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, you might remember Bandit – I blogged about him in July, and he’s still waiting for his perfect home. I made this video to try to get him some exposure.

 

Tweet of the Week

So, unashamedly, I am a border terrier fan. I really enjoyed reading ‘Breed Priorities: The Border Terrier‘. I also equally enjoyed reading TerrierMan’s critique of this: ‘The dog that chases ribbons‘.

 

Sheltering and Rescue

From YesBiscuit!: ‘Brevard Co Oops Kills Microchipped Pet‘ and ‘New study indicates vasectomies might reduce feral cat populations most effectively‘.

From the Winsconsin Watchdog: The Jigsaw Puzzle.

From SavingPets: ‘Getting 2 Zero – Saving Pet’s Preso – The opportunity cost of killing‘, ‘Starving, neglected pets find no safety with the RSPCA‘, ‘Vets – better at being shelters, than shelters‘, and ‘Thousands of pet microchips faulty‘.

From ThatMutt: What are no-kill shelters doing differently?

A video of AWDRI on Better Homes and Gardens.

Good intentions, but the wrong focus.

They want ’em, they really do! (on pitbull types in rescue)

Assumptions about future behavior of shelters dogs seen as food aggressive are unfounded.

 

Dog Training and Behaivour

Two CPDT Study Sessions from Crystal at Reactive Champion: ‘Ethical considerations and humane treatment‘ and  ‘Puppy Development‘.

Is food really the problem? asks the Fearful Dog blog.

Training strong dominant breeds with a firm hand (video).

Zani Shuts Down video from Eileen and Dogs.

‘LIVE! From Nassau, The Bahamas, A Day of life in Paradise. Right.‘ from the Canine Aggression blog of Jim Crosby.

Calming Signals.

Do dogs think? (as opposed to instinct)

Serious dog fighting within a household; Questions to ask if considering ‘what next?’

Counting and graphing behaviour (it’s talking about human behaviour, but!).

Social facilitation: When two dogs are better than one.

8 BAT Myths: suggested revisions for Clinical Behavioral Medicine.

Impulse Control by Denise Fenzi.

Euthanizing aggressive dogs: Sometimes it’s the best choice.

 

Spay/Neuter

Coming soon: Non-surgical dog neutering.

Should a dog with MRSP be spayed?

Perfectly good reasons not to spay/neuter.

Like Entirely Friendly on Facebook.

A new and safer way to spay your puppy.

 

In the News

The 9/11 rescue dogs: portrits of the last surving animals who scoured Ground Zero one decade on.

Google maps ‘murder scene’ in Almere, Netherlands is water trail from golden retriever.

Dogs can classify complex photos in categories like humans do.

Is a dog’s life worth more than a person’s?

 

Dog Breeds

Royal Adelaide Show – Best In Show 2013.

Breed branding.

Boxer’s natural ear taping.

What Flint can tell us about working terriers.

The black spot phenomenon attacks.

 

Dogs, Kids, and Dog Bites

How to be a kid dogs feel safe with.

Which are the best dogs for kids; and which breeds aren’t?

Dogs and baby – the secret to success.

Are dogs ‘kids’? Owner-dog relationships share striking similarities to parent-child relationships.

Dog bites – debunking the myths.

Dog alerts parents to abusive babysitter.

 

Other Dog Stuff

Royal Show ‘Double Trouble’ act with Kate and Badger and Tanya and Dexter.

Caesar, the dog who was placed in front of royalty.

Dog room (a photo of a cute kennel).

Hip dysplasia an advantage?

 

Instagram

Cindy likes Jesse.

Today’s puppy classroom helper: Bandit.

Breaker’s helping arrange the puppy classroom.

Clover’s chin trick is often offered when I’m trying to do anything else.

Clover’s ‘chin’ trick.

Tried to get picture of 3 dogs. Got a picture of two dogs, only one looking at the camera.

