Gayle.

The other person wouldn't be the owner of the dog, you would be. They would just provide the residential address. I would expect you would cover ALL the dogs costs including food, bedding, toys etc, if you want to have that much control over a dog living with someone else.

Mine is red, and the belly strap is a duller red than the rest of it.

Last weekend I watched a 10yo rotti, recently recovered from a leg amputation, pass a herding instinct test and go on to gain her first herding title. She did not look or act old and her disability didn't hamper her in the slightest.

wow that's odd, i tried to buy a book from there and they wanted about $43 shipping! Buy direct from Amazon....not from one of their affiliates, and buy multiple items. It's way cheaper. Even with one book though, I can get it cheaper from there inc shipping than from a bookshop in Australia. I proved that last Xmas when I wanted to buy a book for my daughter. The local price for a paperback copy was $36, which I definitely wasn't paying. Amazon was about $23 inc shipping and The Book Depository was $20 inc shipping. And they were much nicer hardback versions with dust jackets. I just added 6 Kong Flyers to my Amazon cart and inc shipping it would cost me less than $70 to get them here within 14 days. They cost me around $30 each at the local Petstock and I often have to wait weeks for them to get them in stock.

I buy Kong products from Amazon. Even with shipping, it's much cheaper to buy them from there (in bulk) than anywhere in Australia. My main purchase is the Kong Flyer which is Dusty's favourite frisbee and they are $30 here and about $6 from Amazon. So I buy 6 at a time.

So very true. And I've been telling myself the same since we lost Benson. That just ripped my heart out and turned my world upsde down. At the start of this year we had 4 dogs. We still have four dogs but two are newcomers and two that we had in January are no longer with us. Benson left so suddenly that I am still having trouble coming to terms with the thought that I'll never see him again.

I think I saw one at a show a few months ago, I didn't know what it was until I checked the catalogue and saw one was entered. Not really my type of dog as far as looks go, kind of looks a bit like a very conservative Neo, or a Bull Mastiff gone wrong. Dunno about the temperament, but this dog seemed calm and quiet and was coping well with the noise and crowds in the big shed at KCC Park. That's a big test of character for most dogs!

The vets that I go to manage it by encouraging desexing of any dogs not needing to be kept entire, and if the person still breeds their dogs "inappropriately", encouraging regular health checks of the bitch and the resultant puppies. Really, there's not a lot more you can do except educate without being judgemental. Be a little bit careful of encouraging health testing without knowing the protocols. As I cited before, unregistered dogs might not qualify for the health tests appropriate for that type of dog. For example......byb labs (and some are generations old) may not be able to be hip and elbow scored due to the need to produce the dogs ANKC registration number and pedigree.

At the end of the day, a vet is a business person and a young vet is usually an employee of an established practice. The best way to treat a broad range of animals and give the most help to the most animals in need of that help is to stay in business. Being extremely judgemental of breeding practises that you may not agree with, and imposing a rigid set of ethics on your customers might see you without enough customers to stay in business.

How do they go about getting hip and elbow scores? When I was looking into getting them done, the paperwork for the x-rays and the scoring seemed to point to the fact that only registered, pedigree dogs could be scored.

I'm getting there too.......funny this subject came up now, just this past weekend my friend and I were discussing our "old lady" breeds. Mine might be a collie, a blue merle girl. But if I go for something smaller, I'd probably go for a Tibetan Terrier.

My bitch has just come out of season and my entire male was fine. She stayed in the house while we were at work then they'd be in different rooms in the evening. He whined and whimpered a lot but he didn't try too hard to break doors down. Previously we'd locked her in the courtyard and him in the backyard, each with a neutered companion and he didn't manage to get to her, although that time he made a hell of a racket.

I've added two adult dogs to the family this year.....a 5yo bitch and a 4 yo dog. Best thing ever, they are awesome dogs and so much less work than a puppy!

