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Author Topic: Banned: Calling a dog "Dog"  (Read 9441 times)

chingdevil

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Re: Banned: Calling a dog "Dog"
« Reply #50 on: January 05, 2008, 09:27:58 pm »

Steve
Does this sort of stuff always happen to you, or do you think you might have upset a gypsy recently.  ;D ;D ;D ;D
SWMBO thinks some weird stuff happens to us, I think I should let her read some of your postings, your life seems belong under the heading " you could not make this stuff up".

Brian
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sheerline

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Re: Banned: Calling a dog "Dog"
« Reply #51 on: January 05, 2008, 10:16:02 pm »

Hi Steve, I'm glad I read this post of yours especially the bit about the Blackbirds broken wing. I am a sucker for trying to save every injured animal I come across and I especially hate to see injured birds. Everyone I have spoken to tells me you can't fix a birds wing so if you know of a simple technique, I would love to hear it. Beyond simple first aid, I am not trained at animal repair techniques and if out of my depth, normally call the RSPCA or some such body for help or advice, but I am sure some of the birds I have handed over have simply had their necks wrung somewhere out of sight.
The story of the dog is particularly sad as it was so avoidable and certainly got my blood boiling. I am of the opinion you have shown great restraint in dealing with these pc cretins and you appear to be handling with it in a correct and level headed  manner.... I'm not sure I could have done the same so full marks to you!
We had a dog for 20 years.. yes the same one! He was a slightly smaller version of a Border Collie and was fit almost up to the day I called the vet in and gave him his last big hug. I originally found him in the road during a storm, nearly ran him down it was so dark and wet, took him home and bathed him as he stunk of God knows what, fed him as he was starving and cuddled him to sleep.. it was the sleep of the Gods.
The kids wanted to keep him but I said NO as we were all out at work and school each day and it would be impossible. Took him to the Police station next day to register him as lost dog but opted to look after him over the weekend. We all fell in love with him and told the Police we would look after him if no-one claimed him... they didn't and he became a fully fledged member of the family for the next twenty years.
He learned to adjust to his way of life in our family very quickly and at the outset we called him Sparky.. on account of the hair around his ears which used to poke out and look like sparks.... which nicely brings me round to the thing about the dogs name. Over the the years he was called everything under the sun due to his mischevious ways but mainly it was variations of his name and he responded to all of them:
Sparky Sparkus, Spartikus, Parkus, Marcus, Barkus, Parky Poos and Little 5hit! As someone has already pointed out, it is all in the tone of voice. I could call his name in an agressive tone and he knew he was doing something wrong as his ears would go back and he would stop whatever he was doing, or alternatively in a soothing tone and he would come running.
He was a real member of this family and has been gone seven years now (under the willow tree at the bottom of the garden) and we all STILL miss him. We haven't replaced him and I daren't go into an animal sanctuary as I know my heart will melt and I will not want to leave empty handed. Given my affection for animals, I really don't think I would have coped with that moronic cow at the desk with the same restraint you have shown.
Chris








 
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DickyD

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Re: Banned: Calling a dog "Dog"
« Reply #52 on: January 05, 2008, 10:33:17 pm »

Otters are carnivorous. They only eat a variety of foods, including fish, crustaceans, amphibians, snakes, water insects, snails, worms, small mammals, birds, and eggs, frogs, turtles, and any aquatic invertebrates when they are in the wild. When in captivity they eat horsemeat with vegetables, vitamins, minerals, mackerel, and occasionally crayfish. Their preferred diet is fish. They hunt for their food at night and sleep during the day.  O0
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gingyer

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Re: Banned: Calling a dog "Dog"
« Reply #53 on: January 05, 2008, 11:25:23 pm »

I know this is a serious subject But,
I have this mental picture of steve taking the otter
out for a sail with his boat similar to
http://www.modelboatmayhem.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=8028.0


colin
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RipSlider

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Re: Banned: Calling a dog "Dog"
« Reply #54 on: January 06, 2008, 01:11:16 am »

Chingdevil:

Odd stuff does seem to happen to me more than most, well, my friends seem to think so. I'm a contract IT chappy, so go to a new job every few months. When I'm first getting to know people, they never really believe what my stories, but then equally odd stuff happens around them and they believe me. It has been suggested that I might have been a Mime in a previous life, and this is civilisations revenge on me.


