Labrador Rescue Blog

More of Harry

2011-06-19T23:05:00.000+10:00

Isn't Harry handsome!

Here he is with our gang, he loves the tennis ball :-)

Puppies - My new Auntie K!

2011-06-19T12:55:00.000+10:00

Not really rescue but exciting news in our family!!

My little girl K, has just become an auntie :-). Look at these gorgeous new pure bred Brittany pups fathered by her Champion brother!

Can you believe there are 7 boys and just one little girl !

Congratulations Auntie K ;-)!

Old Harry

2011-06-11T23:18:00.000+10:00

Look who joined our family today !

Sweet old Harry was recently rescued from a local pound and is estimated to be 10-12 yrs old. He has arthritis in his back, elbows, knees and hips. Ouch! It's really beyond me how someone can leave an old fellow in such poor health at the pound to be put down. He's given someone the best years of his life and then this is how it is repaid! There is perhaps not much time left for the poor old fellow but he'll be able to rest comfortably in our home or another if someone will take him in and spoil him rotten for his remaining time.

He has the most beautiful head and face and the most gorgeous temperament. He and my partner are already in love ;-)! He's nervous of our stairs and the tiled floor. We've lain down blankets, dog beds and old carpet on the floors to help him out.

He enjoyed helping us in the kitchen tonight

and peeping out from under the kitchen stool

Keeping 'dad' company on the computer

We love you already Harry!

The Dog Park - is it a good place to socialise and exercise your dog?

2011-06-07T20:57:00.001+10:00

I must admit I'm not a big fan of dog parks. I went to a new one near my place when it first opened and read the guidelines before going in. Wow, I couldn't believe how little notice people took of the guidelines. I was especially concerned to see a big group of owners standing still talking to eachother while their dogs had formed one massive milling pack, I'm talking more than 10 dogs! I really didn't feel comfortable when they all moved in our direction so we left as quickly and safely as we could!

I know quite a few people in my circle of dog friends who are also wary of dog parks. I certainly don't take my new foster dogs to a dog park as I don't know my foster very well and how he/she might react in different situations and I don't yet have the obedience control I feel is necessary for that environment.

I found an interesting article you may like to read regarding dog parks:

http://leerburg.com/pdf/dogparks.pdf

and while there check out lots of other dog training/management articles

http://leerburg.com/dogtrainingebooks.htm

Enjoy the challenge!

One of our new boys looking for a new wonderful home - 10 yr old Calvin

Another Lucky!

2011-06-05T22:07:00.001+10:00

Katherine's dilemma

I have had a call from Animal Welfare League in Sydney. They have a 12 month old male called Lucky. They keep their dogs in kennels and don’t run them together so they have a problem with him. When he sees other dogs, he play bows, wags his tail and growls. Talk about mixed signals! They are 99% sure he is not aggressive but has just never met another dog before so is unsure of what to do. But since they don’t put their dogs together, they have no way of knowing for sure and therefore can’t rehome him.
Do we take him or not ...?

... Well you know us, we said yes, with a little trepidation.

We found a volunteer carer who was willing to take him on, yay! The volunteer foster carer drove from Canberra to Yass on Thursday night with her dog Ari. Lucky came in on transport and was picked up by Katherine. All her dogs and Ari were locked inside and Lucky given time to sniff, stretch his legs and explore his new surroundings. Then one dog at a time was let out to meet Lucky. It became apparent quite quickly that he was only about 9 months old and had no problems at all meeting other dogs, phew! He wasn't even concerned when Katherine's 13 yo arthritic foster boy Harry tried to hump him :-). So he happily joined Ari in the car and waved K good bye - off for his wonderful new adventure!

Guess what - we have an update from his lovely foster carer:

Lucky is doing great! He's a sweet little boy. He needs some training but is responding well to our routines. He has heaps of energy but can also lie down and chill out inside when he is tired. He's eager to please & just wants love and attention. He & Ari get along great & as you saw he doesn't have any aggressive tendencies at all. He's a beautiful boy! Thanks again for your help yesterday. Cheers

Sasha the Cheeky Labrador!

2011-06-04T23:09:00.000+10:00

Hi Linda (and the lab rescue gang)
Oh wow, don't mind at all. Was lovely to see the unseen pic of Sasha with three balls in her mouth LOL. You'll be be happy to know she STILL does that. LOL. As soon as I saw the pic I knew yep that's definitely her hahaha. Thanks for the congrats too. We have been working really hard and it's hard for Sasha to concentrate and focus on me sometimes cause she just thinks that it's playtime every time she sees dogs at school hehee. Was pleasantly suprised but soo proud of her too. I took her out to Petbarn where she got to pick out a new toy (of course she chose the squeaky dumbell LOL).

Please see attached pics, and one with her and Mischa chilling one evening in the lounge room. They have touched noses too but on Mischa's terms of course.

Hope you enjoy the pics (one of Sasha with her toys/balls, one of Sasha and Mischa, one of Sasha and her best friend Honey and at the beach pics. She has now been down the coast twice and LOVES it. Thank you for all the hard work you all do. It truly takes special, caring people to do what you do and I definitely appreciate it. :-)

Cheers for now but I will keep you updated on any more achievements of this gorgeous girl.

Love from A, Sasha and Mischa

p.s. Apologies for the amount of pics, I couldn't help myself LOL

Hi A
Your new photos are too gorgeous not to share!
Many thanks
Linda

Look folks Sasha still loves to collect balls, LOL...!

and surf ...

and just chill out :-).

As I remember Mischa was a very timid rescue cat that needed a lot of patience and care to settle in. It must have taken the same amount of patience and care to help her accept Sasha into the fold too :-).

Awesome!

Happy Ending - Penelope - now Sasha

2011-06-03T22:18:00.001+10:00

Thanks for the awesome update on Sasha! Congratulations on the blue ribbon!

Sasha's new mum had a kind heart and actually applied for shy little Ccelli but after chatting I knew she would adore the wonderful Penelope (now Sasha) who was also staying with me. Sure enough it was a match made in heaven.

Hi Linda,
It's been a while but thought I would share my excited news about lil miss sasha. On sunday we had her obedience training and well she got a blue ribbon first place. Couldn't believe it, every report card she has had says, "sasha is too social, Sasha needs to learn to focus " LOL " she is quite the social butterfuly and just has to say hi to everyone and wants to be everyone's friend. Sadly not everyone wants to be her friend all the time but YAY Sasha. She did so well. Misbehaved when we got there cause it was overwhelming with all the other dogs there but she eventually desensitised to it all and was like, yep whatever. Am also please to report that Mischa the cat is no longer scared of Sasha "the big yellow thing" LOL. While she's not best friend's with her and I don't think you will see her curling up next to Sasha it seems that she has known shown Sasha that she is the boss " when she figured out that she wasn't going to be eaten by the big yellow thing LOL"

I've attached a pic of us and the blue ribbon. heheee

Cheers

Here's a funny photo at our place of Penelope (now Sasha) holding 3 balls in her mouth at once asking for another to be thrown. She was such a hoot!

Also in the photo are
BW (short for Beached Whale!) who is now called Gus and is much more trim and is a wonderful companion for two little children,
and shy litttle Ccelli who went to a home with a loving poodle, three gentle children, a mum who had worked as a vet nurse and a loving grandma.

New homes for Joey and Jarvin

2011-06-03T21:53:00.000+10:00

Joey

While with us Joey absolutely loved playing with a ball (and found balls on our property we didn't even know we had!) and was really interactive with people. I was thrilled when a family with 4 older boys (with ages all in double figures) was keen to meet him. I'm sure this is the kind of home he'll be happy and well stimulated in, hope his new family are just as happy with Joey. Here's a quick report of their initial meeting:

Meeting went great. Joey is such a good dog isnt he? Such good manners :) He met H and two of her boys who really seemed to take to him. The boys told me he's got lots of toys waiting for him at home and it sounds like he's going to be a very busy boy taking everyone in the family for walks!

Jarvin

Jarvin was a young boisterous boy looking for a loving home that could enjoy his energy and continue his training. One family on our waiting list had been keen on quite a few of our Labs but missed out each time for different reasons. Then they saw Jarvin and expressed interest in him and we thought it might be the right match this time (ie. a woman with previous Lab experience with two grown children living at home, one studying and one working) and a meeting was arranged. He is now on trial and the first report sounds really promising:

Just to let you know our beautiful boy is settling in really well. He is certainly bringing a lot of joy into our house. My daughter has fallen instantly in love with him and he certainly knows how to charm the girls. We have decided to call him Harvey. Thanks again for bringing him to us, will let you know how things go after our 2 week trial.

A younger Jarvin in the middle

Changing providers

2011-05-29T22:58:00.000+10:00

Hey, I'll be offline for a week as I change internet providers so see you later!

More puppy photos to enjoy:

Mad Max & Buddy

Mad Max & J

Mad Max

Princess the Kelpie pup greeting E

Prince and Princess with J

Prince and Princess with the family

Catch you later!

Sweet Stella

2011-05-28T21:28:00.000+10:00

Stella is now in foster care, a pound rescue who was left in one of the outside cages with a note saying not good with other dogs and children. We decided to rescue her and test her and if she was not suitable for re-homing would have been prepared to put her down. Thankfully this won't be necessary. She came up in the same transport as Arti last weekend but fortunately had been vaccinated the week before travelling so is expected to be protected from Parvo and is showing no signs of illness.

She's estimated to be 18 months to 2 yrs old and is possibly a Lab cross German Short-haired Pointer with the looks and characteristics of both breeds.

She just loves playing with balls! She will even play ball alongside another ball loving dog without any altercations regarding ball ownership :-). In fact she walks well past other dogs on her daily walks as well. She met Katherine's four Labs today and was a little overwhelmed but showed no aggression, once greetings were over she preferred playing with a ball than socialising with the other dogs.

She's been tested with a 7 yr old child and just showed signs of frustration when being teased but soon settled as the child was managed to help reduce the dogs frustration levels. She then really loved playing with the child and vice versa. It is as important to manage children's behaviour around dogs as to manage dogs around children. Children need to be taught how to treat dogs well. Always supervise dogs and children together!

Stella has been offered to a lovely home on our waiting list.

Indoor Swimming Pool

2011-05-25T21:16:00.000+10:00

Well our place smells like we have an indoor swimming pool. We've been disinfecting all the surfaces we can with a chlorine bleach solution (1 part bleach to 5 parts water) as recommended by our vet.

A little sad that we're unlikely to be able to foster baby pups for Lab Rescue for up to a year now that we've had the Parvo virus on our property.

Our vets have assured us our dogs are fully vaccinated but I am still worried and probably won't relax until the incubation period has passed.

Here are some happy puppy memories:

Another Vale for Arti

2011-05-24T23:19:00.000+10:00

A touching farewell from another friend of Arti who is also caring for a rescue fighting Parvo

I am really sorry Arti. You were a beautiful boy. I wished I'd given you some more cuddles and not rushed you both in so quickly to get on the road.

You were such a sweet boy - happy, exuberant but not over the top - just the perfect blend of a loving family dog - anyone could easily fall in love with you. The world will be poorer without you - I hope you are safe and well now. You will be missed.

I'm so sorry Linda, Katherine and Mary - he was a beautiful dog. Nothing I can say will make it any better or the pain go away - just know I am sad for him too - so wrong and such a waste of a beautiful dog. Curse on his former owners.

Please cross your fingers for my girl Amelia - she is still on the drip fighting. Hugs to you all.

Hugs for Amelia, keep fighting little one.

Vale Arti

2011-05-22T21:50:00.001+10:00

Very sad to share that Arti succumbed to Parvo an hour ago. He seemed well yesterday afternoon on arrival but overnight he started to throw up and then refused breakfast, wouldn't drink any water and just kept hiding in a corner of the garden looking miserable. We booked him for a morning appointment at my local vet, observing his first bout of bloody diarrhoea just before leaving. He grew worse during the appointment, had a fever of 41 and tested positive for Parvo. We decided to try to give him a chance to live. He was put on a drip to keep him hydrated. His blood count and protein levels were normal but his blood sugar was very low 1.7 (normally about 3.5) so he was put on a glucose drip and started on antibiotics. The afternoon update phone call was encouraging, he had eaten a little during the afternoon. We were hoping for a better update phone call at 8pm. Alas, he had deteriorated to the point where blood sugar level was zero, his gums were pale and he was unresponsive. I decided to go down to see him before making the heart wrenching decision of whether to let him go or keep trying by transferring him to emergency.
Arti really looked much worse than I was expecting, totally unresponsive, and the vet checked and confirmed that he was indeed gone.

Arti I will remember you wanting to play with our big coward Gus last night, and Gus hiding under the dining room table while you paced around waiting for him to come out again :-).
I remember introducing you to the cat, her growling at you and you deciding to growl at her!
Thank you for the hugs you gave us, they were the best loving puppy hugs!
Thanks for helping me in the kitchen last night :-).
Arti we thought you were a gorgeous natured little boy with a beautiful life ahead of you.
I hope you're enjoying rainbow bridge free of the pain and distress you went through today.
Forgive us.

Artie - the new boy

2011-05-21T22:14:00.000+10:00

Bye Jet...

I took Jet to meet his new volunteer foster mum yesterday, a home with no cat! Such a relief for our cat who finally came out of 'her' wing of the house last night after a week of hiding, LOL. Here's a good bye shot of Jet with my daughter E who wanted to adopt him!

Hello Artie...

A volunteer rescuer has had a very long day driving from Canberra to Wagga to Goulburn and back to Canberra today. Thankfully she was able to bring two Labs from Wagga pound for us. I picked up Artie and another Lab Rescue volunteer picked up the black girl now called Angie.

We were expecting a 3 yr old but I think he looks and acts like a baby, isn't he a cutie! His dangly bits are pretty small too which confirms my suspicions - Katherine made me do it ;-) LOL. We'll see what the vet thinks when he goes in for his vetwork. Poor little mite appears to be suffering from Kennel Cough.

Typical of all our Lab fosters - he lay down in the kitchen to keep me company while I cooked dinner. Gotta love 'em.

