westiemum

Look, I'm a rescuer not a breeder - but even I understand some basics here - there is no 'fair' price for a puppy. There are too many factors involved - supply and demand, breeder costs, 'trendiness', how many idiots believe the 'doodle' bullshit at the time (which affects overall market prices), even micro-markets, state to state and area to area in some cases. Rescue, like breeding is a loss-making business - big time. I could have spent a year on the QEII for the money my rescues have cost me over the years - and I'd do it over again in a heart beat. My point? Buyers need to recognise this is not a stable FMCG market seeling identical predictable goods - many factors influence prices. The best advice I can give is choose your breed wisely and carefully to match your lifestyle (and no, doodles are marketing terms not breeds), recognise the market you are in and its factors, nuances and characteristics, find a good breeder, build a great relationship with them - and suck up the price (whatever it is).

Luca or Bean? (I'm hopeless at names!)

I have two at opposite ends of the spectrum. Mia is a fashionista and loves her raincoat, her jacket and her woolies - no problems. My old Andy even hates a blanket over him let alone dog clothing of any kind - he's a miserable little fella if he's 'dressed'. So whatever works, your dog tolerates and is practical.

I'd also think about running the baseline again through another lab. Sometimes they are just plain wrong. I know it s more money but might save you heading right up the wrong path.

Excellent - good to know - as dog washing facilities here are limited too.

Hey asal, please can you repost your photos - I'd love to see them but they seem to have disappeared.

You said it Perse! :)

Yep correct Pucapo. While I don't like Gumtree either, for people like my pensioner neighbours who just want a companion animal of their favourite breed, often its the only option. But man, do you have to know what you are doing and what to look for - and not be afraid to ask a lot of questions and walk away. And I think Gumtree suggests that prices are starting to come down - and here in westie world we're certainly bracing ourselves for an influx of older puppies and dogs onto the rescue market. :(

Coneye I agree - you need rocks in your head to pay that price for a cross breed. Particularly when you can have a predictable pure-breed with a reliable track record. Your friend deserves what he gets. So many of these cross breeds are complete nutters. Its happened multiple times here. Friends of mine ignored my advice to stay pure-bred and bought a cavalier x poodle. Complete separation anxiety nippy nutter of a dog - and then wanted me to pick up the pieces. GRRRRR. Then other friends also bought a cavalier x poodle puppy. The thing is almost 12 months old separation anxiety and is constantly nipping at their elderly ankles! Suspect it has more than cavalier and poodle in it! Just nuts! When will people realise what a huge risk they take in rolling the genetic dice like this! Crazy idiots.

OK - the stars aligned for my elderly neighbour. Yes it was a Gumtree listing but as of last night she is now the proud owner of a new black female toy poodle puppy. She paid 3k for the last puppy in the litter (originally listed at 4k). I went with her to make sure it all was legit, went well and to stop her getting carried away. Two visits. The first to view and decide and the second to collect. The breeder comes from a family who breeds poodles back in China and he clearly knew what he was doing. While he is not a registered ANKC breeder, he was registered to breed in SA through the Dog and Cat Management Board and had all the legally required registration papers and vet records ready to go. He also had a pile of micro-chip registrations from previous buyers ready to send in for registration in one lot (correct). The breeder immediately showed us both parents and he was honest enough to say he was fairly sure the sire was pure-bred but would not stake his life on it. The dam was pure-bred and the puppies certainly looked pure-bred. (No papers, but this was not a concern to my neighbour). The parents and puppy looked very well cared for, clean and happy and the house was spotless (surprising for a male student!). The puppy was happy to play and race around independently of Mum and Dad and they were all very happy with the breeder handling them, (no fear). He had been feeding them Royal Canin dry food. The only down side I could see is the lack of ANKC registration and that the puppy has probably not had a lot of experience outside. I think it had been socialised to some degree as there was no fear reaction whatsoever when we handled her at the breeders home. Only one whimper on the way home in the car. I suspect he is an international student trying to make ends meet through what he knows - and in some ways, although I would prefer that he had ANKC registration, you can't blame him in these times. And he did appear to be trying to do the right thing. I must say, the puppy is gorgeous. She was perfectly happy on the way home in the car (I drove), nestled in my elderly neighbours arms. When she got home, she immediately introduced herself to the Shepherd in the family and they seemed to bond well pretty immediately. The long-haired Chihuahua cross has her nose out of joint. So one out of two isn't bad. She then went to a bowl of raw beef and wolfed it down in preference to the dry food - which is good. (Yes we realise that probably meant accidents over night but my neighbour is very experienced with dogs, litters and very capable and tolerant - and she will whip her toilet training into shape in a flash). I suspect she spent the night on my neighbour's bed! So all's well that ends well. Her name is Ella, she is 12 weeks old (IIRC) and I must say, that couple of extra weeks with Mum makes such a difference - I don't think I've ever seen such a happy confident puppy. She will be off to the vet today for an introduction and check. Then we'll work out when to introduce her to my two westies - Mia will love having a puppy next door. Mission accomplished!