Sheerline:
Procedure for sorting out a birds wing ( which is the same as dealing with a member of the parrot family that is pulling out all it's feathers (becuase it's been fed on junk food, has developed a salt addiction, and is getting at the salty fat at the base of it's feathers ))

What you do is get a piece of thin but tough material, such as a piece of chamios leather or kid skin leather ( SWMBO's gloves may have to be sacrificed ).

Then you make a "glove" for the bird out of it. This is fiddly, and you get pecked a bit, but the idea is that you make a pretty tight fitting jacket that enclosed the birds body and wings. you leave a hole for it's head to come out of the top, and another hole for it's legs, bottom and tail to stick out of.

You then sow the bird into this jacket, using strong thread, from the back, to avoid another pecking.

with a broken wing, you get the bones aligned roughly in the wing (gently - otherwise it'll die in your hands), and then very gently fold the wing back as if the bird had tucked them away when it had landed on a branch. Then you put the jacket on. Use a hole punch to make a series of small "breather" holes in the jacket, especially around the wing space ( before you put the jacket on, otherwise you'll have an exceptionally annoyed bird and blood on the carpet).

If there is blood and ooze from the broken wing, you need to ensure that no infection is present, so you let any bad cuts etc scab over first ( takes a day or two), and touch on a little neat "melafix" (from aquarium shops), using one of those things you clean your ear with to the wound to kill infection ( it's just tea tree old in a very pure, usually gel, form ).

The whole procedure annoys the hell out of the bird but in a few hours it's bouncin about looking for food, and doesn't seem overly bothered, and within a few weeks (depends really on the size of the bird ) the jacket can come off, and within a few days the bird is using it's wing again. A week later you can set it free.

Oh... and get a bowl with some "chincilla dust" or just some dusty soil if it's summer time. The bird needs to keep itself clean, and the dust is used as a substitue for water.

Second Oh: don't forget to feed and water it as well, other wise it defeats the point. The bird moves about fine in their jacket, so I feed live meal worm and mixed seeds to get plenty of good food into them. Try to make the bird keep working for food ( hide it behind twigs etc ), otherwise it gets tame, and it won't survive in the wild. And don't handle it too much, or leave it in your living room where it can get too used to humans. If I'm looking after a bird, the cage goes in the loft with a heater and the light on a timer to roughly replicate daylight hours. Most birds need to feed about 1/4 of their body weight a day.

Third Oh: If you find an injured bird, firstly make sure it IS actually injured. A number of birds, like blackbirds, partridges, robins etc, will imitate a broken wing in order to get the threat ( i.e you ) away from it's nest or chicks. at least 1/2 the "injuried" birds taken to vets are perfectly fine, but the chicks doe becuase of being seperated from their mother.  And if it *is* injured, leave it in a cardboard box outside ( with some air holes ) for 24 hours, as many will die quickly anyway, and if you try to help them, it only makes them go quicker. If it makes it through 24 hours, then start to think about patching it up.


For broken legs, a wee piece of kebab skewer ( the stuff made out of bamboo ) and thin stips of electricians tape work just fine. ( still needs a jacket otherwise the bindings are cut off within minutes.)

Broken beaks: sadly, can't be fixed and usually the bird will starve if it's severe, so usually better to put it down.

