Makes you wonder...

[MarkCDodd]

http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/opinion/death-of-an-abandoned-dog/story-e6frerdf-1226159536801?sv=f486076e7f47f1e7885514613e0eb82

[Annie]

What a dreadful thing to do poor little dog, the owner must be evil to do a thing like that and just drive off.

Annie

[snoopysue]

Unfortunately the kind of people that would do that sort of thing probably feel justified in their actions, and even if they were forced to witness what happened to that poor dog, they couldn't see what they'd done wrong.

People don't seem to realise that owning a dog, is as big a responsibility as having children!

[MarkCDodd]

I have never regarded it as "owning".

I regard it as a priviledge to have another creature want to share their life with me, as a friend, not a piece of property.

How anybody can not value the love of their dog is beyond my comprehension.

[snoopysue]

I have never regarded it as "owning".

I regard it as a priviledge to have another creature want to share their life with me, as a friend, not a piece of property.

How anybody can not value the love of their dog is beyond my comprehension.

I meant "owning" in the loosest sense of the word, but unfortunately there are many people who think of it as a right not a privaledge. On a danish program yesterday they said that 22000 dogs were put down every year, not due to ill health, but because the "owners" made a mistake in aquiring the animal in the first place. When you think that there are only about 6 million residents in the country, that number is disgusting.
Not that I think Denmark is unusual, it just goes to show that many people do not know how to respect animals.

[dianel]

I have never regarded it as "owning".

I regard it as a priviledge to have another creature want to share their life with me, as a friend, not a piece of property.

How anybody can not value the love of their dog is beyond my comprehension.

That's it, Mark. You have just redeemed yourself for any chauvinistic remark you have ever, or will ever make.(See how well I know you? I just know there WILL be others)
You're my kinda man. Will you marry me?

[grangers14]

Di what have you let yourself in for!

But good on you Mark for your coment too!
Jo

[MarkCDodd]

My dogs over the years.

Rinty...a Collie crossed with ? I had to have him put down when he was 15 as he had parvovirus and there was not treament in those days.

Prince....a lost Border Collie who adopted me one day. He was run over when he was three and his back was broken. The vet wanted to put him down but I refused (I was a very stubborn twelve year old). I had him in nappies for a couple of months and he slowly regained use of his back legs. He lived to be 16 when I finally had to have him put down. My vet of the last 30 years cried and said it was the first time ever he had done that.

Shandy....the BIGGEST dog I have ever seen. My mum brought him home from a market to help me with my grieving for Prince. He had huge paws and I told her he would be a big dog. The pet store said it would grow to the size of a Collie. He jus got bigger and bigger and bigger.... I took him to several dog experts and they could not figure out his breed. He was stolen when he was three years old. I heard he ended up in Western Australia as a Pig Hunting dog...

Ralph. A purebred Kelpie I resued from an animal shelter when he was about 12 months old. Kelpies are one of the smartest dogs in the world and are renown for their ability to work all day. My friend and I tried wearing him out by throwing tennis balls. After three hours we gave up and he was still going. He got his name after I fed him some Pizza on the first day I had him and he ralphed it all up. He lived to 15 and died in his sleep.

Thunder...a German Pincher which is a very rare breed and worth a fortune. Rescued her from shelter the day before she was to be put down. She was the kindest soul ever to live on this earth. If ever there was a four legged saint, it was Thunder. She had the loudest bark and that is where she got her name. She lived to 15 before I had to have her put down. One of the saddest days of my life.

Sophie...a Springer Spaniel I rescued from the RSPCA. She had been treated badly and was very territorial. I spent hundreds of dollars on training and behavior classes and one on one therapy with a Dog Whisperer. All seemed OK till one day she bit a neighbours little girl. It was a spur of the moment thing but not acceptable. She was permanently damaged by whoever mistreated her before. I had a choice, $10,000 fine or get her put down. I drove her to the vets and held her as they killed her. The only healthy dog I have ever had to have put down.

Gracie. A Border Collie/German Shepherd cross I pick up as a six week old puppy from the RSPCA. By far the smartest dog I have ever encountered. She zipped through all her training in record time even though she would get bored 15 minutes into a 1 hour class. She is sitting next to me with a ball in her mouth waiting for me to finish typing.

Dino. A Kelpi/Brown Labrador cross I rescued from an animal shelter when he was about 14 months old. Two of smartest breeds have combined to produce a complete and utter idiot. He did very well in his training but he is a perpetual puppy with an obsession for playing ball that had no boundary. We needed an energetic dog to keep Gracie under control after she lost Thunder. They can play together for hours on end and seem to have half a dozen games that they know the rules for but are a mystery to me.

[SRD]

My family had a giant Schnauzer that appeared to have boundless energy, we'd throw balls, sticks, children for her in an attempt to exhaust her. Then we realised that all that was happening was she was getting fitter with more and more stamina My sisters had ponies and the daft dog would pick up one end of a jump pole and run flat out, pushing it through the grass. Every so often the end would dig in and lift her off the ground like a pole-vaulter. She lived to her mid teens.