tdierikx

Tamron and Sigma lenses are usually pretty good value for money. I love my Tamron 18-270mm - lightweight and great image quality for the price. The longer zoom lenses start to get pretty heavy - my Canon 100-400mm toook a bit of getting used to, but now it lives on my camera pretty much all the time. I have developed impressive biceps though... For a starter lens, I'd definitely suggest checking out the Tamron 18-270mm... or even looking at the newer 28-300mm one... gives you a nice wide range, and doesn't require a mortgage on the house to buy. T.

Zeddy got a new big warm bed and a fleecy lined jacket... so far doing a good job of keeping her old creaky bones warm overnight. Harper got a new fleecy lined jacket too... T.

It's not exactly as simple as that sometimes... rehoming wasn't an option for me... my choices were euthanaise or use separation methods. Separation methods include the use of a crate at times, and it works just fine for me and my dogs - everyone gets their share of one-on-one time with me, and those that can run together do so on a rotating basis. It might seem like a lot of hard work, but once the routine is in place, everyone benefits. T.

Such a handsome lad! T.

I have to play switchy-swapsies with a couple of dogs here that don't get on too... and they love their crates... gives them time to snooze unmolested... lol! T.

Dunny rolls and paper towel rolls... best puppy toy ever! And they are fully digestible... lol! T.

The small dog at my house is 15kgs... lol! How it seems to read to me is that the "small dog, similar in size to Wags" may have been of a particular breed type that gets a bad rap in the press... that is probably the only "small dog" I can think of that could kill with a single bite and shake... Passing the buck... and certainly NOT taking responsibility effectively. T.

Don't feel down... puppies are always one step froward 3 steps back... lol! The last time I had one that did that attention barking, it got penned in a different room with the door shut until it worked out that being quiet got it more of the attention it sought. I'm a mean bitch! T.

Beagle puppy and slim black Labrador... ROFL! T.

Sometimes I think we may also be over-thinking how we raise our dogs... at the end of the day, they are still dogs, not mini-me human clones... Not all dogs are going to want to be 100% human/dog/cat/pocket-pet/cattle friendly - just like not all humans brought up together will be the same temperamentally. This constant worrying about "am I doing this puppy raising correctly" may do more harm than good if we push too hard to mould a dog into something it just will never be. T.

What a gorgeous old girl... go Gertie! T.

*sticks hand up to take said black dog* *giggle* T.

Trouble was wet stinky last night... but she'd been out in the rain being a typical Labrador for about an hour. She had the option to come inside and veg on the couch (my back door is always open), but she decided getting drenched was more fun... grrr! Took nearly 2 hours in front of the heater to get her almost dry too! Ratbag dog! T.

Shhhh! Don't give away all the secrets! When people ask meabout how I get nice photos, I just say "I point the really expensive thing at something interesting and press the magic clicky button"... lol! I used to get people commenting on my fractal art with "oh, you use a computer program to do that, so anyone must be able to do it"... ummm... it acually wasn't that simple, but feel free to give it a go mate... the program is free, but the talent to use it well comes at a price... lol! T.

Haha! Poor teddies! T.

I think the breed has a particular talent for "boinging" :) Most of ours will do the same - from a standing position, straight up so you can see over a fence.... Boing! Boing! Boing! It's too funny seeing the reactions from people on the other side of the fence, isn't it? Especially the naughty kids who like to bang on the fence to make the dogs bark... lol! They stop that pretty quick when a Rotti boings up and says hello... T.

One of my girls would scare the local kids by jumping up to look over our 6' fence as they walked by - she would do it from a standing position, and her chest and shoulders were above the fence top. She never actually escaped the yard, but it definitely wasn't because she couldn't. One of my boys wouldn't expend the energy to jump a fence, but he was known to occasionally go THROUGH a paling fence to visit our elderly neighbours and get treats... *sigh* T.

I used to keep the night crates separate for my fosters - they had to get used to being on their own for when they went to new homes. Some pups did better being able to see me on the bed, or the door to the room... played switchy-swaps to find which suited each pup best. Sometimes a pig's ear was required to keep the little buggers quiet for long enough to realise that they weren't getting 100% attention from the humans... can't do it every night though, unless you like diarrhoea... errr! Sheep's ears are probably better... but don't last as long. If they settle fine in side-by-side crates at night, then that may be an option, but getting them used to what YOU want is better, yes? If I had litters of pups, I'd rotate who was in the bedroom crates overnight - just to get them used to being on their own away from littermates. T.

I think I paid around $30 last time I paid a consult fee - but I get discounts due to the fact that I'm usually only going to the vet for a second opinion or to have a script done... *grin* T.

Nothing more joyous than sighthounds having a mad dash along the beach! T.

Pups are so much fun, aren't they? Some pups will try pretty much anything to get their own way... you have to be strong and try to ignore her - unless she starts self harming of course... but that's not a normal progression in a normal pup, so it most likely won't come to that, OK? Some pups can keep up the screaming for what seems like hours, but they usually will give up when it's not working. I found giving them a bucket bed and a large teddy bear to snuggle with seemed to work quite effectively. T.

RSPCA shelters are almost like a franchise by the sounds of things... you'd think they'd be a little more cohesive and supportive of each other, but obviously not. T.

I call it as I see it... and know it... dogmad... *grin* That is one gorgeous little munchkin too.. T.

I'd be working on making sure they both cope fine with being separated as early as possible - do you have room in your bedroom for 2 night sleeping crates? They aren't too young for you to establish a routine of them only being together when you are supervising either... T.

Paws is one of the best... Seniors and Silkies is another amazing one... contact Powerlegs... dogmad here has some lovely dogs too... and she's lovely to boot! T.