It is hard to say how many people are attacked by dogs every year, but a recent study by Monash University found over 2,000 people are treated for dog bites in Victorian hospitals each year.

Karen Ashby, from the Monash University Accident Research Centre, says dog attacks are on the rise and children under the age of four are most at risk.

“Large dogs tend to predominate in the more serious dog bite injuries and that has to do with their size in relation to the child, that if bitten, they’re often much larger and often heavier than the child, so they inflict more serious injury,” she said.

Kidsafe Victoria’s Melanie Water says the child protection group wants councils to publish monthly tallies of dog attacks in their area.

“What statistics actually show is that 50 per cent of all dog attacks occur in the child’s home, by the child’s own dog,” she said.

“So we think that a monthly report will actually lead to the community realising that you can actually lead to permanent scarring and, you know, ongoing damage to the child for life.”

Only Queensland and New South Wales require councils to report dog attacks to state authorities.

Since the beginning of this year, the Department of Local Government in New South Wales has been publishing online reports on dog attacks every three months.

Ms Ashby says while tallies would be helpful, they will not show the full picture.

“The victims of dog bite in council reports often are adults, older, bitten in public places by a dog that’s not known to them; whereas a hospital-treated injury tends to be children bitten by dogs that are familiar to them,” she said.

“So their own dog, or a dog of a family member, and they may not get reported to council.”

Down at a popular dog park in Sydney, dog owners are divided on the issue.

“Having the report – they’re obviously interesting for statistical purposes – but I don’t think it actually influences the outcome, because you’ve got people who are responsible dog owners whose dogs are controlled and you’ve got people who should never have dogs in the first place,” one dog owner said.

Also sceptical is Peter Frost, the president of DOGS Victoria. He blames irresponsible dog owners for not managing their pets.

“Raising dogs and raising children; there’s a lot of similarities between them,” he said.

“You need to treat them fairly and treat them kindly but you set boundaries for them and if you don’t set boundaries for children well, it’s very hard when you let a child or a puppy run riot to try and pull them back in.

“And right from the beginning, you start to train the dog to be responsible, to be a good little member of society.”

Kidsafe in Victoria and nationally say they want to raise dog attacks and other issues with state and territory governments.

Article from ABC News Online http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/08/29/2670611.htm

But international standards in place for the past two years – followed by Britain, UK and New Zealand – recommend top-ups once every three years.

Dr Richard Squires, the only vet living in Australia on the World Small Animal Veterinary Association’s Scientific Advisory Committee, believes there is no need for annual revaccination.

”Australia seems to be somewhat behind,” he told ABC News Online.

“It’s the case at the moment that most vets are following the annual recommendations. For the core agents once every three years is plenty frequent enough.”

And what’s more, Dr Squires says over-vaccination could harm animals, but the chances of that are pretty slim as vaccines are generally safe.

“There is a small risk of harm; that’s why in my mind I’m quite clear that we should go for less vaccinations,” he said.

But Dr Squires says pet owners should not be cutting back their visits to the vet.

“I am a proponent of people continuing to take their pets to the vet for an annual check,” he said.

“But if the cost of that annual health check can be reduced by only giving pets what they need, that’s a good thing.”

‘The old way’

Dr Squires, an associate professor of veterinary clinical sciences at James Cook University, says in many parts of the country core vaccines, which protect pets against life-threatening diseases (see below), are the only vaccines that dogs and cats need.

And he says he is teaching his students to vaccinate once every three years, but he is does not think this is happening Australia-wide.

“We’ve still got a lot of people doing it the old way,” he said.

He says overseas vets who have already changed to less frequent vaccinations have not hurt their practices at all and Dr Squires expects Australian vets to follow suit.

“In the coming years we’re going to see exactly the same things that have happened in other countries,” he said.

“We’re on the same railway track, but we’re just a while behind.”

But Dr Squires says what is vital is that dogs and cats get vaccinated properly when they are youngsters.