Artie - trying to avoid the annoying paparazzi! He kept looking away as soon as he saw the camera coming - I think he learnt his lesson after the first blinding flash!

Artie had a practice run in the crate during dinner and Dr Who. He was quiet as a lamb and very settled. This photo shows him tucking himself into the crate later of his own accord (the door is open). Hoping for a peaceful sleep tonight :-).

We have him here for just one night, tomorrow he moves to another available volunteer foster carer with two fun dogs to play with!

Our poor old cat is in a very bad mood again, LOL!!!

Archie's Happy New Family

2011-05-20T19:43:00.000+10:00

We received a lovely update from Archie's new home today, yay!

Me and my partner D rescued Archie around a month ago and I wanted to email and let you know how he is going. We have another labrador named Angus who is around 18 months and he thought it was Christmas when we bought Archie home. I don't think they have stopped playing with each other yet! Archie has become a part of our little family and it feels like he has always been with us. He still has a little trouble with male strangers because of him being abused in the past but he gets better everyday and we hope in the future he will be less timid around strangers.

We are so incredibly happy that we got to rescue Archie, he is so loved by us and by Angus and we are lucky to have him in our lives. We want to thank you for rescuing him and giving him to us!

M, D, Angus & Archie

Awesome news, thank you!

Belle looks happy!

2011-05-17T20:42:00.000+10:00

Before coming to Lab Rescue, Belle had been bought as a birthday present for a 90 yr old family member. It soon became apparent that this was not the best situation for Belle or her new dad so the family sought our help to find her a wonderful new home.

She was picked up by her new family on Saturday and we're thrilled to see how well she has settled in and how loved she is already :-).

Belle is absolutely wonderful and almost immediately settled in so well with the entire family and has a truly beautiful nature. We are all looking forward to growing old together. Attached are some photos of her with our daughter E and her new pal Rosie, you are welcome to use as many as you require.

We can assure you there will be no trial period or refund required, we love her to bits already.

What a lovely new start for Belle!

Jarvin - the failed working dog

2011-05-14T09:45:00.001+10:00

How gorgeous is Jarvin!

Fourteen month old Jarvin didn't pass his last test so is looking for a lovely new home!

Now being offered to suitable homes on our waiting list :-).

Joey is back

2011-05-14T09:37:00.001+10:00

Joey's trial hasn't worked out so he's back in foster care in Sydney, just more active than his new family were expecting. Here are some photos of his few days with me.

Lessons at the white board with J

Playing ball with J, he could play this all day!

Joey resting in the loungeroom after a busy day with J :-)

Now being offered to suitable homes on our waiting list :-)

Jolly Jet is with me!

2011-05-12T20:15:00.000+10:00

9 year old Jet has been in foster care for two days. I received a call from his foster carer tonight asking if we could take Jet urgently as her dog had injured his leg and needed to recuperate. No problems, and half an hour later he was dropped off to me with his blanket, lead and car harness.

He was very excited on arrival and explored the house and garden with waggy tail and big grin. I think of him as Jolly Jet now as he is so happy and friendly.

He's in lovely condition and quite a tall long legged boy.

After dinner he was finally able to relax near me at the computer.

Such a kissable face!!!

We were warned he was food focussed. He certainly surfs the benches checking to see what's in reach! Here he is hoping for some of my daughter's dinner, he behaved very well though :-).

We were also warned that he hates cats in the profile provided by his previous owner. We had him on lead and brought our 10 yr old cat into the room and he was very excited and whiney and pulled hard on the lead to try to reach her. He was fixated on the door after she scooted off to safety. He didn't look aggressive just very keen to play but we'll play it safe and just have short controlled times together until he can go to another foster carer without a cat.

Well I've set up his bed in a crate with his blanket and guess who has taken a liking to it !!! We've done a little training with treats to go into the crate and lie down with the command 'Bed' so I'm hoping he'll use it when we go to bed.

Good night

Some Incoming Dogs

2011-05-10T22:35:00.000+10:00

Some of the dogs needing assistance this week

Jet - 9 yr old male - surrender - Canberra

Male Lab in Wagga Pound

Hugo - 6 to 8 yr old male Lab from Canberra Pound

Sydney - 7 yr old male Lab x Goldie - surrender in Sydney

Stella - 3 yo female Lab - Wagga Pound

As we get to know them we'll match them with families on our waiting list.
If there are no matches then we'll pop profiles up on the website.

Generous Donation

2011-05-08T22:45:00.000+10:00

Wow, today I picked up a Lab sized dog crate and bags and bags of Nutro dog food (2.5 kg bags) donated to Lab Rescue by

Belconnen Discount Pet Centre

65 Oatley Court

Belconnen ACT 2617

(02) 6251 7759

Thank you for your generosity!

Wish we had more dogs like Barney!

2011-05-08T10:38:00.001+10:00

Barney joined his lovely new home on Friday. We could have re-homed this gorgeous boy to fantastic homes 10 times over!! It was hard to disappoint so many families.

A quick note from his wonderful foster carer:

B was wonderful, very kind. She loved Barney and he has gone home with her. Fingers crossed the next couple of weeks goes well…. Oh I will miss him!

Lucky boy has gone to a home on a property on the far south coast of NSW (east of Canberra) to a family who lost a beloved dog just 10 days before applying for another dog through us. He'll be helping out with their 12 horses and have the company of a 6 1/2 yo Lab and be able to curl up in front of the fire at night. He loves the wide open spaces and was great with cows and chooks while on holiday with his foster family, so we have high hopes that he'll really love his new home.

Be a good boy with the horses Barney :-)!

Great Teaching Moments Everyday

2011-05-06T20:40:00.000+10:00

Sammy

Does Your Dog Know What You Want?

2011-05-06T08:53:00.000+10:00

Junior

Role Reversal and Self Handicapping in Play

2011-05-03T22:56:00.001+10:00

Chris asked for some more information on self handicapping in play and was kind enough to take the photos that are attached to this post (alternate photos attached) that illustrate self handicapping between an adult dog and a puppy. Great shots Chris and four legged family and friends : )

Some of the elements of good healthy play were touched on in Paws for Thought 9 - Play or Warming up for a Fight? Since then we’ve looked at the play bow (PFT 10), arousal (PFT25) and calming signals (PFT31) and also the concept of a puppy licence and its loss (PFT 20). All of these give you things to watch for and think about when observing your dog/s interacting with people, dogs and other animals. This post adds more information on two of the most important aspects of good healthy dog play – self handicapping and role reversal.

Self-handicapping

Self-handicapping is where an stronger, faster, more skilled dog self inhibits their speed, strength and even play style so that they can better match the abilities of their play partner. If it helps think of a parent deliberately not winning every card game they play with their child.

As Dr Camille Ward states "Even though on first take, play fighting and real fighting may look similar, there are some key differences between the two. For example, during play, dogs often engage in self-handicapping behavior. Self-handicapping occurs when one player voluntarily puts herself in a vulnerable or disadvantaged position in order to give her partner a competitive advantage."

Self-handicapping though is not as easy as it sounds. It requires a dog to know their own abilities, to judge the abilities of the other party and then adjust their behaviour to minimise the chance of injury or frightening the other party and maximise the chances of play continuing. You see it between dogs and puppies (see the attached photos from Chris below to illustrate this) but you also see it between adult dogs and between dogs and other animals such as cats or kittens and even between dogs and humans, and particularly with children. All of this raises many questions (largely unanswered) about dogs and their image of self, others and even feelings.

One other thing you need to know about self-handicapping is that it requires immense self-control. This is a skill that well socialised dogs learn from other great dog communicators. It’s also something that becomes harder and harder to do as arousal levels rise. So don’t be surprised if your dog can’t maintain self-handicapping for long periods of time and therefore quits the scene, calls off the playtime, gives signals that they need a time out or even appears to get quite rough quite quickly. All this is another good reason to:

- Interrupt and redirect players when arousal levels are just starting to build – particularly if you don’t know all the players, but even just as a normal part of play. Regularly check that your dog still responds to your cues by asking him to sit, come or whatever and then rewarding him by allowing him to return to play. It only takes seconds for things to get out of control if arousal levels get too high. It only takes seconds for things to calm down if you call time out before levels rise too far. This will also help you with your dog in the dog park or other situations because he comes to learn that he’s not always going to be leaving the first time you call or catch him.

- Teach a dog self control as part of your basic training and introduce it into games such as tug, fetch etc so that they learn self control when playing with humans.

For other examples of self-handicapping at work check out the videos:

Dog to puppy play - http://www.theotherendoftheleash.com/tag/dog-play-dvd/

Dog and cat both self handicapping - http://espanol.video.yahoo.com/watch/3520257/9763112

Role Reversal

Role reversal in many ways is associated with self-handicapping. In role reversal a more dominant/confident dog will voluntarily offer behaviours that you would not see them doing in a real situation such as fight with the dog that they are playing with. For instance when playing the confident dog may roll on their belly, or turn and run off inviting their playmate to chase them for a change. It appears that the strategy used to ensure that the other party continues to play – and at the same time it gives the other dog a chance to practice more confident behaviours but in a low risk environment – after all it’s all in the name of play (at least until arousal causes the game to fall apart).

Role reversal is why you’ll see socially healthy dogs taking turns in being chased, being on the top and bottom of a wrestle and applying inhibited bites. If you don’t see role reversal and one dog or puppy is continually at the bottom of the pileup or the only one being chased and never given the opportunity to chase then this is not an example of healthy play – get in there and address the situation. It may be that one or more of the other dogs is being a bully (or monstering as I think Grant calls it). You may need to consider a different mix of play mates. You may also need to address the behaviour of the bully – particularly if they belong to you.

Over to you

Keep an eye out next time you watch your dog/s playing with other dogs and even with children and see how they modify their play. You might be surprised what you see when you’re looking for it. There is so much more to these dogs we take for granted, then we may ever know.

References

Marc Bekoff – Social Play Behaviour. Cooperation, Fairness, Trust, and the Evolution of Morality at http://www.imprint.co.uk/pdf/81-90.pdf

Patricia McConnell’s Other End of the Leash blog - http://www.theotherendoftheleash.com/play-and-self-handicapping/

Dr Camille Ward - http://dogtime.com/fighting-or-playing-faq-camille-ward.html

A Letter

2011-05-02T22:45:00.005+10:00

This came via email today, you may have seen it before but bear with me while I share it again :-).

What a lovely little story to remind us that life really can be beautiful. It is not known who replied, but there is a beautiful soul working in the dead letter office of the US postal service.

Our 14 year old dog, Abbey, died last month. The day after she died, my 4 year old daughter Meredith was crying and talking about how much she missed Abbey.. She asked if we could write a letter to God so that when Abbey got to heaven, God would recognize her. I told her that I thought we could so she dictated these words:

Dear God,

Will you please take care of my dog? She died yesterday and is with you in heaven. I miss her very much. I am happy that you let me have her as my dog even though she got sick.

I hope you will play with her.. She likes to play with balls and to swim. I am sending a picture of her so when you see her You will know that she is my dog. I really miss her.

Love,
Meredith

We put the letter in an envelope with a picture of Abbey and Meredith and addressed it to God/Heaven. We put our return address on it.. Then Meredith pasted several stamps on the front of the envelope because she said it would take lots of stamps to get the letter all the way to heaven. That afternoon she dropped it into the letter box at the post office. A few days later, she asked if God had gotten the letter yet. I told her that I thought He had.

Yesterday, there was a package wrapped in gold paper on our front porch addressed, 'To Meredith' in an unfamiliar hand.. Meredith opened it. Inside was a book by Mr. Rogers called, 'When a Pet Dies..' Taped to the inside front cover was the letter we had written to God in its opened envelope. On the opposite page was the picture of Abbey & Meredith and this note:

Dear Meredith,

Abbey arrived safely in heaven.

Having the picture was a big help. I recognized Abbey right away.

Abbey isn't sick anymore. Her spirit is here with me just like it stays in your heart. Abbey loved being your dog. Since we don't need our bodies in heaven, I don't have any pockets to keep your picture in, so I am sending it back to you in this little book for you to keep and have something to remember Abbey by..

Thank you for the beautiful letter and thank your mother for helping you write it and sending it to me. What a wonderful mother you have. I picked her especially for you. I send my blessings every day and remember that I love you very much. By the way, I'm easy to find, I am wherever there is love.

Love,
God

Yay for Yoshi

2011-05-01T22:03:00.000+10:00

Yoshi came back recently from a trial home accompanied by some distressing stories about her interactions with another family dog and with two dogs at a local dog park, which were not experienced by her foster carer whilst in care. Her behaviour was carefully observed at Katherine's place with her Labs and the Lab she is fostered with. Her style of play incorporated the herding behaviours of nipping and rounding up other dogs. She was certainly considered re-homable with an experienced owner who would carefully supervise introductions with other dogs and monitor their play.

Fortunately we had another lovely family who had previously had a dog with similar needs and were keen to find out more about Yoshi. They came to visit her yesterday and took her home. I'd like to share the lovely email we received today about how she is settling in.

Oh my God she is just so adorable! ....... fast asleep before Murrumbateman as predicted.

We had a fuss free trip home, stopping at D's Mums house where she has a quick drink and met Sally the Samoyed through the fence. There was much sniffing, tail wagging and a playful growl.

We had another stop in Cooma for a drink and toilet break. It was dark by this time so she stuck pretty close. Another small dog in the park for a toilet break too ran over too and they had a sniff and a play.

She spent the evening exploring the house and yard and we set her up in the bathroom to sleep with a bed, water and a couple of toys. She settled fairly quickly and demonstrated her housetraining.

This morning she got to explore the yard in daylight and seemed to approve. We left her out on her own twice so far increasing the length of time and she didn't seem fussed at all.

She located a couple of old bones in the yard but didn't take them up until they were handed directly to her.

She came to the cafe this morning for coffee and was the perfect puppy. She played with Bella the 12 month old spoodle and Elliot, a 5 year old little boy. She sat down nicely when anyone approached her and spent the rest of the time chilling quietly. She won lots of fans down there with everyone admiring her looks, calm demeanour and gentle nature.

