Gayle.

Yes, the first kelpie was named Kelpie, and there was a Moss in there somewhere too. I knew BC's were developed in Australia, but I said so once here on DOL and got shot down in flames so I now shut my gob on that one.

Benson can back out of a slip collar, he's the only dog I've ever seen do it deliberately. He walks quietly beside me, relaxes his neck muscles, drops his chin and somehow or other, just a bit of a gentle flick with his head and voila, he's off and running. So, I walk him with it up under his chin and on a short, taut lead. He has way too many brains for his own safety and figures things out that I would never think a dog could understand.

Awww, that's a true dog lover. Great story! RallyValley, your go.

Haha, I just realised I was supposed to only ask one question, not 3. But 3 was fun.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ishbel_Hamilt...deen_and_Temair

What is the number one breed of dog owned in the U.S., Canada, and the U.K? What is the only breed of dog that doesn't bark? What breed of dog did George Washington own 36 of?

The Hon Florence Amherst Saluki

Lady Aberdeen Golden Retrievers?

Captain George Augustus Graham Irish Wolfhounds

Mine go on slip collars, purely because they don't wear collars at home and the slips are attached to their leads and just go over their heads. No faffing around with buckles or clips.

Aaaah, no worries, the crates not doing anything right now, and it's pretty well indestructible so good for a dog whose habits you don't know.

I am in Traralgon and have a large steel (heavy) crate I can lend for a few weeks. it comfortably contains 2 adult Aussies so a GSD shouldn't be a problem.

Unless you're independently wealthy, which most people aren't, I'm a bit confused as to how someone can afford a dog if they don't work.

Flawed logic, the pregnant woman chooses where to go, the dog doesn't. Plenty wrong.....other dogs around would be completely stressful for the bitch, way too much noise and coming and going. I can't imagine a worse place for a bitch to be whelping a littler of puppies unless it's in the middle of a shopping centre during the Christmas rush.

Once I strip out the undercoats, which loosen up and drop easily anyway, there's barely any coat left and the dogs are a lot cooler. For my breed, that's the correct way to groom a dog, not clip their coats off.

Those people will just get a puppy from another breeder, and give their dog a fabulous home.

Most new houses in towns don't have large (or any) lawns. Nor do they have yards big enough for dogs to exercise freely.

It's becoming much more common for people to keep their dogs (from babies through to oldies) locked inside all day while they're at work, due to fear of theft, or the dogs barking etc. and hardly anyone sees anything wrong with that. How is that different to raising a large breed dog in an apartment? And there's an assumption that apartments are small.....some are far from it. I've seen apartments that are way bigger than the average house and would provide very comfy accomodation for a family AND a dog or two. Recently we looked at some local display homes, built in the new subdivisions around here. The size of the backyards would have to be seen to be believed. There was no room for a rabbit let alone a dog! And these were family homes, set in neighborhoods built for growing families. I can't see where an apartment would be any different, except someone is saying "NO" because the potential buyers live in one, but would probably say "YES" if they lived in one of these houses with the poky backyard.

I'd rather see an active dog living in an apartment with owners who cater to his need for exercise, stimulation, socialisation etc than one shoved in a large back yard and forgotten about. And lots of them are. I think it's unbelievably shortsighted to say a flat out "NO!" to someone just because they live in a smaller area than usual. Anyway, some apartments are bigger than houses, and some backyards have barely any space anyway.

I have no idea, but that puppy is seriously cute!

I have an 8 month old puppy who's discovered my shoes taste good, he destroyed three pairs....two of them were brand new. He was getting them while I was asleep at night....opening the wardrobe door and helping himself. I turfed him outside and he was fine, then one night my husband took pity on him and let him sleep in the rumpus room. He woke up to find his new headphones in tiny pieces all over the floor. So puppy's back outside now. He doesn't seem to mind, he has a big sheltered area, a choice of beds and various sheds and a kennel if he wants a change. He can sleep back inside when he can behave himself unsupervised.

I go to the obedience club in Morwell. I have a working breed, although my guys don't do a real lot of "work".

Another DOLer, Monah, has a Spinone. There's a lady who used to go to the same obedience club as me who has one, although she never brought him so I never got to meet him. But she used to rave about his temperament and how fabulous he was to live with. She bred Flatcoat Retrievers, another breed with a fab temperament, which says a lot about the Spinone.

Bloody hell, that's an expensive harness! I use one for Dusty, it's an Easy Walk brand, I think I paid around $29 for it and it's fantastic.

The companion animal register is the microchip. That's not proof of ownership, transferring the pedigree to your name is though. So yes, definitely do it even for a pet.