tdierikx

Don't feed the pup before any car trip... unless you like cleaning up solids... ewww! A collar with a small drop of peppermint oil on it has worked pretty well for me in the past. Make sure that the oil has dried before putting the collar on. Windows open for air flow - if only for dissipating any smells if they do end up being sick - does seem to make the symptoms less. T.

I had a complete blast! I spent 5 hours cuddling up to just about every dog there... lol! I got kisses from nearly all of them too... I will admit to using my recent surgery as a ploy to request a cuddle of the cute little BT pup... she was so darling. I got lots of cuddles with Trevor the older BT boy who had had a rough life... he gave the second best kisses of the whole day. (The honour of the best kisses goes to the gorgeous Rottie girl I cuddled with outside) Definitely worth the entry fee if you want to see and interact with a lot of not so common breeds of dog... and all of the exhibitors are just as friendly as their gorgeous dogs... T.

But I managed to get a short cuddle of Tamar once... she is adorable DD... T.

You are right about Tamar DD - she certainly is a pretty girl and it's hard not to want to give her a pat... T.

I know that I'd want to rush up and give her a cuddle... she is just so pretty... but then I think how I'd feel with people wanting to fawn all over me (if I were as pretty as Neko), and I think letting her choose the terms of contact will be better for her own confidence levels than any other method... T.

I think you now need to plant a soft kiss on her nose from all of us well-wishers... *grin* I'm sure that will help with the healing process... T.

6/52 - Black Cockatoo at Featherdale Wildlife Park - posing up a storm! 01-02-2014-featherdale 761 by tdierikx, on Flickr Thanks for the cyber flowers Kirislin, and the well wishes helen... I'm getting stir crazy already... grrr! Hopefully I'll be getting out to Symbio later in the week when I'm allowed to drive... T.

6 months already!? Time flies! Not too many Iggies I've met have been overly outgoing with strangers - they've been a little aloof like most of the Whippets I've met. I can see the fact that she's really pretty would make most people want to pat her, but I reckon that SHE should dictate the terms of stranger contact herself. Maybe if you tell people to ignore her and let her decide whether she wants to interact or not in her own time... T.

Can I post another photo that I took last weekend for this week's entry? I've just had my gallbladder out and won't be able to get my usual weekend zoo visits in this week... grrr! T.

8/2 - Female Dingo at Featherdale... 01-02-2014-featherdale 121 by tdierikx, on Flickr T.

Gorgeous photo FF... love it! T.

NSW CAR doesn't charge a change of owner fee - you send in the paperwork on transfer of the dog, and they eventually update it on the database and send the changed entry to the new owner as proof of transfer. However, if the new owners do not live in NSW, it is a smart move to have the dog listed on their state's database AS WELL - that way if the dog is ever picked up by the local authorities, the dog will be returned to them faster. T.

Your vet will give you the post op care instructions... and DD is right, your old girl will probably take it in her stride, and you will be the one who worries about it more. She will take a little time to adjust to her new way of viewing the world, and you might want to be mindful not to approach her suddenly from the left, as she won't see you and my get startled. If approaching her from the left, make some noise so she can have time to turn her head to see you. T.

I don't see any harm in it... T.

The chip kits themselves aren't all that expensive... I've bought them for under $5 each... but you need to have an implanter ID number in order to buy them (in NSW anyways). Usually when you have a vet do the implantation, you also get a health check and whatnot, so their time is going to factor into the costs there. The cheapest I've had a vet do a litter of pups was $30 per pup. Individual implanters tend to charge less than that, but most I know charge around $20 per pup and maybe a little less each if you are doing an entire litter. Having held MANY rescue pups while they were implanted, I can say that there is definitely an art to insertion of that enormous needle - you don't want to be getting it wrong and making them bleed profusely, or worse have the thing pop through the skin into your own finger! I can give a vaccination, but not game to do the chip implanter course... T.

How excitement... Taronga have messaged me asking to use one of my photos on their website, and in a publication called Peninsula Living... full naming of me as the photographer. It's a good start, yes? T.

7/2 - Hyacinth Macaw at Featherdale Wildlife Park... 01-02-2014-featherdale 1011 by tdierikx, on Flickr T.

Adult dogs with enough immunity to stave off a full blown Parvo infection can still contract it and shed it via their faeces... vaccination doesn't necessarily mean that an animal won't GET the disease, it just means they are a lot less likely to develop the full blown symptoms of same... T.

They look really good SLF... you and Reba are doing really well, OK? In a few weeks time this shaky start will be a memory only, and the pups will be driving you to distraction with their naughty puppy antics... *grin* T.

Way to go Astro, you little fighter you! T.

Hip, back, and patella issues of such severity that the foster carer's husband the VET didn't notice in all the time they looked after the pups and mum? Something isn't adding up... the career was initially told the pups were euthed on ground of temperament. T.

6/2 Jalur - do you think he knows how handsome he is? 02-02-2014-symbio 524 by tdierikx, on Flickr T.

I'm already fully ambulant and driving the nurses batty. Should be fine to pet expo party on Saturday... all I needed was someone to hitch a ride from as im not supposed to drive myself for a few days... Thanks heaps MadWoofter! T.

There has been a fair few (read LOTS) cases in NSW since June - more than usual due to the warmer weather patterns... *sigh* T.

See... now here's the rub... I have a Canon 60D - so it's a 1.6 crop sensor... which means I'm getting around 640mm already at the far end of the 100-400 L. If I had a full frame camera, I'd probably seriously consider the new Tamron 150-600... but not on a crop... Then again... the crop will get me around 960mm out of the Tamron... aarrgghh! T.