Hi All, Last August I posted about my elderly neighbours who can offer a black female toy poodle puppy a great home. In the end I persuaded them to wait as prices were just sky high and I thought, as pensioners, patience may pay off. For the first time in ages I had a peek at the DOL puppy listings this morning and there were A LOT of litters listed. And while many litters are still very expensive, I think I detected a lot more puppies available and a little more realistic prices and a few litters appeared to be at pre-pandemic level prices. I also noticed that some ads had been there for quite sometime. Am I right? Is the puppy market heading to over-supply and lower prices? Or am I being overly optimistic? Thoughts?

My westie girl Mia loves her raincoat - but she is a bit of a fashionista! Andy on the other hand hates clothes of any sort so he just gets wet!

The Vet on Greenhill Road at Glenside used to have a hydrotherapy pool for dogs - but similarly, not sure if it's for public use or not or how it works.

And Andy who is 15 or 16 years old roughly and his salmon head breakfast - licking his lips. He's been raw fed since January 2009, when he came out of a notorious puppy farm, aged somewhere between 2 and 4.

Mia chowing down on her salmon head yesterday morning - the only downside is her 'fishy' breath! LOL!

Yep agree with all above OP - a drop box is the best solution as you have no hope of getting couriers to change - and you are already half way there with an inner fence.

Snook is completely correct. I worked at a Vet School for a while a few years back. Sadly vets have one or two, one-hour lectures on canine nutrition in their six years of training and its usually a pet food representative who delivers the lecture. Go figure. Its the same problem as GPs and drug reps. (Independent non-drug company funded studies clearly show drug reps have enormous influence on GP prescribing behaviour). So of course vets come away with the notion that industrially made carb heavy full of fillers dog pellets (I won't even call it food as in my mind its not) are fine for dogs. But in actual fact they are made solely for commercial profits and for the convenience (IMO) of lazy owners who won't see through their BS. It's a very cunning strategy the dog pellet companies have run - make the highest profit pellets possible full of rubbish, then by controlling both the vets and the supply chain (pay for vet training, control the vets and their training - then they will strongly advocate their cheap nasty nutrition-less pellets for us and our dogs) - and they get happy and rich on the profits. And meanwhile chronic disease, allergies and itchiness in our dogs soars... (fact). I need to declare up front I'm a completely convinced raw feeder who won't let her dogs touch pellets, who believes we all get strung up and overthink dog feeding to a ridiculous point when as you say OP, they all thrived before the advent of commercial dog pellets and lived long healthy lives. And funnily enough, like us they ate whole foods, not processed pellets. I find it fascinating that the disease trajectories in dogs (and in us - increasing rates of obesity, diabetes, cancer, etc etc) are all on the rise since people started feeding (and eating the human equivalent), highly processed dog pellets with no moisture and full of fillers (cereals, grains, carbs, processed waste etc). I find the best person to read and listen to is Dr Conor Brady an Irish animal nutritionist (not a vet) who has finally published his book called simply 'Feeding Dogs' (cheaper than one vet consult) and a page on Facebook called 'Dogs First Ireland'. www.dogsfirst.ie. OP if you do nothing else I suggest you have a read of the book and FB and then get on FB and ask him some questions. He will also do (paid) online consults as well. I've just started reading Conor's book and will always be a raw feeder. I look to balance my dogs food roughly without turning it into a major drama, as I think all this balance to the gram stuff is nonsense in the bigger picture (who balances their diet to such as degree?) and simply plays into the hands of the commercial dog pellet companies who sprout the 'whole food in a pellet' BS. So here, my raw feeding is a bit of this and a bit of that, whatever is on special or available - seasonal eating with plenty of variety. No 'Maccas for Dogs' here. Here it's good healthy whole foods for my dogs - raw meat and fish from a raw supplier for dinner, chicken wings for breakfast, offal, chicken necks, turkey, WW cans of sardines and mackerel for when I forget to get their meat out of the freezer, pumpkin, carrot, swede (raw and cooked), and pure dehydrated liver (Australian made) and raw carrot and swede treats. RMBs for a good ol' weekend gnaw. And my westies are thriving. Andy is 15/16 and he looks like he has years left in him yet, touch wood. I find it easier now there are good raw suppliers popping up everywhere (there are some really good ones in Adelaide and the Adelaide Hills - Pete's Petfoods and Buddies Bites for a start). I buy human grade meats on special when I shop, ensure my westies are well hydrated and I sleep at night. Found fresh salmon heads and tails at Buddies earlier in the week - and the westies thought they were marvellous - wonderful watching dogs chow down on raw food. - really tucking in and enjoying food as they should instead of becoming addicted to salt in pellets. And neither of mine are itchy, have allergies or skin conditions that westies are notorious for. Anyway you get my drift. I know some will vehemently disagree - and you're welcome to. Just would like you to produce the strong INDEPENDENTLY FUNDED research evidence that shows unequivocally that pellets enhance your dogs health and longevity. (Bet you can't!). Flame suit on!

