Companion dogs

[Nereus]

The cost-of-living crisis and tough rental market is forcing many to surrender their beloved pets (Australia)

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-03-09/ ... /103431852

Holding the flyscreen door of her new home as her three excited huskies scamper inside for the first time is a day Kerry feared would never come.

After more than a year of homelessness and five years of unstable housing, the 52-year-old has her "babies" back — her dogs Sheba, Zuca and Jasper.

“My son even said to me; “Mum, your mental health is gonna just totally do a 180 when you get the dogs back'," Kerry says.

The husky trio were delivered to Kerry's new social house in Adelaide by the crisis charity that came to her aid when the single mother and her two sons, then 13 and 16, were forced out of their pet-friendly home following a rent increase in 2019.

Unable to find a rental she could afford on a disability support pension that allowed dogs, the family has been bouncing between crisis accommodation, motels and temporary social housing.

She was ultimately forced to surrender her beloved dogs when she took refuge in a homeless shelter, and feared they would be euthanased.

She made a panicked phone call to her friend Jen Howard, the founder of Safe Pets Safe Families.

“I was beside myself and I said, ‘I can’t do it. You’re going to have to surrender the dogs for me because I can’t do it and we’re not going to get a house because of them’,” Kerry says.

"For homeless people [and] people that are struggling ... the only companion they've often got is their pet. The only thing that loves them unconditionally, I suppose. So, highly central to their well-being, yet it makes it incredibly difficult to find a private rental," Professor Faulkner said.

"You can't get into crisis accommodation with a pet [or] boarding houses, you know, so the system's not made for people to have pets."

Kerry with her three huskies (from left) Zuca, 11, Sheba, 13, and Jasper, 12, in their new home.(ABC NEWS: Alana Calvert)

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More at the link.............................................................

Not related, but what beautiful animals:

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[joelle]

Just wanted to share this article I read recently.
Admin or moderator please remove if you think it should not be posted.

Everyone who is thinking of getting dogs should read this because you need to understand this reality:

***I am a 21st century dog.***
-I'm a Malinois.
Overskilled among dogs, I excel in all disciplines and I'm always ready to work: I NEED to work.
But nowadays I get asked to chill on the couch all day everyday.

-I am an Akita Inu.
My ancestors were selected for fighting bears.
Today I get asked to be tolerant and I get scolded for my reactivity when another approaches me.

-I am a Beagle.
When I chase my prey, I raise my voice so the hunters could follow.
Today they put an electric collar on me to shut up, and you make me come back to you - no running - with a snap of your fingers.

-I am a Yorkshire Terrier.
I was a terrifying rat hunter in English mines.
Today they think I can't use my legs and they always hold me in their arms.

-I'm a Labrador Retriever.
My vision of happiness is a dive into a pond to bring back the duck he shot to my master.
Today you forget I'm a walking, running, swimming dog; as a result I'm fat, made to stay indoors, and to babysit.

-I am a Jack Russell.
I can take on a fox, a mean badger, and a rat bigger than me in his den.
Today I get scolded for my character and high energy, and forced to turn into a quiet living room dog.

-I am a Siberian Husky.
Experienced the great, wide open spaces of Northern Europe, where I could drag sleds for long distances at impressive speeds.
Today I only have the walls of the house or small garden as a horizon, and the holes I dig in the ground just to release energy and frustration, trying to stay sane.

-I am a border collie
I was made to work hours a day in partnershipwith my master, and I am an unmistakable artist of working with the herd.
Today they are mad at me because, for lack of sheep, I try to check bikes, cars, children in the house and everything in motion.

