Scentpost - October 1996

Well, having passed our 11 October birthday, I can announce with great pleasure that ANDCS is now twenty years old and we are currently recovering from our very successful Dingofest, held on 20 October. (Actually, I've just recovered from a cold which I suspect came from a certain ACD breeder and judge of our photo competition. Guess who, Gill! :-) Thanks for judging, though!)
For a week leading up to the event, we had been nervously watching the weather reports. Unsettled weather forecast for the middle of the week seemed somehow to get moved to the weekend. Then it was going to be alright again.
Funny how details come into focus as an event draws near. All of a sudden, there seemed to be a pile of things to do.
The day of the event meant a 5.00am start, getting things out which could not be left set up overnight. The weather still looked decidedly dicey, with a thin drizzle in the air.
By 8.00am, the place was becoming a hive of activity. The Dingoes looked on in a bemused way. At 10.00am, people began to filter in.
And what nice people! All well-behaved and appreciative. By the time we were ready to close, the clouds had departed and the day turned into a glorious, crisp, sunny spring day.
And, of course (yes, I had to mention it ), there was the issue of all-important dollars. Our visitors were good spenders, and the event was very successful financially with over two thousand dollars taken on the day. With the raffle into the bargain, about three-and-a-half thousand dollars were taken in total.
As with any such event, planning and attention to detail is crucial, and while there have been a few gaps which have been identified in various post-mortems of the day, most comments have been complimentary.
As one would expect, there is a veritable cast of thousands (OK, dozens, then - yes, I've been told a billion times not to exaggerate!! ) to thank which always fills me with trepidation ('cos I don't want to leave anyone out). So I'll pass the buck to B. ... see the DONATIONS page!! :-)
And ... THANKS!!!

Weather Conditions and Grounds

Spring is here! And a nice moist one at that. The huge number of trees and plants donated by our gardeners, notably by Elizabeth Smith, are all growing mightily ... and so is the grass, which is keeping us occupied.
The skeletons of blackberries, their stark leafless stems clawing blindly at the sky, remain a monument to a successful blackberry eradication program. Fireweed and bindies (no, not you, Bindi) remain troublesome. Would any of you be prepared to come to a fireweed-pulling day for a share in a cold slab (or keg) and a sausage sandwich? Well, don't overwhelm me with enthusiasm, I might die of shock (says he sarcastically expecting no response )!
The wattles put on a magnificent display this year, and now it is the turn of the Callistemons and Melaleucas (bottle-brushes).
With the warmer weather coming, we have had the kennels sprayed for fleas. Flies are about, too, so it is more important than ever to keep the place clean and tidy.

Capital Works

Having mentioned flies, I might add that with money we have raised recently, we are hoping to redevelop an area of the old Wooleston night accommodation to house washing facilities and it can also double, perhaps as a moist food preparation area. With water available, electricity soon to be available, and the potential to make it fly- and vermin-proof it would be better than current arrangements.
Not only that, it will put the finishing touches to our entrance, removing the last vestiges of dilapidated dog accommodation from the scrutiny of visitors as they enter the Sanctuary.
Our new entrance to the Sanctuary was opened for the Dingofest and, having had loads of chip spread on surrounding gardens, is looking pretty good. OK, I confess I was the one who told people to put the chip in the garden instead of the entrance track, but it does look good, doesn't it? Er ... doesn't it?
The ugly-looking thing behind 'Dusty's and Jedda's enclosure that resembles a diesel storage tank is indeed just that - a diesel-storage tank. Or it was ...
I can hear a voice in my head now, very plainly saying, "No, that is not a diesel-storage tank, that is your new irrigation storage tank." And so it is, Mr Winney, so it is.
Lawrie Winney and I spent a dismal Saturday morning recently installing an assortment of piping to and from this tank along a "creek bed" which Elizabeth Smith has landscaped into our gardens surrounding the new parking area. With all this gardening going on, the water's gotta follow.

Here We Are!

We organised with local sign-writer, Norm Maunder, to get a new sign for the place prior to our Dingofest, but unfortunately the lead time, with rain and all, was too small. However, Norm kindly donated one small sign, and we now have the larger one up. It is reasonably visible from the road, but a double-sided sign on a post will be better. We'll have to save up, I guess.

Livestock

As you'd expect, everyone is madly dropping coat. Like the coats of grey wolves, Dingo coats come out in serial ridges gradually moving up the legs and flanks. What everyone needs is a good bath - that really gets the coat out.

