More info on the wild dog problem. MERGED WITH DOGS IN THE GOLDFIELDS

First topic message reminder :

Is It a good idea to take city dogs out to the goldfields, just wondering what other members do.
Cheers
Steve

Best advice I could give is to leave your pooch at home, my old girls gone now but when was alive I never would have taken her bush with me, for one thing being a Jack Russel fox terrier cross meant that she was a hunting dog and would round up anything and everything for miles around including snakes, bungarra's, and loved to roll in anything dead, the smellier the better and she caused evacuation of the car on several occasions.

Over the years she's been treated for quite a few injuries, damage to an eye after diving into brush chasing a bird or something, cut paw from belting through the gardens after cats, blue bottle stings on the feet while walking on the beach, ran flat out and went airborne off a marina rock wall chasing seagulls, even saw her go underwater for several metres in a creek after chasing after some ducks and not realising that the green on the creek surface was weed not grass.

And all this was just while walking her around parks and the beaches near home, so taking her bush would have been a mistake for sure, also as stated baits are widely used so there's always the chance they could pick one up even about the camp, I have found a few while detecting so a dog would have no problem finding one, also there are many other things that can happen with them, there's ticks, snakes, they can damage their paws on the rocky ground, and they can be called out of camp and killed by other dogs.

A mate told me of the time his dog took a bait north of Meeka, by the time he realised that something was going on with it and headed for town the dog was howling in pain, screamed its guts out all the way, by the time he got to Meeka it was dead, he said he would never forget the experience, like others have said it would be kinder to put it down rather than let it go that way.

You can understand why station owners don't want more dogs about as we have all heard about the battle they are having with wild dogs, most of these dogs would have strayed from camps or have been lost hunting dogs originally, so having people turn up with their dogs would make them unhappy and I would imagine that if they saw it wandering about the bush they would of course shoot it as wild dogs come in all shapes and sizes so they would just assume it was a feral.

As much as I would like the company of a dog in the bush at times I just don't think its fair on them to take them with you, anyway you would spend too much time watching and worrying about them, that time could be better spent detecting instead.

au-fever

With ya au fever , wouldn't it be great to have your own dog when tecting, do big walks , have him round , but the baits get them . One bloke I new in Magnet years ago had a beauty blue dog that would see a herd of goats & would grab only a smaller one on the top of the neck softly & steer it back a 100 metres or so to us & pull it up under the ute in the cool alive , not a mark on it ! Great dog , a natural &this bloke was as dumb as dogsht , he couldn't have trained it .That was 15 years ago when goats were classed as virmin . Baby goat was a prospectors delight. Small rear hind goat legs buried in soft coals wrapped in foil with cabbage n sweet chilli sauce .... those were the days , albo.

It's up to you if you take your dog. I don't have one any more, but if I did, I probably wouldn't. But as others have said, it is great when you have a good and obedient bush dog with you.

This discussion has reminded me of a little story from a while back when I was camped in the Pilbara with a mate who had a great bush dog. (By the way, I am from Italian decent, which will make sense later).

This dog was born and bred out there and totally at ease in the bush. He was extremely protective and would always try and keep an eye on us, generally from up on some hill where he could see us both. He intervened between me and a charging bull camel one time (which I hadnd't seen coming). As far as our gear went, good luck if you tried to take anything. He was totally loyal to his master and even though I fed him etc, and he would obey me, there was no way he would let me take anything out of my mates car unless he was standing right there.

Anyway, we'd been in this area for a while and I had my my dunny creek and he had his. One morning I noticed that some of my deeds had been dug up. I mentioned that to my mate who stated that there was no way his dog would do that. He was 'too well trained'.

I pointed out there was just the three of us there, me, him and the dog.

He thought for a second and said 'Mmmm, I suppose you're right, but that's Ok, he probably just wanted some Italian take-away'.

Not bad till the ride home starts & the car sickness starts also.

