Loving my Oldies

Phyl. I’m with persephone. Don’t try your pup with a multitude of different foods as she will just get fussier and fussier. I have had some dreadful eaters over the years and at time despaired. But dogs are like people: some will eat until they burst and some will eat the bare minimum to stay alive. I have one of each at the moment and another who prowls around the food bowl full of suspicion that I am trying to poison her. If they haven’t eaten after 15 minutes, the food comes up. The only treats my dogs get are various meat jerky and dried roo tail. Please don’t get your little girl any of the junk treats like smackos and rawhide. These are rubbish at best and dangerous at worst. And remember, even 1.1kg dogs are still dogs: they like fresh raw meaty bones.

He is a terrific little dog, @Cazablanca. He is part Jack Russell part Maltese. He has the soft coat and lovely squishy body of the Maltese and sturdiness of the JR with lovely strong, solid legs. We have to work on his mouthing though, as I believe he has been played with very roughly - maybe because he is so sturdy - but he is so much better already. He is a very quick learner, though, and if he starts to mouth, I just stop what we are doing and he knows why. He used to take my fingers with his treats, but I stopped that very quickly just by telling him to be gentle. He loves games, has a few tug and throw toys, yet when we go to bed, he just snuggles up next to me on the bed and hardly moves all night. Stevie is the same. Getting the harness on was quite a thing in the beginning, but he has improved out of sight. He was surrendered as the previous people want to go travelling, but so glad he was surrendered to Tania. He follows me even more closely than Danny used to and puts his head against the back of my legs as I walk ; if we have been in a room for a while and they are all settled, when I get up there is a mad scramble to follow me. He will be a wonderful dog for an active family. Both of them are fine with my dogs and with any dogs we have met on our walks. I had just the two of them and Tamar the other evening and met up with a neighbour who has two Shih Tzus (father and son) who I call Tamar’s boyfriends. Daddy dog always goes nuts and even though his was going full blast, Stevie and Benji were just 100% fine with him jumping and barking (just excitable - no malice); they were just happy for new and interesting bodies and bottoms to sniff. We passed a beautiful black and white Greyhound this morning and they didn’t take a bit of notice. I’ll have to get some more photos of Benji. Hard to get because if I call him to look up, he races towards me. He is a sweetheart ..................

LOL Sars. They ARE gorgeous, but they don’t belong to me. I am fostering Stevie and Benji for Tania of PAWS; once they have been with me for a couple of weeks to get a better idea of their personalities and quirks, they will be up for adoption. I have three of my own: Tamar (13), Jeune (16) and Bunter (anything between 14 to 17 ?? If pound believed, 17) and we are a settled little family. I can’t imagine ever being without a dog and when my three have crossed The ‘Bridge, I will foster.

Latest pic. He decided staring at me from the floor wasn’t enough LOL. And this is Benji in the background ( and my Tamar in her little coat):

He is doing fine, @Scottsmum. He is very sweet, loves his walks and cuddles and smooches.

Some tradies think it is their right to have unleashed dog on any sort of working site - from family home to multi-unit complex.

Charlene

I don’t know why you thought for a nano second you would go and apologise to the tradie. He was the one in the wrong. Anyway, very pleased that all your training and working with Monty has paid off. Well done.

He is doing well, SM. And, I hope, I am not putting a jinx on us, but no marking in the house for the past day and two nights . I am beginning to think that might have been “unknown place - gotta make sure everyone knows I’m here” type thing. I came home from taking Bunter to the vets yesterday evening, came in the back way, no Stevie to greet me and couldn’t find him anywhere. It was dusk and the house was a bit dark, I started to panic ......... but there he was perched on the front window sill keeping watch. . Same thing a little while ago while I was out in the front garden.

How odd?? I posted a response to this hours ago. Maybe I closed computer before submitting it. Yes, I do have belly bands, and they have been a life saver. However, with Stevie, he is in and out of the house all the time and I don’t want him weeing into them when he is running around downstairs. He doesn’t wee on the bed at night. If I wake up after several hours, I’ll take him and Benji downstairs. He is home from the vets now and very tired from his big day: anal glands, dental, desexing, nails. He is sound asleep on the couch wrapped in a nice light and warm fleecy.

Stevie is at the vets today being desexed. I hope it has an affect on his marking in the house Quite a few episodes last night, but I rarely see him do it. He is 5 years old, so has been doing it for a while; I think the training will really need to be upped. You visiting Oz soon, SM? LOL LOL

He looks as though someone has started to strip him and stopped. LOL.

OMG - it looks as though he has the wrong head. He does seem a delightful boy.

I hear you, LG I’m getting a bit paranoid as well. My first little foster (now gone home) used to burrow into my neck and I would be constantly checking that her nose was free. Same thing now with the latest foster, Stevie. He burrowed right under the blankets last night, but came out again pretty quickly because he did have a little coat on.

I will make it a condition of his rehoming that CCTV is installed in his new home and linked to you, SM

You all are so funny .......... NOT Actually, they ARE staying temporarily, because they are too young for me. I can’t do their playfulness and youth justice . My three elderlies are quite enough. I am quite enjoying having a house full of dogs again; I just don’t want the responsibilities. Benji needs some mouthing training - I am pretty sure he has been played with roughly and inappropriately during tug playing and he is responding really really well in just the short time he’s been here. Apart from marking all over the house (which has decreased markedly - found only two little ones this morning), 5 years old Stevie doesn’t seem to have a bad bone in his body. They are both serious cuddlers

Okay, but don’t blame me if your credit card can’t help but take a hit He really is the sweetest little cuddler. Flies onto the chair behind me, but I am not sure (although have STRONG suspicions) whether it is me or the food on the table he is wanting to get closer to. He is a humper and when he leaves, a couple of cushions will be binned Even though it is just over 24 hours since he came, he is starting to fill out a little and is looking a lot better. I will give him a bath tomorrow so he will be nice and clean before his surgery. Only one “accident” in the house today, so I think his marking was only because all the olfactory evidence of years of different doggies in the house was too much for an excited, free little fellow. I have some more photos which I will put up when transfer between phone and computer happens

I’m happy to take a trip to NZ. I’ve never been there.

Nope!!

OMG Persephone. What a memory. Those were the days.

To my knowledge he is with PAWS until he finds a home. Edited to add: I looked up your link and despite saying he has a home, the message goes on to read that he is with PAWS for some TLC before rehoming. I think they should change the message and give PAWS’ contact details so anyone seeing him on SDCH could contact PAWS. Anyway, I will suggest that when next talking to Tania. He is much skinnier than those SDCH pix would suggest. He is a voracious eater and came with a slow food bowl . He is like quicksilver, but comes when called and sat when offered treats this morning. He also stopped trying to take my fingers as well when I said “gently”. He’ll be a delight when some work put into his training.

I would be adding meaty raw bones, but I am a teeny tiny dog person LOL. I consider 8kgs big !! Unless there is a medical problem dogs of all and any size love meaty bones.

It is only temporary. It is only temporary. It is only temporary. Stevie goes to his full time foster carer on Monday after being desexed. Benji is here until he finds his new home. He is a real sweetie (couple of issues with mouthing) but not an ounce of malice. They both behaved impeccably when meeting Diva, a local elderly and large Rough Collie.

OMG!! He is much too thin. But such a handsome dog. Well done on looking for resources to do the right thing by him. Love that your little miss is smitten too