“The most important vaccines dogs and cats receive are the ones they get when they’re puppies and kittens,” he said.

Dr Squires says most of the additional ‘non-core’ vaccines (such as those against kennel cough, FIV, Leptospira, etc, etc) still need to be given annually, or in rare, high risk situations, more often.

The Australian Veterinary Association (AVA) is currently reviewing the core vaccination recommendation.

“The critical message is talk to your vet about vaccinations and the critical need to get them, especially when the pets are young,” AVA president Mark Lawrie said.

“It’s not a one size fits all. Some pets will need vaccinations more often.”

NB: Core vaccines protect dogs against canine distemper, canine infectious hepatitis and canine parvoviral enteritis and protect kittens and cats against feline parvovirus ( panleukopenia), feline herpesvirus and feline calicivirus.

By News Online’s Sarah Collerton

Posted Thu Aug 6, 2009 5:20am AEST
Updated Thu Aug 6, 2009 6:00am AEST

Source ABC News Online

I don’t want to come across as saying on rich people should be the only people allowed to have pets, but I want to stress that owning a pet is not something that will be light on the pocket. Food, vet bills, toys, obedience classes, vaccinations, grooming…it all adds up. Not to mention if you dog is a little destruct o no doubt you will be replacing shoes as well.

After volunteering with the RSPCA I have noticed these kinds of people who come in and get angry at the price of the dogs for adoption. They don’t consider the fact that not only is the money going to a good cause, but the dog has been micro-chipped, desexed, vaccinated, behaviour assessed, health checked  and comes with a free bag of Hills Science Diet! All they think is the dog should be free, whinge and mutter under their breath and say they are going to buy one with papers from a pet shop (I don’t think any dogs in pet shops have papers and they certainly are not micro-chipped, vaccinated, or desexed).
So I dug out the little folder that holds everything for my dog, and here it is – how much I have paid in expenses over 12 month of owning a puppy:-

• Puppy Health Check $60.10
• 2nd Vaccination $107.50
• Final Vaccination $69.50
• Desexing & Micro-chipping $384.70
• BCC Dog Registration $29.50
• Bag of Puppy Food & Training treats $100
• Toys/Bedding/bowls/collars/leads and a crate $250
• Puppy Preschool $50

So on top of the dollars I paid to the breeder – in the first 6 months of her life I spent over $1000!

We also had some incidents which needed some vet attention:-

• Naughty Beagle goes to Hospital for eating something she shouldn’t have $54.50
• Picked up Kennel Cough at the Dog Park – cough medicine $18.95
• Picked up Conjunctivitis from Dog park – eye medicine $29.15

plus

• Naughty Beagle destroys compost bin $80
• Naughty Beagle eats 2 x pairs of shoes $200

So incidents aside, lets work out how much it costs to keep her on a daily basis, without any luxuries:-

• BCC Dog Registration = 8 cents per day
• Booster Vaccination & Heartworm Injection = 50 cents per day
• Advocate Flea & Worming Treatment $15 per month = 50 cents per day
• Hills Science Diet Food =  $1.50 a day (note she is only a small dog so you may double or triple this for bigger breeds!)

So all up the cost of having a low maintenance dog is $2.58 per day, $18 per week, $72 a month, $864 a year for the absolute essentials. Maybe if cost is a problem then think about getting a fully grown dog that has already been desexed and fully vaccinated. I hope that gives you a good idea of how much it would cost to keep a small to mid sized dog.

A new thing available is pet insurance. My incidents were quite small in comparison to what can really happen. A bit of kennel cough and conjunctivitis isn’t so bad when dogs can get cancer, tumors or need hip replacements. To take out a policy you are looking from $25 to $60 a month, which can cover accidental injury, illness cover, Routine care cover.

If you are interested in Pet Insurance here are some links:

• RSPCA Pet Insurance
• RACQ Pet Insurance
  

So at the end of the day, when looking for a free puppy, remember there really is no such thing, and be prepared for the ongoing costs.

