Will Receive Training After Shooting Up Neighborhood“, “Star shot by police ready for adoption“, and  “Police Shootings of Dogs“.

 

Dog Health

Lean Dog = Longer Living Dog.

Limited Vaccine Protocol.

Are Omega-3 and Fish Oils Essential for Dogs?

Canine Theriogenology for Dog Enthusiasts.

From Terrierman: “Wash Your Dog for Healthy Canine Skin” and “Knuckles as Weight Gauge” (with pictures!).

How a kong toy nearly killed my dog.

Environmental Factors Can Affect the Incidence of Hip Dysplasia.

Impact of environemtnal factors on the incidence of hip dysplasia.

 

Dog Health – Desexing

Why tubal ligations and vasectomies for pets can be like pulling teeth.

Think Twice.

Question, quesiton, question! New insights in the health effects of spaying and neutering.

Intratesticular bupivacaine injections make nuetering less painful in dogs.

Rethinking spay and neuter.

Golden Retriever study suggests neuteirng affects dog health.

 

Dog Training

On a week with less competition, this would’ve ranked up there for the tweet of the week.  An excellent video: “The pitfalls of negative reinforcement“.

Leadership: One size does not fit all.

I’m Mean to Dogs.

Taking Food Away (video).

Food Bowl Training (video).

From Dog Spelled Forward: “Counter-Conditioning and Desensitization for Dogs” and “On leash aggression: no greetings!“.

The ultimate guide: How to stop a puppy from biting and nipping.

Avidog: Inspiring and empowering dog breeders and puppy owners.

Is planet earth round?

From Eileen and Dogs: “Errorless” Learning and Pack Leader.

The Dog Whisperer: FAQ.

To those that defend Cesar Millan.

Understanding Thresholds: It’s more than under- or over-.

Learn to Earn Scavenger Hunt: Super Fun Dog Class Game for Training Dogs Self Control.

Puppy training – Help your pet do their best.

Ready for Baby Mini-Series: Routines and Spaces.

Fear of loud noises: A common problem in domestic dogs?

From Reactive Champion: “Thank-you for not shaming me” and “Why punishing anxiety doesn’t work“.

Clicker Expo – Kay Laurence Connect Walking.

Grow the Value.

Glenn Miller Routine – Hooke on Swing (video).

Eight things to do with a set of cones (and your dog!).

Talking Clicker Training.

 

Dog Beahviour

Evaluating Your Dog’s Stress Level.

Zoom Room Guide to Dog Body Language (video).

What does my dog’s bark mean? A dog bark translation guide.

 

Dog Science

Agriculture and parting from wolves shaped dog evolution, study finds.

Dogs understand intimacy.

What the Dog Knows.

Ancient skull holds clues to dog domestication.

The truth about cats and dogs.

How do kenneled dogs react to familiar and unfamiliar dogs?

From mastiff to miniature poodle, dogs know each other by sight.

 

Dog Breeds and Breeding Pedigree Dogs

Points win prizes – but wreck dogs.

From Terrierman: “The Kennel Club Freak Show“, “A pictorial history of terriers; their politics and their place” and “Genesee Valley Beaver Dog“.

From Pedigree Dogs Exposed: Bravo Mr Foote and Bullmastiffs – as “gud” as it gets?.

From Retrieverman: “Historians believe they have found the earliest modern purebred dog on record” and “Jock of the Bushveldt“.

Torture Breeding.

Styrian Coarse-Haired Hound.

I Have a Headache.

ASPCA criteria for responsible breeding.

I love dog breeders.

Our dogs are beloved companions 98% of the time.

Health Tested Puppies from Conscientious Breeders.

What is a breeder?

Affenpinschers.

 

Other Dog Stuff

A Dog Named Migaloo.

‘Genius’ Misses the Mark.

Pet Pointers: How to include your dog in your wedding.

Guidelines for Responsible Pet Ownership

My Dog: The Paradox got turned into a book.

SlimDoggy Resource Links.

 

Other Animal Stuff

This could’ve easily been a tweet of the week, too!: Underground Supermodels.

Are you an environmentalist or do you work for a living?

Beloved “Bozo” the black bear shot dead, town mourns.

Why do cats purr?

Isolated tribe man meets mdoern tribe man for first time – I find the human behaviour interesting, and I liked watching the dogs, too.

Social interactions get female cockroaches in the mood.

World’s rarest whale seen for the first time.

Mice mothers inspire mice fathers to take care of their children.

Two kitties looking for a new home, currently located in SA: Laura and Mercy.

Nurturing nests lift theste birds to a higher perch.

Those inbred lab mice.

Zombie ants have fungus on the brain, new research reveals.

Cosmo Talks: Animals are capable of emtoional suffering by Betty Jean Craig.

 

Instagram

Adelaide Animal Expo.

Winnie and Myrtle… Myrtle demonstrating comfort, Winnie demonstrating normal.

Our new puppy, Breaker!: Sniffing the plants, Police horse catches Breaker, Breaker’s face, Breaker at 8.5 weeks.

Winnie’s litter: There’s always one, Cute face on side of puppy pile, Cute face on top of puppy pile, Winnie and puppiesSleeping upright puppy.

Myrtle and Digger. Digger sleeping, Myrtle chewing stuff up.