walking in beautiful surroundings

Penny and I are fortunate in the variety of places we can walk together. Here's a recent location:

It's easy to take these wonderful places for granted, but I was reminded recently that such bushy surroundings occur only because of the work put in by local government,  indigenous people and groups of volunteers.

I thought this sign at the Willsmere billabong in Kew had an excellent explanation of why we dog-walkers need to respect the other users of our spaces, both human and non-human.

These plantings are newer than the one pictured at the top, but in time they will be just as lovely:

 

another session of Bowen therapy for dogs

Here's a photo of Penny taking it easy after another session of Bowen therapy for dogs. (It's rather hard to see, because she was so comfy in the darkness that I didn't have the heart to use the flash. And the strange colour is  a wash of light from the television set.)

We have been given notes by our therapist, Deb from Bow-Rei Me. (Don't you love that business name?)

Some tips for an after-Bowen day:
Allow Penny to rest undisturbed for as long as she needs, because the body integrates the work best during rest or sleep;
no brushing or bathing for couple of days;
no vigorous stroking or patting for a couple of days (that's a hard one to remember!);
don't give Penny other sorts of treatments for about four days;
tell the vet about the Bowen treatment if we are on medication.

Penny has become increasingly happy with the therapy. In Bowen treatments, the practitioner sometimes moves away from the dog to allow the body to respond to the treatment.

Whenever Deb moved away from Penny, Penny eagerly looked at her, or even moved close, as if saying, 'I'd like more of that, please.'

It's a lovely non-invasive treatment.

a dog has Bowen therapy

Today Penny went to a cottage in the hills for her second session of Bowen therapy.

When Penny had her first visit last week, the practitioner suggested we monitor her reaction, and I must say we did think Penny was walking better even after just that one session. For a long time now she has tended to 'hop' along when she hurries, with her two back legs moving together. We think her lower spine is becoming a bit arthritic.

But when we walked last week we thought she was moving more freely. I'll also be interested to see whether it has any effect on her itchy skin.

At this second session, Penny once again seemed relaxed and happy during the gentle hands-on treatment.

At times the therapist took a break, to allow Penny's body time to respond to the treatment, and Penny would look up, as if saying, 'More, please.'

You can see how relaxed Penny was. (This photo was taken after the actual Bowen treatment was finished.)

Here's a bit of info about how it works for animals.

This video clip showing the work of Maddy Casey in the UK is very similar to what Penny experienced.

I've made a submission about puppy farms

Here's what I wrote to the Government of Victoria in response to the draft code about puppy and kitten breeding. It's not an exhaustive list of my concerns, but I've noted the things that concern me most.

I hope this letter might encourage others in Victoria to read the RSPCA site and look at the draft code and send in their own responses. ASAP!
 We only have until 9am on 14th August.

I began with my full name, address and email address. Then I wrote:

• This is a submission in response to the Proposed Code and Regulatory Impact Statement regarding the Code of Practice for the Operation of Breeding and Rearing Businesses.
•  My main concerns are:
• Euthanasia – I believe the code needs to specifically define what ‘humane’ methods consist of.
•  Pens should not have any part of their flooring made of wire. Based on my experience of my own dog’s reactions, walking or stepping onto wire is painful for small animals.
•  I am disappointed that business hours have been reduced to eight hours a day. Leaving pregnant animals for sixteen hours a day under the supervision of minimal staffing numbers is not safe. I don’t see how a staff member manning a business overnight for sixteen hours would be available to make sure puppies in the specified categories are fed at least every 12 hours.
•  Breeding between second-generation related animals is not acceptable.
•  I believe you should set a maximum breeding age, so that animals are not condemned to spending their entire lives in these places.
•  It would be better to set maximum litter numbers for both females and males.
•  The feeding of raw offal needs to be specifically monitored to make sure animals do not become ill on this diet.
•  We need stronger legislation about the standards and guidelines for retirement of animals.
•  I don’t see provision for temperature regulation. Victoria is a very hot place in summer and cold in winter.
•  I hope these suggestions will be helpful to you in the next redrafting of the code.

the government of Victoria has let dogs down

After all the promises and sweet talk, especially at the time of the rallies in protest at abominable puppy factory conditions, the government of our state has let us all down.

