User Name
Password
Remember Me
Is a Labrador the only choice if I want a family friendly dog?
Labs make great family pets for active families willing to put time and effort into training their dog and incorporating them as an integral member of the family but are not suitable for all families. There are many other family friendly breeds to choose from. Check out Dogz Online for all the breeds that are generally available in Australia
www.dogzonline.com.au
On Dogz Online you can find out more about each breed and check out breeder's websites for more information about the breed and breeder.Dogz Online is also a place where you can find puppies and mature dogs for sale.There are also forums available on Dogz Online for all sorts of doggy related interest groups.
You can go to your local dog shows to meet dogs of different breeds and their dedicated breeders. You can usually find schedules of local dog shows from your state canine association, for example;
Dogs ACT - http://www.actca.asn.au/,Dogs NSW - http://dogsnsw.org.au/Dogs VIC - http://www.dogsvictoria.org.au/
You will also find out lots more about responsible dog ownership from these organisations and the activities you can do with your dog.
You can try online breed selection questionnaires that help you consider what kind of home you're offering and what breeds may suit your situationhttp://www.petnet.com.au/selectapet/choose-a-pethttp://selectadog.pedigree.com.au/
Please think carefully about bringing a canine companion into your family as it may be with you for up to 15 yrs and is totally dependent on you for it's physical and mental well-being. Put some time and effort into selection of a breed and reading up early on all aspects of care; health care, grooming, obedience training, exercise required, etc. Don't impulse buy puppies from a pet store or market or internet and continue to support the puppy farm industry.
Have fun planning ahead with your family to find the best match for you in a new canine companion :-)!
In my non-doggy workplace we are lucky enough to have an email dog list where those interested in all things canine can get together and chat. I thought this was both an enlightening and humourous series of emails and wanted to share it with you! You may like to read this from the bottom to the top.
From: W Posted At: Monday, 14 May 2012 09:24 Posted To: Dogs Conversation: Excitable Kelpie and young child - advice Subject: Excitable Kelpie and young child - advice - Reply
It always makes me chuckle - the number of people who thought they were getting one of those gentle, passive, obedient, helpful guide dogs they see out and about, but end up with a Labrador puppy disaster zone.
They are incredibly easy to train and they are very keen to please, but without training, you may as well release an over-powered, self-propelled angle grinder in your house.
From: Posted At: Monday, 14 May 2012 09:10 Posted To: Dogs Conversation: Excitable Kelpie and young child - advice Subject: Excitable Kelpie and young child - advice - Reply
Hi R,
Whilst the information below may not be a suitable solution for your particular situation, the structure of the situation and the solution is the same.....
I assisted a family on the weekend with a near identical situation to yours. They had a yellow Labrador who could easily have scored the lead role in the movie 'Marley & Me'. This dog was hyper-energetic, terribly destructive and as sweet as a lamb. The dogs owners were quite wealthy and lived on acreage with a large impressive house and exquisitely manicured gardens populated by numerous statues, fountains, swimming pool, tennis court and ornamental hedges. The lawns were bowling-green quality but the presence of the dog was having an obvious impact upon them too.
Upon arriving at the residence, the damage that the dog had done was immediately obvious as I surveyed the yard...... a 10 place Quilla outdoor setting was heavily chewed on all corners, all the legs and armrests were also heavily chewed. Scattered around the back lawn were remnants of what used to be an in-ground watering system for one of the ornamental gardens. The BBQ cover hung in tatters loosely draped over the BBQ which is also missing the hose from the gas bottle to the burners thanks to the dog also.
The dogs owners were not terribly concerned at the destructive habits of the dog but rather were very concerned at the way the dog was interacting with the children aged 10, 8 and 6. The youngest child was terrified of the dog and refused to go outside the house unless the dog was tied up. The owners said that the dog was constantly knocking the youngest child down and playfully mouthing him. Even though I am no fan of dogs mouthing anyone I was not terribly concerned by this mouthing as it was obviously playful and it would be very easy for me to extinguish. The described the dog as energetic, noisy and demanding and my initial interactions with the dog certainly supported this. The moment the dog saw me it ran at me from approx. 40 meters away and jumped straight up on me without hesitation. I kneed the dog off me and he jumped straight up again so this time my knee had more force behind it and the dog decided not to jump on me any more. I ignored the dog whilst talking to it's owners and then the dog started mouthing my right hand. I responded to this by delivering an attempted aversive to the dog and then re-presented my hand to it again, the dog mouthed my hand again so I escalated the force in the aversive and quickly got it to the desired level where the dog chose to disengage. I then tried to get the dog to re-engage my hand again and it fell for it and received yet another aversive.. All this time the dog was bouncing around like an ADHD kid who started the day with a large glass of red cordial.
Over the following 3 hours we worked our way through all the dogs behavior problems and at one point I mentioned that a remote training collar (RTC) might be the ideal option for extinguishing some of the destructive behaviors that are occurring in the yard. To my surprise the dogs female owner said that a friend of their from America had leant then a remote training collar but that they weren't sure how to use it. I got them to bring it out to show it to me and I was most impressed to fine that their friend had lent them a top of the range Dogtra Dual Collar System. Sadly it wasn't charged at that time so we couldn't use it but the system they have is worth about $1,300- and would most certainly be perfect for the task. At that point I got one of my systems from my case and I spent an hour of so working on the dogs interaction with the kids. Hyper-activity around kids is just another behavior and its very easy to apply gentle electrical 'pressure' to the dog to let it know that it's behavior is stepping over the line. This kind of electrical stimulation is delivered to the dog below its Threshold Of Discomfort (TOD) and the dog does not verbalise nor is it depressed or in any way upset by it. We also took the opportunity to teach the dog to 'lose' games of tug-of-war with the kids which previously it had always won. We taught the kids to say 'Give' and the dog would then let go of whatever it was pulling on. Because RTCs have very adjustable levels it is very easy to 'pressure' a dog into releasing on command. The amount of (electrical) pressure applied to the dog gets less and less until the dog is releasing on verbal command alone with no need to stimulate via the RTC.
