Dingoes dingoes everywhere!

[moonvoice]

One of my greater animal memories, is still the opportunity I was given to play with a purebred dingo puppy at a deserted wildlife centre, while we talked to the owner about the rarity of purebreds vs. halfbreeds and how, for all intents and purposes, the 'dingo' as we know it will probably go extinct if a decent breeding program isn't maintained in wildlife centres and zoos around Australia.

And as we talked, this little wriggling powderpuff turned over in my hands and kept licking my cheeks and nose and then nuzzling my hands.

I think Dingo wants to be drawn once more.

I might work on that today.

I have the feeling of fluffy fur and a wet nose beneath my hands. The dingo was an even rarer purebred black and tan. Just gorgeous. I think I may honour the black and tan in my illustration, since they are the ones that are really really going to fail as our native wild dog, and the dingo represents - among other things - extinction.

Yeah, you can read the file here, it's already been written:

http://www.wildspeak.com/vilturj/totems/wdingo.html

The original dingo illustration will go on sale.

Comments

[sunvenus.livejournal.com]

Here recently in NSW laws were changed so unlicensed and unsupervised people can own & breed dingos. This is a bad situation.

I like dingos, from what little I know of them- we don't have many here, I’ve seen one in the wild and we don't rescue them in our group as they aren't native to the same standard that something like, oh, say Long Nosed Bandicoots are. But I digress...

Sadly, I have had recent run-ins with horrible people (2 separate cases) who are breeding & raising dingos, and doing so in appalling ways. These poor animals are coming out overly-aggressive, mean-spirited and are obviously treated/neglected very badly. I think the breeding & care should be monitored, as the dingo isn't just "any dog" and such low standards do harm to many, and not just to the dingos themselves but to other wildlife and to people too.

(In one of the cases, a dingo attacked a man who was trying to get it off his property- the owners of the dingo let it run wild in an area where all dogs are required to be leashed. This same dingo also killed a chook and killed my first wallaby, Jason and another wallaby in its pre-release pen. I understand that dingos hunt, and other animals are food for them, but when they attack people it is out of control. Gods forbid that had been someone’s child. The dingo was caught, euthanised and the owners investigated & prosecuted. Would rather have seen the irresponsible & ignorant owners euthanised, but I am mean that way. The second case was that of people who are keeping & breeding dingos, and letting them attack & kill wildlife that was also licensed to be under their care. They violated the law as we are to treat wildlife humanely, and not to allow it to be near other animals, especially natural predators. They have since been removed from the organization with legal action pending.)

[moonvoice.livejournal.com]

Here recently in NSW laws were changed so unlicensed and unsupervised people can own & breed dingos. This is a bad situation.

That is absolutely, absolutely wrong. :( The thing is, I was talking to the wildlife park owner, and he said quite abruptly that half-breed dingoes are more likely to be aggressive than either pure-bred dingoes, or domesticated dogs, and as such... raising them as 'pets,' well even he was against it. He said he'd rather they go extinct then be preserved like that, and I'm liable to agree. :/

These poor animals are coming out overly-aggressive, mean-spirited and are obviously treated/neglected very badly.

This is so so sad. At the wildlife centre, we were shown the adults, though not allowed to pat them (I was happy as I had no intention of patting the wild creatures until he shoved the dingo puppy in my hands and said 'we want him well socialised, and as there's no one here, I think we'll be fine.' Lol.) The adults were timid and normal adult dingoes, could be taken for walks by the owner, but weren't pet material and never would be.

It was obvious they were well looked after, but the owner was at pains to stress that even if a dingo has been raised from birth, if it hasn't been socialised enough, it will still be timid / snappy and not completely tame. It's just spent too long away from humans in a generational sense, and I think hes' right.

This same dingo also killed a chook and killed my first wallaby, Jason and another wallaby in its pre-release pen. I understand that dingos hunt, and other animals are food for them, but when they attack people it is out of control.

:(

Letting owners raise them badly is an atrocity, because dingoes are still good hunters (sadly, in some cases), and familiarising them with people just gives them access to food sources that they might not consider otherwise.

I mean I know that purebred wild dingoes will occasionally hunt domesticated animals, but they prefer not to in their own habitat and aren't likely to attack humans at all. Far too timid. Most incidences with dingoes + people involve people mistakenly feeding them food / taming them or keeping them, and thinking they have some kind of placid dog on their hands.

Like any dog is truly placid, anyway.

Would rather have seen the irresponsible & ignorant owners euthanised, but I am mean that way.

Oh no, I completely, COMPLETELY agree with you here.

[micalela.livejournal.com]

That sounds neat! Extinction is bad.:(

[greenforest-elf.livejournal.com]

I want to steal the dingo at Kahuna poor girl is just so miserable there, all alone in a stupid pen.

Dingo's are a lot like huskies (very wild animals in their nature), I had a dingo x heeler growing up and he was my shadow, he was the best dog I ever owned and would protect me against anything.

I dont believe in dingo x dogs as they are just not meant to be and I think those ones raised wrong can turn out bad!, but my boy was raised right and just beautiful.

[jet-ski.livejournal.com]

Yeah, Dingo X dogs need to be raised by someone who knows what they are doing, but unfortunately, comments above show that lots of people who don't know what they are doing have them now. It kind of sounds like what people are doing with Wolf X dogs in the US of A.

I also met the puppy that P is talking about. Was a little bit bitey but Bender was around the same age and he was more bitey! He doesn't bite at all now.

[greenforest-elf.livejournal.com]

yeah I know what you mean about the wolf dog's, I have friends in the US that do rescue and the number of these crosses is very sad.

Most people are just idiots when it comes to dogs, or animals in general.

Bender is such an awesome name for a dog!!!!