I'm seriously thinking of getting one of these little buggers, there's a litter of 8 and they are now 8 weeks old.  It's a Rottie with a tail.  As we all know, it's now illegal to cut the tail off, that don't matter.  
They are a brilliant guard dog, and with a bit of training and de sexing, I'd take it scrub with me when it's full grown.

great dogs the rotties, my bro had two for years and I loved them. they both had their tails and beware, the tails on them can knock ya off your feet so keep ya cuppas safe on the tables cause a few went flying   along with anything else left on the table. I pick my puppies up by the tail, if they squeel i dont buy them. you dont want a sook. some say its cruel. whatever... i also go for short haired due to the seed problem.

Finally got hold of some pepper spray and I'm happy with it. My missus picked it up from an army surplus store in town. Red can, about 30ml 9 x 3.5cm. I'll try and insert a link

http://www.wellingtonsurplus.com.au/showProduct/security/pepper-sprays/BG0009/Bodyguard-Self-Defence-Spray-%96-30ml-Capacity-%96-

Thought I better try it out so I knew what would happen if I had to use it out bush.  It really squirts rather than sprays. The resultant splod was about 20 cm D at about 2.5m. It would squirt close to 4 m and give about a 30cm D splod I reckon.

Hard to work out what this stuff is but similar stuff on the web seems to have about 20 half second bursts in a can. Haven't tried to work out how to carry it yet. Anyway it has a good safety and it easily fits in your pocket. It's not cheap, but for me it is worth it for the peace of mind of knowing I could at least have a crack at defending myself and from a bit of a distance. When it comes down to it I figure it should be good for anything with eyes and that takes care of most of the big critters you've got to worry about! 

cheers
Stingray

So I suppose it'd be deadly on people that venture on my leases without permission then?  


Yep, I've got another one, so I'm told.   

Cat

And maybe useful to subdue a belligerent leaseholder come mechanical rapist, that turns up in ya camp spitting swearing and blustering about owning everything in every direction for 300klms, claiming never to have heard of a 20a permit before and generally being a tool. 

Yep it would bring that argument to close quick smart,  got to get me some of that to try out on the next occasional, oh sorry should have said just have it on hand in case of wild dogs. 

au-fever

Yep, Au-f it works both ways.

However I don't pull stunts like that.

Cat

Might get some of those spray cans.  There are times you need to experience a bit of pain.
I'll spray it in my eyes and let ya's know how it goes,  NOT.
If I had a dog I'd be testing it but even I'm not that cruel.  Or am I ??  
The Neighbours dog gives me the sh#ts, here's my chance  

Caterpillar wrote:Yep, Au-f it works both ways.

However I don't pull stunts like that.

Cat

Hi Cat

No don't get me wrong I didn't mean you, but any of us who have been playing this game for a time have had more than the odd run in with the tools (there's one in ever area) that think because they have a lease in there then they are entitled to have say about who goes where on all the other lease's around it as well.

That's where I have gained my impression of some (not all) lease holders, I try in life to treat all people I meet regardless of colour or creed the same way that they treat me, but if they turn up and try throw their weight around and put on the bullyboy tactics, swear at me and carry on then of course I will give as good as I get.

I can go into details but suffice to say if you want to push people then you have to realise that they will push back, its human nature so if you want a pleasant response from someone then your approach has to be the same, everybody on this forum will know the culprits I talk about there "was" one at Quinn's, there one at Southern Cross, there one at Payne's Find, (he's still licking his wounds") one or two at Meekatharra and so on.

I can also understand the frustration that lease holders feel when they have to deal with some fool detector drivers as well, as there are many tools on this side of the fence as well and some of those I have had words with too, mainly when I see them not doing the right thing like not filling in there holes, leaving crap behind and so on, the real problem lies in the way our society has changed, people are less tolerant of others and care very little about each other so it no surprise that there is going to be more and more conflict as time goes on.

Add gold into the equation then it gets even worse.

au-fever

There is another product easy enough to obtain, aerosol degreaser from the $2 shop.
It comes out mainly as a jet with a range of around 3 metres.
I have copped an eyeful (self administered) by accident and I can tell you it takes all the yap out pretty quick.
Not sure about the other effects though, one could always plead I was just degreasing the truck and this bloke somehow got in front of the spray............
Mike

Hi All,

I was told there is another nutter out at Randwick

Ron