We are practising sit, drop and heel and she is a fast learner.

She must have landed on a stick when she was running and playing in the dam yesterday and it feels like there might still be a piece under her skin. She is licking it a bit but otherwise doesn't seem too fussed. I have put some antiseptic on it and we will take her to the vet if it doesn't clear up.

All in all - she has been an absolute delight so far!

It's always amazing to see what a difference an experienced handler can make to a dog's life! Awesome :-)

Note well: Please don't take a new rescue dog to a dog park until you have built a trusting bond with your new dog and you know your dog and have basic obedience under control.

Congratulations to Yoshi's new family!

Bringing out the big guns

2011-05-01T08:23:00.000+10:00

Jack's itchies haven't calmed down much so I washed him in Malaseb on Thursday and will give him another today. I noticed lots of crusty patches on his back near the base of his tail and some on his side where he is losing hair. They are starting to dry up and flake off. I'm hoping this is a good sign.

He's been having half a cup of dry food twice a day rather than 1 1/2 and is looking much more trim, taut and terrific so I have upped it to 3/4 cup to see if this will maintain current weight. Weight management is an everyday activity and portions served changed according to the body's response!

He's such a sweetie with Annie :-)

They both move on today so we'll be back to just our two again.

Calming Signals

2011-04-30T12:44:00.000+10:00

This is one of many dog ownership tips I'd like to share with you under the name 'Paws for Thought' written by a friend at work, posted here with her permission. Please note that these posts are written by a dog lover learning more every day and happy to share. They are intended to give you options and ideas to think about. They do not replace the help of a professional (such as a vet, behaviourist, trainer or lawyer). Posts can be shared with others as long as you make sure that any references contained within the post remain with the post and please do not take chunks out of context. Preference is definitely for the whole post to be shared rather than pieces.

Another Paws for Thought talked a little about arousal – its signs and some tips on how to manage it. This post is more about some of the body language that it seems dogs use when they get stressed including when they need to lower someone else’s arousal levels.

Turid Rugaas who is a Norwegian dog trainer and author of a number of books, the most widely known of which is ‘On Talking Terms With Dogs: Calming Signals.’ She watched and videoed dogs in all sorts of situations and from that identified about 30 signals (components of body language) that Turid calls calming signals.

The theory is that dogs need to avoid conflicts as they are dangerous – causing injury and weakening individual dogs and the pack.

The use of these calming signals are meant to:
·         Maintain a healthy social hierarchy and resolve conflict.
·         Calm the dog sending the calming signals and others in fearful or stressful situations.
·         Be used early to prevent unfriendly interactions.

Some of these 30 signals are known and used by almost all dogs. Other dogs have a richer vocabulary and use more of the range in order to avoid conflict. Dogs don’t just use these calming signals with other dogs. Some use them with other animals including cats or horses. They also use them with people but unfortunately we’re not very good at reading them. Hopefully this post will help at least some of you improve the communication between you and your dog.

Turid believes that by failing to recognise these signs or even worse punishing your dog for using them we an cause a dog to give up using them with us and other dogs, cause frustration nervousness or even aggression. She and many others put a great deal of store in these signals. Others are not so convinced.

Threatening signals (as perceived by the dog not defined by your intent) will cause dogs to use calming signals. These threatening signals might include walking straight at a dog, reaching for a dog, bending over them, staring at a dog or maintaining eye contact with one or fast movements as examples.

So what are these calming signals?

The calming signals identified by Turid include:

Yawning
- Not when tired but at other times when you wouldn’t expect it.

Licking
- This includes very quick little flicks of the tongue and licks to their own nose.
- It appears that black dogs, dogs with lots of hair around their faces and others whose facial expressions might be more difficult for another dog to see.

Turning away and/or turning the head away
- The dog might turn their head slightly to one side or completely away from whoever they are concerned about.
- The dog might turn completely around so that it’s back and tail faces whoever they think needs calming.

Blinking or averting the eyes

Play bow
- Turid differentiates between play bows where the dog is moving its legs from side to side in a playful manner and standing still while bowing.
-- Moving legs in a playful manner equates to the play bow discussed in Paws for Thought post 12 Play
Bows – The Punctuation in Play
-- Standing still and bowing she believes is used as a signal to calm someone down.

Sniffing the ground
- This might be anything from moving the nose swiftly down toward the ground and lifting it back up again to sticking the nose to the ground and persisting in this for some time. A fairly common site in many training classes – but owners and sometimes trainers see it as being difficult or obstinate or maybe not having the right level of treats/rewards handy.
- Yes dogs sniff normally but depending on the situation it might also be a calming situation. Watch for when the sniffing occurs.

Walking slowly
- A dog who is feeling insecure will move slowly.

Freezing
- This is when the dog stops completely still in any position and remains in that position for anything from seconds to some time.
- So your well behaved pooch just sitting by you when you talk to strangers may in fact be stressed and using the freeze as a signal – one you’re missing out on reading.

Sitting down
- Sitting down is a strong signal to calm things down. To sit with their back turned to you or whoever they are concerned about is meant to be even more calming. But how often do owners get frustrated and angry about this?

Lifting one paw
- Lifting just one paw can be used as a calming signal – although it is more rarely used then many of the other signals listed here.

Walking in a curve
- When given a change dogs will normally walk in curves around each other – watch for it when dogs are off lead. It is considered the polite way to meet – this might explain why some dogs may react so strongly when forced by us to meet another dog face to face on the path.

Smiling
- Either pulling the corners of the mouth up and back or showing the teeth in a grin.

Shaking off
- Shaking like they’ve just had a bath. While Turid suggests this is a calming signal others have associated it with breakthroughs in learning.

Smacking the lips

Wagging the tail in circumstances other than when the dog is happy

Urinating on himself
- Cowering and crawling towards you while wetting himself and wagging his tail show three clear calming signals that are also signs of fear. Some dogs also throw in wanting to get up to your face and lick the corners of your mouth.

Making their face round and smooth with the ears held close to the head in order to act like a puppy and try and get away with it.

Laying down with the belly to the ground. Not submission this is lying down with the belly up.

Splitting up
- Moving between dogs or people where they feel increasing tension or arousal.

And there are more.

To hear Turid herself talk about these signals check out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lj7BWxC6iVs.

What some others have to say about calming signals

Terry Ryan, another well known trainer, has this to say about calming signals and the need to develop an awareness of them:

“Some dogs don't play by the rules. There are numerous reasons a dog might lose the inborn ability to use calming signals properly. Puppies learn valuable lessons from their environment. One must be very careful about the company a puppy keeps or the pup might learn that calming signals are of no use. If a pup, while displaying calming signals, encounters a dog lacking respect for appropriate body language, is attacked, much ground has been lost. This pup might learn to use threatening actions as a life insurance policy instead of calming signals. Luckily, with most dogs it takes more than one or two unfortunate incidents to extinguish signaling. Calming is a very dominant instinct in dogs. However it's a good idea to protect young dogs from interacting with unnatural, angry dogs. Safe, friendly dogs with good signals are the best teachers a young dog can have. Puppy classes are helpful in teaching these lessons, but can do more harm than good if inappropriate dogs are allowed to interact.

Some owners hamper a dog's attempt to communicate with other dogs or humans by inhibiting them with leashes. Yes, by all means dogs should be on leash. No, it is not safe to turn your dog loose to "communicate freely" with an unknown dog. But be aware that you could be helping your dog get into trouble by preventing appropriate body language. A more prudent plan is for you and your pet to keep your distance from an unknown entity.

Whether on purpose or unintentionally, some dogs have been taught to ignore signals. Many responsible owners seek dog obedience classes as an opportunity to train their dogs. Here's a typical obedience class exercise: Owners command their dogs to Sit and Stay. Dogs happily comply. The class instructor now asks owners and dogs to take turns weaving among the sitting dogs. This is fine in an advanced class of dogs with well-know temperaments. But in a beginner's class a handler might be asked to prevent a fearful dog from signaling.

For example, Brownie is trying her best to maintain the sit-stay while the other dogs in class weave around her. She may be a little worried about the next dog approaching, so she wants to use her calming signals and tries to lie down. She is prevented from breaking her sit-stay by her owner pulling up on the lead. Next she tries to slowly move away, another common calming signal. Brownie's owner forces her back into position.

What about King, the approaching dog? King is made to stay in heel position and cannot move slowly either. Nor can King curve and certainly he is not allowed to sniff.

What about the enthusiastic trainer who gives overly sharp commands or pushes the dog too far to fast in an exercise? The dog may try to signal the owner to let up a little. Here we see yawning on the sit-stay, sniffing on the heeling, curving slowly on the recall, turning away on the sit in front.”

Karen Pryor of clicker training fame has this to say in a post on aggression, calming signals and clicking (http://diamondsintheruff.com/karenpryor.html):

“I can be very comfortable about saying how I, at least, use the clicker with some of the behavioral events people lump under the topic of aggression. Before a dog launches into overt displays of barking etc., it almost inevitably does those things Turid calls calming signals. Turning the head aside a little and licking the lips are the two I use most.

In the first place, if you watch for those behaviors you will be able to gauge the distance at which your dog feels pressured, way before he or she starts acting up. This tells you at what distance to start reshaping with the clicker.

Second, if you click and treat the calming signals themselves they will increase; and since they are the first line of defense, and open threat/ attack is the last line of defense, increasing these signals tends to replace the more overt behavior. Plus the dog feels better, too. You can then click to reduce the distance at which the calming signals appear; and you can negatively reward the dog for giving those signals by going away from the object he's fearful of (not backwards: sideways.) Once you get the tolerable distance down to fifty feet or less, you can use the click to reinforce passing by another dog in a big arc (another calming signal), something you will arrange by walking in a big arc yourself--giving that nasty stranger a wide berth, as it were, but clicking your dog for doing that, with you.”

Some others raise concern about teaching a dog to display calming signals. They argue that this means that you don’t get a real read on the feelings of your dog because they are masking their true response with a trained behaviour.

Things to think about

All this gives us something to think about in terms of our perceptions of what dogs are thinking, feeling and saying. Think about the following common situations mentioned on Turid’s website:
· The dog knows when he’s when he’s done something wrong. When I get home, he always looks guilty! Remorseful dog?....or good calming behaviours?
· Your dog doesn’t seem to like other dogs. He always turns his head away when a new dog approaches. Shy dog?....or good calming behaviours?
· When you and your partner hug each other the dog always pushes in between you. Jealous dog?....or good calming behaviours?

Now over to you...

To wrap up this post:
·         Watch your dog interacting with yourself, other family members and other animals over the next days and weeks and see what you might pick up from the signals that they are sending. Feel free to share what you find.

References
·         Turid Rugaas – On Talking Terms With Dogs: Calming Signals
·         http://www.canis.no/rugaas/index.php
·         http://www.canis.no/rugaas/onearticle.php?artid=1
·         http://www.carolark.com/calming.html
·         http://diamondsintheruff.com/calmingsignals.html
·         http://diamondsintheruff.com/karenpryor.html
·         http://www.neholistic.com/articles/0099.htm
·         http://k9deb.com/clinical.htm

The Great Escape!

2011-04-30T08:29:00.001+10:00

Annie can climb up the sides of the playpen. She made it to the top with her elbows over the edge but I wasn't game to just stand there and take photos in case she fell awkwardly!!

There must be better playpen designs!

Our New Favourite Puppy - Annie!

2011-04-28T20:59:00.000+10:00

Annie was rescued from being put down yesterday. I met Katherine's partner halfway between our homes this afternoon and brought her home. She's absolutely adorable, very outgoing and affectionate :-). Not sure how much Lab she is, if any, she may have a home lined up already anyway, so we just have her til Sunday. She's very clever and with careful supervision has only toileted outside so far. I fed her a cup of dry food and half a sachet of BARF tonight thinking she would stop when she got full. She now looks like a ball with legs so there may be a bit of a mess in her playpen in the morning! She has tucked herself into the crate to sleep and is very happy in there on her own now after a couple of practice sessions during the afternoon.

Awesome Annie

K wanted to play!

Jack was keen to say hello

Annie and the kids

At my feet

2011-04-27T21:20:00.001+10:00

Isn't Jack sweet!

Labs (and Lab crosses with the Lab temperament and honourary Labs like my Britt girl K ;-)) love to be close to you :-)

not watching you from outside through a window or across the room on a mat!!!

The pounds and RSPCA are full !

2011-04-27T17:45:00.001+10:00

Wow, over the past couple of days we've been contacted for assistance in re-homing 5 dogs! It seems the RSPCA and pounds are full, sadly the norm during school holidays.

A 7 month old girl
An 18 month old yellow boy
A 7 yr old yellow girl - Snuggles
A 1 yr old girl - Mia
A 3 yr old yellow boy - Spiky - gone to Jo at Luv-a-Lab

We've asked for more information and photos so new ads should be up on the website soon, unless we have an obvious match on our waiting list.

Snuggles

Punk Rocker

2011-04-26T18:56:00.000+10:00

My gorgeous boy G had a mast cell tumour removed last Monday. Guess what - Murphy's law rules - he pulled a stitch out today, on a public holiday, ka-ching! Now he's all stapled up (20 staples!) with nowhere to party! I should have asked for some matching earings ;-).

Day 1

Today - before trip to the vet

Today - after trip to the vet

Jack had a lovely wash today with a medicated soap in the bath, he smells great and is no longer constantly scratching himself. Crossing fingers a weekly wash will keep him comfortable. I promise to keep an eye on him though :-).

The dogs all got a lamb shank to chew on today, to help clean their teeth and cater for their desire to chew. Jack kept trying to steal K's bone so I had to separate them. Then to my surprise another neighbourhood dog jumped the fence and took Jack's bone off him, Karma. At least Jack had chewed off all the meat and was up to bone munching!

Well it certainly was an exciting day today!!! Tomorrow is my son's 13th birthday party so it's going to be just as busy I'm sure. Not sure how to manage 3 dogs and 12 partying youngsters yet but will come up with something :-).

