Dogs Life Skills

17/08/2024

No plans for the weekend? Take a look at these suggestions and get out with your best friend 🐾

Your guide for where to eat, drink and just hang out with your four-footed friends in Newcastle.

27/07/2024

Considering some exercise and well-being that extends beyond a walk with your dog?
Check out Grow Active Grow Active Health Clubs @ Cardiff 💚

Join us in 3 simple steps 💚 GA

17/07/2024

What a great initiative from Hunter pet resort and Newcastle Airport 💚

03/01/2024

Any old linen laying around?
Spring clean out of the dog toy box?

Donations needed 😊

UPDATE

We’ve had an overwhelming response with blanket donations. Thank you to everyone who has donated, you have been extremely generous and our animals in care are very grateful.

Toys and food donations are still welcome, but we can't accept any more blankets or bedding at this stage.

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Our kennel attendant and rangers do their best to ensure all animals in our care are comfortable and looked after as best as possible. To help them we're asking for donations of any old blankets, towels or dog and cat toys. 😸🐶

Items can be dropped off at our Works Depot at 18-32 Creek Reserve Road, Boolaroo Monday-Friday 8am-4pm.

Please place donated items in a bag or container.

14/12/2023

In need of some love and care for your pets when you can’t? Or maybe you just need a ride?

We recommend you check out the team at MAC & CO for professional and friendly pets services
🐾💚🐕‍🦺

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61550909195172&mibextid=kFxxJD

Small family business. We are a Dog Taxi, dog walking & minding service. Your dog is our priority x

27/10/2023

RECALL NOTICE for all Meals4Mutts consumers.

Dear Valued Pet Parents,

We are writing to extend our sincerest apologies for any inconvenience or concern caused by a recent issue affecting our food. We want to assure you that we take this matter very seriously and are committed to resolving it.

We have become aware of a concern regarding the presence of mould in some of our dry dog products and we want to ensure the well-being of your beloved pets. While this issue has only affected a small number of bags and products from some of our recent production, we believe in taking precautions for the health and safety of your furry friends.

To address this matter, we recommend that you carefully inspect the products with a best before date listed below. It’s important to note that if these products have been stored in a cool, dry environment, the likelihood of any issue is minimal. Nevertheless, we encourage pet parents to remain vigilant.

If you come across any signs of mould in your product or if you prefer not to continue feeding your current bag of affected food from the specific best before dates listed, we kindly ask you to discontinue use and take the product back to the place of purchase or reach out to us at [email protected].

Our dedicated team is here to assist you with replacing your product. When contacting us, please provide details about the product variant, bag size, and best before date for a smoother resolution.

As a further safety precaution, we are actively collaborating with our retail partners to ensure that any affected bags are removed from sale. This collaborative effort underscores our commitment to providing the highest quality dry dog food in Australia.

We continue to be a small Australian family owned brand and your understanding and trust are greatly appreciated as we work to resolve this situation and continue to serve the needs of you and your pets. Please do not hesitate to reach out to us if you have any questions or concerns.

Sincerely,

Team MFM

Products affected and their best before details

Grain Free Salmon and Sardine 2.5Kg
3/09/2024
5/09/2024
7/09/2024

Grain Free Salmon and Sardine 20Kg
20/08/2024
1/09/2024
4/09/2024
6/09/2024
17/09/2024
9/10/2024

Grain Free Salmon and Sardine 9Kg
20/08/2024
26/08/2024
27/08/2024
5/09/2024
6/09/2024
7/09/2024
14/09/2024
26/09/2024

Salmon and Sardine 20Kg
16/08/2024
17/08/2024
4/10/2024

Salmon and Sardine 9Kg
5/09/2024

Salmon and Sardine Large Kibble 20Kg
18/07/2024
19/07/2024
12/10/2024

Salmon and Sardine Large kibble 9Kg
12/08/2024
13/08/2024

Grain Free Duck and Turkey 2.5Kg
1/09/2024
3/09/2024
4/09/2024

Grain Free Duck and Turkey 20Kg
4/09/2024
7/09/2024
20/09/2024

Grain Free Duck and Turkey9Kg
3/09/2024
4/09/2024
5/09/2024

High Performance Turkey 20Kg
13/08/2024

High Performance Turkey 9Kg
13/08/2024

08/09/2023

Yes 🙌 we’re big advocates for the long leash walk 💚

17/01/2023

Every once in a while you come across something special. I met Jayda at 8 weeks and I will be forever grateful for the magic that unfolded from that day…

Jayda’s mum and I had a few training sessions to get Jayda started right as a young pup. We became great friends and over the past 5 years they both have held a very, very special place in my heart, and my dog’s. They made Newcastle feel like home when it’s was still just a place we lived.