A microchip is a small computer chip that has an identification number programmed into it. It is small enough to fit into a hypodermic needle. Once implanted, the I.D. number cannot be altered or removed, and a layer of connective tissue forms around the chip preventing it from moving about.

Some people are hesitant to microchip their pet because they are afraid it will hurt. The procedure is simple, routine, and painless, and it doesn’t require any anesthesia. Your pet simply gets an injection just under the loose skin between the shoulder blades; it’s a lot like getting vaccinated. Most animals don’t react at all. Long term studies have shown that the microchip is very safe for your pets. Microchips are mandatory for all cats and dogs under the new Brisbane City Council Animal Managment Act -(seebelow)

The chip contains an identification code that is unique to your pet. Most veterinarians and animal shelters have scanners that can read that identification code from all brands of microchip.

Ideally, leashes, fences, and doors would be enough to keep your pet safe at home, but in the real world, accidents happen, and your pet depends on you to protect him or her against the things that could go wrong.

Microchipping costs $62.00 for a lifetime chip and lifetime registration. (please note this is not the same as council registration and your dog still needs to be registered with your local council)

If the microchip is inserted during a desexing proceedure or other procedure whilst your pet is asleep, then the cost is reduced to $40.00.

Its a very small price to pay for peace of mind that your pet will not end up separated from you or worse still euthanased at an animal shelter.

New Council Requirements for Dogs and Cats in Brisbane

• All animals desexed after July 1, 2009 will receive a compulsory tattoo in one of their ears to signify that they have been desexed.
• All cats and dogs born after April 1, 2009 must have a microchip implanted by the time they are 12 weeks of age. For dogs and cats that are older than this, microchipping is recommended but not compulsory, unless the pet is sold or given away in which case a microchip must be implanted.
• All cats and dogs MUST be registered with the Brisbane City Council if they are over 12 weeks of age.
• There is no fee for registering desexed cats between 1 July, 2009 to 30 June , 2010 due to an amnesty period. This also applies to owners who intend to have their cat desexed within this period. You will still need to submit a registration form. After this amnesty, the cost will be $20.00 for a desexed cat. For registration forms and more information follow this link- http://www.brisbane.qld.gov.au/BCC:BASE:568732983:pc=PC_5765

Or else search www.brisbane.qld.gov.au

Fees as of July 2009 DOGS

Fees as of July 2009 CATS

*Nb- you still need to register your desexed cat, even though there is no cost until June 2010*

Article By Meredith Brothers BVsc (hons) MACVsc – Wilston Vet Compassionate Care

Rare find ... Muffy was missing for nine years. (AAP: Julian Smith)

The RSPCA, acting on a tip-off, discovered Muffy sleeping on a scrap of cardboard in a filthy backyard.

To their surprise, they found Muffy was microchipped, and tracked down owner Natalie Lampard at Burleigh Waters on the Gold Coast.

Ms Lampard said as soon as she was given a description of the dog, she knew it was their long lost pet.

“When the RSPCA described her I told them her name; I knew immediately it was our Muffy,” she said.

“It was totally out of the blue, after nine years I thought she was long gone.”

Ms Lampard, who was confined to her home with swine flu on Thursday, said she was hoping to be well enough to organise a welcome home party when Muffy is flown back to the Gold Coast next week.

“She was pretty neglected and riddled with fleas [when found] which gave her a skin allergy and she’s a special needs dog now, she has to be looked after but I think she deserves to be,” she said.

“We’re just so excited to get her back, but we haven’t decided yet what we’ll give her for her first welcome home meal.”

Adam Rushby said his mum bought Muffy as an eighth birthday present for his now 17-year-old sister Chloe and the dog used to sleep at the foot of her bed every night.

“We can’t believe she’s been found, so far away and no-one knows how she got to Melbourne, it’s all a big mystery,” he said.

Ms Lampard said Chloe was “over the moon” that Muffy had been found.

