Have you helped out a mate this week? Or someone.

[Stozz]

Our last dog came from a rescue in Sydney. We will never buy a dog from anywhere else, other than a rescue. I feel sorry for these dogs that people just dump at the vet because they don't want them anymore. I think if you get sick of an animal and dump it you should be banned from ever having another.

 

The best place to look is on http://www.petrescue.com.au/ - pretty much every animal rescue group in Australia lists their animals on here.   

People often wonder why you have to "BUY" a pet from a rescue organisation.  They often think it should be free.  Let me explain. 

Most rescue groups -

* are run entirely by volunteers,
* have a policy of de-sexing every animal that they rescue ($80 - $350 depending on weight of animal)
* vaccinate every animal ($20 - $100)
* micro-chip every animal ($30)
* provide any other veterinary care needed ($.....?)
* provide temporary shelter, home, food, love
* run a shelter / kennels / foster care network - and it costs money to do this.

So when you get a pet from an animal rescue group, they are in tip top shape and just needing loads of love and possibly some good training.  The "adoption fee" helps the animal rescue group to keep doing what they do and saving animals.

In Australia, over 250,000 unwanted or surrendered pets are euthanized each year, despite the best efforts of rescue groups.  So please DO NOT buy a pet from a pet store (which most likely came from one of those horrific puppy farms). Go only to a registered breeder or animal rescue group and please have your family pet de-sexed. Allowing them to have puppies or kittens is not necessary and is only adding to the problem.

Another great organisation, for those of you who like active dogs, is Australian Working Dog Rescue (AWDRI) http://www.workingdogrescue.com.au/ and they have a great Facebook page too - https://www.facebook.com/awdri.com.au?fref=ts

If you cant have a dog or cat permanently, or you have room for another, consider fostering one of these animals while permanent homes are found for them. All rescue groups are desperate for foster carers.  In this way you can "help out a [four-legged] mate"

 

[Stozz]

Back on topic. 

I helped out a neighbour today. There is a very large family living over the road from us.   

This week is the annual 'bring out your dead' junk / waste / rubbish collection. 
Every household is allowed a max of 2 cubic metres. 
The family over the road had about 10 cubic metres of junk on their front verge. 
The rubbish truck people said NO.   

So I went over the road and helped the young lady (who was home alone) to "re-distribute" their ten cubic metres of junk to each of the neighbouring properties so that 5 houses each had two cubic metres.   

When the rubbish truck came back down our street, they took the lot as it complied with the limits.   

[Jasman]

Ok, so to be clear my good deed is actually a public service rather than me helping out a Mate and I'm not doing it because I a good bloke, more because I hate scammers.

About 3 months ago I stumbled across a 2010 Jayco Outback Hawk listed for $12k on Gumtree, my spidey sense was tingling but I just had to enquire and straight away confirmed it was a scam.  I immediately reported it as a scam and it was subsequently removed but pretty much everyday since they mod the ad a little and re-list each day around 8pm waiting for next sucker. At about 8.15 I open the link to a saved search which once again reveals the scam is active, I report it, they remove it again.  I keep thinking they're going to get sick of having the ad removed each day but so far they're not being diturbed but I'm a stubborn a**.

[Brumbypt]

surley with a purchase like a camper, the buyer usually goes and inspects it before handing over the cash..

never trust anyone with big purchases like this and hand over 100% of the money till u have seen it. and done all ya checks..


Carry on...

[Jasman]

surley with a purchase like a camper, the buyer usually goes and inspects it before handing over the cash..

This particular scam is the one about the soldier who's deploying for Iraq and the camper is stored at the Darwin Army base so they try to get you to buy sight unseen or at least pay a deposit.  I can only assume that the fact they keep re-listing the ad they've had some success.

[Brij]

Another bit of public service as opposed to helping out a mate -
At work this morning (about 6am) escorting an oversize load down the Princes Highway. Get the load (only 5m wide, but 150t on a 10 axle dolly/low loader combination) to move over to the shoulder to let some traffic overtake up the fast lane. Get a call on the UHF from another truck heading in the opposite direction - "Copy in the oversize? Watch out for the bloke walking up the shoulder towards you just past the next overpass". "Thanks Mate". Block the fast lane. Clear the traffic. Bring the oversize back out of the shoulder. Go past the pedestrian. Move the oversize back to the shoulder. Get the traffic overtaking again.........
Pedestrian looked to be about 80 odd years old, dressed up in his best brown tweed hat, jacket and pants, out for a stroll along the freeway......with no lighting, no foot path, no cross roads for about 5km.......
In the next town we pull the oversize up for the driver's mandatory rest break and I ring the local cop shop to advise them about the pedestrian and that they might have to have a little chat to him about his choice of walking tracks.


