SkySoaringMagpie

Wow!!! Congratulations Diva and Arwen, that is just fantastic news!! :D :eek: ;) :love: :eek: What a great way to finish her title

Another one who doesn't stuff around with hiding it in food. We also use a pill popper when we have to medicate. It sounds like it's become a big hairy deal now, and the dog has probably picked up on that. Agree with getting someone to show you and even if you don't feel calm and confident, fake it. If you want it to be no big deal signal "no big deal" to the dog. Also, you can make life easier for yourself if you make sure that you do things around his head and mouth that are nothing to do with medication. If the only time you ever go for his head and mouth is when you're about to do something unpleasant they'll make an association accordingly. If it's a bit of a lottery (could be a pat, could be treat, could be a look, could be a pill) it's easier.

not many congratulations unfortunately I'm not a gundog person. I think a Crufts BIS is a wonderful and impressive achievement but to be honest I tend only to open threads with overseas wins if they are Sighthounds, and will probably only get myself sorted to send some congrats if they are Salukis. It's not anything against the achievements of the dogs and exhibitors in question, it's just human nature to have specific interests. Another of my interests is show administration and regulation so this post caught my eye. I would have replied if it had been a local matter or a US matter or whatever. In fact the only circumstances in which I probably would not have replied would be if I knew the people involved were in my breed. In that situation it's hard both to be impartial and to be perceived as being impartial when you comment.

Think the Rhodesian Ridgeback club runs them in Vic.

Based on the facts presented here I don't think there would be any reason to investigate the GS judge. The GS judge may have put the dog up for BIS before, so the exhibitor might reasonably assume that they could do so again. There's nothing corrupt in that. It's just unsporting of the exhibitor (or anyone else) to drag that judge into it by implying that their upcoming BIS decision is already made. Edited to change "would" to "could"

I am not seeing anyone slagging the dog or its winning record. No exhibitor, no matter how good the dog, should publicly assume they have a right to be put through to General Specials. That's a matter of sportsmanship, not conformation. It has nothing to do with the dog.

It's a commonly referred to alternative/complementary treatment for snake bite. Personally if one of my dogs was bitten by a snake I would not be shooting it with Vitamin C. I'd be in the car and if I were by myself probably breaking the law by driving and phoning the vet at the same time to say we were on our way. The vet is 14 ks away on country roads, and I would not waste precious time with vitamin C when it's delaying the time available to get some antivenom into my dog ASAP. If you search the forum for the words in your subject heading you'll see some wide ranging threads on this have been had before.

I know nothing about this case so can't comment on it specifically. Speaking generally as someone involved in show admin, it's nice to see a KC taking this kind of thing seriously. It happens here, and while most judges are ballsy enough to deal with post-show bullshit, it still needs to be dealt with firmly by the controls providing they have sufficient evidence to go on. Someone who tries to bully a judge isn't going to hesitate to attempt to bully a fellow exhibitor, club official or administrator. Being a secretary I often see what happens after a show. There is bugger all point going up to a judge after the fact and being pushy about the fact that they dumped Gr Ch Kafoops Foobar or whatever. Firstly, the judge gets a catalogue, and secondly, get over it.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20100317/od_uk_...uk_science_dogs Dogs domesticated in Middle East, not Asia Reuters LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – From French poodles to German shepherds, domestic dogs likely trace most of their ancestry to the Middle East, as opposed to East Asian origins suggested by previous research, a genetic study reported on Wednesday. The findings, published in the online edition of the scientific journal Nature, support an archaeological record that closely links the domestication of dogs in the Middle East with the rise of human civilization there, scientists said. "It's significant because this is where civilization developed, and dogs were part of that," said Robert Wayne, professor of evolutionary biology at the University of California, Los Angeles, and a senior author of the study. The region, often referred to as the Fertile Crescent, includes much of modern-day Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Jordan -- "the same area where domestic cats and many of our livestock originated, and where agriculture first developed," he said. The study is based on genetic comparisons between more than 900 dogs representing 85 breeds and over 200 wild gray wolves -- the closest living wild relative of dogs -- from around the globe, including North America, Europe, East Asia and the Middle East. In the most extensive such analysis to date, scientists used molecular genetic techniques to examine more than 48,000 markers from across the entire genome -- or DNA sequence -- from each of the animals included in the study. What they discovered was the vast majority of dogs share more unique genetic markers with gray wolves from the Mideast than with other wolf populations. A kinship to European wolves also was found, but to a lesser extent, Wayne said. NUISANCE OR COMPANION? One notable exception was the finding of a close genetic link between a small number of East Asian dog breeds and wolves from China, suggesting some intermingling between the two. But the new research contradicts an earlier genetic study suggesting a close ancestry of all dogs to wolves from East Asia and China. That analysis was based on comparisons between a single, small DNA sequence taken from mitochondria -- tiny structures outside the nucleus of living cells that carry their own genes -- rather markers from entire genomes. The newer research was far more comprehensive and "is much more consistent with the archaeological record," Wayne said. "We know that dogs from the Middle East were closely associated with humans because they were found in human burial sites" there, he said. In one famous example, the remains of a puppy were found curled up in the arms of a human skeleton. But the earliest bond between people and "man's best friend" was probably more often a love-hate relationship that persists in parts of the world to this day, and helps explain a cultural ambivalence towards dogs in the very region where they likely originated. The archaeological record of dogs dates back 31,000 years to the remains of a Great Dane-like specimen found in Belgium. The first Mideast dogs appeared 12,000 to 13,000 years ago. Although agriculture and animal husbandry go hand in hand, the first people to domesticate dogs from wild wolves probably were nomadic hunter-gatherers, who were followed at a distance by canine interlopers in search of scraps. That relationship likely matured over thousands of years "to the point where these proto-dogs were living in close proximity with humans," and were often more of a nuisance than they were companions, Wayne said. "Eventually dogs provided protection, an early warning system, maybe even helped out with the hunt, and then eventually, even closer in, provided companionship," he said. While some dog breeds have ancient histories, 80 percent are modern varieties that have evolved since the explosion in dog breeding during the Victorian era, Wayne said. (Editing by Dan Whitcomb and Vicki Allen)

Hedge Fund Manager??? She's attractive, blonde, well presented, likes to exploit weakness for personal gain, confident with high risk if the payoff is suitable etc. Edited to mention, also ruthless!!

