Staffyluv

Yes, I have a friend who is need of one this week and next week - I will let her know to contact you (she has a dog sitter this week).

Oh, I am so sorry to hear this - I had everything crossed for you both. The photo shoot is a great idea (my late husband bought me one, for my old boy when we first found out he had cancer).. Remember that Swazzie doesn't know what is happening to him, so just enjoy the time you have. Take time for the extra few minutes of dawdling around the park, so he can sniff a few minutes more. Make time for the extra cuddle before bed, the extra pat before going to work. All the best.

One of my fosters was a table/counter surfer - I bought some of those citronella outdoor tealights from Woolies and took it out of the tin container. Then under the edge of all surfaces (just under the outside edge of the table and under the edge of the kitchen bench), I rubbed the candle - the smell of the citronella kept him away from the table and the kitchen benches.. You could also use plain citronella oil but it is a stronger smell.

That is very positive news - hopefully it is something they can fix with a round of antibiotics and Bru will be just fine. Everything crossed for you.

He is an amazing man and gave us so much wonderful advice years ago. You and the lad are in good hands.

Thank you all :)

Great news. Our canine oncologist was in Brisbane - Rod Straw and he is at BVSC :) He will be picking up on your mood and stress - I know it is easy to say (everyone used to tell me) but try to take it easy. Remember to breathe and be kind to yourself (it is a lot of stress to go through for the humans as well). Enjoy the time you have together and deal with each issue as it is comes to light.

I am so happy he is home with you now. Please get a second opinion now - if it is cancer, maybe the specialist could do surgery. I had an 8 year old stafford who had multiple mast cell tumours - we were originally given a time frame of 12-18 months with surgery and chemo. We jumped up and down, got a second opinion, got a specialist on board and also contacted an holistic vet for diet and supplements. Ollie lived 6 years.. I'm not saying that is going to happen for you, each case is different. But getting that second opinion and running the relevant tests to be certain of what you are dealing with (instead of the vet thinks it is cancer) is so important. Knowing what you are dealing with is half the battle (what type of cancer, what stage it is at, is it systemic) - I wish you loads of luck.

I would be getting a second opinion on the surgery - just for peace of mind. Ask to see a specialist? The mass may be a blockage, not cancer (if the bloodwork came back clear). If he has a mass or blockage, then would feeding him up make it worse? Wishing you and him all the best.

I agree with Pers, ask Steve's opinion and if he has an alternative suggestion (if this isn't suitable). Personally, I don't think it is an issue. I know if Zig goes into his crate, he just sleeps. I wouldn't worry about leaving food but water is important. Possibly even some training or a good walk before crate time would help.

Thanks again - I really am so proud of him and all the work we have done to get this far.

Thanks guys, I am pretty chuffed with our progress..

Perhaps play/train the puppy for 5-10 minutes before you leave her in the laundry. If you wear her out before leaving her, she is more likely to snooze while you are gone. I agree with TSD, feeding meals in kongs etc, gives the pup something to do and you are not over feeding them.

Well the lad and I finally made it to Novice and we passed, coming in third with nice score of 180/200. So proud of the lad, he has done so well. Zig Novice third place 2015.6 by Jodie, on Flickr

I love that someone with his profile is so behind this barbaric practice. If you want to eat animals, the least you can do is make their dispatch as quick and stress free as possible.. I had to hide his stuff on FB because the images were very confronting (and upsetting).. Sadly, I doubt they will ever stop this (I wish they could though).

I can't see any stafford in the pup at all. Just accept her for what she is a cute mixed breed - have fun with your new pup and training.

+1 :) Agree.

Sounds normal, I am pretty sure ours is about the same.

I see people, all the time, on the facebook buy, swap & sell pages - find a dog and put the notice only on the page. When I suggest they take the dog to the pound or RSPCA, they won't 'risk' it because the dog might be PTS. They simply don't get that NOT every person has facebook or even the internet, so may never see their notice and only look at the local pound for their dog..

