Pets

LifeFlight Australia’s helicopter crews are well known for saving human lives but now they have the capability to safely rescue beloved, furry family members too, including from the Toowoomba base. In an Australian-first, LifeFlight Engineering has created a purpose-built Animal Rescue Capsule (ARC) which can be used to rescue, winch and transport pets securely from life-threatening situations, such as floods.

Not everyone can say their dog has saved lives, but for the owners of our local blood donor dogs, they can rightly shout it from the rooftop. Chocolate Pudding, known as ‘Pud’, has saved at least 13 sick local dogs, but the time has come to retire from his blood donor days. 

Layla is not your average Border Collie/Moodle cross. As a trained Positive Response Assistance dog, she offers unwavering support and grounding to her owner and Council librarian, Caitlin. These dogs assist people whose lives are often severely compromised by anxiety and fear.

Michelle Daw. Barunga West Council appears to have backed down on plans to immediately tackle the issue of unauthorised fences around homes at Fisherman Bay ...The Papps family had erected a fenced enclosure at the rear of their property to keep [retired greyhound] Max safe, and are awaiting more information about fencing requirements from Barunga West Council.

A border collie that is “the whole package” sold for a record $33,000 at a dog sale in Rockhampton last week. Cabra Glebe Sid is 21 months old and was bred and trained by Joe Leven from Doubtful Creek.

Kaniva Day Centre and Nursing Home had a very special visitor this week ... Dodge an 11 year old AQHA stallion and therapy horse popped in to visit.

Professional dog breeder Kay Humphry has started 2023 on a high. Kay headed to Rochester with her precious cargo of three Golden Retrievers, Bonnie, Adel and Regina, to the first Rochester Show in three years – held off from two years of Covid-19 and the recent flood event.

The Lions Club of Clarence – Environmental are launching a cat campaign designed to protect the extraordinary biodiversity of the valley and allow cat owners to enjoy their pets and keep them safe ... “The campaign is designed to make people aware of what their cats are doing when they are out of their home, and it’s feral cats as well as domestic cats”: President Barbara Linley.

The lawn mower racers will return, along with the pie eating competition, camp oven cook up and billy boiling comp.

There is a Shetland-sized hole in the hearts of the Scott family of Emu Creek this week after they said goodbye to Mickey, just shy of his 50th birthday ... It is believed Mickey was used for pony rides at the Melbourne Zoo and at metropolitan race meetings in his younger days but ended up in Bendigo at age 36 when his owners moved into aged care.

A move proposed at a Toowoomba Regional Council meeting last week which would have seen dogs prohibited from 11 public parks was voted down by Councillors. In March 2022, Council considered a proposal to make changes to the Register - Prohibition and Restriction of Animals in Public Places through the inclusion of 11 additional bushland parks.

Our children have been nagging us for some time to get a dog, and I’m thinking about finally giving into them. We want a breed that is child-friendly, doesn’t shed too much, is easy to train and doesn’t need too much exercise. Any suggestions?

The rescue of Bruce the macaw has been in the news recently after his escape and rescue by the CFA. The Times paid a visit to the Maldon Takeaway where he resides during the week to see how Bruce was coping after his misadventure, and all seems to be well.

Australia’s peak animal welfare body, Animal Care Australia, has published a score card of how each Victorian Political Party performed in supporting or opposing sound Animal Welfare initiatives for companion animals in this last term. Animal Care Australia painstakingly trawled through the last 3 years of Hansard (the official record of the Minutes of Victoria’s Parliament) to find how often each party spoke in favour of improving animal welfare and supporting companion animals, and those who blocked, or spoke against, those motions.

Over my life I have come to the conclusion there are two type of people: the “could have, should have, would haves”, and the helpers. The “could have, should have, would haves” are the majority. They would have handled things differently, ie, “you should have done things differently and then you could have not been in the trouble you are in”. They were out in force this week when television stations showed the frantic efforts to save broodmares in the Goulburn Valley floods.

Year 7 student Francis Walls was thrilled when his photograph of the family dog (known simply as ‘Pup’) won second prize at last week’s Royal Melbourne Show. The action shot - of Pup springing into action to fetch a stick - is a ripper. Believe it or not, it was taken on his Mum’s phone, not on an expensive camera. Now that’s talent!    

The Moulamein sheep dog trials has returned showcasing the incredible bond of human and working dog. Barry McKenzie, Moulamein Working Dog Club president, had four dogs – two mature dogs and two pups – in the competition and was delighted to have the competition running again.

Rockhampton Regional Council will be launching a Systematic Animal Inspection Program across all properties within the Rockhampton Local Government Area ... “This program allows Council to ensure that animal owners are following all relevant Local Laws, which are intended to protect the welfare of animals...": Planning and Regulation Councillor Grant Mathers.

Kate Foran. Dogs make fantastic companions and provide such unconditional love, many believing that they exist solely to protect us, be loyal to us, and comfort us. It’s hard to find a better friend than a good loyal dog! They intuitively know our moods, and make the most enthusiastic welcome-home fuss at the end of a long day! ... Being responsible for your dog in Tennant Creek involves a few priorities.

Wyreema State School is lucky enough to have access to its own Story Dog, Lady, on a weekly basis and the students love reading to her. Lady is directly sponsored by the Toowoomba West Lions Club but the program itself is run by the charity, Story Dog Australia, which covers the training and insurance of the dog.

Robert Johnston’s dogs wait for their master’s call – all 20 of them. Every afternoon, Robert would take the dogs on a run across the paddocks of his Tatham property. He’d be on the quad bike and the dogs would run behind, tongues hanging out as they followed their master ... The dogs are waiting for their run. Waiting for Robert. There’s no way to tell them he isn’t coming.

Dog owners are being cautioned to keep an eye on their animals this spring to ensure a simple frolic does not end with a trip to the veterinarian. Charles Sturt University academics are leading the country in research that could provide widespread benefits for dog owners and veterinarians across the globe.