Jayda is “my girl” and I adore her ❤️
She and Dozer are the best of friends, the excitement when they meet is priceless. Their love and respect for one another has grown with them over the years and has been wonderful to witness.

Today, my beautiful friend and her bestest girl leave internationally, for the next step in their journey. We must follow our hearts and family comes first, so through streams of tears we played, had scratches, kisses and hugs and finally wished them well 🥺

Today my heart aches for I will miss them dearly. No goodbyes, just the promise to see you again soon ❤️

Travel safe girls 💞

25/12/2022

Happy Holidays 🎁
Deck the halls with frisbees and treats 🍪

Wishing everyone a wonderful holiday season filled with friends, family and love.
Best wishes from our pack to yours 🐾

18/12/2022

Fireworks tonight at 9pm at Lambton Park.
Make sure your pets are kept safely inside if they are spooked. Closing blinds to make a cost space, turning up the tv or music to mask the sound can also be helpful for those who are a little unsure 🎆

02/12/2022

👏👏👏

We said we would ban them, and today we have.

Using and possessing prong dog collars will soon be illegal.

Our strong new laws give more powers to animal welfare inspectors to stop animals being in distress.

Because it’s the right thing to do.

31/10/2022

Our pack has grown 💕
Welcome Isabelle to the DLS family.

Its been very quiet here 🦗, sorry!We’ve been very, very busy, working through the spicy cough season; training service teams and helping Covid puppies navigate the world that changed around us all. And while my camera roll continued filling with puppy spam, we took (an extended) break from the demands of socials to… well, just manage life.

Behind the scenes we were chasing the great Australian dream-
writing off our weekends to the real estate market (the only place you saw crowds during the pandemic 🤦🏼‍♀️) and attempting to create a family of our own. Discovering it’s not always as easy as you might expect, we found ourselves on the long, winding path of IVF and after years of dreaming, wins and losses, fears and tears; we recently announced the safe arrival of our beautiful little girl.

Dozer has been an amazing big brother, taking to the changes in his routine well. Preparations, a slow and safe transition and conscious consideration has made for a stress free home and some wonderfully sweet moments between them. I can’t wait to see their relationship blossom 🦮

Totally smitten of course, we’re taking some time on maternity leave for our new important role and really…to just soak it all in before she’s dating and driving!

We’ll be back in 2023- returning to our wonderful clients and meeting new. We’re also working hard to
bring a BIG exciting project to the Newcastle/Lake mac locals- so stay tuned 🐾

03/06/2022

Winter has certainly arrived. If you’ve been trying to decide if they really ‘need’ that cute jumper you’ve been considering, here’s some tips to help understand and justify your purchase 😁

They might be the furriest members of the family but that doesn’t mean they don’t feel the cold when it really bites. So here's how to tell when dogs and cats need that extra layer. What size, age and breed need the extra help. It's all revealed here...

31/05/2022

So often we’re in a hurry, moving on to the destination. Taking time to be in the moment while your dog is can be enriching for both of you.

Stop to sniff the roses 🌹

Sniffing is a really valuable tool for our dogs, so its really important to ensure you promote and allow sniffing activities.
Whilst it can feel like forever when our dog stops and sniffs, in reality its not usually long at all.
Remember that when our dog is sniffing there are so many benefits to them :- they are gaining information, destressing, using their brains and lowering their heart rate to name just a few!

So when your dog pauses to check out a scent, make the most of the time and stop, be present and give them the time they need to sniff.

29/05/2022

A good reminder for those dealing with reactivity and great insight for those who never have. It may make you rethink your actions or understand those of others who manage this problem.

Jen, can you do a post on trigger stacking in the human on dog walks? My fiancé said.

Here we go.

River is our special girl, you'd say she was "reactive" to other dogs and cars. She's big (doberman x GSD), very strong and her reactivity, especially with cars, is very engrained. She would get herself very injured if she was able to break free and Adam carries that risk on his shoulders with every walk. Whilst we walk her quiet places to make it as easy on us as possible in managing her, cars are unfortunately everywhere and we do come across them now and then.

River has rest days. That isn't just to ease her own stress levels, but Adam's too. The responsibility he has in keeping River safe and under threshold is huge. All of us with reactive dogs know that responsibility. We can get just as trigger stacked on walks as the dogs can. He had a nightmare walk with River the other day where he slowly got sandwiched between dogs and cars. The quiet place suddenly became busy and he was literally stuck in the middle. He identified the effects of this trigger stacking of stress is similar in dogs as people.

*His heart rate rose
*His breathing became quicker and more erratic
*He became hot and unpredictable in his movements
*His "thinking brain" to work out how to get out the situation struggled to stay dominant over the emotional brain
*He didn't leave the situation and immediately calm down. Those stress effects lingered for the rest of the walk.