"That's where the old coot has got to! We've been looking for him for hours. Thanks bud. We'll send someone to go and nab him"

 

Peter

[ScottT]

I want to put a shout out to a great mate of mine who has helped me out with the following;

Drove me to pickup our Customline Camper Trailer in his car
Gave me a 100ah AGM battery and battery box (still going strong)
Fitted 2 x 12v power outlets to bed surrounds
Supplied the marine carpet for bed surrounds
Made a "back saver" for my trailer as I'm pulling an off road trailer behind a family sedan and was doing my back everytime I needed to hitch and unhitch, not mention the arguments with SWMBO !
Gives me his Camper Trailer Australia mag when his finished with it

And I'm sure I've missed plenty other things !

PhilW your one in a lifetime mate !

Cheers, Scott

[evans52]

I like threads like these.

Last Saturday my 4 1/2 year Old Son and I went to the local hardware store to get 2 x nuts, bolts and washers. As we were leaving one of the staff was pulling one of those plant trolleys an elderly couple had bought, so my Son decided to help by pushing. The Staff Member loved it and the Elderly couple loved it. They got to their car - a VU Commodore Sedan. (I should add it's a V8 SS and the Old Bloke was pushing 80 odd. Young at heart. Love it) I could see they were going to have trouble fitting it in, so I offered to take it in my Patrol. It was met with "Oh but we live on the other side of town". "No problems at all" I reply. The "other side of town" is only 5km's away. Anywho......loaded it in the Patrol and my Son pipes up with, "It's great to help people isn't it Daa?". "Yes it is my Boy. Yes it is". And he started it.

The highlight of my day knowing my young Son is wise beyond his short 4 years. And we got to meet a lovely couple, Peter and Bev, who have lived in this town their whole lives and have been married for 65 years.

[Crisp Image]

Out for a bike ride with not so little image #1 when we noticed a more mature lady sitting in a car with a flat tyre. Stopped to inform her of such a flat. She said she knew and her husband was in search of a telephone to ring the RACV to change it. We chatted for a while, while her husband returned. He had no luck trying to find a phone. We offered to change it for them. so that is what we did. When we let the jack down the spare was almost as flat as the other one. We used my phone to call the RACV and then left. If I was in my Tug I would have had the compressor on board but we were on the bikes.

Another time about Christmas time I was in the local coffee place when the young girl was ordering. She handed over the credit card only to be told there is a minimum transaction and that she did not reach it. So she ummed and ared over what else she could buy. I said don't get something you don't want and I will pay for your coffee. She was surprised and tried to knock me back. I said it was $3.80. It was not going to make me broke. Merry Christmas were my last words to her.
It is the little things we can do for others that will make their day.
Regards
Crispy,

[Coolblue80]

Pulled into the servo a couple of weeks back behind a guy filling a 2wd mid 80's hilux. He finished fueling up, went & paid, came back & started to crank it but it wouldn't fire. He comes to me & told me he'd run out of fuel as he rolled into the servo & it might take a bit to get it going. I replied telling him I wasn't in a hurry. He returns to the Lux & keeps cranking. Reluctantly it fires but not running right, not even close. He manages to half drive it away from the bowser & into a park. I filled my truck & paid for the fuel. I pull in to the park beside the Lux. At this stage he's tipping raw fuel down the carb to get it to fire. I give him a hand to choke the carb to get it to fire, but when I lift my hand it was wet with fuel, really wet. I grabbed some tools out the back of the cruiser & checked the flow from the fuel pump,all good. Battery at this time decided it had enough of cranking & was flat. Pull the cruiser over & hook up thge jumper leads.
Thinking of my wet hand, I thought that maybe it had too much fuel already & that it was really flooded. Sure neough I dropped the sight glass off the side of the carb & a heap of fuel came out. I gave the float of bit of an wriggle & put it all back together. Kicked it in the guts & after a few cranks she's fires into life. Gave it a couple of big revs to clear itself & she was ticking like a swiss watch. As I'm packing the tools & leads away, old mate was insisting on dropping a carton to my place but I wouldn't have any of it. I'm a big believer in swings & roundabouts. I just told him to help the next bloke out he sees in trouble & we'll be square. Shook hands & went our seperate ways. My good deed was done.
What comes around goes around.
Cheers, Mike.

[oldmate]

Thanks oldmate & lino6! 

You too can help ... Animals Australia ... the voice for animals.

It's pretty awful stuff they tell us about ... but if we all Take A Stand ... just think how good that would be ... and it's all about personal choices when shopping ... and knowing just where stuff comes from and how it's treated before you eat it or take it home as a pet.

Stozz has it right ... rehoming is the best way ... so get your pet from the RSPCA!

Kit_e - gets off her soap box.
(No longer turning a blind eye to this kind of atrocity)

Thanks kit_e. my wife and her sisters already do a lot do support animals australia.   

[D4D]

Big thanks to Brett B for dropping over and giving the 6x4 trailer a fresh coat of paint

[Brett B]

Big thanks to Brett B for dropping over and giving the 6x4 trailer a fresh coat of paint

anytime
You will have to bring your new RC car and the little bloke up here

[speewa158]

Old girl across the road & her nearly blind hubby bout a caravan . Can't back it into the driveway , or unhook it . Wondered over to set up a check list of things to do , to unhook /set up  then deset hook up . The page has been typed up & laminated .
Took the rig for its maiden voyage , all went well . That makes me very happy