Jack is visiting for a week

2011-04-25T22:07:00.000+10:00

Jack is staying with us for a week while his awesome foster care family are away.

Jack has been in Lab Rescue care for a looong time. I picked him up from transport months ago, I remember he came in from the pound really skinny so it's great to see his body more in proportion with his huge boofy head - shhh don't tell him but he might be getting a little less food than normal just to ease the burden on his bung knees. He's had one knee done 3 times and has yet to heal well enough to have the other knee fixed. Not much fun for this nice boy. He has a lovely nature though great with kids, dogs and cats :-). He even has pink polish on his nails thanks to the loving girls in his foster family, LOL!

He seems very itchy tonight so I'm going to see if a soothing wash will help tomorrow. He's already getting mackerel mixed in with his dry food every day. Not sure yet what the cause is and how we can help.

Bye for now

New Arrivals

2010-09-13T23:13:00.000+10:00

Periwinkle and Jolie

Periwinkle (left) arrived last weekend and Jolie (right) arrived this weekend, from the same pound. We reckon they could be sisters, what do you think! I've had to colour code them with a purple collar for Peri and an orange one for Jolie, so we could tell them apart at a glance. Lovely Labbie paws but funny looking ears so possibly Lab cross Border Collie (or Kelpie) pups.

The kids are enjoying puppy cuddles :-).

Dray is Wonderful !

2010-09-12T12:10:00.000+10:00

Here's an awesome happy ending story for 9 yo Dray who was surrendered to us after his kids moved out of home and his parents decided to re-home him. Warms the heart!

Just a note to tell you how Dray is going.

We could not have been matched more perfectly than with Dray.

Each morning he wakes me at about 6am and he is kind of sluggish, he goes out to pee and he comes ripping through the house to my daughter's room, jumps on her bed (which I need to get him out of) and nuzzles her as he knows this is the time she gets up to walk him. He comes back for breakfast and naps for a while. When I grab my keys, he is up again ready to go to work! He is pretty sedate in the car until we enter work premises. As soon as he sees the building he starts yelping, wagging the tail and jumping around the car. He already knows where he is!. He gets out of the car and without waiting for me, lets himself in the building and makes his rounds seing the residents. He does this for about 45 minutes and then needs a nap. He knows how to get back to me and find his "quiet spot" to rest. The residents absolutely adore him and the staff are really getting involved in including him in activities. I thought it would take some time for him to settle, but it is like he has been with us his entire life.

One particular incident yesterday...........we had a woman and her very small child come into the facility, the child would have been about 2 years old. I must admit I was a little concerned when that child walked in as I had not seen Dray with a little one and did not know how he was going to react. Before I got to him to gab his collar, the little girl approached him and tried to pat his face but could not reach. Dray not only sat, he dropped and let that kid pat, hug and sqeeze him until she was content.It drew quite the crowd and melted a few hearts aswell. He was so gentle with her, he is the same with the elderly residents, it's amazing to watch.

He is really comfortable in the house, walks around like he owns it really. He likes the cat, but the cat does not like him. We are hoping the cat will come around. For some reason he will only wake me to let him out of a morning, I have not needed my alarm for three days now. He puts his snout under my arm or hand and gently pushes it until I wake.It's pretty cool to wake up that way each morning and it's amazing that he is so gentle with me but when he gets to my daughter's room, he is almost wrestling with her, they both love it though.

When K said he had an appetite, she wasn't kidding. He would eat until he burst. It's really hard to know how much to let him have.

It has been whispered that Dray may feature in an article in the paper because of the facility. I would need your permission to name your organisation when we are asked how we came to get him.

Anyway, I must go, Dray is back from his walk and wants his steamed vegies, I put them on when he leaves for his walk so they are ready when he gets back. My hubby complains. He says he should have been a dog, maybe then he would get his breakfast cooked each morning too.

Thank you for the work you all do, we would not have had Dray otherwise.

Potter - Mr Happy

2010-09-12T12:00:00.000+10:00

Here are some recent pictures of Potter with his friend Holly.

Potter has also done a wonderful job being a big foster brother for the first time to the gorgeous Miss Molly who joined her new home yesterday. She learnt a whole lot of wonderful new skills from Potter's family like responding to her name and walking to heel and coming when called :-). Thank you again from Lab Rescue!!!

Enjoy your new home Molly, on acreage with 4 children and goats.

Be a good girl ;-) !!!

Potter's Story Continued

2010-08-25T08:57:00.001+10:00

Sometimes there are challenges to meet with a rescue dog and Potter was no exception. Mouthing can be an issue that some of our new families need to address in their home. I hope sharing these emails will help others.

From Potter's family:

Just a quick e-mail to ask your advice regarding Potter. As I have said in my other e-mails, he is a dream of a dog, absolutely gorgeous. There is only one thing he is doing that I could do with some advice about. He is mouthing the kids arms and feet, and also mine. He has a fondness too for the cushions on the sofa which he picks up, carries around and with a playful look in his eye starts to chew. I have read on the internet that I should spray these things with something he doesn't like the taste of. Including toes and arms if necessary. Normally when I do the sharp "A" "A" he stops chewing us, but it doesn't work with the cushions as he thinks its a game.

Do you think he is doing this because of his lack of socialisation?

On all other counts he is wonderful. He has almost completely stopped jumping up now, and I can walk into to him in the morning and he is totally calm. He walks very well on the lead, and I tried recall with him today in a secure park in the pouring rain - obviously noone else was there!!! He came back to me every time, normally on the second call. After more practise, I will progress to trying it in the dog park next when he has other doggy distractions! As we intend to go for long walks in the bush with him and let him off the lead, could you give me an indication of when it becomes safe to do that? In other words, do I have to have him coming back to me immediately when I call when there are other distractions around?

He is such a wonderful dog, I want to try and get everything right so I hope you don't mind me asking you these questions.

As we speak, he is lying on the carpet about a metre from me, fast asleep after an hour long walk (or should I say wade) in torrential rain - its a good job I am english, I am used to the rain! Thanks again for choosing us to have him. I look forward to hearing from you.

From Lab Rescue volunteer:

I doubt if spraying will work.

Mouthing is not acceptable behaviour at any time. It is dominance behaviour and Potter needs to learn quickly that the humans in his pack are dominant over him!!! Whenever Potter mouths anyone, do not say anything to him or make eye contact (this would reinforce the behaviour). Move quietly and firmly to him and clip a lead on his collar, and lead him straight into the time-out room for 3 minutes. Either one of the adults can do this or one of your older children if they feel confident. The time out room can be your bathroom, laundry or loo or somewhere else boring when he can do no harm to himself or furniture. It is important to use a lead because otherwise he may turn his head sideways and continue the mouthing while he is being led away and it may escalate to stronger biting. I usually have several leads scattered around the house so I can grab one when I need it. If Potter makes a fuss in the time out room wait until he is quiet before letting him out. Otherwise let him out after 3 minutes. When you let him out don’t say anything and don’t make eye contact with him. Everyone should completely ignore him for several minutes and turn away if he approaches them. It is MOST IMPORTANT that you do the time out EVERY time Potter mouths someone – no matter how gently. Even if you have to do this 20 or 100 times, keep doing it and eventually Potter will learn there is a consequence for mouthing behaviour and stop doing it. But if he gets away with it even one time in ten that will be enough reward for him to continue doing it.

You can use the same time-out training for the cushions. Perhaps best to put the cushions out of reach for a week or so if this is feasible until you have the mouthing behaviour extinct and then do the cushion training. NEVER chase Potter when he has a cushion in his mouth – he will think it is a game and this will strongly reinforce the behaviour. Potter is grabbing the cushions because it is fun, he thinks it is a game, he gets attention when he does it, and he has never been trained not to do it. I didn’t have cushions here so he did not learn about them. You could try distracting him with alternative toys or even treats when he is interested in the cushions. And remember if he voluntarily lets the cushion go and comes to the alternative toy or treat, praise him big time and tell him how clever he is as soon as he lets go of the cushion. Potter will want to please you – it’s all about communicating clearly with him what you want and setting up scenarios so it’s rewarding for him to do what you want and he gets a clear message when you are pleased or displeased. Dogs love attention and food and hate being separated from their pack (time out room) so you can use this to train him.

I wouldn’t let Potter off lead in the bush until he is coming back to you immediately when you call even when there are other distractions around. Make sure you have a MIX of high quality treats with you – such as cheese, chicken, dried liver, cabanossi etc. Praise him as soon as he starts coming towards you and give him a treat when he arrives. Then let him run off again. If you put him on the lead – he will associate coming to you with going on the lead – and this will stop him from coming. If he never knows which type of treat he is going to get next, he will come back just in case it is his favourite one coming up. If he knows what treat he is going to get he is more likely to lose interest.

Hope this is helpful. Please let me know if you are still having problems.

From Potter's family:

Thanks for the advice M. I have read your e-mail to all the children, and we are putting into practice the technique you suggested. I have already removed all the cushions and blankets from the family room whilst we get the mouthing behaviour under control.

As to your other e-mail - yes, we are definitely keeping Potter. I will start to action some of the things you mentioned today.

He has definitely found his forever home, now he just needs to understand his position in the pack!! I am still training all my children in life skills, so another member of the pack (Potter) to teach doesn't make too much difference :o)

An update on progress from Potter's family:

Just thought I'd give you another update on Potter. He has settled in beautifully, and I have now successfully managed to reintroduce 5 cushions to our lounge (quite an achievement!!)

I have started taking him to obedience classes and he graduated through the first 2 classes with ease. The dog trainers loved him (there was never any doubt they would!)

I got a tip from one of the experienced trainers to feed him by hand for a while at dinner time as it apparently really helps a rescue dog to bond. We did this for about ten days, and he has truly become our dog now. He continues to get complimented everywhere he goes with me, on his manners and gentle nature. He also gets complimented all the time on his good looks. I may be a little biased, but he is the cutest labrador by far. We have been very careful to keep him nice and slim by making sure he only eats his food, with the occasional addition of vegetables, and fish or chicken.

He has a couple of favourite toys, but really, what he loves the most, is our company. He sleeps brilliantly at night in the laundry room, and after two initial accidents on the tiles, is now completely house trained. He walks superbly on the lead, with his only dalliance when he sees another dog. I have trained him to come back when he is off the lead (using food of course), and he obeys immediately when I call his name. He is walked for at least 1.5 hours a day, sometimes 2.5 hours. We often meet up with my new friend Jane and her lab, Holly. Potter and she have become the best of friends and have great chasing games and rumbles where they really have no sense of where us owners are and Jane and I have to play dodge!! He stops at the edge of every pavement and waits for the walk on command before we cross. I can't speak highly enough of this intelligent, adorable dog, and will never understand how he could have been left on his own for so long!

He has learned not to jump up at the children, and he is more likely to lay down and roll over for a belly rub. My children adore him, and he is given many cuddles, kisses and patting.

He still goes to school with me every day to meet the children and half the school kids know his name now. Many of them say they have their own dogs and wish they behaved like Potter!! Lots of them stop to pat him, even the very young toddlers, and he happily indulges them.

I feel a huge sense of achievement and lots of love for this beautiful boy who has given us his loyalty. I just wanted to let you know how happy he is, and how happy he has made all of us.

As we speak, he is sleeping in his bed next to me in the lounge, snoring!! Although we are all looking forward to our holiday in Fiji, we are really going to miss him! I hope he enjoys the kennels and has some fun whilst he is there.

We will be posting a success story off to the website soon, together with a picture of him with all of the children.

Thanks again M.

Best wishes

AWESOME!!! Thanks for giving Potter a wonderful new life!!!

Potter's Story - Part 3

2010-08-21T17:35:00.001+10:00

We received lots of wonderful updates on Potter's progress which I thought would be great to share. We love hearing how our rescues are going in their new homes :-).

FIRST DAYS

You were so right about Potter - he is absolutely adorable. He has slept well both nights and no accidents. He is laying at my feet as I type with his head resting on top of them. He hasn't barked once - god bless him. I took him out for a long walk this morning and did some light training with him whilst out. He met another couple of lovely agility dogs and the lady has invited me around to her house to bring potter to continue the fun socialising he had with her dogs. She also mentioned that she thought I might like to try agility classes with him (for beginners of course) which also includes basic obedience. So next Thursday, thats where we are off! Potter adores his new bed and I left him hesitantly for the first time today to do 2.5 hours work and came back to find him outside flat out on his back in his bed. He didn't jump on me when I arrived home, and having watched the Jan Fennel DVD, I ignored him for a few minutes before giving him a big hug.

The children adore him, and all day yesterday he was out in the garden playing with them. He has had loads of visitors, and considering the amount of change he has been through recently, he seems remarkably "unstressed" by it all. I think maybe he knows he has fallen very firmly on all four feet with our big family.

He really is an utterly gorgeous dog and we feel very lucky to have him. Everyone who meets him thinks he is fab, and he never stops smiling.

Last night we sat and ate dinner and he just lay down and made no attempt to pester us for attention or food. Could be that his long walk and all the playing in the garden left him absolutely shattered :o)

I will send a few updates as the next couple of weeks progress and let you know how he is getting on. Its great news about Jack as we did hope he would find his niche very quickly.

Potter isn't even bothering the rabbit or guinea pigs who are content in their big run. He has the biggest ever bone in the garden which he loves to chew. He also playfully lifted one of my cushions from the sofa last night and carried it around in his mouth. The kids were all trying not to laugh - it was so funny!

He definitely still has the puppy in him which is wonderful to see.

Thanks again to you and everyone at Lab Rescue. Already can't imagine life without Potter.

***

Just a quick update on the georgous Potter. We went for a very long walk this morning, 1 and a half hours, before meeting up with another labrador called Holly in the local dog park. She is a seven year old golden lab, and it was love at first sight. They chased each other, rolled with each other, kissed each other on the face, and generally had a riot. He really enjoyed the opportunity for rough and tumble play, and I have to say, she had the better of him!