Putting a badly injured bird down. Pick it up and hold it between each hand, as if you were catching a cricket ball. apply VERY gentle pressure, like you are holding a kitten or a half-cracked egg, and be more gentle than that. Just make a cacoon out of your hands. Bird will pass away in peace within a minute or two. ( works on injured mice etc that the cat brings in as well )

Why do I know this? My grandad used to look after virtually all the injured or mistreated birds within a 20 mile radius of southport. He converted his entire house ( a big victrorian 3 storey fella that is endemic to southport ) into avaries, and lived in two rooms on the ground floor. The RSCPA, along with all the local vets used to send birds of all sorts to him constantly. He patched up a bald headed eagle from a zoo once.  There used to people coming to him at all hours of the day and night. ( If you lived in southport between 20 and 10 years ago, you will probably have read about him  in the local paper, as he was in it quite a lot ). Anywho, much of my summer holidays for years were spent looking after all the birds while grandad went fishing.

As for your dog, you have my very deep sympathies, loosing a friend is horrible. However, I would say that it is important to remember that if you get another dog, then your not replacing, in any way, your previous one. A new cat is coming soon, but it won't replace Cat-2 who died recently, as no other cat is ever going to get in the bath or shower with me, or sit on my shoulder all day when I work from home and "help" me by clawing at my ear when it desired food or to look out of the window. Cat 3 will be a different cat, with a different personality. In no way will he fill a gap or be a replacement, but he will be a new friend, living in a better home than the shelter.

DickyD
thanks for that. Well, I have plenty of crayfish on tap for my fish. Also got a bed of green lipped mussels in a tank, so will see if it wants to break open a few of those. Mrs Steve has a horrific phobia of frogs, so probably won't try those. Have been doing some reading. Think I am going to "borrow" my god childrens blow up swimming pool and let it have a swim when it gets to it's fortified stockade.


Steve





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tigertiger

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Re: Banned: Calling a dog "Dog"
« Reply #55 on: January 06, 2008, 03:22:04 am »

Hi Ripslider
Thoughts on the otter.

If the otter is 'tame' and was fed on a non-fish diet, the animal may not see fish as food. So as was suggested, try fresh meat, worms or even dog food. I am not saying dog food will be healthy for it. But if it is used to dog food, it will at least eat. It can then be weaned off dog food onto more healthy options when it has been fed up a bit.

Another thought is, with all the money you are spending, you could just drive up to Wales to the otter sanctuary and give them the otter with a large donation. This way you know the otter will be getting the most suitable treatment from day one.
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sheerline

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Re: Banned: Calling a dog "Dog"
« Reply #56 on: January 06, 2008, 10:33:34 am »

Hi Steve, thanks for your extremely well detailed description on the repair of birds wing, it made for excellent reading and I have made notes. I'm afraid that here in the countryside, most country folk don't seem to bother too much with the wildlife if it gets injured and simply ignore it or whack it round the back of the head. I hate the callous attitude displayed by drivers if they stike a bird as they simply ignore it and drive on, leaving the poor creature flappling around in the road to either die in agony or be run down by the next car. There have been countless occasions I have had to stop (safely) and run back to attend one of these poor unfortunates when I have witnessed this event. In almost everycase, these creatures are too badly damaged to survive but some are simply stunned and recover if placed in the undergrowth. On several occasions, after inspecting apparently undamaged birds, I have stood gaurd for a few minutes only to see them rally and take off across the fields... very rewarding.
As for Sparky, it truly was like losing a child as he was such a character and was so firmly embedded into everyones mind who came in contact with him.... It was 20 years of total fun and mind games....I could write a book!
I have always regarded animals as individuals with their own characters and traits and realised very early on that you can never 'replace' them but have to take on another anew, in the same way as one would with people. I have a great affinity with dogs and always seem to make friends with any I come into contact with... even nasty ones! Perhaps one day we will have another as the house still seems to be 'empty' in a sense but if we do, it will probably occur in a similar way to that in which we found Sparky... one will come along for one reason or another and we will take it under our wing.
It sounds like you're doing a grand job there but I don't envy you with that otter. I once tried to catch a squirrel which had run into a shop and was terrorising the staff. Knowing nothing about them, I went after it with a large cardboard box but the stance and attitude of this thing scared the living wotsit out of me. I swear blind if I had got close enough to it, it would have torn me to shreds! In the end , it left of its own accord whilst everone hid behind the counters!
My biggest success was saving a Badger which had been snared with a wire and was trapped in the base of a tree. The wire had begun to strangle the creature and was cutting into its neck. As I had no tools with which to cut it, but was wearing my motorcycle gloves and I spent around quarter of an hour working away at this cable flexing and bending it, always fearful that the trapper would come along and shoot me or whatever.
Whilst attempting to break the wire, the animal spent the time with its head pushed onto a hollow in the base of the tree.. I still hadn't seen its face at this point and once the wire was released, it didn't want to move so in ignorance I started hauling on its haunches in an effort to pull it away. After a few moments struggle I finally dragged it backwards, whereupon it spun around and lunged at me dog like, biting my right hand ! Fortunately the motorcycle gloves protected me and it didn't penetrate and the creature simply turned around and ambled off into the undergrowth.. poor thing must have been starving as well as terrified. I simply stood there bathed in sweat and shocked at the experience but I would do it again if I had to!