Poor Howard, I think his true calling is a concierge at a swank Russian hotel. We all know he lives to serve the lovely Russian ladies.

If it were me I would ring AQIS direct and get the info straight from the horse's mouth - so to speak. My experience has been that things change and that brokers and vets aren't always up with those changes. I found AQIS quite helpful when I dealt with them.

Me - Government OH - IT Lucy - Headmistress of a Ladies College Jadir - Fighting Micha for the best male model spot on the runway. Blue steel Jadir! Mab - 70's era rock groupie a la Bebe Buell, Pamela de Barres etc Going to have a crack at OH's dogs too Faxon - Guru, Swami, Taiji Master Chloe - Hedge Fund Manager Lochie - Footballer

I've got a particularly bad one but am a zillion miles away from my photos at the moment. The main lesson I learned from that is that it doesn't matter what the outfit looks like when you're standing in front of a mirror, you have to think about what it will look like when you're going flat out with your fastest dog!

Definitely agree with this, rightly or wrongly it does create an impression of someone who doesn't know what they are doing and takes away from the professional image of the breeder. If you are a terrible speller or hopeless with grammar it's probably worthwhile finding a friendly pedantic old bag to read it and check it for you.

I think many would first seek a second opinion from their own vet or a vet of their choosing before deciding on a course of action.

I suspect many people answering here are not in the demographic you're interested in. Showies and breeders usually won't just be going on websites. However, from what I remember back when I was looking for the first time.... Agree no sparkles, animated gifs, crappy music, twee cartoon pictures of the breed in bridal outfits, rainbow vomit swirl wallpapers etc. If you have an active breed a picture of a retired dog on a couch doesn't really cut it. Like Nekhbet I like to see some action, and I also think after PDE a lot of other people will want to see pictures that convey the message "healthy!!" not just an assertion that they are healthy. Everyone says that. More generally I think it's important to try and counter stereotypes. I think the "I'm going to check you out" message is OK, but I think it needs to be accompanied with an explanation why. I nearly didn't go with the breeder of my dogs, something which would have been a big shame, because of her "reserve the right to visit without warning" note on her website. Knowing her now I know why she does this but to someone not familiar with rescue and neglect, it sounds intrusive.

My OH's Afghan did something similar at an obedience trial. It was quite hot in the sun, so he picked himself up from the drop stay in the sun and went and dropped again in the shade. He was on a qualifying score and NQ'd but it's hard to fault his logic!!

I would start by saying that I am prepared to take the dog and look after her in her twilight years, including the eye surgery, but that I am not prepared to pay and have the dog stay with them. They don't need to know what you are prepared to do to help her if push comes to shove, at this stage they just need to know your starting position which should be that they have got to be effing kidding. If you are not in a position to take the dog, I would definitely not give any cash to them, for all you know this could be a scam and the dog could be long gone. I would ask to take the dog myself for a second opinion. Get a friend to do it if it would be too tough for you personally.

Well, with idiots like Mr Fetish Photographer Dog Trainer posting up their personal "I am a dog training GOD" videos on You Tube and deleting any comments that don't cheer them for their behaviour it's perhaps not surprising that some people feel that the aggressive approach is OK again. OP, I would leave and tell the club president why. It's not worth it. One of the South Australians here should be able to recommend a better club with more skilled instructors. As the saying goes, violence is the last refuge of the incompetent.

http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/week-of-the-snak...00309-pv2i.html A woman was bitten by a snake in the Blue Mountains this afternoon, the second attack today and the eighth in six days. A NSW Ambulance spokeswoman said the woman, believed to in her 40s, was bitten on the foot on Hawkesbury Road at Winmalee just before 3pm. She was taken to Nepean Hospital in a serious but stable condition, with "extreme pain" in her foot, the spokeswoman said. It is not known what type of snake bit her. In the early hours today, a snake handler was bitten on the face twice at his Aberdeen home in the upper Hunter region. Five people were bitten in a three-hour period in different parts of the state on Saturday. And a four-year-old boy spent two days in hospital after being bitten by a suspected red belly black snake at Badgerys Creek, in western Sydney last Thursday. The Ambulance Service said the jump in snake bites could reflect "the high incidence of wet, overcast but warm conditions" combined with a few dry days here and there. Australian Reptile Park general manager Mary Rayner said last month the park had recorded a "huge increase" in snake-identification requests on its website, as well as many phone calls.

Afghan National was in Melbourne that day.

Someone said to me very early on that the sane people in dog world are the people who have a life outside of dogs. Bit of a generalisation but I think there is definitely some truth to it.

Yep, I mentioned in the first post of this thread that this was a kick off from the sub-thread over there.

I know it's slightly off topic but i NEED to hear about the crazy cake ladies! I think ABC did a documentary on them a little while ago. Cake competition is serious business! Edit: Found it, it was called "Not All Tea and Scones" and wasn't just about the cake judging but about the CWA.