Monika

thank you for all the tips Ripley, we do have an old camcorder but was thinking of just taking a compact camera that can also record videos (less bulky). I would definitely like to take both photos and videos though Mish13 - it's my dream trip too! always wanted to visit Africa and the tour that we are doing is specifically catered for my uni course, which is just an additional bonus. Mason2009 - thanks for the tip. The tour company is organising our transfers and we're staying at a lodge in a game reserve - I will keep a very close eye on my belongings when we're around the airport though. I'm getting travel insurance, which also covers luggage inc cameras. We'll be based near Port Elizabeth and have the weekends free to do some extra activities/explore. If you don't mind me asking, do you think it'd be worth it going on a tour to Cape Town (see table mountain) or would it be too far? Also, would love to hear any other recommendations for things to see/do in the area.

Hey Everyone I am going on a safari tour to South Africa in February. With Christmas coming up, I am looking at purchasing myself a new SLR lens and a compact camera for the tour and future use. The tour will involve both game drives and close up animal interaction (taking blood, relocating, checking animals etc). I expect that we will also be 'chasing' the animals, so I will definitely be taking some 'action' shots! In addition to this, I mainly photograph my pets (dog and bird), take holiday snaps and also photograph horses. Currently I have a pentax k100d super SLR camera, 18-50mm lens and a macro lens. I am looking for a zoom lens, with preferably a wide range (since I'll be taking photos both up close and far away). Hoping to find a fairly basic lens, which isn't too expensive, as I will probably move onto a canon/nikon body in a couple of years. What focal lengths should I be looking for (I was thinking of 50 or 70 - 300mm) and are there any lenses you would recommend? I would also like to purchase a compact camera, as I don't currently own one. Looking for a wide zoom range, preferably some manual controls, decent battery life, ability to capture action shots. I will use the video function, however it's not the main purpose that the camera will be used for. I like the look of the Panasonic Lumix TZ10 - or the TZ8, as I don't necessarily need the GPS. Any suggestions for other compact cameras, or experiences with the above models, would be great! Am looking at a budget of max $350. Should note that I'm happy to purchase the camera/lens online, as long as the sellers are reliable and the products are genuine (any recommendations for sellers would be appreciated)

Here's some more info about the course that jrm88 mentioned (from Kookaburra Vet Employment): "Want to be a Vet Nurse but can’t get a Job... Victoria University is offering a full time Certificate IV in Veterinary Nursing in 2011 with no requirement to be already working in the veterinary industry. Training is provided in the on campus veterinary clinic at Werribee and through our structured work placement program. We seek enthusiastic individuals with a demonstrated commitment to animal care and welfare and exceptional customer service skills. For the application process please contact Jessica Bailey on (03) 9919 8139."

Thank you for your advice! :p We usually power walk along the beach, so all she has time for is a quick hello and sniff. When we meet an excited dog and it's owner is stationary, I continue walking, otherwise I change direction so that we are walking away from that dog. However, sometimes the other dog still follows us even if I put Niki on the lead. I know that it is unavoidable, unless I stop taking her to the beach (which would break her heart ). Is it possible to make her more tolerant? Some exercises or socialization? Or is it simply her personality? She was more playful/sociable until about 5 yo. Also, thank you for the advice on the barking. I'll start putting her on the leash when it gets dim and perhaps doing some jogging on lead to keep her occupied. She's been walked during sunset before though and never shown this behaviour do you think she is more defensive/confused because her "pack leader" is away?