“They were pretty much inseparable,” she said.

“After the RSPCA called I rang my daughter and asked her if she was sitting down, then told her they’d found Muffy.

“She’s over the moon and there’ll be a few tears shed when they see each other again.

“But just how she got down to Melbourne I guess is a mystery that will never be answered, but she won’t be sleeping out in the yard in the middle of winter ever again.”

John Lampard says his granddaughter will be overjoyed to get her pet back.

“It will be one spoiled dog because my granddaughter, she absolutely adores animals and she lost one just before Christmas – had to get it put down because it was getting pretty old and had cancer and she was a bit distraught about it just on Christmas time – so I reckon this one’s going to get spoiled,” he said.

- ABC/AAP

Article from ABC News: http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/07/30/2641208.htm

This means any dog or puppy listed as a Cross-Breed and not Pedigree will be rejected from the listing approval process, unless it has come through a shelter group or is a dog that you are needing to rehome without monetary gain.

The dog housing crisis is something that we are very passionate about and we encourage our users looking for family dogs and companionship to opt for adoption, but we do also understand reasons for people wanting pure breed dogs.

Other New Changes for the Site

We are currently working on a “Puppy Application System” for Pedigree breeders to help identify good homes for their puppies. We understand that most dog breeders have waiting lists for their puppies so this system will incorporate a “Puppy Register”. For breeders interested in participating in the development of this system please contact us.

Our Coordinator went through all the general procedures of the RSPCA, how things worked, the different campaigns going, different positions available and our responsibility as representatives to the organisation.  One of the animal trainers came in and did some demonstrations with one of the shelter dogs for the Enrichment Program. The Enrichment Program sounds like the best job as a volunteer. You get to go and play with the animals to give them more human interaction, teach them tricks and generally give them some love and stimulation. I learned a lot from her presentation just in terms of teaching dogs and I am definitely going to use her approach for teaching the naughty beagles.

We learnt that there are over 400 Volunteers at the Fairfield facility and that the coordinator gets over 50 enquiries a day. The problem seems to be having people commit long term, and having to recruit and retrain people.

After the presentations we were given a tour of the facility. The centre is currently on 6 acres of land and will be moving sometime soon to a facility at Wacol that has 13 acres. It was good to see the different areas, and stages of the adoption process.  Dogs that had been found would be put in an area where they would stay for 3 days to give the owners ample time to try and collect their pets, before having a behaviour assessment, being neutered and put up for adoption. Animals that had been surrended would be put in an area for 24 hours – just in case the people change their mind, then they would go through the behaviour assessment and the desexing. The cages were all well equiped with toys and comfy places to sit. It was amazing how much the community give the RSPCA to help out in this aspect.

So lets talk about the big elephant in the room – euthanasia, as a volunteer we don’t have anything to do with it. All we know is that it does happen and one thing I learnt is that it is not a matter of space. The decision is made based on behaviour, health and whether or not the animal has a chance of becoming a good pet. The dogs and cats stay in the adoption area until they are adopted. Some animals have been known to stay for as long as 6 months.

The foster care area was by far the best. Here you can foster animals who are too young to be desexed and be fully vacinated or need more rehabilitation. There was the most adorable little puppies (maltese cross) that you just wanted to cuddle. I am trying to convince my other half to let us adopt – I may need pictures to convince him!

So I walked away from one half day wanting to change my whole profession it was that inspiring. I can’t wait to actually start working there and actually start helping out.

If you are interested in Volunteering with RSPCA and would like more information visit the website (http://www.rspca.org.au/jobs.html) and find your nearest location.

So what made me do it?

I’ve always been passionate about animals, I don’t think there has ever been a time in my life when I haven’t been surrounded by some form of pet whether it be a dog or a goldfish. Pet ownership was really the extent of it, I never really ventured outside of this into any thing such as Animal Welfare and Animal Rights.