When the bloom of the Jacaranda tree is here…

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 first, a video with Clover’s effort on the 12th of October 2013 at a Dancing With Dog trial. She is in the freestyle starter competition, and the routine is expected to be about a minute long. Not only did Clover gain a qualifying score (a pass towards her title), she also achieved the highest score of the freestyle competition. We have to wait until new years eve to partake in another competition. The song she performs to is ‘Suddenly I See’ by K T Dunstall.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3Nd_Z2rECA&feature=youtu.be

 

Tweet of the Week

YesBiscuit! highlight a common problem in animal rescue circles: ‘“Abused and left for dead” – or hey, little dog needs help‘. It is unethical for rescue to make up or exaggerate the reasons that animals have ended up in rescue – and it does no favours for rescue. Many people already see rescued animals as ‘damaged’, and many people already think it is ‘too sad’ to enter a shelter to look for a new pet. Rescue groups need to realise we’re in marketing, and happy stories sell.

 

Animal News Stories

New mammal species discovered after one lived in zoos for 10 years in case of mistaken identity.

Dolphins have longest memories in Animal Kingdom.

Patrol officer hailed as hero after rescuing dog from accident.

Matchbox Twenty’s Rob Thomas calls Brevard woman to help pit bull.

German shepherd ‘lifeguard’ saves child from drowning.

Position on Russian Anti-Gay Legislation and 2016 World Dog Show.

 

Dog Science

Do dogs look like their owners?

Dogs yawn more often in response to owners’ yawns than strangers.

How to teach language to dogs.

What do you hear in these dog sounds?

Emotional loads of call test.

 

Dog Training

Always remember to release your dog!

The Radical Notion of Consequences.

From Crystal at Reactive Champion: “Kathy Sdao Seminar: See and Mark the Behaviour You Like!“, “CPDT Study Session #1 -Instruction Skills“,  and “CPDT Study Session #3 – Important or not?“.

Loretta and Jackson.

 

Rescue and Sheltering

Maximus – available for adoption in South Australia.

This one was close to the tweet of the week: Are high profile abused dogs a ‘brand’?

From SavingPets: “Mandatory desexing – saving lives or costing lives?“.

Humane or Insane?

How to find a dog at the shelter.

“All they need is love”.

Do you believe in dog?: Black Dog Syndrome: A Bad Rap?.

Poverty, shelter surrender, and what makes a difference.

The Real Story Behind South LA Shelter Intake.

Raiden: The microchip that save a dog’s life, Part I.

From Lindsay at ThatMutt: “Why do people give up their pets when they move?“.

Brett from the KC Dog Blog wrote: “It’s why we’re here” and  “KC Pet Project logs 12 months of No Kill Success“.

Study shows feral cat control could benefit from different approach.

Black dog syndrome – or a bad rap?

 

Dog Behaivour

Poster Drawings for the APBC.

Calm Submissive.

Was it just a little bite or more? Evaluating bite levels in dogs.

Another one that was close to the tweet of the week: Dogs don’t touch you by accident.

“It’s all in how they’re raised”.

Dog Body Language.

 

Dog Health/Bodies

Dew Claws Do Have a Purpose!

Dogs CAN see in colour: Scientists dispel the myth that canines can only see in black and white.

What if your labrador puppy is a carrier?

Dog birth control vaccine could limit feral populations.

Common types of canine benign tumours: lipoma, papilloma, and adenoma.

How to provide enrichment training for your dog.

Sedation before euthanasia? Yes or no?

 

Other Dog Stuff

From The Doggerel: “Rare dog breed quiz, no 3.” and “Should you get a dog?“.

Five things you think you know about breeding (but you’re wrong).

Training the Natural Ear.

The last 40,000 years with dogs.

The poetry of Jimmy Stewart: Beau.

 

Other Stuff

21 Pictures that will Restore Your Faith in Humanity.

 

Instagram

Nice dog, good save – Maximus.

Maximus and toy.

Franklin, 4 weeks.

Today, we got some friends for Franklin and Fonzie. Black dogs become black blobs so easily.

Puppy logic: all squeeze into smallest crate available.

Franklin, 4 weeks.

Done one side of the Hay Plains, now another hour or so of this scenery.

Not only did Clover qualify today, she came first in her class and was also the highest scoring freestyle dog!

So that’s where the chickens have been laying.

Sidewalk kitty in Strathalbyn draws a crowd.

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.