So after a mammoth 2 and a half hour outing we came back before I had to go to work. He is still behaving beautifully on the lead, and is very good when the house is nice and calm. He is still getting very excited when there is lots of noise and people coming and going, and this is when he has a tendency to start mouthing. We are putting into practice your technique, but think, given his history, it may take him a little while to understand what is expected! He is thoroughly enjoying being part of a family, and has at least one really long walk a day which he loves.

When he is calm, he gets lots of cuddles from my youngest, E.

C, my son, and Potter have a special bond as he is the one who goes out into the garden to play chase the ball and running games. They both came in today covered in mud - in a perfect world I would have plonked both of them in the shower :o)

One day a week, my eldest O takes him to the coffee shop where all her teenage girlfriends get the chance to rub his belly and pat him. They adore him, and he of course loves the attention.

Just to let you know, we are planning to take him to the vet to scan him on the weekend. We have had the paperwork through from the pet register.

He is booked in to Pet Resorts whilst we are away in Fiji, and whilst there he will get two hours a day of play time with other dogs. He should enjoy that!!

Potter sends a big paw hug and lots of smiles and tail wags.

***

We took Potter to the vet on sunday and had his chip scanned. We will now proceed with sending the paperwork off.

He and I are off to obedience training tonight. He had a private lesson the other night at agility classes because it was rained off! The lady thought he was very handsome, and from good breeding stock. Potter just grinned at her!! He met a number of other dogs, and was very good with all of them, especially to the little puppy who had come along. The lady who runs it advised me to take him to obedience classes as well as this would bring him on in leaps and bounds! Potter liked the sound of the leaping and bounding!

He continues to make good progress, and is becoming less excitable as I try to ensure the kids are calm around him and they stick to the five minute rule when they walk in. He is much loved by the whole family and getting heaps of walks and playtime. This afternoon I am taking him over to my friends house. She has a seven year old retriever called Lily. They should get on like a house on fire.

He has a couple of new toys now, and particularly likes his oversized tennis ball! C and he played in the garden for ages yesterday, despite the mud! Hopefully we will have a dry week now and the garden will have a chance to recover.

A big thank you to all of you at labrador rescue who do such a marvellous job. We feel blessed to have him as part of our family.

I will keep in touch as time goes on. Big paw hugs and tail wags from Potter.

Potter's Story - Part 2

2010-08-17T22:00:00.001+10:00

Time in Foster Care

Hi everyone.

This is me, Potter – see my photo. I spent the last 2 years in a concrete run. I am so happy that M has come and got me I haven’t put my lipstick away since I got to M’s place! I just love playing with Jack – I hump him non-stop and then we race around peeing on all M’s bushes. I have never been inside a house in my life so that will be exciting too!

M says she will take more photos of me soon. Tomorrow I have my crown jewels off – I hope I won’t be too sore!!!

Love from Potter xx

Today Potter went to the vet to have his crown jewels removed. I asked the vet to check his ears and the vet found deep seated infection in both ears which would have been very painful. So Potter’s ears have been cleaned out and he will be having ear drops for at least a week. I’ve covered my goldfish pond with mesh until potter’s stiches heal up.

Potter, in contrast, has a softer nature and will fit in well just about anywhere and with most other dogs I think. He walks well on lead, sits for his dinner, and is much easier to handle than Jack. He still jumps up on people (so not suited to small kids) and still pees inside sometimes. Jack and Potter growl at each other over bones a bit so I separate them now.

During his time in foster care Potter showed us a nice nature and learned all sorts of new skills so that his write up on our website attracted much interest. We discussed him with a few families and finally found a wonderful new home that would meet all his needs. Do they sound excited ;-)

We are all so excited. Potter has a new luxury dog bed awaiting him, and my husband has been busy with some carpentry ensuring the two low gates are now fully Potter-proof!! As for me, I have been watching video clips on the internet as to how to train my new georgous lab. The bag of food has been bought, a couple of toys purchased, a new blue collar and lead,and some bones are now in the fridge and freezer. The kids are really looking forward to welcoming him into his new home, although the rabbit hasn't said much :o)

Thank you so much for all your help. I literally can't wait to meet him and I wonder how long it will be before we couldn't imagine life without him :o)

I will be in touch if I have any questions, and to let you know how he is settling in.

Potter's Story - Part 1

2010-08-15T21:05:00.003+10:00

Thought I might share Potter's interesting story over a few posts.

One of our volunteers noticed an ad for Potter in the classifieds

FREE to good home. 3yr old male labrador- beige in colour

very nice dog, regretfully 4 yr old daughter is scared of dog. he is a little active needs older kids or active people , he is very beautiful and has a sweet nature. loves company. Needs some training. please email or phone

... so offered our assistance. Surprised to find out it was placed by a friend with the owner's permission

hi, I am doing this for a friend, they can't do it. He is a beautiful dog but he can't join in with family as their little girl is scared of him. what is the process?

Our volunteer drove 2 hours (4 hour round trip) to pick him up and let us know when he arrived

Just got back from collecting Potter from .... 3 yo entire pure yellow lab. Nice looking boy – seems healthy. Friendly, travels well in car. Been kept in a small (< my kitchen) concrete run without sunlight for at least the last 2 years. For the last 9 months his owners haven’t even lived at the house and he has rarely been let out of the run. Never had any training and never been inside a house. No papers except signed surrender form and signed C3A microchip transfer.

I’ve booked him into the vet to be desexed and vaccinated tomorrow.

Will take some photos for a poster this arvo.

Potter does not know how to play although he is friendly and confident. Jack is trying to teach him how. He jumps up a lot!!!

Phew! Potter was in Lab Rescue care ready for a second chance.

Sweet Ccelli

2010-08-14T21:57:00.001+10:00

My 12 year old son accompanied me to a pet store this week. You should have seen his face light up when he saw the wall of toys. I just had to let him pick one for Ccelli ;-)! The expression on this duck's face just cracks me up. The duck's legs and squeaker survived two Labs for about four days, LOL.

Poor little Ccelli arrived with a very cracked sore looking nose which the two vets she has seen suspect is sunburn. We're popping clear vaseline on it and seeing some improvement. The cracked bits are flaking off to reveal healing skin underneath. Ouch :-(!

The love affair continues between our two fostered pups, Diesel and Ccelli. I love the heart shape they slept in here.

Join us in welcoming the newest member of Labrador Rescue!

2010-08-13T17:35:00.002+10:00

We are pleased to introduce the newest member of Labrador Rescue! Jesse is now 7 weeks old and has already shown us why every family should have a Labrador. Before he was even born, he would bounce around every time he heard his Labrador family playing. When he came home from the hospital, he managed to wrap the Labs around his little finger. Every time he screamed, the Labs came running and demanded that we do everything we could to make him happy again. He enjoys nothing better than snuggling up with his favourite boys and having a cuddle. If there isn’t a Lab in the room, he refuses to settle. He loves his daily walk in his pouch, watching the Labs race around and burn up some energy, knowing full well that when we get home, all 5 Labs will curl up with him on the lounge for a nap. Thank god we have a big lounge or there would be no room for us! I am so proud that all of my boys are so gentle with Jesse without having been told. They have welcomed him with open paws and open hearts and are already super protective of him. I have no doubt that Jesse will grow up to not only be an animal lover but if his way with the boys is anything to go by, he will also have a special bond with animals that will allow him to calm even the most boisterous dogs.

Welcome to the family Jesse!

Katherine, Shane, Pepper (pictured above), Samson, Bourke (pictured above), Java and Prince (temporary family member, whilst waiting for his forever home)

Prince

It's been far too long!

2010-08-11T23:09:00.001+10:00

We are currently fostering two dogs under one year old, 10 month old Diesel and 6 month old Ccelli, yep crazy!! They do so love eachother's company :-)

Diesel is due to have surgery on his hips this week, our vets recommended fixing his hips or putting him down. We're really thrilled that we have the opportunity to proceed with surgery as he is a really lovely young boy who deserves a chance for a pain free life with a loving family.

Two New Arrivals - Tessa and Bondi

2010-06-20T14:13:00.000+10:00

Tessa and Bondi arrived in Canberra from the Wagga Pound yesterday, many thanks go to rescue and transport volunteers.

Tessa is a gentle, placid Lab x Goldie girl who definitely needs to go on a diet and start a healthy exercise regime.

Bondi is happy natured, playful young boy and is a little sweetie. He is full of energy and is a real livewire who will happily play games and run around for hours but also just loves to snuggle up and have a cuddle.

Doesn't this picture say it all !!!

Boris - Living happily in an apartment!

2010-06-06T21:59:00.001+10:00

We're thrilled to be able to share another happy story - this time one of our rescues has successfully adapted to living in an apartment!

Boris is a great advertisement for Labrador rescue. Not only is he the most handsome dog in the off-leash park but he is also the most friendly. No one can escape meeting Boris when he is out for a play. Everyone asks where we got him and we are happy to say that we got him from the good people at the Labbie Rescue. If you have any more Labrador/Whippet crosses I am sure you will find plenty of homes for them.

M and I want to thank all of you at the Labrador Rescue for bringing Boris into our lives. Since neither of us had a dog before, we needed a lot of assistance. Thanks first to L for talking through our choice of a Labrador. She helped us understand that it is the love and attention we give our dog that is more important than the size of our back garden. Our next thanks go to the D Family for giving Boris shelter and helping him gain weight.

Smiles all round! Welcome to the wonderful world of dog ownership :-).

A Loving New Home for Dutch

2010-06-01T22:08:00.001+10:00

Lab Rescue were contacted by a fellow who had a friend's dog, Dutch. His friend had to go overseas at short notice. This fellow was hoping to find a lovely home for Dutch but time ran out before his move to a smaller property. With his own dogs, he didn't have room to keep Dutch and wanted to make sure he went to a good home. He had Dutch desexed upon receiving him and offered to drive him to Sydney or Canberra whichever was most suitable for Lab Rescue. We put him in touch with a lovely home on our waiting list and would like to share the happy ending :-). Note: he had an issue not wanting to climb up open stairs ;-).

We picked up Dutch today and oh my god, was a beautiful dog he is!

He is so placid, so calm, so well behaved, we are in love already!

He has had a pretty good day also, lots of cuddles, a sleep in front of the fire place, a walk and a swim!

We have even managed to get him to go up the stairs (with a food bribe) so I am sure eventually he will be OK with them soon enough.

Dutch dog is not going anywhere!

Thanks for finding him for us, the kids are thrilled.

An Unusual Thank You!

2010-05-22T09:56:00.005+10:00

We all loved this unusual thank you message, it was very well timed and much appreciated :-)!!!

Hi all at labrescue

This is a bit of a strange email i am writing to say thank you. we recently adopted our lovely B from pet rescue which we found through your website. I had fully intended to adopt a lab from you guys but when all of us saw B on the website she was meant to be. So thank you. It was your website that convinced me that i wanted to do the right thing rather than have a puppy and certainly not to have a litter of pups. I don't think i would ever buy another puppy again, as adopting means you can choose the perfect dog for you. hopefully we can foster some puppies some day so that the kids get to have the experience, we will let you know. So thank you it's a strange thank you but i just wanted you to know. I love your site and recommend it and B is such a great advertisement for doggy adoption.

Thanks and B is so appreciative.

11 yo Khan

is looking for a loving home to spend his twilight years with

Tobias is settling in well

2010-05-17T21:40:00.000+10:00

Here's a lovely update on Tobias who joined his new home on Sunday - we're looking forward to many more happy stories and cute photos :-)

Tobias is happily asleep in the basket next to Basil and the 2 have been chasing each other around the house and garden having a ball which is great. He is such a lovely dog and A has obviously done a lot with him so please thank her. He walked well on the lead this afternoon and as all Labs do ate very well !!!!!

Arousal - The Good and the Bad

2010-05-16T17:22:00.001+10:00

So what is arousal?

The term is often used to describe a state of high energy – energy that might be caused by excitement through play, fear, anger or by stress. High arousal levels (regardless of cause) appear very closely linked to aggression so it really helps to be able to predict, identify and manage increasing arousal levels.

The more activity that there is going on in any environment the higher the arousal level will be.

Play can also lead to escalating arousal levels – in play there is a certain joyful abandon and shedding of inhibitions. Play is exciting – that’s why it’s so much fun. But all this can lead to high levels of arousal where the dog loses self control – and in this they are no different than people at a sports match or kids in a playgroup.

What are the signs of high arousal?

Signs of high arousal include:

· Dilated pupils

· Excessive panting

· Higher respiration rates

· Higher blink rates

·         Higher tongue flick rates
·         Half moon eyes
·         High pitched repetitive barking or whining
·         Piloerection (hackles raised)
·         Flared whiskers
·         Penis crowning
·         Frenetic behaviour
·         Stiff body language
·         Hyper or nervous behaviour such as pacing or excessive jumping.

Other signs you will commonly see are the complete lack of ability to concentrate and what might seem to be ‘selective deafness’.

This is not a time to ask your dog to perform behaviours (even ones they know really well) and particularly not calling them to you unless you are prepared for a very low probability that they will respond. These are not something your dog is choosing to do to drive you nuts. If it happens to your dog you need to manage the situation as best you can and then think about what happened and how to avoid getting/letting your dog to that level again.

How do you avoid it?

To avoid over arousal in your dog you firstly need to learn more about dog body language and what to look for as arousal builds.

One of the best tips in play (dog to dog or dog to human) is to not let play go on uninterrupted for long periods. Frequently interrupt by asking your dog to do something to show that they are still in control of their actions and that you are in control of them. You might ask for a sit or for your dog to give you the toy and wait for permission to continue playing.

Being able to calm down your dog in an aroused situation is a key skill all dog owners should work on. You never know when you might need to rely on it to get you and your dog out of a sticky situation.