The suggested code for the running of breeding establishments is unsatisfactory.

 Here are a few of the problematic parts of the code, quoted from a RSPCA discussion:

• ‘Any method’ of euthanasia as long as it is humane.  Humane is not defined and ‘any method’ could include shooting or blunt trauma, causing incredible suffering.

• Breeding and rearing establishments are not required to have agreements with, and 24-hour access to, veterinary services.

• Breeders will be able to declare an animal fit for sale – not vets.

• Raised pens with wire floors are permitted for the housing of working dogs - wire is an unacceptable floor surface.

And in more detail, here:

Business hours and animal: staff ratios

• Under the revisions, staffed ‘business hours’ for breeding and rearing establishments have reduced from 12 to eight hours a day. This means that animals – often in vulnerable stages of pregnancy or birth - are left for 16 hours overnight (when they are most likely to give birth) with minimal staff present. During business hours, the ratio of staff to animals is 1:25, but outside of these hours, the ratio of carers to animals is proposed as 1:100 (formerly 1:50).
• The revised code also deems a mother with her litter, and litters under four months as equivalent to one animal over four months old. That could mean a breeder could have 80 mothers with litters under four months, another 10 breeding mothers without litters and 10 adult males and provide only one staff member for almost 500 animals, during non-business hours.

Veterinary care

• The requirement for vet checks at various stages of an animal’s life has reduced and vet checks to ensure animals are fit for breeding are no longer required before animals are bred from.
• Under the proposed revisions, breeders will be able to declare an animal fit for sale – rather than vets. Not only may breeders lack the appropriate qualifications to do this, but it may also mean that the animal and purchaser are not protected from post-sale welfare or return issues.
• Under the recommendations, a purchaser will not be able to return an animal for behavioural reasons more than three days after purchase – unscrupulous breeders and rearers will have little incentive to ensure their animals are behaviourally sound, before selling them.

Euthanasia

• The recommendations allow for ‘any method’ of euthanasia as long as it is humane. Humane is not defined and ‘any method’ could, in theory, include shooting or blunt trauma, causing incredible suffering.
• Euthanasia via barbiturate overdose carried out by a vet is only ‘preferred’, not required.
• The proposed legislation does not adequately ensure that breeding and rearing establishments have sufficient agreements with, and 24-hour access to, veterinary services, to be able to provide animals with prompt veterinary care, if required.

Breeding

• Breeding between second-generation related animals would be acceptable.
• There would be no maximum breeding age or period that an animal could be bred from, meaning these animals can potentially spend their entire lifetime confined to breeding establishments.
• Maximums litters numbers for females would be increased while males would have no maximum number.
• An individual animal with a heritable defect can continue to be bred from.

Husbandry standards

• Under the recommendations, some categories of puppies must not be left without food for more than 12 hours. But compliance with this recommendation will be extremely difficult during the 16 overnight hours, with staff ratios at 1:100, given all their other responsibilities as well.
• The feeding of raw offal is now permitted in conjunction with a complete worming program. While this recommendation might be more financially appealing to many breeders, it does not take into account the welfare issues associated with this diet.
• Standards and guidelines for retirement of animals have been weakened.
• Tethering is permitted (except for some categories of breeding females). RSPCA Victoria does not support tethering and advises against it.
• Provision for temperature regulation has been removed.
• Cats need only be fed once daily. We recommend that cats should be fed twice daily.

Working and guardian dogs (‘working dogs’)

• Working dog breeders have their own section and are exempt from many of the minimum standards and guidelines for non-working dogs in the current version.
• Raised pens with wire floors are permitted for the housing of working dogs. Wire is an unacceptable floor surface and there are poor welfare outcomes associated with it. The required dimensions of these pens are also too small.
• If working dogs are regarded as different to other animals under this code, the government needs to ensure that working dog codes of practice are developed which have these animals’ welfare as the key priority.

Please, if you are reading this in Australia, submit a written response to animal.welfare@depi.vic.gov.au 

You can read the draft legislation here:
http://www.depi.vic.gov.au/pets/domestic-animal-businesses/breeding-and-rearing-businesses/breeding-and-rearing-code-review

at Tyntynder Lodge in Bright

Penny had a lovely holiday recently. We decided spontaneously to head off for Bright. I'd been there a couple of years ago and realised it would be a wonderful place for a doggy holiday, because there are no rules about having your dog on lead.