Hi, I need some help with 2 behaviours my dog is displaying. One has been evident for some time and the other has only recently appeared. A bit of background info: Niki is a 7yo lab. We got her when she was a puppy and she attended some obedience classes to learn the basics (sit, heel, come, stay etc). She also knows a few tricks and is fairly obedient. She is walked daily, usually for about 1 - 1.5 hours at an off leash dog beach. This includes a total of 40 mins of on lead walking to/from the beach and running, swimming, sniffing and retrieving at the beach. She is friendly towards humans (loves pats). Here are the problems that we are having: 1. She likes saying hello to dogs at the beach, however only occasionally actually chases/plays with other dogs. Usually she walks up to them, sniffs them while wagging her tail and keeps walking along the beach. However, sometimes the other dogs are more playful and keep following or jumping up on her. She will tolerate it for a while and will then become agitated, raise her hackles and growl to tell them off. If the dogs keep following us, she will usually tuck in her tail and try to escape by going into the water. Is this a problem? Should I be discouraging it? She likes meeting and sniffing other dogs, so I don't think it is aggression. I just think that she is not very tolerant of excited/exuberant dogs.. 2. I'm more worried about the following behaviour. During the last two walks, she has barked at some people on the beach. She has never shown this behaviour during a walk before, although she does bark when strangers arrive at our house. In the first instance, I was walking with her along the beach (it was getting dark) and there was a girl about 200m away wearing bright orange fluoro pants. Niki started barking at her, stopped, ran up closer, stopped etc. During this, she was holding up her tail and wagging it. She wouldn't come back when I called her, however did eventually stop barking when I told her to stop. I put her on the leash and apologised to the girl. Niki didn't seem bothered by her and walked up for pats. In the second incident, it was quite dark when we were finishing our walk along the beach. A jogger appeared on the footpath and ran along the track. Niki again started barking and slowly moving closer to the jogger. She didn't respond when I called her or told her to "leave it". When I caught up with her, I put her on the leash and walked away. I felt really bad as she does look/sound intimidating when she is barking. Could she be frightened/protective? Would she have been suspicious of the bright clothing / person running in the dark? This has only happened during the last two walks in the 7 years that we have owned her. What could have started this? My mum has been overseas since the weekend. She has a closer bond with Niki, however I am mainly responsible for walking/feeding her. Could this be contributing to the problem? How should I solve it and behave if it happens again? Thanks, Monika

Towards the end of a lovely walk down the beach, my Lab found a dead possum burried in the sand. She promptly ran away with her "treasure" and ate the whole thing. I got a quick look at the possum and it looked like something else had killed/attacked it (human, bird, cat, dog?). However, I have no idea why it was at the beach. Should I be worried? Can she catch anything from the possum; worms, diseases, etc? What signs of illness should I look for? Currently she looks pretty alert and happy. In between snoozing, she is coming when called and wagging her tail. She is definately sleeping outside tonight! I don't want to clean up possum vomit

Thanks for the advice. We took her to the vet; he said that it looked like the beginning of a hot spot. Got some cream to put on it. Hopefully it will get better!

Sorry, I should have clarified. The spot is on the underside of her neck, around the throat area; not near the shoulder blades where the Advantage is applied. Thank you for your reply anyway

She had an application of Advantage about 2 weeks ago..

Hi DOLers, My 6yo Labrador has always been quite itchy, but nothing out of the ordinary. The vets have performed various tests before, especially on her ears, however nothing has come up. For the last few days she has been frequently scratching her neck area. She had a bath about 8 days ago, however she has never reacted to the shampoo before. She is fed Eaglepack Holistic food. She swims at the beach everyday or every second day, however this hasn't previously caused problems. I brushed her 3 days ago and her neck seemed fine. However, yesterday I noticed that hair is missing around the area and it is red. Basically, the skin is raw. Last night I wiped it with a wet cloth and she didn't seem to mind me touching the area. She hasn't tried scratching it since then. We'll stop her from swimming for the next week and observe her. What do you think could be causing this? Allergy? Infection? It's only this one patch on her neck. Should we take her to the vet immediately or wait to see if it improves? Thanks in advance.

I am currently analyzing dry dog foods, to see which brand would be best for my 5yo Lab. Has anyone ever heard of/used Vivace Premium dog food. vivace dog food (under products, dry dog food,vivace) The ingredients are: mixed meats including lamb and kangaroo, whole grain rice, vegetables, natural fats and oils, yeast, garlic, kelp, vitamins A, D3, E, K, B1, B2, B6, B12, niacin, pantothermic acid, folacin, biotin and natural organic acids, plus minerals calcium, phosphorus, sodium, copper, zinc, iron, manganese and iodine. Also contains Yuccs shidigera extract. The typical analysis is on the website. What do you think of this food in regards to the ingredients/analysis? What other commercial dry foods would it compare with?