Dr Ian Dunbar has some neat tips on teaching what he calls ‘jazz up’ and ‘settle down’ to adolescents and adult dogs. Check them out at:

http://www.dogstardaily.com/training/jazz-and-settle-down

http://www.dogstardaily.com/videos/jazz-and-settle-down

http://www.dogstardaily.com/videos/jazz-amp-settle-down

http://www.dogstardaily.com/videos/jazz-settle-down-%E2%80%93-sirius-adult-dog-training

http://www.dogstardaily.com/videos/more-jazz-settle%E2%80%93-sirius-adult-dog-training

He also thinks that they should be the first lesson taught in training classes – as it is a key reason many people come to classes in the first place (to get some level of control in aroused situations) and because it then gives people a strategy to use when new people and dogs and other distractions interrupt classes.

I checked for other useful links for training these behaviours and unfortunately came up blank.

References
·         Barbara Handelman – Canine Behaviour. A Photo Illustrated Handbook

·         Karen B. London & Patricia B. McConnell – Play Together, Stay Together. Happy and Healthy Play Between People and Dogs

·         Pat Miller – Play With Your Dog

· Robin Bennett – Off-Leash Dog Play. A Complete Guide to Safety and Fun

Baby Time!

2010-05-15T14:15:00.001+10:00

Jett's foster carer mum suffered appendicitis last Sunday and had to have an emergency caesar as well. Their cute little baby boy arrived 6 weeks early and will be in NICU for about 4 weeks. Both mum and bub are recovering well after a rocky start. Gorgeous Jett doesn't know what has turned his life upside down! Thankfully another foster carer can take him in while we shuffle dogs around to cater for the change :-). As you can see Jett's foster family love to play dress-ups with him. I'd love to see him in a baby bonnet now ;-)!!!

Yoda

Ready for work

Thank you for the Growl

2010-05-05T17:56:00.000+10:00

A quick word from Mocchy

2010-05-02T10:54:00.002+10:00

Hello

Just a quick word from Mocchy.

Boy have I hit the jackpot. Here I am taking my best mate for ride on his ski.

My days are filled with swimming, running through parks then its down to the local café for a quick bite and chat ( where I'm a bit of a celebrity)

I'm groomed and cuddled constantly. The meals are yummy and healthy.

Met the local vet, seems like a pretty nice fellow, had me all better in no time….. Thanks Benny & the Pets.

Well off for a few laps before I have a snooze on my new sheep skin. Thanks again to all the guys at Lab rescue

Luv Moccha

Hey Moccha

We are THRILLED that you are soooooooooooooooo happy - thanks so much for keeping us up to date and we will add your wonderful story to our happy Endings page.

How fantastic you lucky dog!!!

Cheers

Lab Rescue Gang

Play or Warming Up for a Fight

2010-05-02T10:42:00.000+10:00

Third Time Lucky for Ashley

2010-04-30T09:05:00.000+10:00

We don't always have successful trials and are so relieved that Ashley has finally found her new forever home. She was surrendered by her owners (where she had not been treated well) and showed us her beautiful sweet nature in foster care so we decided on a lovely new home for her. Her first trial was with a couple on a property with stock and she thought it was great fun to play with the other animals, so understandably came back to us! Her second trial did not go well at all. We were very disappointed and were worried that the experience may have set her back too much to be re-homed before coming back into foster care. However the perfect home for her came up so we took the plunge and sent her straight there. Here are comments from her new family:

I just wanted to give you an update on Ashley now that she's been part of our family for 5 days.

When Poppie died I really didn't think I would ever want another dog, she was just so lovely. C and the boys were really keen for a new dog and finally I agreed and we started looking. I don't know how you were able to pick such a perfect dog for us just through our application. The minute C brought her home from the airport I fell in love and she has been absolutely fantastic ever since.

On Sunday she went on her first proper outing to our middle son E's football match and once I had some help from another parent with her "gentle leader" she was absolutely great - before that she spent the whole time trying to take me for a walk and a little bit of time on the footy field while the players madly tried to grab her lead!

This morning she had to go to school to meet all the Grade 3 kids in W's class, she was amazing as they all came up one by one to give her a pat.

I'm looking at her now fast asleep in her bed surrounded by soft toys from the boys and can't believe how lucky we are that she's come to live with us.

Thank you so much, it's hard to put in writing how grateful we are and how much we all love her.

Thank you for giving Ashley her perfect new home, we're all thrilled for sweet natured Ash :-)

Web Resources for Children

2010-04-26T08:05:00.002+10:00

Lacey is off to a great start!

2010-04-26T07:51:00.002+10:00

This gorgeous young girl flew to South Australia to join her new family with a black Lab, her new big 'brother'.

...well she arrived safe and sound. She is beautful. She wanted to ride up front with me the whole way home.

...they are both running around like crazy and are soaking wet from swimming around in the pool.

Coffee and 'sit and watch time' now.

Lucky Lacey!

Whitley (now Sam) is Blossoming!

2010-03-30T22:28:00.000+11:00

Here is a photo of our boy just returned from one of his daily morning walks. If the smile is an indicator, I think he enjoyed it!

Here he is again playing with a ball in the back yard.

Sam, exhausted after a trip to the beach with his two new mates Coby and Hamish (Labradors)

Thanks for all your help again. We have a very happy hound and he is enriching our lives every day.

Sam was fortunate to join a family who called out a dog behaviourist the day after they brought him home. Starting out on the right foot! We were very impressed! Thank you!

Looks like you are reaping the benefits, as is your darling Sam :-)

Bobby is a Very Happy Boy

2010-03-30T22:14:00.001+11:00

Hello all at Lab Rescue,

Just to let you know that Bobby is settling in well and adapting well to his new life. I walked him up to the primary school the other day and he loved all the attention from the kid's class mates.

I've attached a few pics of him in our house and backyard; he is a very happy boy indeed.

Just Beautiful !

Chocolate Bubba

2010-03-30T22:00:00.001+11:00

This gorgeous baby girl is coming to join us on Thursday. Carole's son has chosen the name Java for her (thank you!). She is responding really well to some TLC in care. She's had a bit of a rough start but her coat is starting to shine and she's now go, go, go! Can't wait to meet her :-).

Update On Our Gorgeous Cindy

2010-03-26T22:31:00.002+11:00

Hi everyone

Just wanted to update you on Cindy. We picked her up yesterday afternoon and we're in love already! She is such a gentle old sweetheart. It feels like she's always been around. We've been on a few gentle strolls and she's loving them. Our daughter, A, is totally crazy about her and tells anyone who will listen 'Cindy is a good girl'. Here's a photo of the two of them.

At J's suggestion we've put artificial grass on the back steps and she's having no trouble at all with them. In fact, it's even helped our Bichon, who's always been a bit tentative going up the steps.

Thanks so much for everything. We're loving our new family addition!

Holly at the beach

2010-03-23T22:03:00.001+11:00

Dear Lab Rescue Team

A big thank you to all those who have contributed towards Holly's cruciate ligament surgery, we are now passed the half way mark and I can go ahead and book a date for her surgery after Easter.

While the recovery time will be difficult for her, the final result will make such a difference to Holly's life. This girl is overweight, partly because she is a lab and eats anything and everything (dog food, cat food, horse food, chook food and failing that there is always a bit of horse or chook manure for the taking, or a bit of rotting kangaroo bone ), but also because she has continual discomfort and is unable to exercise fully.

Holly had a terrible start in life, she still bears the scar of a cigarette burn on one ear and it seems that the cruciate ligament injury could also have been the result of violence, but she has such a strong and forgiving character that, with the help of Lab Rescue, she has made an amazing recovery. As you can see in her photo she is happy, affectionate and friendly and loves life.

So thank you all who have contributed to make this surgery possible, we will keep you posted on her recovery.

Volunteer Call - Thank You

2010-03-08T22:19:00.000+11:00

Yay!

We have had a volunteer step forward who is able to set aside 2 hours per week to help us keep foster carers supplied with a little starter kit for new dogs.

Thank you!

Our cute little foster Mad Max having a cuddle :-)

Donations for Holly

2010-03-07T17:59:00.000+11:00

Donations for Holly have reached $380

Thank you!

Another Bubba

2010-03-06T12:39:00.000+11:00

There's another baby boy coming to stay with us :-)

We have a very generous transport volunteer bringing him from Wagga to Canberra this afternoon who's help we greatly value.

The kids are thinking up names, any ideas?

Inundated with Golden Oldies!

2010-03-06T08:32:00.001+11:00

Older dogs are often much more challenging to re-home. We were really excited and relieved that a suitable home came up for Maxine, they're meeting this weekend! Phew, but wait, can you believe it ...
we now have a few more ...

9 yo Buster surrendered to us in Sydney

10 yo Cindy rescued from a Sydney Pound

and we've just had an enquiry to surrender a 10 yo boy in Canberra

and we're still looking for a wonderful new home for our gorgeous 8 yo Zac!

Please help spread the word if you know people who are willing to give the golden oldies a loving home during their twilight years. They'll be up on the website soon.

Thrilled for Holly

2010-03-05T21:39:00.001+11:00

Thank you :-)

Your generosity is very heartening.

We've already received $220 in donations for Holly!!!

Her amazed owners are so grateful and relieved and will be booking her in for the operation very soon.

We'll be sharing regular updates on Holly's progress here, so look forward to your company on her journey to a pain free, trauma free future.

Open your Hearts – Help Us Help Holly!

2010-03-03T21:42:00.001+11:00

Gorgeous golden girl Holly is a former rescue of ours, plucked from a terrible existence at just 9 months of age. So young, but already severely traumatised, Holly wouldn’t even come out from under the house she was living at when our rescuer arrived. It was obvious she was being beaten and under extreme stress, but thanks to some quick thinking and a whole lot of diplomacy we were able to get this beautiful yet terrified dog out of a horrible situation.

Safe, but severely distressed, it took months of rehabilitation and care to get Holly to the point where she could even consider going to a new home. Fortunately for her, she found the most amazing owner who fell in love with her and promised her a secure haven and a tonne of happiness.

Slowly overcoming her horrendous start to life, Holly now faces a major new battle. After signs of leg soreness and discomfort, she has just been diagnosed with a ruptured cruiciate ligament and requires intense, expensive surgery and another long haul of rehabilitation.

Holly’s history has left her emotionally scarred and she becomes frantic when confined in any way. The nature of her surgery means she will need to be kept quiet and unable to walk for one month, short walks only the next month, gentle free activity the third month and normal activity after that.

It is a daunting task for any dog owner at the best of times, but Holly’s mum is determined the months and months of round the clock intensive care will be worth it to give this now two year old a pain-free, trauma-free future.

Holly has a heart of gold and a gentle soul that belies her brutal beginning in life. We truly believe she is a girl who deserves a second chance at happiness and we are asking for your help to make this happen.

The surgery she needs costs $1200 and we are calling on our Labrador Rescue friends and supporters to HELP US HELP HOLLY!

Labrador Rescue already relies heavily on the kindness of volunteers and donations simply to be able to do the daily job of rescuing our gorgeous dogs from death row and finding them magical forever homes.

Your support is needed to help Holly get the peace and comfort she so deserves. If you can assist us in any way possible by donating towards the cost of her operation you would be making a world of difference.

For details on how to donate please visit

http://www.rescuealabrador.com/help_labrador_rescue.html

Thank you in anticipation of any help you can offer. Labrador Rescue thanks you and more importantly HOLLY THANKS YOU!

Do You Really Know What You Want? Are You Getting It?

2010-03-02T21:50:00.003+11:00

Call for a Volunteer

2010-03-01T21:51:00.003+11:00

Can't foster a rescued Lab but would you like to help Lab Rescue in some way?

We have come to the realisation that we really need someone who would like to prepare little starter kits for our foster carers taking in a new dog. All our dogs need to be started on monthly heartworm prevention, need to be wormed for intestinal worms and need a regular flea prevention program (and sometimes a flea infestation treated). They will also need a folder which may contain pound and vet records, a trial placement form for their foster's new home to sign on collection, as well as some way of recording any medication and preventatives given during their time in foster care.

Ideally you would be in Canberra or Sydney but it may work over a long distance if you have easy access to a post office. If you think you might like to help in this way please contact us at rescuealabrador@yahoo.com.au

Autumn Reminder

2010-03-01T19:42:00.001+11:00

It's the first day of Autumn

A friendly reminder

Time to administer monthly heartworm prevention, monthly flea prevention and 3 monthly intestinal worming.

A Bit About Buddy

2010-03-01T19:36:00.000+11:00

Time to rave about our current foster Buddy!! As you can see here, Buddy is the most affectionate loving foster we've had so far. We don't normally allow our dogs and fostered dogs on the sofas or the beds but Buddy is just made for cuddles, who could resist ;-). He seeks out human company and loves to please so will make the most wonderful canine companion for his new owner.

Guess what I found out this week! Buddy loves the trampoline, just like one of our early fosters 'Trampoline Sam'. He's an athlete and loves to tear around in the backyard and jump up onto the trampoline to be with whoever is on it. I've even seen him jump up while playing with our two dogs, Gus and Kaeli, and then bounce down for another run around the garden with them. Very entertaining to watch!

Happy to report too that he is beautifully housetrained. Many fosters need an initial reminder but Buddy has never made a mistake since he's been with us. Yay, what a nice change!

He had us in stitches this morning. The kids were bouncing a little rubber ball in front of him and he would follow it down with his head but not see it bounce back up so he kept looking for the ball down on the ground. Happened everytime, LOL!!

Love you Buddy, still looking for that special home just for you :-)

Fleas - Pesky Fellows

2010-02-28T11:18:00.002+11:00

This is one of many dog ownership tips I'd like to share with you under the name 'Paws for Thought' written by a friend at work, posted here with her permission. Please note that these posts are written by a dog lover learning more every day and happy to share. They are intended to give you options and ideas to think about. They do not replace the help of a professional (such as a vet, behaviourist, trainer or lawyer). Posts can be shared with others as long as you make sure that any references contained within the post remain with the post and please do not take chunks out of context. Preference is definitely for the whole post to be shared rather than pieces.

With the time of year and persistent postings regarding fleas and their control I thought I'd check out a few references and learn more about the beasts and how to get rid of them. Here's what I learnt – and it’s more than you probably ever wanted to know…

About fleas

Fleas are parasites. They suck blood, make animals, especially puppies, anaemic, they spread tapeworm and cause serious skin irritations. Some dogs can also become allergic to fleas. They can bite humans as well.