• Kadoka (and shutting him up!! )

Our new resident has been the star attraction lately. And he acts accordingly! In fact, we have called him variously the New Guinea Screaming Dog or New Guinea Whingeing Dog, 'cos he always wants special treatment.
This is a concern. Our new neighbours are continuing with their building only about thirty yards from our boundary (theirs is a fairly narrow block) and we need to control noise.
One means of helping achieve this is developing a routine. Dogs are very much creatures of habit.
Feeding, handling and walking need to be at regular times to avoid undue excitement and disturbance in the kennel. Even working at other tasks in the dog compound can be disturbing to our residents, and it is their home!
Our volunteers have normal times when they are here, but if anyone is planning on dropping in at other times, please do us the courtesy of notifying us beforehand so we can discuss it.
Also, make a point of saying hello to Kadoka when you first arrive. I don't like the idea of rewarding his whingeing :-( , but it does seem to shut him up! (Coo-ee to Janice Koler - screaming NGSDs - does this sound all too familiar to you? )
BTW, 'Dokey will be on Totally Wild on Channel Ten in the near future. Keep your eyes peeled for him! "Fat" Harry's officially just Fluffy ... !
And yes, (on pain of death from his chief advocate and apologist! ), he's also handsome. Whew, that was close!
On 20 October 1996 at about 3.00pm, we weighed Handsome Harry and found him to be a rather portly 30kg. Ben Debono of Buxton made the accurate guess.
Other guesses ranged as high as 54kg! Names will be suppressed to protect the innocent from the wrath of Mary F! :-)
Now, another little detail has come to hand. Interesting what one finds out when purchasing worm tablets for friends' dogs. We can now announce that the "fat" crown passes to Ozy Dingo Clifton at 32kg. Bad luck Ozy, you've been outted.
Dear me, Scentpost is becoming such a scandal-rag. Well, it works for Rupert Murdoch!! :-)

• ... But Sheila Isn't

Not fluffy, that is. She's chubby, too. And spoiled. And shedding like mad. Funny. Her weight seems to go up and down periodically.
Both she and Jarrah are among the more vocal dogs, when I'm about, anyway. Jarrah, in particular, likes any excuse to howl, but at least he has given up doing so under my bedroom window! (Stop press ... for the most part ).

• The Oldies

Speaking of Jarrah and other oldies, all seem to be in good nick. Taronga Yindi seems to be getting on quite well for her thirteen years and to have well and truly gotten used to the routine here. Although she and Harry used to argue over bones, they now get on quite amicably and Yindi has no qualms about going to her breakfast.
While I think of it, where bones do become "bones of contention", it is good policy to give the dogs concerned their bones personally as this usually obviates any dispute about ownership, although not always!
Jedda, litter sister to Jarrah, is eleven and as you may remember, desexed. This old bitch still has some fire in her and enjoys sparring on the fence at breakfast time with her son, Paterson.
Speaking of offspring, Jedda has been one of our more successful breeders. She is the mother of Harry and 'Dusty, full siblings from different litters, of Aussie-Host, Koorinne and Chloe (and Ozy and Rusty), and Paterson.
Jarrah and Jedda are half siblings of Kimba, who is twelve years old. Kimba's partner, Willie, was a "rescue" and adopted at least nine years ago, although we don't know her birthdate.
We decided not to breed next season, and have retained no puppies from this years litter, the aim being to put a cap on our population of Dingoes resident at the Sanctuary. We expect to lose some of the oldies by attrition over the next couple of years which will help keep numbers at a manageable level.
Thirteen to fourteen years is the common lifespan for Dingoes at our facility (vs eight to ten years in the wild). But the way our lot are going, they may live forever!

• "Noses"

We do have a seasonal condition in some of the residents which seems to cause irritation to their muzzles. My Blackdog, our Amber and occasionally Nardoo seem to be the ones affected.
Now that Nardoo is in with Snowdrift in the enclosure bordering the training lawn outside the hut, it remains to be seen whether she will suffer any ill-effects this year. In previous years, she has become acutely aware of whether anyone was carrying any soothing creams and immediately behave in a very coy fashion
Blackdog, usually the worst, has a little swelling of the muzzle, but we're now keeping vegetation in his enclosure short. The condition does not seem to be progressing, but it is early days yet.
Amber is showing no signs of irritation at this stage.