Questioning of the dogs owners revealed exactly what I had expected, that all their training of their dog up until that point had been reward based training and that their dogs had never effectively been disciplined. I used Cesar Milan's phrasing and told them that their dog definitely needed 'rules, boundaries and limitations' and that up until I arrived that it effectively had none. The dog responded extremely well to any and all aversives offered never requiring more than two successive aversives before surrendering the behavior.
By the time I left the dog was running and playing happily with all three of the children. The youngest child took a bit of coaxing but once the child realised that the dog wasn't going to pounce on him he started interacting with the dog.....a bit of judicious button pressing when the dog went to overstep the line has the dog happily modifying its energy levels when interacting with the kids.
Now the dogs owners will have to do a bit more work but their primary concern of the dog playing with their kids has pretty much been dealt with and they will need to do a few hours more supervised training with the kids and then they can move on to dealing with the destructive chewing behaviors and a few other minor issues.
caveat "The use of a Remote Training Collar should not be done without formal training and or supervision from a canine professional."
Grant 'The Paw Man' Teeboon
Canine Behavior Specialist
www.thepawman.com.au
Mob: 0411-341-280
From: Reynolds, Rachael MRS Posted At: Friday, 11 May 2012 14:22 Posted To: Dogs Conversation: Excitable Kelpie and young child - advice Subject: Excitable Kelpie and young child - advice
We have a 2 year old kelpie who is a very loving but excitable member of our family. My daughter who is almost 15 months absolutely loves him and he her in return, however we are having a bit of an issue with just how excited he is when we are outside with him. Barney has a particular interest in my wooden pegs and this was something my daughter discovered very quickly and so the two will spend ages outside with her feeding him the pegs (he destroys them then spits them out - thankfully they aren't expensive). despite being quite boisterous with both my husband and I at times he is actually very gentle with her and waits for her to hand him the pegs and never tries to take them from her but now that she is walking/running he gets a little to excited with her at times and tries to run with her which has resulted in a few tumbles. The latest of which knocked her into a brick wall and left an egg on her head, this was despite me being right next to her at the time (he ran between us).
He obviously gets told off very firmly and its usually the end of play time but I'm not to sure how I can calm him down a little to make things a little safer for my daughter while she is outside, especially as I'm sure her running everywhere isn't going to disappear anytime soon. Also how do I discipline him for his actions when being told off and shoved away results in him just standing there with his tail wagging and a dopey grin on his face which suggests it wasn't any sort of deterrent.
Thanks in advance
Labradors which are sick, over or underweight, crawling with fleas, suffering from mange, you name it, Labrador Rescue carers have seen it all. Sometimes when we look at a new arrival it makes you cry to see how bad they look.
For most dogs, a bath, flea treatment, antibiotics (sometimes for ear mites, mange etc) and a good diet makes the world of difference. However chocolate labs in particular show the effects of any or all of the above in the condition of their coat much more than the gold or black labs do. The coat of chocolate labs under stress has quite a dramatic colour change as well as the texture change of all labs. The dry, harsh coat which sheds amazingly in all the labs only seems to have a real colour change in the chocolate labs.
The photos of poor Lucy show it all. Lucy (around 10 years of age) came into care extremely thin with legs unable to take her weight due to muscle atrophy from starvation and wearing the typical “stressed coat” look of chocolate labs in trouble. You can see from the photos of Lucy, how thin she was and how her coat was a light tawny shade of brown instead of a healthy glowing walnut brown. Lucy had 7 rotting teeth extracted immediately to allow her to eat and was placed on an appropriate diet and other medical care she desperately needed. In one photo you can see her ear, which had been shaved to deal with an infection in the skin, is showing the new growth in the chocolate she should have been all over. As well as looking a bad colour, Lucy’s fur was dry to touch, you almost felt it would snap off in your hand.
Anna, the dog in the other photos came into care extremely stressed. She was overweight and so afraid of people that she would bolt outside to hide whenever anyone came into the house. Her colour was very similar to Lucy’s and every morning, the laundry where she slept was covered in a carpet of shed fur. Jess the other chocolate lady who sneaked up on the other end of the couch also came into care weighing over 40 kilos with similar sad looking and feeling fur. Their coats demonstrate that with correct care they can go in a few months from dry harsh fur the colour of Lucy’s to soft glossy coats, chocolate (or really walnut) brown that we all love to see.
Correct diet and exercise, weekly baths (Labrador Rescue uses Medicated Dog Soap by House of Carteret ) and daily grooming are essential to all our dogs with skin and condition problems. I have found that dietary supplements such as Flax seed oil or Omega 3 fish oil (capsules or liquid) together with a reasonable quality of pet food choice all help bring the shine back to choc labs.
The other essential ingredient which ALL labs need to keep their gloss both physically and mentally- to be well loved. Combine all of the above together with clear boundaries and appropriate discipline and your lab will look good and BE a fabulous family member.