Fleas can build up rapidly to plague-like proportions under the right conditions – something some of you seem to be experiencing: (

Adult fleas live & feed on your pet but 95% of the flea population live as eggs, larvae and pupae in the dirt, carpet, bedding and cracks and crevices, ready to jump on your pet.

With nearly 2,000 species and subspecies, fleas thrive in warm, humid environments.

The life cycle of a flea:

The female adult flea lives and lays eggs on your pet. The eggs fall off and remain protected in the dirt, cracks and crevices of your house, in pets bedding or in your carpet, where they hatch into larvae.

The larvae feed on debris and develop into pupae, which can lay dormant for a long time. They hatch into new adults under the right conditions, in as little as 19 days in warm and humid weather, and hop on your pet to feed. The adult flea can survive for up to a year without a blood meal.

With a complete life cycle ranging anywhere from 16 days to 21 months, depending on environmental conditions, fleas are most commonly found on a dog’s abdomen, the base of the tail and the head. With heavy infestations, however, fleas can thrive anywhere on the body. They feed once every day or two, and generally remain on their host during the interim.

A single female flea can produce up to 50 eggs per day and about 2,000 in a lifetime.

Larvae can be easily killed by drying out (exposure to relative humidity under 50 degrees) however they are capable as moving as far as a metre to find locations suitable for survival such as protected environments in carpet fibres, cracks between floorboards and on unfinished concrete floors.

Fleas are hearty and nimble, and when searching for a host, they can jump 10,000 times in a row (the length of three football fields). Three pairs of legs make for excellent leaping capabilities (up to two feet), and a laterally flattened body allows for quick movement in a dog’s fur.

A large build-up of fleas occurs when the weather gets warmer, especially in humid areas but we are still at risk in cooler areas because of heating in our homes.

Finding fleas

Often fleabites cause itching and scratching which can over time cause hair loss, inflammation and dry, scurfy skin over the base of the tail and lower backline, where fleas like to congregate.

The real sufferers are pets that become allergic to the saliva the flea injects into the skin while feeding. These animals will react every time a flea bites, even if only one flea is present. This condition is known as Flea Allergy Dermatitis (FAD).

But your pet may have fleas even though you can’t see them. 'Flea dirt' or flea droppings are detected more easily than the flea itself and can be seen on the skin over the rump and back - like black specks of dirt. To find them:

Groom your pet using a fine-toothed comb held over a white surface such as a piece of kitchen towel. Any fleas or flea droppings will be deposited on the surface.

Add a few drops of water and if the droppings turn reddish brown it is very likely your pet has fleas. Oh and by the way the reddish brown will be your dogs blood – yuk or what : )

Flea control

The only effective way to get rid of fleas is to remove all fleas from the dog and its environment (simultaneously to have most effect). Areas to address include:

·         Other household pets such as cats (even if they are not scratching themselves). But be sure that you treat each animal with a treatment appropriate for its species – or you might have a very expensive vet bill not to mention having poisoned your pet. For instance permethrin which is included in some dog flea treatments is poisonous to cats.

·          The dog themselves. There are very many options out there – a staggering amount but be careful about mixing and matching as some in combination can cause overdoses/ poisonings. Also be aware particular dogs can be sensitive to particular products and the reaction can be worse than the fleas.

Options include:

Flea powers – generally needing to be applied once or twice a week.

Flea collars – can kill fleas for up to 9 months.

Flea shampoos – kill fleas on contact but have no residual effect.

Flea rinses – for use after shampoos or on their own and generally with a residual effect of up to 7 days. Options include:

Permoxin - can be used weekly on dogs or made into a spray for daily use. Used weekly it will also control ticks.

Flea sprays – rapidly kills fleas and some have insect growth regulators to prevent the laying of viable flea eggs for up to 6 to 12 weeks.

Spot on treatments – generally applied monthly. Some kill the fleas before eggs are laid and some include insect growth regulator to control all stages of flea life. Some options include:

-         Advantage – for eliminating adult fleas in dogs and contains micro-crystals that drop from the animal's coat into areas that they visits. These micro-crystals are like 'mine fields' that will bomb the developing flea larvae as they hatch from eggs.

-         Advantix - combines the active ingredient of Advantage to control fleas along with permethrin to repel and kill ticks, including the paralysis tick.

-         Frontline Spray - should eliminate fleas for 2 to 3 months. Apply by thoroughly rubbing into the coat with a gloved hand. Also treats ticks for approximately 1 month.

-         Frontline Plus Top Spot – used once a month. Combines a long acting adult flea killer with an insect growth regulator giving protection for at least 1 month. Also treats ticks for approximately 2 weeks.

Multipurpose products – some products incorporate flea treatment with treatment for heartworm and/or intestinal worm control. Options include:

-         Advocate - is a new multi-purpose product that combines the key ingredient of Advantage with an ingredient that also prevents heartworm, hookworm, roundworm, whipworm, mange and lice in dogs.

-         Revolution - controls adult fleas, prevents flea eggs from hatching, and kills flea larvae in the environment. Also controls heartworm, ear mites, sarcoptic manage, roundworm and hookworm.

Tablets and injections – may include insect growth regulator to sterilise flea eggs and stop them hatching. Options include:

-         Sentinel - a monthly tablet that not only controls fleas by stopping flea eggs from hatching, but also includes a heartworm preventive and an intestinal wormer for tapeworms as well as roundworms, hookworms and whipworms.

-         Capstar - kills fleas but has no residual action. Can be useful to quickly eliminate a new flea infestation before using a long term preventive.

-         Proban - given once or twice per week on a continual basis is effective against fleas and ticks.

You can also use a flea comb on your dog to help control an infestation.

The environment – inside the house

Flea bombs, foggers and mists all of which contain insect growth regulators and some of which provide up to a years worth of protection.

Thoroughly clean and vacuum your house, including rugs, bedding, upholstery, furniture, floors and skirting boards to help destroy fleas at each stage of their life cycle. Remember to discard any vacuum bags.

Wash dog bedding weekly.

The environment – the outdoors

Yard sprays or rinses that can be applied to specific areas including kennels and runs and many of which contain insect growth regulators.

Treatment should include:

-         Kennels

-         Rest areas (both those you provide and the spots the dog chooses)

-         Areas in the garden frequented by the dog – particularly if they lie there

-         Digging spots and sandpits

-         Under the house, porch or other buildings particularly where dark and moist.

Concentrate on shady areas, where fleas live. Options can also include the use of an insecticide, nematodes or microscopic worms that kill flea larvae.

Your car

If your dog travels in your car then don’t forget that you need to treat this area as well.

Alternative options

There are a range of alternative options available including:

Garlic - a natural flea preventative. A herb some people add to dogs meals several times a week - fresh or as a powder. More is not better however and it has been suggested that prolonged use can cause anaemia. There are no scientific studies backing up the effectiveness of garlic as a flea control agent. I recommend you to talk to your vet about it before using.

Essential oils for flea control - dilute in water and spray on coat. Total essential oils should be about 15 drops in 500 mls of water. Lavendar, citronella or cedar are meant to repel fleas but don't kill so they are not effective in an infestation.

Electronic flea collars - often reported as not effective.

Parasitic nematodes - tiny worms that eat the larvae if placed in favourite patch in the yard.

Pyrethryn - derived from the chyrsanthemum flower. Considered fairly safe. Is often combined with piperonyl butoxide which makes it more effective.

Yeast – touted but no scientific studies.

Vitamin B - touted but no scientific studies.

Lavender - sprinkle around bedding or make a lavender pillow.

Plant fennel, sage or wormwood near kennels and resting areas.

Wash bedding in hot water and rinse in cold adding 10 drops eucalyptus or lavender oil.

Some alternatives to beware of include:

Borax - borax and borax powders are toxic to dogs as well as fleas so are not recommended.

Borates – which can be effective but are toxic if inhaled or ingested.

Diatomaceous earth which can be irritating to breathe.

Rotenone - derived from derris root. This is toxic than commercially available flea products and poisonous if it enters waterways.

Limonene and other citrus products - natural flea repellents. But do not use on puppies and could cause poisonings particularly if used with other treatments. Speak to your vet before using.

Tips

Some of these products and even natural remedies are poisons and you need to read and stick with the product labels.

If you have young, sick, pregnant or nursing animals then speak to your vet before applying anything as animals can be more sensitive to products at this time. Some products cannot be used on puppies under a specific age (usually 3 to 4 months but check the label).

Many flea products for dogs are toxic to cats so check the label and/or with your vet.

For prevention (or more likely minimisation of risk) consider:

o        Regular grooming of your pets

o        Regular washing of pet bedding (weekly even)

o        Blocking off access to under the house during flea season or treating the area with an appropriate product.

Your vet will be able to recommend the best product and/or mix of products for your pet – please speak to them.

Sources:

http://www.petalia.com.au/ - the background website behind many Australian vet surgeries and clinics websites

http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/dog-care/dog-care-fleas.html

http://www.rspca.org.uk/allaboutanimals/pets/general/fleas/-/article/CAD_KeepFleasInCheck

Dr Barbara Fougere -Healthy Dogs. A HAndbook of Natural Therapies.

Denise Flaim - The Holistic Dog Book. Canine Care for the 21st Century J.M Evans and Kay White - Doglopedia. A Complete Guide to Dog Care.

Eric Allan and rowan Blogg - Everydog. A Complete Book of Dog Care.

The Merk/Merial Manual for Pet Health. home Edition

Bloat - A Killer - Be Aware

2010-02-28T11:00:00.001+11:00

This is one of many dog ownership tips I'd like to share with you under the name 'Paws for Thought' written by a friend at work, posted here with her permission. Please note that these posts are written by a dog lover learning more every day and happy to share. They are intended to give you options and ideas to think about. They do not replace the help of a professional (such as a vet, behaviourist, trainer or lawyer). Posts can be shared with others as long as you make sure that any references contained within the post remain with the post and please do not take chunks out of context. Preference is definitely for the whole post to be shared rather than pieces.

This is a very personal topic for me having come within minutes of losing my beloved Merlin to bloat in June 2008. Thankfully I was home with him when it started. Thankfully our vet is just 10 minutes away. Thankfully it was before they closed for the night (just). Thankfully they are a vet hospital and thankfully they decided to operate on him right there and then rather than transport him to the after hours emergency centre.

Given recent posts and questions I thought I’d review what we appear to know about bloat. What is presented here is based on publicly available information only. It really all just confirms for me the need to talk to your vet about this killer and what you can do to reduce the risks with your dogs.

What is bloat?

Bloat is a life-threatening condition. A large number of dogs die of it every year in a painful and horrible death. Some stats indicate that even with immediate treatment 15% to 60% of dogs will die. The Purdue study indicated a mortality rate of approximately 30%.

My personal experience though is out of ten or more dogs that I have known or heard of having GDV my boy is the only one I know of who has survived.

Bloat is the most commonly known name for a condition also known as gastric dilation, gastric torsion and twisted stomach. The correct medical term is Gastric Dilatation-Volvulus (GDV) -sometimes referred to as Gastric Dilation-Volvulus . It happens when an accumulation of gases, air, fluid or food in the stomach causes it to first dilate and then to twist, sealing off the entry and exit to the stomach, causing the spleen to swell an placing pressure (if not cutting off) the major vein that brings blood from the lower body back to the heart. Toxins are then released from the dying stomach lining and heart dysfunction can occur. All of this happens quickly over just minutes to hours so timely treatment is critical.

Unfortunately I have known a number of people lose their dogs while down the shops, while dogs were home alone during the day or when sleeping in runs and kennels outdoors overnight.

What causes bloat?

The exact cause or causes of bloat remain unknown. Be aware though that bloat can affect any dog of any age, size, weight or breed.

A number of risk factors have been identified including:

Shape

Deep and narrow chests or abdomen.

Breed (although it is actually about their conformation – deep chests)

Risk factors are higher for dogs whose chests are long (from backbone to sternum) rather than wide – including mixed breed dogs.

Research by the University of Purdue, which of course did not cover all breeds, showed:

The highest average lifetime risk of an occurrence of GDV appears to be the Great Dane at 41.4% more likely than a mixed breed dog.

The rest of the list looks like:
·         Saint Bernard – 21.8%
·         Weimaraner – 19.3%
·         Irish Setter – 14.2%
·         Gordon Setter – 12.3%
·         Standard Poodle 8.8%
·         Basset Hound 5.9%
·         Doberman Pinscher – 5.5%
·         Old English Sheepdog – 4.8%
·         German Shorthaired Pointer – 4.6%
·         Newfoundland – 4.4%
·         German Shepherd Dog – 4.2%
·         Airedale Terrier – 4.1%
·         Alaskan Malamute - 4.1%
·         Chesapeake Bay Retriever – 3.7%
·         Boxer – 3.7%
·         Collie – 2.8%
·         Labrador Retriever – 2%
·         English Springer Spaniel – 2%
·         Samoyed – 1.6%
·         Dachshund – 1.6%
·         Golden Retriever – 1.2%
·         Rottweiler – 1.1%
·         Mixed breed – 1.0%
·         Miniature Poodle – 0.3%

Genetic predisposition

Having a first-degree (generation) relative with a history of GDV increases risk by 63%. So if you are a breeder of a susceptible breed (or mixed breed) then please consider not breeding from any dog that has suffered a GDV incident.

Sex

Males are more at risk than females (some say a slightly higher risk others indicate double the risk for males).

Age

More often seen in middle age to older dogs – some even report that few dogs under 1 year of age appear to be effected; others indicate that they have had youngsters suffer from GDV.

Research indicates that large breeds risks increase by 20% each year after the age of 5 while giant breeds risks increase by 20% each year after the age of 3.

Weight

Thin dogs are more at risk than overweight dogs (but of course overweight dogs are not healthy in other ways).