It wasn’t until recently when unemployed, bored out of my brains and watching far too much Foxtel I stumbled across the Animal Planet channel. Full of shows like Animal Precinct, RSPCA Rescue, ASPCA Rescue, shows that documented animal cruelty and rescues that really pulled some heart strings. I guess the one episode that made me think outside my own backyard was an episode where they found 10 beagles locked in an abandoned house in New York that was about to be demolished. The poor beagles were starving, were so scared of humans and even more scared to leave the building.  It was just so incredibly sad. The ASPCA rescued and rehabilitated the beagles and they all ended up finding loving homes.

Now I know that this is just one story, with a successful outcome and I know that in reality not all cases have such a happy ending, but this was what made me think that I will try and help out in any way that I can.

How to register as a Volunteer?

All I did was go to the RSPCA QLD Website and clicked on the link to Volunteering. It redirected me to a website which had a list of jobs and duties.  When you think of volunteering you may automatically think of cleaning out cages and more hands on work, but they really need people in the office to help out answering phones, data entry and general administration duties.

I sent an email to the Volunteer Coordinator and it took about 2 weeks before we got a hold of each other.  After a quick chat I was put down for some data entry on Saturday afternoons, apparently the busiest time at the shelter.

If you want to volunteer, try and be as flexible as possible without encroaching on your own life. For instance don’t say you only want to work with the animals and will only take the more hands on jobs. Try and help out wherever you are most needed. You may even learn new skills that you can use in your career.

What kind of commitment do you have to give?

You only have to donate one shift a week, which is about 4 hours. It is preferable that you need to commit long term, for instance once a week for 6 months. They have different positions on week days, weekends and after hours – depending on what you want to do. You choose a time that best fits with your life and that will be the shift you do on a weekly basis.

This weekend I will attend a Orientation day where they will show me the system and give me a tour. I have been told to be prepared for some sad situations so hopefully I will keep it together, but overall I am very excited about what the whole experience will bring.

If you are interested in Volunteering with RSPCA and would like more information visit the website (http://www.rspca.org.au/jobs.html) and find your nearest location.

Along with the changes for cats having to be registered, it is now mandatory for dogs to be microchipped when sold or given away (responsibility of the person selling/giving the animal away). For new puppies microchipping is required before reaching the age of 12 weeks. It will also be compulsory for all animals that are desexed to have a small tattoo put on the inside of their ear.

Please ensure when purchasing or receiving a puppy within the Brisbane area the breeder or shelter has complied with the new rules.

For more information see the Brisbane City Council Website. For more information in your local area please contact your local Council.

The Beagles sporting their new Pawprint Pet Tags

The microchip ID had my partners phone number, the registration at the council had my partners number but the ID Plate only had mine. Of course, this is the first thing (and as it happens only thing) people refer to when they find an escapee. Luckily Lucy was returned after a few hours – being picked up at the Local Hospital and being looked after by Paramedics (who didn’t want to let her go).  They phoned the RSPCA, not the council, and if it wasn’t for my partner ringing every organisation as possible to track the little houdini down, it may have been days before the Microchip and Council registration would have been properly identified her. My partner was too busy with a Business deal to be able to make it to the shops to get a new tag made up. Our local pet store offers a service that usually takes a few weeks to arrive. So around the other side of the world, I did a Google search on Pet ID tags that I could purchase online.

I stumbled across the site Pawprint Pet Tags, here I ordered two tags (one for Lucy and my Partners dog Charlie). I was able to fit both our phone numbers and their names on the tags and for two of them they cost less than $25. There is a great range of tags with different colours and designs to choose from, and best of all the service is brilliant!  I ordered the tags on a Friday morning and they arrived at my partners house on the Monday, it was so fast and easy and we could not be happier with the quality of the tags!

So now all we need is some nice new collars to match!

Get your new Pawprint Pet Tags by visiting Pawprint Pet Tags at http://www.pawprintpettags.com/ Natalie and Rohan will be sure to look after you!

Have a product or service (Brisbane area) you want the Beagles to review please send us your details.