Poor Lizzie! She's suffering form some sort of skin condition. Our brilliant vet Gwen who works at Peter Burgess's surgery isn't sure what's wrong so we're trying daily baths in Melasab - a medical shampoo. Unfortunately Lizzie doesn't seem to enjoy the baths. Neither am I when I see the state of the bathroom after one bath! The amount of hair in the drain, the muddy paw prints etc. And Dorrie (who hates baths) won't go near me for the next two hours thinking I'm going to somehow trick her into the bath too!
Lizzie has to have the shampoo in for about 15 minutes which leaves me enough time to wash my hair or shave my legs. So she sits in the bath with me, looking with those big black eyes Why do you do this to me? Thankfully it's all forgiven with a towel rub. She LOVES towel rubs. She knows she has to stand between my legs, so she keeps standing there begging for just one more rub down!
I feel really conscious of Lizzie's fur thinning! People who know me will be aware that I'm quite casual about how I look, figuring people will judge me on my personality rather than looks, but when it comes to foster dogs I want them to look their best for their new families. I want people to look at Lizze and laugh at her expressions, fall in love with her endearing charms and think she's absolutely adorable. I get worried that someone won't think she's as cute as she really is, if she's missing fur!
Anyway, Lizzie doesn't seem to mind how she looks. She still loves exactly the same things and behaves in exactly the same cute way. Tonight while I was watching The Block she came and jumped up on the couch next to me. It was as if she was saying, well if you are going to put me through that ordeal you can least shove over and give me some couch space!
If you would like to adopt this precious little girl, fill in an adoption questionnaire here. You have to love her as much as I do however, she deserves a brilliant home!
Eukanuba are a fantastic brand of dog food. They donate palates of food to Lab Rescue and Labradog Rescue. My lovely dog Dorrie and her foster sister Lizzie REALLY love Eukanuba. So much so we had a bit of laundry raiding today...
Both dogs are feeling a little bit sorry for themselves!
Oh and the dog farts they are both producing are outrageous!
What's that saying? Never trust someone who says trust me? Well, maybe there's a little more to that when it comes to rescue dogs.
We've had a busy month and a half over January in February, mainly due to all the applications that are coming in. We get over 10 applications a week! I counted 71 applications since Jan 1!
Since we usually rehome 2 dogs each week that means we're disappointing 8 people each week. Some of these will stay on our waiting lists for incoming dogs. They may have specified that they want a dog in an age group, or sex that we just don't have at the time.
Unfortunately, most people don't get a dog from us because they haven't done their research into the breed before contacting us. We're often the first person to tell them that labs shed hair, puppies chew everything in sight and they don't do well as 'outside dogs'. I think everyone at Lab Rescue will agree with me here in saying, turning down a prospective home because they have the wrong expectations about a labrador is the second hardest part of our job. (The hardest part is when a dog doesn't make it, but that's another blog post)
I wish people would understand our background when applying for a dog. We see hundreds of labs each year advertised on gumtree or surrendered directly to us. 99% of the time their stories are exactly the same. He/She is just too much for me. They have lost the bond they wanted to have with the dog, it's developed bad habits and the situations out of control. The last thing we want is for the same scenario to happen in a Lab Rescue dog's home. We're SO careful about where to place our dogs that it can come across as being fussy, or self pretentious.
Please, if you are considering a lab research the breed first. We don't care if you've had 10 labs in your life before or if you've had none, we still expect that you know enough about the breed to give them a good home. If we think you're not suitable, please trust our reasons for this. It's based on placing over 500 labradors into great foster homes and then into their forever homes. It's what we do, it's what we're good at.
So trust us.
Having heard there was a male Labrador crowding out Linda's home, we thought we would investigate further to fill the void left by a previous foster dog. Little could have prepared us for the big smiling face of Bear. A gentle giant who just wants to wriggle, have fun and be loved. We introduced him to our existing dog, ex foster dog, Moose and they sort of got on, but it was hard to tell with all the male posturing and then playing in the garden. So with Linda's wise encouragement we took him home with us. I have to admit I was a bit intimidated. I asked Linda, what makes intact males so different from desexed apart from the obvious. How should I be caring for two males when I have only been used to females. Linda was very reassuring and explained there was little difference in managing desexed males, but an intact male had other ISSUES! Well I resolved to get him desexed asap to fix those!
We took him home, gave him a medicated bath, gave him a flea treatment, gave Moose flea treatment, checked on everyone's flea status and then brought him inside. What a gentleman! I struggled to remember his name (Grizzle), I called him Guzzle, Gizzle and eventually the dog. So we asked our son what he should be called. Continuing with a successful formula he settled on Bear because "he's so cuddly except he wriggles too much.."
After their evening walk he settled down a little but was still very stimulated with his new environment and playmate Moose. Linda had learnt us a dog cage just in case, so we set it up so we could get a decent night's sleep. I was still not 100% confident the dogs might come to blows with over enthusiastic play. No problem at all, he hopped into the cage which I made super comfy with an old duvet and of course some dog treats. Moose took up position in his bed and both dogs were asleep instantly. During the night I woke up, felt sorry for Bear and quietly let him out to go to the loo. No problem at all, he bounced back into the cage in anticipation of the treats which were quickly offered as a reward. I told Moose to go back to his bed and threw some treats into his bed. Surprisingly Moose kept on circling me and would not go to his bed, very odd. It took a moment or two for the penny to drop, I turned on the lights and yes, Moose was happily smiling at me from inside the cage and Bear was looking very unloved outside! The rest of the night passed on so peacefully and the next day, that we dismantled the cage and have used the spare bed instead. Both dogs respond well to the drill of go to bed followed by treats and hey presto we have had no issues at night.