Health problems

Experiencing a major health problem before age 1

Temperament

Fearful temperament

Nervous temperament

Aggressive temperament

Feeding

Eating only one meal a day

Feeding only dry dog food, particularly if:

- Fat was listed amongst the first four ingredients (some research indicates a 170% increase in risk others question the research)

- More than one corn ingredient is listed among the first four ingredients (although only a minor risk increase
for this one)

- Foods with citric acid are moistened (some research indicates a 320% increase in risk – others question the research).

Feeding food with only small particles

Feeding a large volume of food per meal

Moistening dry food before feeding (something that is widely thought to reduce risk but which Purdue’s research shows increases it)

Eating rapidly (some research say increases risks by 15% which it is proposed may be linked to increased swallowing of air)

Eating from a raised feeding bowl (also something that is widely thought to reduce risk but with Purdue showed increases it by 110%)

Water intake

Restricting a dog’s water intake before and after eating (identified by Purdue)

Over drinking (identified by others)

Purdue indicated that giving water from a raised bowl also increased risks by up to 110%

Exercise

Increased physical activity before and after eating

Stress

May include recent kenneling or a recent long car ride

Trauma

Abnormal gastric motility

Hormone secretion.

Atmospheric pressure and changes.

What are some of the symptoms of bloat?

If your dog develops bloat you may see:

·         Pacing and restlessness

·         Head turning to look at the abdomen

·         A distended abdomen (looking something like your dog is pregnant or being pumped up with air) – often starting with the left side of the abdomen first

·         Stiff legged stance with arched back

·         Unsuccessful belching or vomiting or vomiting up white froth

·         Retching

·         Weakness

·         Excessive salivation (drooling)

·         Shortness of breath

·         Pale gums

·         Rapid shallow breathing

·         Rapid heartbeat

·         Acting uncomfortable, unwilling to move around

·         Collapse.

What should I do?

If you even suspect that your dog has bloat get your dog to a vet immediately. Time is critical with this condition – so it is far better to be wrong and cop a vet bill then to be right but too late (and possibly copping an even larger vet bill for surgery and critical care).

How is it treated?

Treatment will depend on your dog’s condition but often includes:

·         Trying to pass a gastric tube into the stomach to release gas etc. This is sometimes also used as part of the confirmation (or other) that the dog is suffering from GDV. If they can’t get a gastric tube in then something is almost certainly wrong and further investigation is warranted.

·         Using a large gauge needle to release gases from the stomach.

·         Taking an x-ray of the abdomen to check the stomach’s position – Note: This is highly recommended even if a gastric tube or needle have been successfully used to release gas etc.

·         Intravenous fluids to reduce shock.

·         Blood work to check for abnormalities.

·         Heart monitoring.

·         Emergency surgery to relieve the pressure and untwist the stomach. In some cases damaged parts of the stomach and spleen will have to be removed.

Intensive (and costly) post-operative monitoring for several days is routine.

As you can see this is a serious condition and surgery is highly risky – but often the only alternative to certain death.

Unfortunately research has shown that it is possible for vets to miss or misdiagnose GDV. So if you suspect your dog has GDV, but the veterinarian dismisses it as a minor problem, inquire about radiographs to rule out GDV or at the very least keep an eye on your dog and if the symptoms increase or do not reduce be persistent and return to your vets or seek another opinion. Don’t mean to scare you – but the research shows it happens.

Many vets will recommend permanently attaching the stomach to the side of the abdomen with stitches in an attempt to prevent future episodes, either during the emergency surgery or even if the situation is resolved before emergency surgery is required.

Some sources quote stats of 75% - 100% of dogs who survive GDV having recurrences unless this surgery is conducted, after which recurrence is drastically reduced (to less than 5% according to the Purdue study).

Can it be prevented?

Unfortunately you cannot guarantee that a dog will not suffer GDV. There are however a number of things that it appears can be done to lower the risks. Some are management and care issues, others are medical. Research primarily at Purdue University by Dr. Larry Glickman, VMD, Ph.D, (an AKC Excellence in Canine Research Award winner), and Dr. Malathi Raghavan, DVM, Ph.D. have particularly contributed to this list.

Meals

o        Feed several small meals rather than one or two large meals throughout the day

o        Feed no more than one cup per 33 pounds of body weight per meal when feeding two meals a day

o        Feed an energy-dense diet, to reduce volume, but avoid a diet where a high amount of calories are from fats.

o        Feed a food with larger particles, and include larger pieces of meat to the diet.

o        Avoid moistening dry foods

o        Feed products with protein ingredients of animal origin, including beef, poultry, lamb and fish amongst the first four ingredients (the more of these listed among the first four ingredients the better). The Purdue University research indicated that this decreased risk by 53%

o        Feed a variety of different food types regularly. The inclusion of human foods in a primarily dry dog food diet was associated with a 59% decreased risk of GDV while inclusion of canned pet foods was associated with a 28% decreased risk

Feeding bowls

o        Avoid feeding from a raised bowl unless advised to do so by your vet

Speed of Feeding

o        If your dog eats rapidly, find ways to try to reduce his speed of eating. These might include:

- Feeding on a baking tray or other flat surface

- Use of specially designed bowls or adding a largish ball, rock or block into a standard bowl

- Feeding dogs separately (to avoid them gulping down their food)

Drinking

o        Encourage normal water consumption – have water available at all times. Note though that some question the correlation between intake of water and incidence of GDV

Weight

o        Maintain an appropriate weight

Exercise

o        Avoid rigorous exercise before and after meals – up to 1 hour before and 2 hours after. Again some question the correlation.

Stress

o        Try to minimize stress for your dog. Stressful events have been reported to be precipitating factors in GDV occurrence. Some stressful events particularly mentioned are boarding, traveling, showing, breeding, and trialing.

o        Avoid vigorous, excitement and stress up to 1 hour before and 2 hours after eating.

Monitoring

o        For high risk dogs or when risk factors are increased (such as stress) consider using a baby monitor to alert you if your dog is in distress.

Preparation

o        Have vet contact numbers and know the way there for 24 hour coverage. This means you might need to have after hours numbers or alternative vet hospital or emergency care centre details handy.

A few of the key areas where there is contradictory advice appear to be:

·         Feeding in a raised bowl or on a raised feed station

·         Amount of water that the dog should be allowed to drink immediately before or after eating

·         Making changes in diet slowly, over a period of a week or more or feeding a varied diet at all times.

·         Anti-flatulence treatments – some recommend it and others believe that it increases the risks of GDV.

So this merely reinforces the importance of talking to your vet!

A recent discussion with my vet reinforced that we really don’t yet know the specific causes and that it can even happen from just gulping down too much air. A friend then lost a dog that bloated on water. We have a long way to go in really understanding GDV – so all we dog owners (and vets) can do is work with the information we do have and be willing to change (or at least consider changing) as new information comes to light.

If you have a high-risk breed then you might want to talk to your vet about performing a gastropexy during de-sexing or at another time. A gastropexy is where they attach the stomach to the abdomen making it harder (if not impossible) for the stomach to twist.

References:

http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/dog-care/dog-care-bloat.html

http://www.petalia.com.au/Templates/StoryTemplate_Process.cfm?Story_No=1648&specie=1

http://www.in-memory-of-pets.com/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?t=998&sid=515772b9020a20bd1bb488f9a7fe7bbd

http://personal.uncc.edu/jvanoate/k9/bloatfaq.htm

http://personal.uncc.edu/jvanoate/k9/bloatfaq.htm

http://petdoc.com/story/bloat-and-torsion-gdv-dogs

http://www.kifka.com/Elektrik/Bloat.htm

http://www.thepetcenter.com/article.aspx?id=3453

http://www.crittersitextra.com/pettips/NEW_Purdue_Bloat_Study.pdf

http://www.thewagway.com/Behviour%20Tip%20Sheets/gastric_dilatation.htm

http://webcanine.com/2007/rottweiler-bloat-risk/#more-128

http://webcanine.com/2007/med-surg-treatment-for-bloat/#more-107

http://webcanine.com/2007/breed-related-risks-for-bloat/#more-20

http://webcanine.com/2007/diet-related-risks-for-bloat/#more-18

http://www.vin.com/proceedings/Proceedings.plx?CID=TUFTSBG2003&PID=5091&O=Generic

http://www.stat.purdue.edu/~mlevins/Articles/GDV_biometeor.pdf

http://www.vetsurgerycentral.com/gdv.htm

http://pethealthlibrary.purinacare.com/dogs/bloat-gastric-dilatation-volvulus/

http://www.dfordog.co.uk/didyouknow_bloat.htm

http://largedogbreedz.com/your-large-dogs-health/dog-health-conditions/dog-bloat-treatment/prevention.html

http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=2+1571&aid=402

Happy stories this week!

2010-02-27T23:16:00.001+11:00

Jet

...is very well behaved on his walks, and in the Austin Healey Sprite (the engine vibration sends him to sleep though, spoiling the whole image of windswept flapping jowls poking out from the side of the windscreen) as we cruise from home to lake locations & back again...

This is my favourite shot of Jet enjoying his new life!

Candy

...In the end I moved my mattress onto the floor and slept in the laundry too...

...She is turning out to be a nice quiet presence in the house...

...Thanks for all your good work with Candy...

Toby

...Just wanted to say a BIG thank you from Toby and I for helping to find him such a great forever home. He flew down to ... early on Wednesday morning (6.50am…eek but at least it was cool for him ;) )) They all absolutely adore him as does O their other dog who is 12yo. ...O is in love! Lol...

Scooby

...we are almost at the point of “can’t imagine life without him”...

...will start puppy pre-school tomorrow night...

...He loved the bone which I think really helped whilst I was at work. He showed his boredom yesterday though by pulling off 3 of the mosquito nets covering our floor to ceiling windows which is a pain but hey that’s what you get when you have to work I suppose...

...Sorry about the lack of photos ... Funny how a puppy slows these things down!...

Crystal

..She has settled very well and is a real cutie...

Blossom

I was lucky enough to be able to visit my precious Blossom in her new home. She seems very happy :-)

Thank you to all !

Is your dog too fat, too thin or just right?

2010-02-25T21:00:00.002+11:00

Look at gorgeous Buddy's shape - he's a beautiful athletic boy!!

Revolving Door

2010-02-21T15:01:00.000+11:00

The new puppy homes seem to be getting over the initial shock of life with a baby puppy, which is great to hear! The pups also seem to be settling in well and starting to show their true colours, for better or for worse ;-)!!

When I dropped off Scooby on Tuesday night I brought home sweet Abbey. She's a very light girl with a gentle soul. She seems to be feeling a bit lost without her family and was a bit overwhelmed at Katherine's place with 10 other dogs. She had a family in Canberra keen to meet her as a companion for a their previous rescue Lab, it's always nice to have an adoptive family come back for more :-). They came to meet her on Thursday night and took her home for a two week trial. She showed sensitivity around her rear end which has since been checked out and is possibly bruised so she is on a course of anti-inflammatories which should help the healing process. I'm glad to say all is going well so far.

Young Buddy was dropped off to us on Friday morning after a failed trial. His potential new family thought he was absolutely perfect but found out from a concerned friendly neighbour that he had been barking constantly during the day when they were out at work. It turns out that this affectionate, sensitive boy craves company, so we'll be looking for a home with as much human or dog company as is possible for him. He's lovely to have around and we think he is a Great Dane cross Lab. He's no trouble at all living with our cat. He does love to jump up for a cuddle but really concentrated on sitting during his morning greeting this morning, such great progress :-). He's very athletic and loves to run around and jump over things. He's a real sweetheart.

Scooby has joined his new home

2010-02-19T21:48:00.000+11:00

I'm a bit late with this news, it's been a busy week! Scooby left us on Tuesday night to catch a lift to Sydney with Save A Shepherd on Wednesday morning. We only finalised transport on Tuesday so I drove him out to Yass to have a sleepover at Katherine's place ready for his ride from there the next morning. He loved the party at Katherine's house with 11 other dogs! It'll be interesting to see how he settles in to a home with no dogs but he will have a very dedicated young lad to tumble around with.

The handsome young fellow, Scooby

Love this shot of him being attacked by his sisters!

Flat out with Kaeli - cute puppy belly

Such a little chatterbox :-)

Winkie has gone to her new home

2010-02-15T22:18:00.001+11:00

Winkie had an awesome adventure today! She hitched a lift with Golden Retriever Rescue from Canberra to Sydney to join a home with a 3 yo black Lab as her new big sister. It was all organised last night after another home fell through. She should feel right at home after staying with our big black boy Gus :-). She even LOVED the big Goldie boy she was travelling with today. This little girl is wonderful with other dogs. During her travels she met some toddler aged children too and wagged her tail lots with them.

Aint she sweet !

I felt she was a very independent girl while here but her new mum exclaimed that she was so affectionate when she arrived, nestling into her neck and falling asleep on her shoulder. A very endearing little girl. I think she loves her new family :-).

Blossom has joined her new home

2010-02-14T09:17:00.001+11:00

Here are some of the memories we have of sweet affectionate Blossom

my personal favourite (in a whisper, don't tell the others ;-))

She's gone to live only a few suburbs away and has a new big sister, a 4 year old friendly yellow Lab, and a lovely affectionate family. The initial introductions were a little scary for Blossom so we expect to hear an improvement in the dog to dog relationship within the next 48 hours. She was enjoying her new family's cuddles straightaway! It won't take long for her to settle in :-).

She enjoys cuddles, moulding herself into your body shape

She is often found sleeping under foot

I love this shot, it shows how much skin she has to grow into!

Playing ball with Kaeli

Sprite Looks Happy!

2010-02-14T08:43:00.002+11:00

To those who are waiting for news of Sprite. Sprite looks very happy in her new home and will be adopted by her trial family, yay!

She had some scabs under her chin, which needed attention during her trial period. The vet checked it out and it turns out she had blocked pores (a dog form of acne) and is responding well to having them cleaned out and is on a course of antibiotics, the joys of being a teen!

Thank you

We and the vets we take our dogs to may not always pick up everything during an initial check-up so we certainly appreciate this duty of care.