• Dingo "Domestics"

By which I mean family disputes. Everyone is getting on pretty well at present and there are no groups where I expect impending disaster.
Snowdrift and Nardoo were gotten together recently for this years litter to go to Western Plains Zoo. As is usual, male chauvinist, Snowdrift was very bossy and hard on his new mate, but during Nardoo's pregnancy, the tables were turned.
Corbett has described this in his paper, Social Dynamics of a Captive Dingo Pack ..., if I remember rightly.
Interesting thing is that now the show's over, the puppies weaned and gone, things don't seem to be back to normal. Nardoo still gets her food first and is very possessive over it. And, bearing in mind that food is not the only indicator of hierarchy, there are other little signs, too.
I am not saying Nardoo is dominating Snowdrift, but she is standing up to him. Poor Snowdrift. He is now eight, is going roan on the rump, and is looking older. Age might be catching up with him.
He is not unhealthy, but some of the fire seems to have gone out of that baleful, infernal glare. Heaven help me. Perhaps he is mellowing! It's so surprising I guess I just didn't think of it! :-)

* * * * * *

Koori has been running with Teena for some time now. I know she is somewhat disappointed at her demotion from house-Dingo status. And she had finally stopped eating the irrigation and telephone lines, too!
But she is not far from the centre of activity, running as she does just below Gunda and Amber, and she is keeping poor Koori company. Koori had begun to bond with Nardoo, but seems content with his new partner. Oola and Romulus are still getting on well. They are a real matchmaking success story. It's interesting how some Dingoes really seem to enjoy each other's company, while others seem to live a life of bickering. At the risk of being accused of anthropomorphising, they really are a lot like people.
Zoë and Remus are quite the opposite to Oola and Rom. Poor Remus has a wild one for a mate. But all seems to be going well for the time being.

• Failed experiment

I vaguely remember writing about the fission of the "Wild Mob" when Aussie-Host was set upon by her cohorts in the horse-yard paddock. some months ago
The more I reflect on the Wild Mob, the more it becomes obvious to me that this is not the kind of situation we want under captive conditions. Running a group of Dingoes together makes everyone that much more competitive, which restricts the opportunities for individual handling and socialising with humans.
As I've said before, I think it is the height of arrogance for people to confine wild canids to small, artificial habitats and then presume to treat them as "wild" animals. Management inevitably must be different in captive circumstances. And management must take the blame for death and injury which occur because the animals cannot live as they would in the wild.
There has been a little fighting among the remaining three, with Mulga allegedly giving Koorinne a hard time. I didn't see it, so I can't comment.
In the breeding season, this sort of problem is likely to become more severe. It will have to be watched.

• Shadow and Yothu

Unfortunately, the effects of moving this pair to their new position behind the hut is being manifested in increasing shyness. Neither was terribly outgoing to begin with, and they were moved there to reduce stress on them.

• The Young Ones

In stark contrast to their parents are their well-socialised offspring from last year's whelping, Lasca and Mandawuy. Lasca, who had been going through a tough time after a what we assume must have been a fright, sees to be developing confidence again which is a relief.
The young ratbags are enjoying crashing noisily against the colorbond screen behind the remaining old Wooleston accommodation bordering the parking area. It's here, 'Magic gets put with her breakfast and enjoys yipping hysterically back at them. @#%%* cattle-dog!
Unfortunately 'Magic and Flea have had altercations over bones with the result that I don't feed them together now and pick up any bones left in the cowyard before 'Magic goes back.
Next-door is 'Dusty, half-sister to Wattle and Zoë. What a difference she is from them! She is mellow and angelic, while her father, Snowdrift, is fiery and satanic. Hmmm ... what happened, Snowy? We assume you're the dad!!

• "Leftovers"

I normally don't go outside in the morning until I'm ready to feed up. Invariably when one goes outside, all the Dingoes howl an earthshaking greeting.
In fact, it is so bad that going to the bathroom once the time is approaching 4.00am has to be done in darkness. Switch on a light and the Dingoes immediately take it as a cue for the morning chorus.
And speaking of greeting, the most enthusiastic is generally Wattle, who will come to the fence and do those amazing contortions that our alpine Dingoes do with their necks. When the other Dingoes seem to be wondering whether they could be bothered coming over to say g'day, Wattie always does.
I'm sure, seeing her confined in her rocky den, no-one would have any idea she's like this with friends!
Bindi and Humpty-Two have a common trait. In the past, when I've gone into Two-ey's enclosure, if I didn't stop to be inspected, he would grab my sleeve in his mouth as if to say, "Hang on a minute!"
Bindi, no relation, does almost the same when I go into her enclosure. But she does it when I stop patting her and start heading for the gate.
Gunda, Bindi's litter brother, still enjoys showing off his athleticism - he'd be a great dog for agility! I have been getting Echo out for some of our visitors, lately, but Coo-ee remains her uncharming self.