Is your dog crate trained? Yes When (age) did you crate train him/her? I found Ziggy as a 6 month old rescue - he was crate trained from the moment he came home (so are all our foster dogs, they vary in ages but they all get crate trained while they are here) Do they still sleep in their crate now they are older? If not where do they sleep? Not so much anymore - he prefers to sleep on the end of my bed but he still sleeps in it during the day time or if we go away somewhere and stay overnight or we are out for a long day. When did they stop using the crate? We still use it. Where is their crate in the house? It is in the lounge room but when I crate train foster dogs, the crate is in my bedroom. Does your dog use the crate only for sleeping? No, it is also used as a 'safe' place where he can go. If we are out and fireworks are going off (we have an idiot in the vicinity that lets them off regularly), or we have a dog here that is a bit much for him (he can hang in his crate to get away from it (I have had a couple of younger dogs/pups as fosters and they want to play non stop, so he has a place to go to get away from them). He will eat a bone in there or take a nap during the day. He will happily be in his crate if we have to go to a training event (the whole day with toilet breaks). Most of my fosters that have gone to their forever homes, still use crates.

My sister had one of her Staffords stolen many years ago. She lives in a very small town on the far north coast of NSW and everyone knows everyone else. Her dog, Ellie used to walk down the road to the little bakery and they would give her a treat and then she would walk back home again. The young lass working in the bakery, felt sorry for Ellie being home alone all day and when she was dismissed from the bakery, she took Ellie home with her. It took 3 years, but my sister got Ellie back. Sadly by then, Ellie was very old and blind. Sister also had a new SBT, who was now about 18 months old. When she came back home, she was really freaked out, so my sister did the best thing for Ellie and sent her back to the people who stole her. Ellie was happy there, knew her way around, was very spoilt and well looked after. Sister had visiting rights up until Ellie passed away. I personally had a guy try and take Ziggy off me at the local leash free park. He claimed Zig was his dog, wash pushing me and pulling Zig's lead. When others got involved and told him he was wrong, he didn't believe them (lucky they all knew us). People called the police because the man started threatening me. When he drove off (before the police came), I put Zig in the car and took off in the other direction that he went and then went home. I went straight to the police and made a complaint (I had video footage of him and the incident and photos of his car rego etc that were all given to the police). When I went back to the park a few days later, the people I know said that he came back with three big guys looking for us, not long after we left that day. Police eventually convinced him that his missing dog was not my dog by comparing photographs of Zig and his dog (which look NOTHING alike - Zig is a brindle staffy cross with 4 white paws and a white chest blaze and his dog was a black staffy cross with only one white toe.. How he mixed up the two dogs is totally beyond me!) It was pretty awful while it was going on and I am glad it is over and he no longer things my dog is his.

Zig has had quite a few 'naughty' moments.. If there is mud, he will find it! Day 14 April Dirty by Jodie, on Flickr Day 17 April - Something I learned (There is nothing friendlier than a wet/dirty dog) #fmsphotoaday by Jodie, on Flickr Standing on furniture is fun Day 30 March - Fast (he wags his tail so fast it's a blur) by Jodie, on Flickr Or sitting Day 14 March Care by Jodie, on Flickr Stealing stuff Day 5 - Found (at the pound, 2 year ago - best find ever!) by Jodie, on Flickr Day 27 - Something I bought (new socks for Ziggy to play with) by Jodie, on Flickr Day 9 March - 10am At obedience training and he was getting his tug as reward. #fmsphotoaday by Jodie, on Flickr

The number one requirement when we designed these was that my phone HAD to fit in the front pocket, lol. I love that my phone fits perfectly and it is in the front pocket, so easy to get at when it rings.

A couple of the girls who stayed back at the end got to have a cuddle (well, she jumped on them and licked them all over, lol). was really delighted with how she went on our trip down to Canberra, she was so good in the car, perfect in her crate and switched on nicely for me at the workshop :) I was debating about staying back a bit but Zig had done so well, staying in his crate for so long, I decided to just bring him home. Next time though - I will definitely stay back to meet her properly :)

She is so cute Huski, I wish we had more time last week, so I could have had a cuddle. Hopefully next time.