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Do You Have A Four Legged Prospecting Buddy?


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Bringing Dogs to the WA gold fields is fraught with danger.

Wild dogs are an increasing problem and your pet dog can attract them into your camp. 2 years ago a prospector on this station was badly mauled requiring evac to a major metro hospital via the flying doctor. They say if you see one wild dog, you have a dog problem. I whack about 5 a week and usually see up to 10. I also get about 5 a week in the traps.

Baiting across the entire goldfields is done periodically where they are dropped by air with no telling where they land. We have some control of where we bait as it is done by hand. We also use traps at scent spots that are laced with Strychnine. 

Baits are like schmacko's, I've never met a dog who could resist them. Your dog will also sniff out the scent spots and risk stepping in a trap. There is no coming back from 1080 or strychnine and it is an agonizing way for any creature, domestic or feral to die.

Under the Pastoral act, you can't bring a dog onto a pastoral station without the pastoralists permission. Something we rarely give except under exceptional circumstances. People continue to do so though. I've had to put down a number of pets for distraught owners and we've also had death threats if "my dog takes a bait".

If we find someone on the station with a dog without permission, they are made to leave. This is a working cattle station, dogs chase cattle. Yours may not but we don't know that.

The below short video may be upsetting to some but unfortunately people are just not getting the message out here

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nwz-dOczHDo

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4 hours ago, Trent King said:

AFAA5613-93FE-4B19-9FAF-09F62B580887.thumb.jpeg.a6ccec03112ddd1185362402124b5f72.jpegMy assistant Jaffa  ?

He doesn’t wander away at all, always by my side trying to get me to throw a stick. He drops it on my coil while detecting to force me to stop and throw it .

That will keep your coil low and slow.

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I like detecting solo and to ensure that happens I take my "Drop-Bear" along but if there is no trees. I take Tassy  instead. As you can see they have suitable claws to do the job. :laugh:

Ric149.jpg

Ric150.jpg

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Thats one fine canine specimen you have there Scott... Hopefully there is still some room for you in the Jeep

strick

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