Research

As readers will know, our research recently has centred on DNA work which is taking up quite a large slice of my time. The project involves looking for differences between Dingoes' and other dogs' DNA.
To begin with, we are looking at DNA microsatellites, small, very variable pieces of DNA between genes which have repeating base (components of DNA) sequences. Mutations affect the number of times the repeats occur and differences build up quite quickly, so that species which have not become separated for a very long time may possibly still be differentiated on this basis.
To examine particular microsatellites, we first clone the section of DNA we're interested in, using polymerase chain reaction. This involves adding the dog DNA to a number of reagents and repeatedly heating and cooling the mixture in an automated machine called a thermocycler. If all goes well, the result is an increase in the quantity of the relevant section by, perhaps, hundreds of million fold.
The resulting product can then be exposed on a flat sheet of gel medium to an electric potential difference (ie. a voltage) in a process called gel electrophoresis and, because the cloned DNA fragments are charged, they will move across the gel. The more massive the fragments, the slower they will run.
The fragments of DNA are shown up in a variety of ways. The DNA fragments can be stained with silver solutions, or they can have fluorescent or radioactive substances incorporated into them to label them. That way, we can see how far different products have moved.
The result is a series of bands on the gel or other medium indicating the position of the product generated from each DNA sample in lanes or tracks down the medium on which the positions of the fragments have been displayed. These are compared with a standard to ensure the correct sizes (ie. correct products) are present (ie. that the reaction has worked properly). Then they are compared with each other.
Because microsatellites are transmitted from parent to offspring just like genes, they can tell us about the relatedness of different species or types of animals.
So one starts with DNA from animals one has good reason to assume are Dingoes and animals one can safely say are non-Dingo and compares the size of the fragments produced from the DNA of each individual, looking for regular differences between Dingoes and non-Dingoes (if they are at all there).
If we can find fragment sizes (ie. representing alleles) that Dingoes have and non-Dingo dogs never have, we have a means of determining Dingo ancestry. And if we can find non-Dingo alleles that Dingoes never have, we can prove non-Dingo ancestry.
But Dingo and non-Dingo populations may not have unique alleles. Even so, frequencies of alleles will doubtlessly vary between populations, in which case it is down to the statisticians/theoretical geneticists to help us work it all out!
And if microsatellites don't help, we have a battery of other tests available which I won't go into at this stage.
So, what have I been up to? Well, collecting samples and extracting DNA takes time. But we've got a good array of samples now, thanks to all who've helped! And the PCR process itself takes some trial and error to find optimal conditions. Otherwise, spurious products can form, or nothing at all. And different DNA microsatellites need different conditions.
We are currently using techniques which will make the PCR products glow under appropriate conditions so, using the automated sequencer, we can get increased sensitivity and speed ...
... So, if you bothered to read that at all, that's what we're up to. We'll keep you posted on what's going on.

Media

Recent publicity largely organised by Pam Down has raised the profile of the Society quite a bit lately, with exposure on radio 2UE in Sydney and in the local press. It also drew us some interest from Channel Ten's Totally Wild as previously mentioned. We are currently looking at ways to maintain the momentum, without exhausting media interest.

Membership Renewals

Are due on 1 JANUARY 1997!!

Many see fit to give us small donations though the year, or when they pay their memberships. Still others have helped by selling raffle tickets, buying and finding buyers for our merchandise, or saving us money by donating their services. To those people, thanks very much!!
But everyone who stays with us, helps us. And one huge contribution you can make is to pay your membership on or before the due date. That way, instead of sitting on our hands (or tearing out our hair from frustration!), we can continue to make progress on behalf of the Dingo.
Please consider paying your membership right now. Interest rates are dropping and couple of months interest on your membership fee won't amount to two cents - which, depending on your circumstances could be taxable anyway!
Sorry to sound mercenary (hey, what's new?), but it's for a good cause!! :-)