Bear has settled in well. He is very inquisitive and watches us most of the time. However he is learning to relax and follow Moose's example of just sleeping undisturbed and heavily whenever the opportunity presents itself. He is a very easy dog to have in the home and must have been used to a domestic environment at some stage.
I have been feeding him a homemade diet of fish, egg and raw vegetables to help his skin heal from the flea bites. His skin seems to be responding well from the care and attention he received before me and is already noticeably less aggravated. I hate to imagine how bad it must have been when he was first rescued from the pound.
Walking on the lead is fine, until he sees another dog. Then the hormones kick in, he starts barking and pulling. Luckily we have a harness to walk him in but I still need my husband to walk him as he has quite a sudden pull.
We have just had our ACT Moon Bear committee meeting at my house. Not surprisingly all loved the two handsome boys who wriggled and wagged their way around everyone. I think a small role may have been secured in a future Animals Asia event.
So yes he is booked in for the snip on Thursday at one of the wonderfully supportive vet clinics here in Canberra. This with some basic obedience training on the lead around other animals will make him a pretty perfect companion...
Post by Gill, Grizzle's foster mum and Moose's permanent mum.
Puppies often come into our care needing training. All of our dogs get toilet trained because they all live inside the house. Linda kindly wrote down a few tips on toilet training that I thought I'd share. Feel free to add your own in the comments below.
Toilet Training ideas from my experience that might help you with new dogs - LindaBody Language Learn the body language your dog exhibits before toileting. This can only be done by observation. Watch your dog until it toilets.Constant SupervisionWhile housetraining a dog not to toilet inside, constant supervision is a must. If you can't supervise for a time pop the dog in a crate or outside while you're busy. Remember not to leave the dog in a crate for too long as you want to set up the dog for success not failure . If you keep getting distracted tie the dog to you with a leash so you don't forget (Labs won't mind a bit)! If you are supervising you will be able to catch the dog in the act of toileting, then you make a loud sudden grrowly sound , 'no' or 'bah' to shock the dog into stopping and take it quickly outside following the toileting routine below. Note: You cannot punish a dog for toileting inside if you find the evidence more than 10 seconds later, it will have no idea what you're trying to teach it!RoutineDevelop a toileting routine. Dogs generally toilet after a meal, after a drink, upon waking or becoming active after a period of relaxation, like greeting you. At these times take your dog to the same door and walk out with them to the garden and take the same route to the general area you'd like to encourage them to toilet in. Keep wandering around slowly and watch your dog's body language until it goes. When finished give the dog a treat and some lavish praise or a game of fetch or something you know the dog loves.If you get sick of waiting for the dog to toilet , take it back in and continue the constant supervision while inside, put a timer on and go out again in about half an hour, keep doing this until the dog toilets either inside (and interrupt it) or outside (and praise it). Hopefully the dog will start to follow that routine before it toilets and you will notice it trying to tell you that it's time to go. Give yourself a pat on the back when you realise you can understand what the dog is trying to tell you .Cleaning UpFor a dog that is new to toileting outside on grass, you may like to clean up the mess and transfer it outside to an area of the garden to get an area to start smelling like a dog toilet. If that is not necessary then wipe up inside and spray with vinegar. This will neutralise the smell so that the house doesn't smell like a toilet to the dog.
Labradors are notorious for suffering arthritis. One of our volunteers Angel has just reported that her young, fit healthy girl has just been diagnosed with early onset arthritis. We've currently got two dogs in our care who have suffer from arthritis, but at times we've had a lot more.
If we get a dog with arthritis it's CRUCIAL that we keep the dog at a healthy weight. (i.e. when the lab is standing you can feel it's ribs under a layer of skin. The ribs shouldn't be visable.) We also keep the dogs fit, usually by swimming or slow long walks as it puts less stress on the joints. The muscle build up supports the joints reducing arthritic pain.
Katherine's been looking into a couple of products who help arthritis. She's been talking to other rescue groups getting their advice, as well as talking to some of our vets. We will be bulk ordering some drugs to help our rescues. If you are interested in finding out about what we use, feel free to email Katherine ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ) and discuss these options with your local vet.
We are not vets and we don't know your dogs history. Please note that any advice you receive from us should also be discussed with your local vet.
We've seen many dogs who come into care with arthritis and although they are all different in personality, they all share the one thing. They love life, and don't let a bit of arthritic pain get in their way. Playing, swimming, tummy rubs and chewing a big bone are DEFINITELY not inhibited by arthritis!
Bit of a life lesson for us huh? I complain and swear at the mere thought of a paper cut....
About a week ago we got an email from someone asking how expensive it was to have a lab. I though this would be a great opportunity to write a blog post on the expected costs of labradors.
I've only owned a lab for 9 months, before then I'd never owned a dog. My hubby and I are still learning what to put aside for the dogs so there was no way I could write an article based on my own experience. So instead, I asked a few foster carers with dogs of their own to tell their stories.
Some foster carers don't own their own labs, some own golden retrievers, some curlies some wolfhound crosses. But they are all relatively big dogs with similar common health issues.
So firstly I'll introduce everyone.
Kim - Kim is a holiday foster carer, helping out when we're really busy in the holidays. Kim's recently adopted Bronson to befriend her lab Ella.
Linda - Most of you will already know Linda, she's the one who matches dogs with people. Linda owns a Brittany, a Curly Coated Retriever and a tabby cat, all who have seen many fosters over the years. Linda's passionate about responsible dog ownership and loves reading and sharing her dog training tips.