With Adam in stress escalation we know for sure River was too. Dogs feel our stress, smell our stress, and this has a knock on effect to their emotional experience too. With our human world, trigger stacking may not just be what we experience in the moment either. We could be already trigger stacked before we even left the house. We could be carrying an argument with a friend, an unpaid bill, an upcoming hospital appointment and a headache. This could mean just a relatively minor situation to handle with your reactive dog could become a huge deal. Any frustration you feel at being "at the end of your tether" could be transferred to the dog, maybe even through our responses to their difficulties in the moment.

It's normal to get frustrated and that intense emotional experience can lead you to temporarily forget how to constructively handle the situation. Maybe you automatically hold the lead tighter and more forceful than you usually would. Maybe your voice is lower and more authoritarian than supportive. Maybe you forget the cue word for emergencies and resort back to old behaviours to manage these situations. These are all possibilities given our human experience.

It's ok to check yourself before going out with your "reactive" dog. Have you got the emotional space to deal with what might lay ahead of you? If not, perhaps organise a rest day indoors or in the garden. Calming but enriching activities for your dog, and perhaps some constructive self care for you too 🐾💜

11/05/2022

03/05/2022

I’ve had a few clients ask about this as we have seen local infection so I thought I would share this information for all.

Leptospirosis is spread via rat/mice urine. This makes its way with rainfall into our gutters, puddles and stagnant water collections where it can infect our dogs through ingestion or swimming in these waters. Your dogs water bows could also be a source if rodents have access to drink from them.

Although a case has been reported locally at Sp*ers Point, it is important to note this is not the suburb, not the dog park as many have raised concern. Leptospirosis not like kennel cough, transferred at the park. With all the water lying around it could just as likely be near your home.

Be alert. Don’t let your dogs swim or drink from these water sources, clean outside water bowls thoroughly and regularly and consider visiting your local vet for a vaccine if necessary or highly concerned.

⚠️ Leptospirosis Alert ⚠️

Due to the recent rain events, we are seeing an increase in leptospirosis, a potentially deadly disease.

🦠 Leptospirosis, if left untreated, can be fatal to dogs. The bacteria is spread through the urine of many species of animals including rodents, wildlife, and livestock. It can find its way into lakes, ponds, rivers and puddles. Rain events and mild temperatures make conditions ideal for the spread of leptospirosis.

This is Storm, AKA ‘Baby Wolf’ - a 3 month old Swiss shepherd who tested positive for leptospirosis.

Leptospirosis injured Storm’s kidneys, which is one of the many organ systems that can be affected by the disease. As a precaution, he was transferred to SASH Sydney to be treated by a team of vets including Specialists in Critical Care and Internal Medicine, who are experts in treating severe cases of leptospirosis. SASH Sydney is also the only place in Australia to offer dialysis through a team of trained specialists and nurses. Dialysis was considered as there were concerns around the severity of Storm's kidney damage.

Fortunately, for Storm, dialysis was not required in this case. With antibiotics, intensive fluid therapy, and 24/7 TLC, Storm was back to being a cheeky and bouncy puppy. While not out of the woods yet, he was sent home earlier this week. His fur-parents will closely monitor his recovery with the help of their local vets.

Leptospirosis can be prevented. For more information, please read our article: https://sashvets.com/diseases/leptospirosis-in-dogs/

18/03/2022

Ever wondered how Kong decided on their shape? They didn’t! Check out the origin story below.

“How the Kong ball was invented.

The Kong toy was invented by accident more than 40 years ago when Joe Markham needed a way to prevent his German Shepherd Fritz from biting on rocks and sticks. Fritz, who Markham adopted as a shelter dog, had worn down his teeth to one-third of the size they should have been.

He was working on his vehicle and tossed an axle stop with an attached bracket on the ground. His dog got hold of it and loved it. He was playing with it joyously, much to Markham’s amusement.

He said to his friend, “What do you think of my new dog toy?”

His friend replied, “Actually, it’s not too pretty. It looks like an earplug from King Kong.”

And the Kong toy was born.”

Best Friends Rescue Inc

04/03/2022

24/02/2022

One to pull the heart strings and a wonderful idea to consider for a lasting memory 💕

“Photographer Cecilie Thoresen was given this amateur photo by the owners of Timber, their recently departed dog, as they spread his ashes into a pond. They asked Cecilie to superimpose the image of Timber into the photo. This is the result. 🌈
Credit: www.instagram.com/thoresenphotography “

13/02/2022

Novocastrians, please take note of this puppy stolen overnight. Please report to police if you have any information or come across this boy by circumstance.

STOLEN PUPPY

It is with great sadness and shock that we make this post today. Sometime after midnight and before 4am this morning one of the Aussie Shepherd puppies was stolen from the farm.

The dogs who are all secure in the house, barked at some time (this not uncommon) during this period alerting us but we did not find anything. At 4am the dogs were barking again. This time we let them out for a p*e and they rushed to the front middle gate. Thought odd, but after investigation, there was nothing. No one.

