Pheebs

.... another 15 minute call to add to the one last friday and the tuesday before that. Currently dealing with them debiting my premiums for the THIRD TIME in a month (the policy is paid and up-to-date). "Systems error" excuses can only be used so many times. Not happy.

Noooo He was such a sweet, spunky boy. I must admit it takes effort for me to not add the "the molester" part when I think of him :laugh: RIP Chester

Thank you all! Will keep doing some research :) Brandiandwe you're lovely to offer, thank you - although I did speak with another Dane owner from the Canberra region who said she was notified it had been discontinued as they were still in negotiations with the supplier! Doesn't sound promising at all..

I'll preface this by saying I've read quite a few of the raw feeding threads in this forum and I'm still confused I get pretty overwhelmed with ratios, percentages and this that and the other. Most of the info I've come across for Great Danes relates to growing them slow as pups - Lucy is 5 today so not really relevant for us at this life stage. We've been feeding Costco's Nature's Domain Grain-Free Salmon and both outlets in VIC have sold out - and NO orders have been placed. As it comes from the USA, and then has to go through customs - it could be MONTHS until it's restocked. Not a happy camper as it means yet another rapid food change for Lucy who doesn't take to change at all well (not that any dog does). I simply can't afford other super premium brands of food (The Costco is $50 for a 15.8kg bag!) so am going to have to give serious thought to transitioning to a raw diet - within the next few days . I know there are a lot of BARF guides out there - but can someone please point me in the direction of one that's slightly more foolproof and Giant-Breed specific? I'm terrified to initiate dietary change as she's bloated on every single food except the costco stuff. Can someone please provide me with an exact quantity template for a Raw Feeding guide for a Great Dane? Prey model or BARF, doesn't matter :) In other words, talk to me like a total moron - I won't be offended and in fact welcome it

My gross story involves our 'spirited' (by that I mean bloody annoying but loveable) Great Dane, Lucy. We had been dealing with the demolition of a neighbouring property so all their poisoned/baited rodents had decided to move into our place. We let her out for a morning pee and she was just too quick - had managed to get a rat into her mouth before we could stop her. She was mid-chew so we quickly ran her into the house, and hubby shoved his whole hand down her throat and retrieved said rat and flung it in a fan-like gesture out of her gullet. Which would have been fine.... if it was indeed a mouse. Turns out she'd just enthusiastically eaten a big pile of undetected fresh poop left from our Boxer, Maggie earlier which had now been spattered up our ceilings and down our hallway :laugh:

We had 3, wouldn't do it again :) Whilst it worked well at the time, I realise that this was due to nothing other than luck. Tess was 8, Lucy we introduced at 8 weeks and Maggie (2.5years, a rescue) came a year later. Tess was always top dog, and she and Maggie never saw eye-to-eye but were happy enough to 'co-exist'. Tess passed away 2 years later and Maggie was a changed dog after that - very dominant yet a lot more calm and it was retrospectively very obvious how much Tess's presence as top-dog made her uneasy. Any subsequent female fosters we have had have been met with obvious disapproval from Maggie. Have never owned a male but look forward to it some time in future :)

You mean like this?

We had a foster Weimaraner, Jessie - my husband loved her and bonded very quickly to her but being the horrible person I am couldn't do it :laugh: She reminded me too much of my Weim, Tess who I'd lost the year prior and thought it was unfair to project expectations on her to be such.