Kylie - If you have ever adopted a dog off us, you would have recieved a congratulations email. Kylie finalises all our adoptions and sorts out our paperwork. She's adotped two labs off us, Bella and Zippah who joined Sammy J and Emma, Kylie's other labs. She also owns two rabbits and a cat. I think it's fair to say Kylie knows a thing or two about the costs and benefits of keeping animals!
Frances - Frances is one of our more experienced foster carers. She's had many through her doors and has lots of stories to tell. She and her family all love dogs, you just have to hear her strategy of walking three dogs at one time! Frances has a cocker spaniel who teaches fosters manners, and sadly has recently said goodbye to her beloved goldie. Frances also has a cat.
Karen - Karen's a foster carer we pinched from Golden Retriever Rescue! She has a 9 year old goldie and a gorgeous king charles spaniel. Like Frances, Karen has been with lab rescue for a while, fostering many dogs. She's always a sucker for a good dog story and loves to hear how her fosters are going in their new homes.
Carole - Carole is our WA rep who adopted Roxxi and flew her all the way from Canberra to Perth. After spending all that money transporting Roxxi, Carole quickly found out she had an ectopic urethrea. Despite all that, Carole's family love Roxxi to bits and think every cent is worth it. Carole helps out by responding to emails in our email box. She's often everyone's first contact with Lab Rescue.
Shalini - Shalini is a foster carer and event organiser for Lab Rescue. She's got two boofy lab boys Lynx and Viper and if she had her way, she'd have a lot more! Since Shalini's joined Lab Rescue late last year she's organised a stand at the pet expo, rehomed half a dozen labs, made countless trips around Sydney and Canberra and various phone calls. Shalini's passionate about rescuing labradors and has a real soft heart for them.
Kim: We buy the biggest bags of dog food, which last about a month or so - $100 a bag? I must admit I don't keep close track of how long it lasts although with our new lovely Bronson we are certainly going through the food. Extras would be $10-15 per wk on top of the dry food, max.
Linda: Our Pet Barn bill came just under $900 (generally food, toys & grooming needs for 3 dogs & cat) which adds up to about $12/week/dog. Food varies from low end Bonnie or Supercoat to high end Eukanuba or Nutro
Kylie: We have Royal Canine (Obesity) for our oldies $140 for a 20kilo bag, with joint formula but Supercoat $20 10 kilo (I think) for the Jnrs. With bones and chicken wings, carcasses I would say similar to Linda around $12-14 a week per dog.
Frances: I use Bonnie Lite as i have oldies and buy a 20 kilo bag at about $42 I think which last 3 dogs (and sometimes a sneaky cat) about 3 weeks. I add a large bone, treats etc and would agree it would average out at about $8 to $10 a week.
I add Omega fish oil capsules (3 X2000) per day and 1X glucosamine tablet per day for any dog over 7 years of age or in poor condition plus a splash of sunflower oil per day for all ages. I buy the tablets in woolworths in jars of 200 each. Approx $40 ish dollars a jar.
Karen: Per year I'd spend about $500 on Science Diet for Heidi my 9 year old goldie. Treats will probably add up to $500 per year too. I give her bones when I go to work each day.
Carole: We buy big bag of weight control eukanuba. I'm not sure how long last for but costs around 120. I guess I'll probably go through at least four a year.
Shalini: I spend about $25 a week on my two boys. That covers canned dog food and dry pedigree biscuits.
Kim: Yes we do! Especially when they are pups, or if their favourite 'breaks' (i.e chewed to bits). We spend maybe, $20 per year? I suppose most years they get nothing new, really, they have heaps of toys. They love to play with tennis balls! Kmart sells packs of 6 cheap, and we got some bigger, squeaky ones from PetStock. Also fans of the tug of war rope, and soft toys to carry around.
Linda: My dogs like to play with rope toys, kongs, larger sized balls, squeakies. Our toys are included in the Pet Barn bill, under $900 a year.
Kylie: Toys.. tennis balls, anything that squeeks. I usually buy them from the cheap shops and they last as long as the expensive ones. Kongs have survived but they are not interested in them unless they have food in them! Clam kids pools are an annual buy $15 from big W.. they all love splashing around in them anytime of the day.
Frances: I bought a shell for paddling from Bunnings for $18 dollars recently. Noticed last week they had them on sale for $12!
Karen: Heidi likes playing with the tug of war toys like the Kong Wubba. We probably spend about $50 a year on toys.
Carole: Roxxi loves the squeaky chickens, we probably spend about $40 a year.
Shalini: My boys love anything with stuffing in it! So we go through about $100 a year on stuffed toys.
Kim: No insurance.
When we lost our lab Satchmo to hemangio sarcoma (sp?) new years day a year ago, we dropped $1400 at the emergency vet just in one night on all the tests trying to figure out what was wrong with him. Then there were extra costs for the final, horrible chest xray, the cost of putting him to sleep, and disposal. I don't know how much that was, we just handed over the credit card distraught in tears.
Being big dogs, the cost of vaccinations and such (based on weight) is not cheap. We would budget around $500-600 for the yearly checkups and jabs? I think? I know it's a lot but again it's not something I fret over. We're not made of money by any means but the yearly checkup and jabs is just a must do. If we're going to the coast, I think it's about $70 for a few doses of Frontline for the ticks. That stuff IS expensive.
Linda: Last year we spend $325 at the vet, that covers two dogs and a cat.