I am ...
I am a 21st century dog.
I'm pretty, I'm alert, I'm obedient, I stay in a bag...but I'm also an individual who, from centuries of training, needs to express my instincts, and I am *not* suited for the sedentary life you'd want me to lead.
Spending eight hours a day alone in the house or in the garden - with no work and no one to play or run with, seeing you for a short time in the evening when you get home, and only getting a small toilet walk will make me deeply unhappy.
I'll express it by barking all day, turning your yard into a minefield, doing my needs indoors, being unmanageable the rare times I'll find myself outside, and sometimes spending my days sunk, sad, lonely, and depressed, on my pillow.
You may think that I should be happy to be able to enjoy all this comfort while you go to work, but actually I’ll be exhausted and frustrated, because this is absolutely NOT what I'm meant to do, or what I need to be doing.
If you love me, if you've always dreamed of me, if my beautiful blue eyes or my athletic look make you want me, but you can't give me a real dog's life, a life that's really worth living according to my breed, and if you can't offer me the job that my genes are asking, DO NOT buy or adopt me!
If you like the way I look but aren't willing to accept my temperament, gifts, and traits derived from long genetic selection, and you think you can change them with only your good will, then DO NOT BUY OR ADOPT ME.
I’m a dog from the 21st century, yes, but deep inside me, the one who fought, the one who hunted, the one who pulled sleds, the one who guided and protected a herd still lives within.
So think **very** carefully before you choose your dog. And think about getting two, rather than one, so I won't be so very lonely waiting for you all day. Eight or ten hours is just a workday to you, but it's an eternity for me to be alone.

[Nereus]

Just wanted to share this article I read recently.
Admin or moderator please remove if you think it should not be posted.

Yes, it is all very true! In Australia there has been a recent TV program, two of them in fact, called "Muster Dogs". The programs have been a big hit, but the downside is that people in the city are buying these types of dogs as pets, and what you have posted is exactly what is happening.

On the good side it has led to several experienced dog trainers opening up places where owners can take their dogs and let them do what they really like to do. That of course helps, but working types of dogs need that activity everyday, not just now and then.

[STEVE G]

..... And think about getting two, rather than one, so I won't be so very lonely waiting for you all day. Eight or ten hours is just a workday to you, but it's an eternity for me to be alone.

I never had dogs until I came to Thailand but we've had eight of them over the last twenty years and that is the best bit of advice to take onboard.
Dogs are pack animals and keeping them alone is isn't good for them, they need to be around other dogs to be happy.

[dtaai-maai]

I never had dogs until I came to Thailand but we've had eight of them over the last twenty years and that is the best bit of advice to take onboard.
Dogs are pack animals and keeping them alone is isn't good for them, they need to be around other dogs to be happy.

Fair comment, but that's what is so good about having dogs in Thailand - they can very comfortably live outdoors most of the time.

[STEVE G]

^Yes, our dogs live outside all the time, they have plenty of overhead cover from the rain and sun.
The only time they ever come inside is if they get really scared during heavy thunder.

[Big Boy]

Yes, our dogs live outside also, with a couple of exceptions e.g. New Years Eve when they are terrified of fireworks and extreme weather conditions, basically to keep them dry.

Going back to joelle's post, when we moved here we inherited a Rottweiler. She was a fantastic dog. Very faithful, and very protective. When she passed about 2 years ago I wanted another. However, I thought long and hard about it. My wife and I aren't getting any younger, and my fear was we couldn't give a new Rottweiler the attention it required. Certainly, my wife could not handle such a strong beast. I eventually decided a new Rottweiler was not a good idea.

In the end, we went to the rescue centre at Khao Tao and got a much smaller rescue dog. Our newbie dog is just as faithful/loving, but a lot more manageable for us. Thankfully, common sense prevailed.

Always having just one dog in the UK, but multiple dogs here, I can see how much more content multiple dogs are, and they soon develop the pack culture. As well as loving us, they love each other as well.

[HHTel]

We have 5 dogs. Husky, German Shepherd, Labrador, mini-poodle and a Chihuahua. Guess which one is the most aggressive.

The Chihuahua! It has no fear of the other dogs regardless of their size.
The softest and most docile one is the Husky. Easy to look after apart from it's constant hair shedding, which is a daily task.
I agree that dogs appear much happier with other dogs in the family. All 5 of ours do play together despite their differences. When there is a disagreement the Chihuahua always wins!!