I have been thinking of you lately, wondering how you're getting on. I too, cry daily. Sometimes it's quiet gentle tears, other times it's not quiet at all. Our worlds were tipped over at the same time, mine feels like it might never be rightside up again, but I expect it will one day.

Well when it comes to in-laws, I for one am a bit better prepared if I have prior warning. As stated in a previous post, I'm not just stressed about accomodating an extra unknown dog. Go easy on me GayleK, I'm not heartless or inhospitable. I'm not being hard on you, I don't know you, your situation or circumstances any better than you know mine. I do think you're making a bit of a mountain our of what might be a very small molehill, in fact might be nothing at all. In our case, I am "the in-laws"......my kids are always welcome to bring their dogs to stay, no need to ask, they are part of our extended family and I'd no sooner refuse them the right to bring their dogs than I'd refuse them the right to bring their children.

I must be in the minority, but if family or friends are coming to stay and they have a dog, I'd just assume the dog was coming too. It wouldn't be a matter of "invitation" or "planning", the dog is part of their family and therefore is part of the "coming to stay".

Off topic Gayle but wondering if I may know you, have you always been in Toongabbie...I'm from Cowwarr We've only lived in Toon for a bit over a year (we live in the house opposite the cricket ground with the well in the front yard), but before that we lived in Traralgon.

I feed Black Hawk Holistic (not on your list). It's locally made, from top quality ingredients and it's very reasonably priced ($75 for 20 kgs), and easily available in Melbourne. My dogs all like it and they do really well on it. I used to feed Eagle Pack Holistic and I think Black Hawk is a superior product in terms of freshness and availability.The ingredient list is very similar, but when I get a delivery of Black Hawk, it smells like it's only hours out of the oven. When I used to open a bag of Eagle Pack it smelt old. http://www.kylainknls.com/food.htm

Is there some reason why they might not get along? Is one of the dogs aggressive or fearful of other dogs? My son and his partner brought their two dogs to our place for a holiday once, they had an English Setter and a small terrier-type muttly. With my two Aussies and a 15yo Lhasa Apso we had a houseful and a range of sizes. The dogs all got along great, they had a blast together and we all had a really good and memorable Christmas holiday. Three of the dogs are no longer with us....his ES and my Lhasa Apso and my biggest Aussie, and I wouldn't have those incredible memories if they'd left their dogs behind.

$1 cheaper....wow The one I contacted through this forum quoted $90 for the food because it would be freighted to me. handy if you live close by.... *shrugs* most people would spend that on fuel just getting there Julana seems to do a Northside delivery every month or so... Saves the courier anyway I live Southside so it's fine for me When the sale ends though I'll have to go through Julana because it will be cheaper through her (including freight).Have to say, Hugo hoovered the sample pack but he's sort of ... bored with it now, he's not eating with gusto now that we've switched over properly. He doesn't have to "eat with gusto", he just has to eat and if he's taking ages it could be that you've given him too much in one go. I think humans get more bored with the dog food than the dogs do. Mine get BH almost every day for dinner but they get a raw morning meal (usually a chicken drumstick each) and occasionally they get a raw evening meal instead of kibble. Only one of mine is a fast eater, one is positively slow but when I ran out of BH and gave him something else, he was even slower and ended up leaving most of it. Whe I got more BH, he was back to his slow and steady pace. I also use BH pieces as treats and they are just as happy with that as they are anything more "exciting".

I am in th e Latrobe Shire and you most definiitely can register entire dogs at no extra cost. They have to be microchipped and registered with VCA, which he will be if he has a pedigree.

Sometimes the "warning" the dog gives can be as subtle as a yawn or licking it's lips......both signs of stress, but unless you'd been specifically told to watch for it, you'd never know.

Oh jeeze, I'm so sorry, Julia. This is sounding so familiar, My heart is breaking for you.

Sending every good thought I can. And I have tears in my eyes for you. I can't even begin to imagine how worried you are. They are too precious for words.

I think they are cute and gregarious little buttons, and as far as small dogs go, they are awesome.