I think you would need to spend at least $300 a year to keep a dog C5 vaccinated, free of heartworm and intestinal worms and fleas/ticks.
I don’t have pet insurance for current dogs but will for next dog from 8 weeks!
Gus had a $240 vet bill this month (for teeth/ear clean/nail clip), has had a $1000 emergency vet bill and a $1200 vet bill for mast cell tumour removal in the last 2 years.
Kylie: Vet bills for 3 dogs had been around $1500 for the year. Then again our oldies have daily anti inflammatory at a fair cost but it makes a huge difference to their mobility and happiness. (our rabbit has just hit $1800 in 6 weeks after 2 surgeries!) The largest bill we got from the Vet was for our 14 year old lab who had spleen cancer 4 years ago. All up the operation and the 6 months on chemo was roughly $10k. BUT she is still with us and has been a great help for cancer research in Labs. The bill was payable as we went so after the initial operation it was payments here and there over the 6 months.
Frances: Our dogs get annual check up, C5 and annual heart worm injection. Then add monthly Frontline for flea protection. Logan's cancer investigation and then euthanizing cost close to $1800
Karen: I think something that people who are getting dog of any age need to realise that a large vet bill could come at anytime. eg. when my Cavalier King Charles Spaniel was 3yo, she had OCD in her shoulder (extremely unusual for her breed) - the operation and associated treatment cost atleast $2000. Without the operation, she would have been in a lot of pain. As Linda said, pet insurance is a good idea and I will definitely get it in the future...
My breakdown is:
Annual Vaccination & Heartworm - $200
2011 Vet Bill (covers a lump removal, skin irritation, yucky eye) - $1,000
Allwormer - $50
Advantix/Frontline - $40
Carole: No pet insurance, sigh!
So far since adopting roxxi 2 years ago we have spent $ 6500 on knee reconstruction and associated xrays and costs. We have also spent approx $5500 on trying to determine why she leaks all the time which we discovered she had when she arrived – there is still no answer so we will probably be up for at least another $2000-4000 to discover what it is and fix it if possible.
These amounts are in addition to the usual vaaccinations, worming etc – she also is on catrophen injections and is also on sashas blend.
This is on top of the $400 adoption and the $550 air transport cost to get her to Perth.
Shalini: I have pet insurance, it costs me about $15 a week. The largest bill I've ever paid was about $1,000. The minimum I'd pay in a year is about $200.
Kim: Our dogs haven't really done much damage. We've done a bit of fence patching in the past. We've picked past rentals and our current (own) home based in part on their dog friendliness!
If we can't take the dogs with us, we use pups4Fun pet sitting. They come and walk, feed, water, check mail, take up bins, water plants, etc etc - that is $40 per 30 mins visit for two dogs ($65 for 60 mins), though we usually need to pay a holiday surcharge on top. We generally don't leave them for more than 3 days in these cases, any more and I ask my brother to actually house/dog sit for us (well, I always ask him to do it in the first instance, so I can save money!). So, pet sitting might be $150 a year, give or take, if we really need it.
Gus pushed through three palings of wooden fence, easy to fix. My dogs are quite easy on the garden but they’re not Labs! Kaeli likes to dig but that has very little impact and doesn’t bother us. Already had sandpit for the kids, Kaeli encouraged to dig there but prefers bug hunting in the grass! We did build a large new deck with weatherproof roof with the dogs needs in mind, as well as ours.
Kaeli chewed the pedal off my sewing machine but that was easily replaced!
Kylie: We take our animals with us to visit family but also have family animal sit if we need to go on an extended trip. We have hired animal friendly houses by the water a few times on average $200 - $250 a night depending on where it is and we have shared with other people to keep costs down. There are loads on http://www.stayz.com.au/pet-friendly-accommodation
They have destroyed beds and washing, shrubs but nothing like a lounge or big ticket items. Leads and collars last many years even with washing them (as long as they can’t chew them off). Initially maybe $30 per dog and then a tag for $20. We have had the same leads for years and they still look like new. We do put them away each time so no teeth can chew so am sure than makes a difference. Guess we have been lucky too!
Kim: There are usually unexpected vet visits. Ear infections, weird lumps, etc we get checked out.
Set up costs if you haven't owned a dog before or getting a second one - collar, lead, ID tag, dog poo bags, dog bed, registration. You can save money though, e.g. We use ice cream containers instead of dog bowls! If you buy a pup I suppose there is desexing, microchipping...
There is no getting around the fact that owning labs is not cheap. You HAVE to expect some major vet bills in your future: dog gets hit by car, dog needs a knee replacement, dog gets cancer, dog gets chronic illness...all awful things but if the vet assesses there's a good chance for recovery / a good quality of life, you have to be willing to spend the money, or honestly don't get a dog in the first place. I'm pretty harsh about that I think. A work colleague just spent around $5000 on her lab getting his leg amputated because of cancer, plus the treatment, and now he needs some tooth extractions for an abcess - as she said, 'he gives us more than $5000 worth of love a year, and as long as he has a good quality of life the money doesn't matter'
Linda: Bedding can be something that needs regular replacement!
Membership of an obedience club can be excellent both for learning training techniques and having access to off leash exercise areas. Often just over $100 per year.
I find dogs very high maintenance money and time wise, much more so than cats, but worth it.
Kylie: We bought expensive beds, around $130 after trying MANY – Kazoo brand. They are soft and the outside is washable which is fantastic! All the puppies love them and choose them over others we have. The extra large can fit 2 no worries.