[Nereus]

Assistance dogs relieve stress and boost wellbeing in first responders

https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/ ... /103536878

Karen Hollings is a mother, a paramedic, a karate instructor, and someone who takes her golden retriever to bring joy to the local retirement village.

Driven by a traumatic experience at work, she has also started a charity with the help of her service dog Angus - Dogs for First Responders.

"Just prior to 2018, I was assaulted by a patient affected by drugs and alcohol in the back of an ambulance," Ms Hollings told Jo Trilling on ABC Radio Perth.

"It led to three surgeries, extensive rehab, and a battle with PTSD.

"It was certainly life changing.

"Every cloud has a silver lining, and Dogs for First Responders - this charity we have just created - is part of that."

Ms Hollings kicked off Dogs for First Responders with a self-funded pilot program at several hospitals in the southern corridor.

"Angus and I would go to ambulance undercroft bays at Fiona Stanley Hospital and Rockingham Hospital and we would wait and ... ED staff would come out and engage with Angus and paramedics, transport officers, security guards, and basically anybody would come see us in the bay.

"You use the dog as the tool to help bring down the barriers and open up the lines of communication.

"With paramedics, that natural venting and debrief happens in the ambulance undercroft area so ... I figured that was the place to be."

She hopes by starting the conversation, with Angus in tow, about mental health, more first responders will seek out the help available.

"With paramedics, there's still a gap in... getting them to the support that's offered by their organisations so we just want to try help make [them] feel a little bit more comfortable in that space."
............................................................................................
There are several organizations in Australia that take dogs to visit old people living in retirement homes. I like dogs, but I hope that I never end up in one of those soul destroying places, dogs or not!

[Nereus]

Top Dog:

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-03-11/ ... /103573388

Australian shepherd named Viking crowned Best in Show at 2024 Crufts dog competition

"Pinch me! This is everyone's dream. Crufts is the [competition] we all want to win!" Ms Raymand, who was Viking's handler at the show, said.

"My grandma started showing with Beagles and I feel like I've accomplished something she never managed. I'm hoping she is looking down on me."

Crufts show manager Helen Kerfoot congratulated the pair for ending this year's competition "on a real high".

"It has been fantastic to watch their strong relationship together in the ring, and they are very deserving winners," she said.

A Jack Russell terrier named Zen, from Japan, was named the Reserve Best in Show.

Australian shepherd Viking beat 19,000 other dogs from around the world to claim the title of Best in Show.(Reuters: Phil Noble)

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[Nereus]

The Chihuahua! It has no fear of the other dogs regardless of their size.

My late mother had Pekingese pets for years. The first one was given to her by my aunty and only had one eye. He had lost the other one fighting a much bigger dog! He was boss of the working dogs on the farm, no fear of anything!

One that she had much later I gave her as a birthday gift. I was living with my parents at the time and working 28 / 28 offshore. This little thing used to go absolutely bonkers each time I came back from work. Racing around the house, jumping up on me, back and forth until she was exhausted!

[Nereus]

Australian shepherd named Viking crowned Best in Show at 2024 Crufts dog competition

Just for the record, this breed has very little to do with Australia. Very unlikely that you will ever see one working on a farm.

The Australian Shepherd is a breed of herding dog from the United States. The name of the breed is technically a misnomer, as it was developed in California in the 19th century, although it has its origins in Asturias, in the northwest of Spain; the breed was unknown in Australia at the time. It is claimed that Australian Shepherds descend from a variety of herding breeds, including collies imported, alongside sheep, from Australia and New Zealand; the breed reportedly took its name from this trade. Originally used solely as a herding dog, the Australian Shepherd has become one of the most popular companion dog breeds in North America.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_Shepherd

[Ralfredo]

In the end, we went to the rescue centre at Khao Tao and got a much smaller rescue dog.