fifi

I do hope this is taken to VIC dogs, especially by those with real evidence. I could cry for those dogs. fifi

Hey Nekhbet, I think your 'DO NOT POST' title may now be a little redundant fifi

you did nothing wrong ??? lets BEGIN with a registered breeder having a crossbred litter fifi

So Kristina, you say the pups in pp are not yours, have you been able to find suitable homes for your privatley then ? fifi

I shed tears for you and Ari & Baz when you lost them JB, but your beautiful tribute unleashed the waterworks big time I am a dog person also - our family have NEVER had cats, yet our two boys who straggled in as tiny baby ferals, are so similar in so many ways to the wonderful descriptions of your cats - made your tribute even more heartfelt & moving in a personal way. I went and squeezed them tightly after reading this (they were'nt in the moment with quite as much enthusiasm though ) Your pictures were beautiful, every one showed their special personalities and your love of them. Wishing you healing and hugs Jaybeece. fifi, danny, hounds & kitties xxxx

Get well vibes coming from me and the big hairy sighthounds. damn houndies, they are so fast and so good at hurling themselves at life (and whatever is in their way) fifi

There is an off topic section, but you need to have a certain number of posts to view it. fifi

:dancingelephant: oh no.....I'm besmirched....woof..... :dancingelephant: Now, to your question ! I think if you havn't already done your research and know what's out there, especially in our day of the internet & frozen semen, then as a breeder you are letting yourself down. In the old days, when breed magazine or dog press was the only way people saw distant dogs, it was the norm to have many stud dog ads. I love looking at old Our dogs & dog world from the UK ! fifi

I guess I thought it would be more positive for a youngster to begin with an experienced show dog, than the possiblily of her first experience being with a dog where there was the chance of being non-awarded. fifi

I do worry about people telling this girl to 'give it a go' with a dog that sounds like it has a very serious fault. the adults that are advising this might be okay with it, but believe me, the teenage junior handler scene can be competitive !! I would also like to reiterate the theme of my earlier posts - dog shows are NOT about the handlers winning - its about quality dogs. Yes, my first showdog was pet quality and he probably did better than he should of (my heart boy) but I was not a child who would have been gutted if I'd been the subject of refusals or comment. Let her have a positive start with other people's good dogs, and learn to look for quality & get her eye in. Then we may have another to stay in our hobby :-) fifi

You're welcome. I think what often gets lost in the bling of the showring, is the showring originated with breeders bringing out their best working, hunting, field, herding ect dogs to be judged, the best of these were of course sought after as breeding stock, and essentially that is what we are doing - looking for quality in our dogs. So functionality was really the begining of it. And of course the companion/lap breeds also became popular, glamour & style in presentation & grooming & handling has increased since the early days. The modern handling thing is an add on, a good handler can bring out the very best in a dog, highlight good points and not allow minor faults to be as obvious. If your daughter can learn about the different breeds and why they originated & their purpose, it will help her become a better handler as each breed has its own structure, movement, style of handling ect. fifi

If you do know people in your breed, perhaps you could approach them to give your daughter a few lessons ? if they see she is doing okay, they may lend her a dog for junior handlers (normally held in the lunch hour of some all breed shows) Also if she offers to help hold dogs for your breed friends at ringside, and be helpful, people will start to assist her too if they see she is really keen to learn. The idea of showing is to bring out your very best to be judged against each other, when you bring out a specimen with a disqualifying fault, it is not good for the breed, the handler and the breeder (although yours sounds like reputation is not an issue from your xbreeding comment !!) Try & start with the best, many of us began with a very ordinary dog - but to begin with one that has a VERY definite fault won't help your daughter learn - she'll spend more time sitting in the car in tears after being non-awarded. fifi

I think its important to remember, you are breeding this litter for YOU, for your lines and future. So keep that uppermost in your thoughts before the pups are born and dealing with puppy enquiries. If you don't have a list of puppy enquiries or people who've been waiting for a litter with for some time, contact your breed club to be put on the breeder list. They may also be able to pass onto you some good people who've enquired about upcoming litters. Other breeders, if you have good friends in your breed, they may be able to recommend puppy buyers, and also advise you on people to steer clear of. Think about what you need to ask your enquiry people - see how much thought they've put into the special needs of a sibe in their family & yard. discussing desexing of companion pups will often turn away the byb's. fifi

OP shops & ebay for me :-) fifi

:D I'm so sad for you GB, he was a lovely little man. I can't think of a better way for a loved rattie to cross the bridge - held & loved. hugs to you. fifi

1 Puppy Dog 3 Inter Dogs 2 Open Dogs 1 Puppy Bitch 1 Junior Bitch 2 Inter Bitches 2 Aust Bred Bitches 1 Open Bitch Thank you ;) You know I wubs you You are probably now wondering what you've started !!! Better grab a and sit up all night answering catalogue questions !!! fifi

Lydsay, sorry to be a pain, but could you tell me the numbers and how many in what class for Irish Wolfhounds...pretty please with sprinkles on top :-)))))) fifi

Are the dogs eating the compost Fifi.. protein sources in compost are the fastest way to get maggots I can think of. Yes, digging, which of course uncovers 'yum' stuff & eating !! you can't convince some folk not to put everything in their compost piles !!! fifi

A dog would LOVE digging in compost I would imagine - smelly and dirty and blergh! Sorry, this is something I disagree with. Many dogs that we see at the clinic are there because they dug in the compost and picked up a nasty bacteria or fungus infection, or injested something like a corn cob or other obstruction. fifi Yes, yes, leave out the corn cobs, onion, grapes, etc These are open piles of leaves, lawn clippings, weeds, straw, dog hair, dropped fruit and that sort of thing. But do you really see dogs who have caught bacterial or fungal infections from healthy compost piles, where that dog wasn't already of seriously compromised health? Short of substantial fencing I'm not sure how any dog is kept out of the compost heap. We see bacterial infections from compost that contains rotten meat/food/carcass ect. In fact we've had two in the past two weeks. It would usually need to be an immune compromised animal for fungal infection like aspergillus ect. I think compost heaps are better fenced off or to have lids / sides. fifi

A dog would LOVE digging in compost I would imagine - smelly and dirty and blergh! Sorry, this is something I disagree with. Many dogs that we see at the clinic are there because they dug in the compost and picked up a nasty bacteria or possible fungus infection, or injested something like a corn cob or other obstruction. fifi

Mine love to dig too, but master Gillie is the supreme hole digger !! luckily he has his own patch of dirt in the run, (which used to be grass) and I've leant out the window and watched him....the sheer joy on his face while he digs is quite funny !! And he still finds the energy to dig after a huge free gallop in the paddock. I've found the only way to have a front lawn is for the dogs to have their own yard without access to the one patch I'd like to look nice ! My dear departed Molly used to dig holes the size of burial plots - and in fact she was threatened with disposal in one of them after I fell into it in the dark and lay there with my leg somewhere up my back !!!!! in summary......fence off what you don't what trashed !!!! same goes for garden beds, clothes lines ect... I go for the path of least resistance......don't have the patience to do otherwise ! fifi

Fantastic news :-) I utterly adore a nice longcoat. fifi

Zoiboy, straight to your solicitor and the ACCC. fifi

Hi Zoi, I've had some correspondence with them over the past couple of days, but regarding my semen in QLD. I don't have any in transit through FP/GT from overseas at present. fifi

I would have loved to come OnTnF, but I'll be in Sydney that weekend. Tamworth always clashes with the long weekend hound shows down there. fifi