 

Tweet of the Week

This is an old one that I didn’t get around to sharing immediately, by Terrierman. This post talks about “Noise About Lennox and Silence Over Pit Bulls“. Posted at the time when Lennox, the ‘pit bull’ in the UK was receiving a lot of media attention, Terrierman laments that so little media attention – or, indeed, any attention – is applied to the fate of the many nameless pit bulls meeting their fate due to what Terrierman describes as a saturation of the market in pit bull type dogs. It’s an excellent post.

 

Purebred Puppies

How much is that doggie in the window? The surprising economics of purchasing a purebred puppy.

Westminster, ‘show dog’, and the battle over purebred puppies.

 

Dog Rescue

We still have Bandit in foster care! Read his PetRescue profile here.

Kate our kelpie x is still looking for her forever home via PetRescue, too.

And across the seas, some special shepherds up for adoption.

From the Dogged Blog: Shelter reform on Facebook: Ur doin it wrong. It looks at the abundance of shelter gore material on rescue websites and how it does nothing for rescue. This was a close runner for tweet of the week.

Rescue community loses another animal advocate.

And on a similar note, increasing adoption will reduce ‘euthanasia stress’. Another one from Maddie’s Institute: Think income, not ‘responsibility’, when it comes to pet programs.

Wisconsin Watchdog looks at some Simple Math.

From my favourite blog, SavingPets, posts tweeted were: “Albury Council oopsie kills family pet“, “It’s your fault we kill. It’s your fault we killed Thomas.“,  “We could be heroes – a review of ABC’s Vet School“, “Overhauling the pound system – action every animal advocate can take to make a better future for pets” and “Miranda Devine’s plan for dog management – kill one million dogs“.

“*headdesk* aka the reason I have very little respect for most animal rescue groups…”

Just promoting a model rescue in the USA: Downtown Dog Rescue.

Why cat advocates need to stop lying.

I am very interested in the ways the public can be irresponsible when it comes to animal welfare. For example, the woman who ‘offers free kiddie pools to dog owners to keep their pets cool in the heat‘.

 

Dog Training and Behaviour

Eileen and Dogs wrote a post that very nearly became tweet of the week, as it discusses a phenonmenon that bugs me immensely. The post is: “But ‘Purely Positive’ is a LIE!“.

The art of communication: Calming Signals.

I really liked this one as well: The Myth of “Suddenly, Out of the Blue” Behaviors.

What’s important to you? – on defining your own training expectations.

Denise Fenzi on Socialization.

Temple Grandin on E-Collars and Prey Drive.

Kathy Sdao Seminar: The R in Dog Training – as described by Crystal from Reactive Champion.

Chicken Camp.

Dogs Don’t Smile.

 

Desexing and ‘Overbreeding’

Neutering Dogs: Including the use of Suprelorin dog contraceptive (Neutering) Spaying and Castration.

RSPCA and Breeders Shock Admission: Neutering six week old puppies.

Oh, Balls!

The Cronuts and Spay/Neuter Craze.

Overbreeding: Beware of Simple Answers.

 

Dog Science

Dogs with left paw preferences may be different emotionally.

What pets do children have, and which do they prefer?

New findings on shock collars: why the UK wants to ban them.

The Relationship between personality match and pet satisfaction among dog owners.

 

Dog Fun Stuff

Dog finger painting.

23 Dogs Who Are Too Adorably Stupid For Their Own Good.

A dog’s advice to humans in photos.

Dog Breed Cartoon.

 

Kids and Dogs

Dog attack fatality NSW.

At what age is a child old enough to walk the dog alone?

Dog gone: Coping with grief after the death of a dog-child.

I was bitten by a dog as a kid – and nobody freaked out.

 

Other Dog Stuff

Police shootings of dogs: A disturbing trend.

40, 000 years of dogs.

WSPA Yappy Hour.

The Tragedy of Wolf Dogs.

Defending the pit bull: Experts say animals no more aggressive or prone to attack than other breeds.

You’re old and I’m broke: Conversations with my dog about surgery.

 

Other Stuff

Your immune system: Natural Born Killer.

“Dr Google” – on using the internet to research health issues and the need for critical thinking.

 

Instagram

Only a few subjects this week: Myrtle and her two puppies!

Franklin and Fonzie.

The ‘brothers’.

Drinking like a puppy should!

Franklin and friend.