So we looked up accommodation on the Net and came across a place called Tyntynder Lodge that had been voted best dog accommodation in Australia. That sure sounded nice.To my surprise, when I got there I realised I had scouted it out when I was there last time without Penny. I had forgotten.

It was a great place to stay. There was a fenced garden out the back, which could be accessed  from a side gate near the quiet street...

or from the back porch.

Inside, the floors were polished...

dogs were permitted everywhere...

and there was a cozy log fire as well as reverse cycle heating/cooling.

We did find the polished floors a bit of a concern, seeing Penny has had an injury to her cruciate ligament. We would have preferred a carpeted area, but I can see that would be a problem for hygiene, with many different dogs staying there. 

The lovely little fenced yards were next to each other, which could lead to a bit of fence-running, if owners were not alert, but there was no-one staying in the unit next to ours, so we didn't have to look out for that. (Given that the temperature was very low, not much above freezing, neither Penny nor we were keen to be out in the yard.)

It was a fabulous place to stay, not just tolerant of dogs, but inviting and welcoming to canine visitors.

visiting Lorne without Penny

I've been to Lorne for a few days, leaving Penny at home with her other humans. I had a great time there, and saw lots of dogs enjoying this magnificent beach, which is located along The Great Ocean Road.





There were signs at each town saying dogs had to be on lead within the township, but I saw many dogs romping on the beaches along the coast, so I think it must be okay to play on the beach in winter. I had a look at the Cheeky Dog site, and it certainly suggests that this area is a great place to take dogs, so perhaps Penny will come with me on my next visit.

Most of the dogs I saw were racing around on the sand, and a few were in the water, near the edge, but there were signs around that even the clumps of seaweed had interested at least one canine.



I'm fairly certain dogs wouldn't be allowed on the beach in the middle of the day in summer, when there would be more people around than in this photo.



But on the other hand I wouldn't want to be walking with Penny in the heat of a summer's day anyway!

We met a couple of people with a most gorgeous blue staffy, and they said they were staying at Separation Creek, in dog-friendly accommodation called Surf Shack. From the look of the website, it seems lovely indeed.

a great day for dogs in Victoria

Today in The Age newspaper I read that animals here in Victorian pounds or shelters do not have to be killed if they are still in the institution after 28 days. Thank goodness! The article says they will have as much time as necessary to find homes.

The Victorian government, after consultation with major stakeholders and with the public, has ruled not only to remove the 28-day limit, but also that:

Animals can be fostered for a variety of reasons, such as for veterinary or behavioural rehabilitation, if they are juveniles, or if they require short term care to provide respite from the pound or shelter environment. Animals can be fostered for any time period, as long as it is done in accordance with the written foster care agreement.

Severely injured or unweaned animals will no longer be automatically killed on admission. (I didn't know about that rule!)

Puppies and kittens must be inspected more frequently than older animals.

And:

A new enrichment, exercise and socialisation section offers guidance on improving the environment and welfare of shelter animals, particularly those housed in the long term. This includes the ability, under certain circumstances, to exercise dogs off premises, or to be socialised in groups.

The government announcement sure is welcome!

some lovely vintage dogs

I always love reading Curator's blog, especially when it features vintage photos with pets.

Recently I've been looking through the online archives of our local State Library, searching for pictures to inspire me with an idea for a short story, and I came across this one, with the intriguing description, 'country family with city man'. What story lies behind this photo?



However, what I found most interesting were the two dogs in the picture. I wonder what they could tell us about life on the farm?

Dogs in the bush at Bright

I left Penny at home with her other humans over the last few days and went for a holiday at Bright.

However, I didn't forget Penny, and I was on the lookout to see whether it would be a good place for a holiday with a dog.

The first thing I noticed was that dogs don't have to be on lead if you do the Canyon Walk along the Ovens River.







And you don't have to watch out for bike riders!

And the next thing I noticed was that I'd be terrified Penny would fall into the raging river...



I'll have to make sure we visit when the river is not in full flow.