Towels for washing on days like today. Prob $30 per dog per year. We wash them constantly with swimming and walking. The cheap ones really don’t last unfortunately.
Christmas pressies $10 per bag/bones just for fun. Dare I say reindeer antlers at $3 each! hehehe
Frances: Collars generally last about half a lifetime and leads last a lifetime or more. I keep the knots out of the leads and make sure they are dry before putting them away.
At least 2 tags per dog in a lifetime as the metal wears through approx$10 each engraved.
Add in a car harness per dog for safety in traveling. Probably about $45 each but it's been a while since I bought them. They last a lifetime too.
Bedding for us is the trampolines since Logan ate everything else. Large Goldie size or Goldie plus springer plus cat if a cold night was over $120. Medium for springer plus cat and lab if cold night about $80??? Add in comfort mat which clips to trampoline for older dogs, medium mat was about $60 plus. Cheaper mats which just sit on the top of the trampoline rather than attach can be got from $2 shops. Not much padding however.
Add feed bowls and LARGE stable water containers even a lab trying to swim in can't knock over $20 for both tops.
LOL crikey it does add up!
Karen: The only other thing I would add is bedding, we've spend around $100 on that.
Carole: I can't think of anything else to add.
Shalini: Maybe a couple of other token items:
Dog bed- $25 each
Collar- $15
Kennel- pointless but why not $200.00
Dog door in glass panel- $900.00
Phew what blog post! It all looks a little daunting when you add it all up doesn't it? Remember this is just a couple of experiences, yours will be different depending on your lifestyle and the health of your dog.
One question I didn't ask the foster carers, was the question of worth. Are dogs worth all of this?
Undoubtedly we think so. We keep loving them despite the hole in our wallets. There's no 'discount dogs' at Lab Rescue. Even if you did manage to get a dog for free, the costs of upkeep with a lab can be quite severe. It's just another thing that needs considering.
I hope this helps everyone in preparation for their new dogs! Big thanks to all the foster carers who shared their experiences. If you would like to ask a question about anything mentioned above, feel free to leave a comment.
This is on the the ABC news over the weekend:
The Queensland Government is moving to wipe out puppy farms in the state, saying time is running out for unscrupulous dog farmers.
Regional Economies Minister Tim Mulherin says proposed new registration requirements will eliminate cruel and brutal dog breeders, making it very difficult for them to run inhumane and secluded operations away from scrutiny.
The new system, developed with the help of animal welfare groups, will mean dog breeders must comply with very high standards for canine management, breeding, rearing, health, housing and record-keeping.
Mr Mulherin says every dog will have a micro chip so it can be traced back to the breeder.
"The registration system involves mandatory registration for intensive dog breeders [and] regular monitoring," he said.
"In addition, all microchips will include the breeder's information and the dog's mother's micro chip number. This will allow authorities to more easily identify puppy farms and trace the origins of the puppies.
"These notorious operations generally have very poor conditions, sometimes with hundreds of dogs, and fail to meet any of the dogs' behavioural social needs.
"With the proposed new breeder registration system, these unscrupulous puppy farms will be squeezed out of the market."
January 21, 2012 12:38:21
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-01-21/time-running-out-for-puppy-farms/3785822
We've been contacted about a puppy needing a home, we don't have space for it at the moment so we are just going to advertise it here.
Ad says:
Big, beautiful, puppy dog and I am quite sad to get rid of it however due to its size it takes up a lot of space in my apartment. In excellent condition and well behaved.
$30
Photo below:
We got this email recently that I wanted to share with everyone. It's an important message that Sammy's old owners wanted to pass on.
Dear Rescue labrador We adopted through Labrador Rescue two years ago (almost to the day). And we were one of the success stories. Sammy (previously called Riley) was a very healthy, happy and much loved dog and member of our family. But we are the bearer of sad news. Our Sammy passed away on Tuesday, 3rd January. We were away on holiday and my inlaws looked after her. They took her the beach for a week to the Coast. After returning home, she became paralysed and was rushed to emergency vet. 5 paralysis ticks were located included 2 which really did some damage. She had cardiac arrest hours later and she died. We had only been to the vet a week earlier for her annual check up and were told that she was as strong as an ox. Needless to say, my husband and I are devasted. To lose our much loved pet this way, when she had really come into her own, so happy and confident seems so cruel. I am telling you this - not to simply share the sadness but in the hope that you can help spread the news about the high risk of ticks in the South Coast area. Had we known, we would have done so many things differently but now live with regret. Ironically my inlaws dog only came back with a case of the fleas. In your network capacity, please warn about the risk out there. Many thanks. Regards Sammy's owners.
I was fortunate enough, along with Shalini, to foster beautiful Molly late last year. She was just a charm. She loved playing, no matter whether it was with other dogs, or other toys or even little kids! She just loved life, and just like most labs was incredibly loyal.
Molly found a home quite easily. She was rehomed to a family who had a son who was looking for a dog he could play with. I thought that sounded like Molly!
Unfortunately Molly's family contacted me over the long weekend to say that Molly had gone missing. They were distraught as Molly's disappearance also came with some tragic family news. So knowing that Molly was missing, Molly's mum had to fly out of Australia, crossing her fingers that Molly would be found safe by the rest of the family left behind.
I heard that she was missing because Molly still had her microchip number registered in her name. It was the worst time to wander off, she was outside when the fireworks went off which would have spooked her more. Most of the pounds were also shut, so although they were taking in new dogs, they weren't calling any of their owners until the public holidays had finished.
So Molly's family were waiting anxiously. All of us at Lab Rescue were waiting anxiously too!