Good luck with your otter but it sounds as though you might need two chain mail gloves and another form of protection for your throat!
Best regards. Chris




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malcolmfrary

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Re: Banned: Calling a dog "Dog"
« Reply #57 on: January 06, 2008, 01:42:39 pm »

Quote
Good luck with your otter but it sounds as though you might need two chain mail gloves and another form of protection for your throat!
Cricket box might be a good idea as well.
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RipSlider

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Re: Banned: Calling a dog "Dog"
« Reply #58 on: January 06, 2008, 06:01:46 pm »

Quote
Good luck with your otter but it sounds as though you might need two chain mail gloves and another form of protection for your throat!
Cricket box might be a good idea as well.

The problem is, I just can't find one big enough......



Sheerline:

Being bitten is half the fun! have been bitten by a badger, ferrets, pole cats, rats, many kinds of birds and some of my fish. It's a good way to get talking to women in pubs... It's the ultimate way to open a conversation:

Lovely lady: "My dear, what happened to your hands and arms?"
Lovely Me:  "I was attacked by an otter... let me get you a drink and tell you all about it...."

See, it's definately worth it.

however, worst attack I ever had was from a 4" long puffer fish. was feeding it, it went for the prawn, missed, and took a perfectly circular chunk out of my finger. Looked at the hole, saw white as it had got to the bone, then blood started to go everywhere. Puffers have a type of anti-coagulant in their mouth, and all sorts of other chemicals. Took 12 hours to stop the bleeding ( hospital eventually did it with a judiciously applied soldering iron ) and maybe 4 months before it stopped hurting.
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Mr Andy

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Re: Banned: Calling a dog "Dog"
« Reply #59 on: January 06, 2008, 06:34:47 pm »

Steve Lurcher Link mate they always have dogs looking for good homes.

Andy. :)
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sheerline

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Re: Banned: Calling a dog "Dog"
« Reply #60 on: January 07, 2008, 12:25:49 am »

Steve, on a couple of occasions I have saved a couple of stunned owls out of the road, grabbed them from behind making sure talons went between the fingers and hands clamped firmly around the body to prevent flapping of wings. The last one was a big un and it was also a big mistake. I forgot they can rotate their heads around a fair way and this one was awake enough to take a dislike to me, it swivelled around took a lump out of the back of my hand causing me to partially release my grip, then up came a leg and in went a tallon right between my fingers! I let go owl with blood pouring out of hand, owl flies into tree and hangs from branch with one leg, staring back as if to say 'sod off'. Knowing what owls eat, I spent the next two hours driving to London sucking the wounds and spitting blood out of the car window.. disgusting!
Still here to tell the tale though and worth it to see them fly off. I will however think twice before I ever handle another one in this manner. O0 
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