I know exactly what you mean - I can't ever imagine a time when I say goodbye to mine either so the choice becomes fairly simple - they come or I don't go. Good luck Rik, with whatever you decide.

Very helpful post from Corvus above as usual. I have only one experience of the breed - a visit from a 6 month old puppy. He was beautiful! But very puppy boisterous and his very dog savy owners were finding him a bit of a handful. I'll be very interested to see him again as he gets older (he now lives in Darwin).

I found the University of Adelaide vets very good with my itchy westie girl. There's an internationally renown vet dermatologist there, Peter Hill, who is excellent. Really helped my Sarah. As a last resort, they would be worth a call and see if they will work with your vets, university or elsewhere. And while I respect others opinions, I'm of the view that dry dog food has a lot to answer for. The fact that its dry and contains no moisture (and dogs get a lot of their hydration from their food) and contains heaps of fillers of no nutritional value to is to me is a no brainer. I haven't had any trouble with itchy dogs since I switched to a complete raw diet - chicken wings in the morning (Aldi, $3.80 a kilo) and raw meat at night (turkey and fish mixture bought from local man who makes it). And as a bonus, the vet said my 14-16 year old puppy farm rescue westie had the best teeth she had seen in a long time in such an old dog. Lastly, have a really good read of Dr Conor Brady (canine nutrutionist, not a vet) and his 'Dogs First' website and join his group on Facebook. He's a raw feeding advocate who has just published the definitive tome on the science of raw v dry food feeding for dogs (You might have to wait for the next reprint now, maybe?) and is also sooo helpful with itchy dogs. But be warned, he is a raw food advocate and will try and get you off the dry stuff. Well worth the time and effort to read what he has to say and then talk with him on Facebook. He also offers online consultations (paid). Well worth talking to. Hope that helps and good luck.

IMO she isn't too old to move. I've moved my elderly puppy farm rescue who is older than Mollie, all over South Australia and as long as I'm with him (even though I work full-time), he's happy as larry. If your ex is OK with it, I'd bring her with you. But make sure you have somewhere pet friendly to stay on arrival, a pet friendly rental or are in a position to buy a house with a fence to keep her safe. Good luck!

Don't bother rehoming your partner and passing the problem on - straight to the vet's for euthanasia. You and your puppy deserve better.

A different perspective. I bought my Sarah (RIP) as a four year old ex breeding bitch. She had had 3 litters of 2 puppies, 1 puppy and then 1 dead puppy (IIRC). That last litter shouldn't have happened full-stop IMO as she probably wasn't very fertile. Similarly, my Mia came from a brilliant breeder who said she had a litter of 2 puppies and then 1 dead puppy and was very distressed I understand. The breeder took great care of her and decided she was for a pet home - and luckily she chose me! She came to me desexed and is the most brilliant natured and looking Westie - so she wasn't a brilliant breeder but is the most fantastic girl, as was my Sarah.

I'm not a breeder but the laws in SA changed a couple of years back and all litters regardless now have to be registered with the Dog and Cat management Board - or I believe there are heavy fines attached. So its now become a complicated process so breeders need not only dedication around the breeding process but all the admin that goes with it. I have a friend who I suspect is going to BYB a litter of westies. I think he went ahead and bought un unpapered Westie pup and then couldn't get any of the breeders to provide a stud dog for his girl. So he's gone down the AI route but I suspect it will be another unpapered litter of my favourite breed. So very disappointed after all the time I spent helping him get it right. IMHO if you are going to breed purebred dogs then do it right as a registered breeder with the ANKC and learn from all the generous breeders here or don't do it at all.

Man you have a good memory LMO! Snook I use paws2respect for all my babies cremations - 3 times so far and so does Matt (4 times for him). I find them very good and reasonably priced (although you do pay travel but I felt that was reasonable and I really wanted to use these people). With Mac, I organised a time with the vet for 6 pm at home (on his way home so he didn't have to leave the surgery and go back), then invited Mac's Godparents to be there if they wanted (they arrived at 5 pm, then the cremation ladies (Tracey or Pauline arrived at 7 pm) and wrapped him carefully and took him with them in a basket. They are the only people I could find who cremate individually and guarantee you only get your pet back (no group cremations). Matt recommended them to me and I've been with them ever since (2 westies and a cat) They also offer a range of urns and name plate engraving. Mac came back about a week later in his beautiful picture box with a lovely rose that I still have. Highly recommend them. Give me a buzz if you'd like to talk - mobile number is still the same. ETA: Snook if you did a paws2respect 'scatter pack' then you could easily use your own urn if you wanted to. And don't worry about the vets, you don't have to use their cremation service - mine was happy to go with what ever I preferred.