Unfortunately this morning, we discovered that one of the Aussie Shepherds was missing.

We have since reported to police and to Dee at the rescue organisation.

Sadly Dee has told us that the Aussie Shepherd litter, whilst not yet up for adoption, has had an unparalleled interest. So significant that both parties (us and her) felt quite concerned that the other puppy litters might not receive many applications. Such positive interest in itself is not concerning, but the kind of communication in some instances was more or less “give me that puppy or else”.

We had received some threatening messages in regards to the German Shepherds originally, which is why we asked that the shelter handle applications moving forward. And since, the Mastiff X, the Staffys, the Cattle Dog X litters have not had any issues. But this litter had the rescue organisation inundated from the moment they were seen due to being so cute and fluffy.

This little male pup that has been taken is just 7 weeks old, incredibly cute, two bright blue eyes and perfect Blue Merle and White markings. The little one is microchipped and the number has been reported as stolen. We have reported the incident to police and a break and enter is being investigated. Police have just left the farm.

We sincerely hope that someone might make the right decision to hand him in somewhere. Or perhaps someone might recognise him and let the police know.

We are heartbroken. Numb. Terribly deflated. So many emotions right now. Disappointed. Disbelief. Concerned. Upset. Angry. Lost.

Dee has experienced so much heartbreak and upset throughout her life with rescue work, this kind of thing, whilst obviously upset, she was not surprised. This has happened before and the messages she has received about these puppies in particular.

For us. All of these parts of rescue are new and hard to comprehend.

There are so many dogs needing homes. Having the cutest puppy at any cost, ie stealing, is just incomprehensible.

The farm is installing security today. Tomorrow. And more the next day. Cameras, alarms and professional company assistance.

We’re so sorry we let you down little guy. Praying that you are found/given in, but nonetheless, praying that you have a loving life.

If you could please share this post and if you ever see a puppy like this little guy and feel suspicious or have any information at all, please make contact with police.

Thank you everyone.

11/02/2022

Were so familiar with this sigh it earned our boy the nickname ‘Lord Huffington’ 🤣.

Does your dog give you ‘huffy’ attitude when they miss out?

It's as dramatic as it is loud. So not surprisingly, a lot of pet parents want to know why they do that big sigh... Well, here's your answer! You’d have to be in another room not to hear it. Or possibly another suburb. That loud sigh when dogs (and some cats) sit or lie down provides endless amuse...

02/12/2021

Some of the simplest joys in life:
dogs and imagination ❤️

22/11/2021

Anyone who can spare some time and energy for these shelter dogs, in return for the purest love and gratitude- get in touch with Dog Rescue Newcastle ❤️

Can't have a dog right now but can spare a few hours to help those in need?

We have teamed up with the Port Stephens pound to assist with dog exercise and enrichment so they can get a break from pound life during their stay.

If you are

- Able to commit to a regular day / time
- A confident dog handler
- Able to travel to Bob's Farm (Port Stephens LGA)
- Friendly and love working with others

Please fill out the form below and our team will be in touch.

Sign Up - https://form.jotform.com/211778527603864

www.dogrescuenewcastle.com.au

23/07/2021

Take some structure out of your day to day ‘pounding of the footpath’. Walk a new path, walk through the park rather than around it. Wander into the trees. Whatever you do, take a moment to stop and smell the roses. Doing so can be beneficial to both you and your dog 💕

🌻 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗣𝗢𝗪𝗘𝗥 𝗢𝗙 𝗣𝗔𝗨𝗦𝗘 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗦𝗡𝗜𝗙𝗙 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗦𝗧𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗦 𝗥𝗘𝗗𝗨𝗖𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡🌻

😓 With the current challenges and uncertainty both our dogs AND us can benefit from taking a moment to stop, take our time and just be.

🐾 A decompression walk is a super awesome way to do just this.

➡️ 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘄𝗮𝗹𝗸?

🌻 The purpose is to decompress from the stress of living in the the human world.

It allows you dog to be a dog and engage in behaviours in a way that is calming and decompressing from a stress relief perspective.

🦮Normally, you would go to a quiet place, pop your dog on a harness and long line, and let them do their thing. No training, no direction, no stress.

The term Sniffari is often used as a lot of nose work is being done and the freedom of movement allows for choice and exploration

😅 Obviously you wouldn’t let them eat something dangerous or do something that may harm them.

✅ But do your absolute best to fight your urges and not control everything they do.

❤️ In terms of physical and mental wellbeing you’d be surprised how enriching and fulfilling it is for both you and your dog.

💬 Are you already doing decompression walks?
We know many of you live in awesome locations that even with lockdown you can access fabulous sniff and explore spots – we’d love to hear about them.