Rant because an irresponsible dog owner/neighbour is really pissing me off

My next door neighbour's teenage daughter brought an 8 week old  puppy home last week.   Needless to say her mother was not having it and made her find a new home for the dog.   She gave it to the neighbour on the other side - a young couple, both about 20 years old, that had just moved in the week before.  My first impression is that this pair are total idiots.   

So on the weekend they had a friend over with a huge German Shepherd.   It stepped on the puppy and the puppy broke it's leg.    The couple took the puppy to the "cheapest vet" they could find and learned that the bill would be over $1000 so they left without seeking treatment for the leg.  

I got involved when my neighbour asked for advice on how to get this puppy away from the couple and get some medical help.   I am so disturbed by this and ready to call in the Humane Society because withholding this treatment is classified is animal cruelty.   I spent most of the evening counselling my neighbour on how to get these kids to surrender the dog to a rescue organization that could treat the leg and then foster it until it is adopted.    I got all the contact info - sent it all out, All this work just to have a plan of action pulled together in order to present these kids with their options.   she contacted the rescues and only now I find out they will not take the puppy because it is a pitty mix. An important piece of the puzzle that nobody told me.    Pit Bull type dogs are illegal in Ontario.  All this work and back to square one.   No rescue organization based in our province will even touch the dog.  So now we are trying a pit bull rescue group based in Quebec - they transport dogs out of Ontario.   Also I'm told our local Humane society may take the puppy as long as it might pass for some other mix - perhaps husky/lab - and with no reference of pit bull upon surrender.   .   

This is getting sadder and sadder - the couple won't treat the dog, the dog could potentially be permanently damaged or have a limp or eventually require amputation if untreated.   Or he could be euthanized if I lodge a complaint of animal cruelty because it is a banned bred.   What to do, what to do, what to do.   

Dramatic Rabbit Rescue ;)

Never a dull moment in my life...

Tonight my dog Tilly chased a rabbit across the yard.  The poor little rabbit tried to escape by going through a link in the chain link fence.  IT GOT STUCK!   So there was Tilly with her nose up this bunny's arse and the poor thing couldn't get away.  

Thankfully Tilly was gentle with it and seemed only interested in playing not eating the little guy.  It was probably stuck for about 10 minutes before I noticed my other dog Tess barking excitedly.

  In order to get to it I had to climb a 5ft snowbank of snow cleared from my back patio and then make my way through the overgrown raspberry canes to get to the fence-line. Tess is too old and couldn't manage the climb back to the fence but Tilly was back there with the Rabbit. I was struggling to hold her back from the rabbit while working to get its hind legs through the fence.  I tried for about 15 minutes to get it free.  Finally I left it and Tilly for a minute, climbed back through the raspberry canes and over the snowbank  and ran to my neighbour's house to ask for assistance.  

Steve came out with  wire cutters and we had to cut the fence in order to get the rabbit free.   Instead of going forward through the fence the rabbit turned back & scrambled behind my legs and hid there. As he hid behind my legs from the dog, I had some sort of "one with nature" moment!   Eventually he took off and made his get away!

Tilly and I are pretty scratched up from the raspberry canes.  Steve says he can fix the fence.  The rabbit seemed unharmed, though it shed an awful lot of fur during the struggle.  I think his pride was the only thing injured. 

 

Flyball Power Recall - side view - 17/04/2010

Power recall at flyball practice today. This is a different view of another power recall. Tilly is the first dog again. She is single striding between jumps which is good as it means she is running fast! Thanks to Kim and Paul for posting the video on youtube!

flyball training - power recall exercise 17/04/2010

Power recall at flyball practice today. This is a training exercise that helps to build up speed and endurance. 8 jumps spread over approx. 80 ft. Tilly (my dog - aussie mix) is the first dog in the run, followed by Ruby (mix?) C-ya (Jack Russell Terrier) and Tiny (Parsons Russell Terrier).

Flyball!

Pics of Tilly and Tess playing flyball.
Plus a few shots of Tilly doing puissance (high jump) at a demo at Belleville's Ribfest.