Myrtle and Franklin the turtles.

6 days old and 10 days old.

Dark, but mum and bub.

Shark puppy.

Family.

Spot the hatchling.

Tried to take a picture of his mohawk. Only really obvious on the top right picture – sticking up on his neck.

Myrtle and the hatchling.

This is how he sleeps.

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.

 

Tweet of the Week

This week, there was a clear favourite. A post from Heading For Home (a rescue group) entitled: “Passionate statistics: pie charts and companion animal rescue“. Wow! A well written and powerful post that, while not discrediting the work of rescues who ‘chip chip chip’ away on the front lines, illustrates how there are greater systematic issues that need to be addressed. If you read nothing else this week, read this! It is well worth it. Excellent reading.

 

Sheltering and Rescue

No secret: I have been a long-time fan of the Saving Pets blog. This week, I tweeted a bunch of content from them and some of them did come close to making Tweet of the Week. I loved “Microchips are like seatbelts, not gold stars” and “What could a local council spend $90,000 on?“, but also was  saddened to hear about “Thomas” and “How a shell game is killing our pets“.

From ThatMutt: the Pet overpopulation myth.

I really loved watching this video on how to maximise the sheltering process in the first 60 minutes – “The first 60 minutes: Animal Sheltering’s Critical Hour“.

As always, I like to share stories about the ‘irresponsible public’ that are clearly responsible for the killing of pets in shelters. This week, I tweeted about a Hyde County woman who opened a private shelter after the county cut the budget for their own facility.

 

Dog Training

Generally, I try to space out content so I don’t blog a lot of stuff by one author in a short period of time. However, somehow, Eileen’s fabulous content got promoted a bunch on my Twitter this week. Her posts include “Welcome!” (her first blog post), “Dog Faming” (in contrast to dog shaming), “Yes, you may comfort your [fearful] dog!“, and “The look of fear“. Eileen runs a fabulous blog that dissects many of the myths surrounding ‘force free’ trainers (or whatever you want to call them).

From Susan Garrett: The ‘It’s Yer Choice‘ game.

A video illustrating 5 Calming Signals.

From Denise Fenzi: Preparing for competition: Squishing!

Your dog isn’t being friendly. He’s an asshole. And so are you.

Dogs imitate novel human actions and store them in memory.

Finding the right dog trainer – harder than you think.

Myth: Anxiety Medication Should Only be used as a Last Resort.

Approval seeking or attention seeking?

Spay/Neuter and Breeders

From Dogs Naturally: Spay, Neuter and Joint Disease.

The plot thickens: Spay neuter effects and the health of our dogs.

How young is too young to neuter?

The Backyard Breeder Fallacy.

 

Just Dog Stuff

The amazing world of dogs in photography.

Wedding Dogs.

Children and pet loss.

Shave my newfoundland dog?

Things to do after your dog has died.

Terrier Firma Rain Boots.

Dogs 101: Greyhound.

The Amazing Skidboot (Texas Country Reporter).

 

Instagram

Adelaide Royal is better than your royal!

Yesterday the the Royal Show – Rue, Digger, Breaker, and Rue with a business card.

Rue looking intellectual at the Royal.

Myrtle – 1 week to go… Really?

 

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 start, I thought I’d share a video of my new chicken, Eveready, laying an egg. I recycled a shelf from a friend to fashion this nesting box and, as I put in in the coop, before I had a chance to level it, Eveready was in and fussing. So I spent 10 minutes sitting on the floor of the chicken coop filming this. She actually lays the egg soon after 6 minutes.

Eveready and her friend Duracell are ex-battery hens who were lucky enough to be saved by Edgar’s Mission. They joined us a week ago and I love them heaps already.

Now! On with the tweets:

 

Tweet of the Week

Earlier this year, I took the course ‘Canine Theriogenology for Dog Enthusiasts‘ and loved it.  They are now running the course again (thought longer – 8 week course this time), starting in October.  I highly recommend it.  And great value as it’s free!  No gimmicks, just awesome free online education about dog reproduction.  Even if you just sign up to watch the lectures it’ll be worth it – I promise.