I will speak only from personal experience (dons flame suit). We have a Blue Female who will be 5 in June. We've had her since 8wks of age and bought her from a registered breeder. I adore this dog with my everything, but she is incredibly hard work. Yes, there are "gentle giants" out there, but there are also those that defy logic and many who have met my girl describe her as "broken" :laugh: I have had consultations with a few behaviourists who have described her as having a "f*** you" mentality. In fairness, I would also comment that she is the way she is as a result of both nature and nurture (I fell ill about 9 months after we adopted her so she definitely sees me as a bit of a weak target but would walk all over anyone really given the chance). I would (as has previously been advised in this thread) again strongly recommend meeting with your breeder of choice and meeting their dogs to see what they are like both in conformation and temperament. I know I'm biased but I feel she is an incredibly beautiful dog but very much bred for beauty, not brains or temperament. Please don't get me wrong - she can be incredibly smoochy, sweet and loving but at best she is highly strung, weak nerved, reactive (and please take this in the way in which its intended as I mean no offence to anyone) she has been described as being "autistic" and you never really feel like she connects with you (or anyone for that matter). I would also strongly urge that you ask the hard questions of any prospective breeder re: the incidence of bloat in their lines. In sum? They are a truly remarkable and special breed but I'm comforted that you're doing your research now as purchasing from a Registered Breeder only gets you so far :laugh:

Hi all! Was wondering whether fellow Victorians might be able to please point me in the direction of a reputable registered breeder for both Cocker Spaniels and Beagles (for different families) :) Thank you! ETA: Am after personal recommendations please, as I've pointed them in the direction of the DOL breeders list :)

Woo!!! Congratulations

So glad to hear he's on the mend :D Lucy has bloated three times now and it's terrifying

Dog Central Day Care - now trading as Dogs First Care Centre.

Old thread I know, but I'm wondering if this justifies some of Lucy's behaviour (particularly around other dogs) given her attendance at the Yarraville centre from about 16 weeks onwards :( Admittedly, she always returned in great physical condition, but the last occasion we took them (roughly September 2011?) was for a day visit whilst moving house and they were returned covered in fleas. I called them when we got home and they could not have cared less. I shudder to think what happened whilst she was in their "care" as we had Lucy spayed over the Christmas holidays thinking she would be in good hands and going home with staff during the evenings (and have access to veterinary care during the day). Apparently this wasn't the case.

I know it's not much but I have a D80 for sale if you're interested What a bugger about the insurance

I love my Maggie so, so very much

My sincerest apologies to any of the DOL residents who are based in Wendouree but I echo the sentiments above. Willow grove is by far the dodgiest street & area I have ever visited throughout Australia. As a former Ballarat resident, I often used to tune in to the police radio via an iPhone app and more often than not I would hear at least one callout per evening to this particular street. There are, however many great people who live in the area (pensioners, the elderly & disabled) and those who are simply down on their luck but unfortunately crime stats would have you believe otherwise. This most certainly does not excuse what happened to this poor Dog, but it does perhaps shed some perspective as others have mentioned in explaining why the police may have had more than enough reason to be fearful of visiting the area even prior to throwing a large bullbreed into the mix. http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/nothing-comes-easy-in-wendouree-west-20110827-1jftj.html

How in dog's name is this a Pitbull? (Should clarify, I sourced this pic from the owner's FB page - where he's quite vocally expressing himself publically on his wall. ) The dogs name is Kingston - his most recent FB status is "You both are up there, I know you both are! King everyone makes mistakes, an I'm sorry.. I just can't accept this.. Ohh mans please forgive me" Speechless. That poor, sweet little boy. Edit" July 24, when a friend had a dig at him in jest saying "betcha Kingston gets a chic b4 you" his reply was "He does, except he eats them lol!". Not entirely sure what that's supposed to mean...?

I can't say one way or another, as my girl is a crossbreed of both :laugh: Given your kids are as young as 5, I'd be inclined to say Bullmastiff :)

http://www.vicpolicenews.com.au/news/736-police-investigate-dog-thefts.html

:)

Great job!!!

Nawwww bless him. Maggie's exactly the same. Have only skimmed the thread (apologies) but if he's not used to crate training may I suggest you line the inside of his crate with padding as well as the crate wire seems to be the #1 source of tail splitting for our happy little camper :laugh:

So lovely to see I chuckled at the enthusiasm for the sit-down-stand routine :D (And I'm all kinds of embarrassed at how out-of-control my dogs are in comparison. Sigh. :laugh: )