Country Companion Animal Rescue

03/06/2026

Your dog knows their name.
That might be the problem.

"He's ignoring his name."
But what have we taught their name actually means?

Sometimes it means

Stop that.

Come here.

Leave it.

What have you got?

Move away from that.

Pay attention.

Over time, a name can stop being a simple attention cue and become a prediction of whatever comes next.

Is their name used as an interruption, to vent your disappointment or does it add pressure?

If so, it's not surprising that some dogs become less enthusiastic about responding.

The issue isn't always that they don't know their name.
Sometimes they've learned all too well that their name predicts things they'd rather avoid.

Every time we say a dog's name, we're teaching them what it means.

So when your dog hears their name.

What do they think is about to happen?

03/06/2026

Most of you know that the majority of our rescues come from country areas where the chance of a forever home is minimal.
On saying that our rescues often end up in all sorts of areas & districts, from the northern suburbs, to the inner west, from the Sutherland Shire to the far south coast.
This Sunday we will be taking part in an adoption day & fund raiser at Brewdog, the train museum in Redfern.
I know it is during the long weekend, so for those of you not heading down the snow, please come along & support us!
The mother dog here is Audra & she came into care with her 6 puppies.
Naturally caring for a large litter costs money & we are hoping to sell a lot of our dog & cat products to raise money to cover vet costs
We will have warm dog coats, collars, leads, harnesses , all below what you would pay in the shops ( but don’t tell them that!)
Please come along & meet some of the dogs available for adoption or buy something for your dog, as all money raised will help Audra & her pups ( they won’t be there as they are too young right now & need to be vaccinated)
Besides the opportunity to meet & purchase all things for dogs, you can have a delicious lunch there at Brewdog & check out the history of trains.
Come along & we will see you there!

01/06/2026

"All good ☺️They're not growling"
Hang on.
Some dogs can and do growl in play.
It can be completely normal.

"So how can I tell"?
It can be tricky to tell the difference between healthy play and those interactions that are something else entirely.
There are some areas we can look at to help us decipher.

➡️Immediate posture changes/rigidity/stillness

Some dogs pause, go still and then explode with loose and wiggly movements. That’s often play.
The problematic kind of rigidness is different.
It can linger for longer.
Even when the other dog is showing everyway they can "all's good here".
That stillness and posture is "tight".

It can come with hard stares, leaning or standing over.
Stiff body posture from either dog, even the one on the ground.

That’s not play

➡️When high energy switches to frantic.

Chasing and being chased. Some dogs love this.
There can be an energy change with chasing that we need to watch for though.
It can turn.
It can become far more frantic and direct.

If one dog is always the chaser, and when they catch the other, the tone changes, the body language tightens, the movements escalate and it stops looking mutual?
That’s when caution is needed.

We don't want to stop dogs playing but we do need to recognise when it's no longer fun for all dogs involved.

31/05/2026

More photos from yesterdays adoption day.
A couple of the boys took their handlers shopping in the Pet Stock store, to pick out perhaps what they hoped to have for lunch.
Zellie enjoyed a good stretch in the sun Zamm was just exhausted after meeting so many people & other dogs.
He just decided where ever he was it was a good spot for a snooze!
Once the shopping was over Korr & the others enjoyed a walk in the sunshine.

31/05/2026

We had a wonderful family reunion yesterday at our adoption day. Tia, one of Toulas’ puppies came along & met up with her dad Thor. It was lovely seeing them together
Tia, her mum & siblings all have amazing homes where they are so loved & cared for.
Unfortunately no one so far has offered the chance to Thor
but his little daughter seemed to be saying when she licked his face..” don’t worry dad… your turn will come soon”
We all hope she is right. Thor is such a great dog & deserving of a loving home!

30/05/2026

Many many thanks to the volunteers who came along today to the Kembla Grange Pet Stock Adoption Day.
Thanks to Debbie, Jon, Helen, KerryAnne, Marti & Brooke ( I know we were in the thoughts of those of you who couldn’t make it)
Fingers crossed we will get an adoption or two.. if not for lack of trying on our behalf!!
It was a good day , the dogs had fun & we had a good laugh!
Never a dull moment when you are surrounded by half a dozen dogs!!
Thank you to Pet Stock for supporting our adoption day & let’s hope some of our beautiful pups find their for ever homes!!

29/05/2026

Zamm would love to meet you tomorrow 😊

27/05/2026

27/05/2026

26/05/2026

Our beautiful boy Wotson has found himself a forever home, and a big sister for him to play with, annoy & learn from.
He can expect plenty of long walks in the bush & rests on the inside couch.
We are so happy for both our puppies who were found dumped in a cardboard box!