Finally late yesterday I heard that she had been found! Apparently she was exhausted, but safe! She was found wandering around the neighbourhood. Apparently some of the neighbours had spotted her, but she wouldn't come over to them. The family searched the area and found her.
Molly was so relieved and happy to be found! I think her relief was only matched by her family's!
Molly's adventure made me think about what would happen if Dorrie (my 3 year old lab) escaped. I know Molly's new family exercise and give her stimulation, and as far as they knew the yard was secure. What would I do if Dorrie escaped? What would happen if 24 hours later I couldn't find her?
We're lucky here in Canberra, we only really have three pounds or shelters that take in stray dogs. That means there are fewer places to check if your dog goes missing. There's the RSPCA, the Canberra Pound (DAS) and the Queanbeyan pound. It's much harder in Sydney with different pounds and councils. Not to mention all the vets that may take in a stray and try to find its home.
My next blog post will be an emergency plan for if you find your dog missing. I'm sure Molly's family wouldn't want anyone else to go through what they went through on the weekend. I'd like to share parts of their experience, plus some experience of other lab owners on how to look for a lost dog.
Finally, a picture of Molly safe and sound at home!
Monica
A very guilty looking dog in the Canberra pound, at least he smiles for his mug shot!
As you may have already read yesterday, one of our rehomed dogs Molly ran away from her
family. Read about Molly's experience here.
Molly's story inspired me to talk about what to do if your dog escapes and how to prevent it from happening.
When you first bring a dog home
It sounds really obvious, but make sure your fencing is stable. A determined, lonely dog can easily push aside a loose paling in a picket fence. Also make sure sure your fences are at least 1.5m high on all sides. If not, consider getting an older dog with arthiritis who's less likely to jump.
If adopting a lab from us, be clear about your fences. I know our adoption questionnaire is long and at Lab Rescue we're quite unashamed about it. We want to know a lot about you! You can also use this time to express what type of dog suits you. For instance, if you have farm fencing you don't want a dog who will climb. (like my Dorrie, she won't stay more than 10 seconds behind a farm fence!) If you have a barred gate with gaps in it, don't ask for a small (and slender!) dog. The more you let us know about your backyard, the more we can test suitable dogs to ensure a good match.
Before you plan to pick up your dog, have a couple of dog tags made up. Have a dog name (if you know it, or have a name in mind) on one side and a contact mobile number on the other. It's useful to have a few spare because they do get rusty or lost.
When you have your dog
Molly's family recommends putting up a sign on any external gates or doors reminding people to close it behind them. It can be a great reminder for children or visitors. Explain to everyone that the door/gate must be fully secure every time you go out, especially in the first few weeks when your dog is getting used to you.
Once I came home to a new foster and the gate bounced open when I went through it. Cajun was off down the street with me chasing after him in a pencil work skirt and heels. Luckily (for me) Cajun spotted a car parked down the street with a door open. The family was unloading shopping out of their nice clean car. Cajun jumped straight in and sat there waiting for them to come back. They got quite a surprise when they returned to their car!
All dogs that are rehomed through labrador rescue have microchips in our name. When you adopt a dog from us you will get a copy of a microchip transfer form. We will hand in our copy to a pound to transfer the dog into your name, however the pounds aren't always great at doing this. When you take your new dog for a checkup at your local vet, ask them to check the details on the chip. If you want to change it you can use your copy of the transfer form to do so.
When your dog's missing
The first thing to do is to check the local pound. Research in your area what local shelter/pound is near you. Most pounds are very quick to upload photos and details of dogs that have been picked up. Are you close to an RSPCA? It's worth giving them all a call to register that your dog is lost. Dig out your paperwork and find the microchip number of the dog.
If you are in Sydney, check the large pounds like Hawkesbury, Blacktown and Renbury. Canberra people can check the Canberra RSPCA, Queanbeyan pound and Canberra pound. Thankfully Lab Rescue routinely check these pounds for labs, so we can keep an eye out too.
Walk around your typical path where you take your dog. They are most likely to head off in an area they remember or associate with fun. If there are people in the area walking their dogs, ask them if they have seen a lab without an owner.
Go around door knocking asking people in your street or along your typical walk asking them to keep and eye out. Give them your number to contact if they see anything. This is ultimately what found Molly.
Search thoroughly around your house. Has there been any fireworks or loud noises? Was the dog scared and found a place to hide?
Let your vet, or any local vet in the area know about your lost dog. Remember to give them the dog's microchip number.
Call your local police station. They often get calls about stray dogs and may know of one in the area.
Use Facebook, Twitter and Labrador Rescue to advertise that you have lost your dog.
Finally, if you have another dog, walk it around your neighbourhood. It may pick up on a hiding place that we don't see and since they know the dog they may run towards it.
Helping the Family Deal with stress
It's a horrible, stressful situation that none of us want to go through. Molly's family were particularly stressed because of how helpless they were. They just wanted to be able to do something to bring Molly back. Most of the steps above resulted in letting Molly's family know where she was.
Hopefully this article has reminded you about the possibility of your dog wandering off. It can happen to anyone, and like with Molly, it doesn't necessarily have anything to do with the dog being bored or under exercised. Bookmark this article or create your own list so that you can refer back to it if needed.
Do you have any tips on what to do if your dog escapes? What's worked for you in the past?
Big thanks to Molly's owners for sharing their experience and tips! I can't express how happy we are here at Lab Rescue that Molly's safe at home again. And we are so pleased that she's found a home that loves her dearly.