 

Dog Breeds and Breeding

This is a close second to the tweet of the week: The scandal of marketing purebred dogs. A well articulated post by Ruffly Speaking talking about the problems associated with elitism in purebred dog breeding.

The Modern Kennel Conundrum – a look at the designer dog trend.

Judges weigh in on grooming.

“Ancient” dog breeds? Not so ancient, it turns out.

 

Dog Training

Pinch Me AKA Prong Me – this one was a close runner for Tweet of the Week.

Attack Dog to Relax Dog.

Do dogs learn faster for food than other types of rewards?

From Eileen and Dogs: “Force-free training and the continuum fallacy: defining ourselves” and “But we don’t give our kids a cookie everytime they tie their shoes!“.

On choosing dog trainers: Peer Pressure? Bite me!, Describing dog training: Weasel words or clear descriptions? and Finding the Right Dog Trainer – Harder Than You Think.

Except when you can reinforce fear.

Puppy around a pole.

Those Pesky Finishes.

 

Dog Behaviour

From Patricia McConnell: Ah Youth! The initiation of play in dogs and You’ve got a friend?.

The Cumulative Effect.

Learning to Speak Dog Part 4: Reading a Dog’s Body.

What is this dog telling us? Do you see his behavioral cues?

Trigger stacking and stress hormones.

 

Dog Science

Help dog science! Undertake this survey on Perceptions of Dog Personality.

Wolves show scientists are barking up the wrong tree.

Dog genetics spur scientific spat.

Looking at Dog Brains.

 

Dog Rescue and Sheltering – The good news stories

Study: Impulsive pet adoptions as successful as planned ones.

Downtown Dog Rescue on Facebook.

Poll finds most would pay higher rates to save abandoned pets.

Tip of the week: Used tennis balls – at your services.

Dr Jeff Young – International Achievements in spay/neuter clinics.

DDR and Found Animals join forces for South LA Animals.

 

Dog Rescue and Sheltering – The rest

My Kool-Aid drinking days.

Animal Shelters – the new puppy mills.

Mom was right: It’s not what you say, it’s how you say it.

Raising the bar.

Microchipped, surrendered, loved – not enough to save Tyson from the pound.

How to get a dog from a rescue group.

10 Things You Need to Foster a Dog.

American Humane Association Study and Literature Review Indicates Hundres of Thousands of ADopted Pets are Given Up, Lost or Die Each Year.

Shelter Revolution’s Mission.

Did Cairns RSPCA kill Mamma Dog? Yes, and six more like her.

 

Dog Health

Why long toe nails are harmful to your dog’s health.

Researcher recognized for drug reaction discovery in dogs.

Knuckling Over.

 

Breed Specific Legislation

A tale of two dogs and the many who may follow them.

What is a ‘pit bull’?

“Raising Them Right” and “Bad Owners” – another one close to being the Tweet of the Week.

What could a local council spend $90,000 on?

 

Cops and Dogs

Cops shoot rottweiler dead.

Dog surprises officer after being freed from a fence.

El Monte Police Officer Shoots Family’s 2 -year-old Dog.

 

Other Dog Stuff

Cuddle with a beautiful border terrier puppy.

Mochi and Jolie dog watches.

Dog bite prevention in children.

Seminar! Kids and Dogs: Pitfalls and Potentials.

Easy Slip Lead – a Vet Hospital’s Most Valuable Tool when Dealing with Fearful Dogs.

The “Bait Dog” Phenomenon.

Does your border terrier sing to squeaky toys?

Australian Working Dog Alliance Conference is coming soon.

 

Other Animal Stuff

The Scrotum is Nuts.

Cats that look like male models.

From CreatureCast: Multicellularity and Picky Females.

Show me the honey! Honeyguides and humans team up at dinner time.

Cheetah chases impala antelope into tourist’s car on safari.

What honeybees can teach us about democracy.

20 Most Impressive Wildlife Photos from the National Geographic.

China’s Millionaire Pigeon Racers.

 

Just Other Stuff

Language learning begins in the womb (while this link doesn’t talk about dogs and puppy development, I did wonder what puppies may be learning in utero).

My Imaginary Well Dressed Toddler Daughter.

 

Instagram

Duracell, a new chicken.

Another day, another sleeping Myrtle picture.

Nigretta Falls, Victoria.