tdierikx

First thing I did 15 years ago when I got Zeddy as a FTGH pup... straight down to my vet for her vaccs and a chip - even before we got home! Trouble was already chipped, but the old owner forgot to transfer... required a stat dec to sort that out, but was fairly simple to fix. Pickles and Harper were rescue fosters - chipped straight to my name due to them being foster failures... I even got to do the entering of the details into the registry myself when the rescue owner did the chipping (licensed implanter)... *grin* It's such a wonderful resource that reunites so many lost animals with their owners in a short amount of time... I can't understand why so many people don't make sure it's done, or their details are up to date... I couldn't bear to think of any of my babies waiting for me to find them in a pound longer than absolutely necessary! T.

I rarely end up feeding the "recommended" amount of any food to my dogs - they all have different requirements regarding how much food per day to maintain their respective body weights/condition. eg. Pickles eats at least twice as much as the recommended amount of any food, as her mobility issues mean that she uses a lot more energy to get around than most other dogs. If I fed to the recommended for her weight, her weight and condition would drop dramatically. She is 14kgs and eats roughly the amount as a dog twice her weight - and that amount maintains her condition. Zeddy gets a little less than the recommended, as she is older and her exercise levels are lower - don't want her getting fat now... *grin* T.

No sane person would swap their Rotti for any of my crazies... even for a short while... *sigh* T.

Such a pretty model... T.

Gorgeous!! T.

I'd be looking to grow him slowly if possible...he's looking good now, so you can stop trying to build him up any more, and just maintain a healthy growth rate for a giant breed pup. T.

Our first family dog was a Lab cross. She was the offspring of the neighbour's house boi's mutt and the show bred male Lab of the local landowner. Her name was Nuppy, and our parents made it absolutely clear that we could only keep her if we kids did all of the cleaning up of poo, etc... we even saved our pocket money to pay for her vaccinations and such. Nuppy was the perfect first time dog, and used to be included in all our games and the like. My first dog as an adult away from home was a scruffy medium sized crossbreed - her mum was a pure Golden Retriever, but my dog looked more like a cross between a Border Collie and an Irish Terrier. Dog only knows what her dad may have been. Her name was Rebel for a reason - and she was a fair bit of work to raise - stubborn and cheeky to a fault. Probably not the best choice of a first time dog... My second dog was a beautiful (but BYB) Rotti girl named Woosie - she was perfect in every way. I would definitely recommend a well bred Rotti to any owner - first time or otherwise. T.

Make sure to give them on a full stomach... Drontal can be harsh on the tummy sometimes... I prefer Canex or Fenpral myself. T.

Well.... I know I need a Rotti... but a couple of the current 4 dogs need to move on before I can give a puppy what it needs in order to grow up as a good canine citizen... so it's going to be at least a couple of years or more before I can have me a Rotti again... *waaahhh* T.

Specialists aren't usually known for their bedside manner... be that for human or animal patients... I've always found that once you find a vet that can understand that your pet is also your best friend and devoted companion, they will tend to go that extra mile to make the processes relating to their care less traumatic for everyone. T.

... and me... T.

That depends. Will you eat veggies with your meat? Do you like gravy and/or soup added to you meat in winter time? Do you like the occasional chicken drumstick or osso boco as a snack? Do you like watching DVDs on the couch with the humans in winter or at night? Do you like long walks in the country, going to markets, swimming and visiting people, especially kids parties? Do you like dixie cup ice creams in summer? Or watermelon? Do you like lazy mornings reading the paper in bed or out on the back patio in the sun? So many conditions to follow living in this house It would be a stretch... but I think I could manage all that... lol! T.

If I pretend to be a dog, would you adopt me grumpette? T.

I shudder to think of the cost to feed a litter of growing Dane pups... it used to cost me a small fortune to feed litters of crossbreed rescue pups that were nowhere near as large as a Dane pup. If the breeder is feeding cheap because it's cheap, then I'd probably walk away - I'd be worried about what other expenses they'd possibly foregone due to costs also. T.

The groundwork laid down from birth to going to the new owner makes a huge difference as well - on top of the health checks and temperament choices for sire and dam... who wouldn't want one of these glorious little masterpieces of doggydom? Makes the follow through by the owner so much easier when you have a stable tempered and healthy pup to work with, yes? T.

No? Who?? :p :D *grin* T.

Has he just had a growth spurt by any chance? I had a Rotti that went through something similar at around the same age... turned out to be that his tendons and ligaments weren't keeping up with his bone growth and were stretched after a growth spurt. We treated with anti-inflammatories and complete rest while his tendons adjusted to the bone growth. No running or playing for a few weeks, and he came good once his growth spurts slowed down. T.

There will never be another Woosie... you can't improve on perfect... *grin* I know I'll never find another dog exactly like her... but I reckon Allerzeit may just breed something that will be darned close... Can you tell I've already decided which breeder I want my next Rotti from... hehe! T.

How about these eyes? ... or these... ? Hehe! T.

Every male Rotti I've met has been a cuddle hound... even ones supposed to be guard dogs. It seems to be common then? Ooops - I lie - Steve Austin's boy King wasn't cuddly if he saw the training arm... but he WAS cuddly smoochy boy when that wasn't around - I even got kisses! I've had 3 males, and they've all been hopeless guard dogs - more inclined to ask for cuddles than bark or anything else. My heart (soulmate) dog was my gorgeous BYB girl Woosie. It's been 10 years now since she went to the Bridge, and it still hurts like yesterday when I think of her. She was the best dog ever born. I WILL have another Rotti (or more than one) in the years to come... life really isn't the same without one... *sigh* T.

So can my Trouble... T.

There is something seriously beautiful when you see a sighthound run... magic! T.

Absolute cracker of a shot there Kirislin! T.

OMG!!! How adorable is that last photo? T.

Voted... *grin* T.