tdierikx

OK - here come the photos, sexes, and weights... Daisy Boo's babies - now 12 days old... Black and white boy (with black spot on neck) 1kg!!! Big black boy - 850g. Small black boy - 500g. Black (and only) girl - 700g. Black and white boy (thinner stripe on head) - 1kg!!! Black and white boy - 800g. Does anyone get the impression that Daisy Boo got very friendly with a very handsome Border Collie (or cross thereof)??? *grin* All of the babies seem to be doing very well - even the little boy. They are all gaining weight and size nicely. And Daisy Boo is also doing great and being the best mum keeping them clean and well fed. T.

I have 3 of my own (solo) at the moment, but 4 is more my "magic" number - but I also foster pups for rescue, so the numbers can increase occasionally... *grin* If I didn't have to work fulltime, and I had a bit more space (read acreage), I'd have way more than I currently do. T.

I got to play with Blossom's babies today... and they are stunning (not so) little munchkins... ... and Daisy Boo's babies have eyes! Boy have they grown in the past week too! I also got photos of ALL of the babies today - and weights... just going through the pics now - will post soon, OK? No pics of mums this week, I was taking 2 babies at a time for their photo shoots to make things less traumatic for the mummas, and to give the smaller babies in each litter more boobie time. Blossom has 2 smaller babies, and Daisy has one smaller one - but so far all are getting their share of boobie just fine. T.

Another worry is dogs going to homes straight from the pounds without any warning about quarantine for the new owners. I wonder what happens if the dogs get sick from something they've picked up in the pound? And worse, if they share it around... T.

*waiting patiently for roly poly puppy pics* T.

I reckon a Tibbie might actually fit the bill... not tiny, but not huge, and all of the ones I've met have been really nice laid back critters. You may have to brush it occasionally though... T.

I think I'll bring Zeddy - she is well behaved on lead and plays nice with others... and would love getting lots of stranger pats and treats... *grin* T.

I've never seen a paralysis tick that dark in colour - every single one I've pulled off a dog have been a distictive grey colour with a brown/black head section. Looks much more like a grass or bush tick to me. Vet attention is always a good idea if you've never had a tick on your dog before anyways - they can still have an allergic reaction to the tick saliva and get sick... T.

Have you seen any of the flak people get from Pound Rounds when the issue of an unsuitable/unsuccessful rehoming comes to light? It's not pretty... there are some scary people mixed up with them, that's for sure! I'm thinking that disgruntled adopters are scared off from seeking any kind of accountability from them - just based on some of the things I've seen and heard. The big problem with this mob is that they are hell bent on showing the rescue community how "easy" it is to get dogs out of pounds and into homes... unfortunately - as we who have been doing this for some time know from hard experience - it's not as simple of getting an animal released from a pound to "save" it from "being killed". It takes time and effort to get to actually know a dog outside the pound environment, find out what (if any) triggers it may have for adverse behaviours, etc... and then to find a suitable FOREVER home for said dog, so that it has much less chance of ever seeing the inside of a pound again. What is happening with a lot of Pound Rounds released dogs is that they are being shipped off all over the place, and so when they become a real problem and need to be surrendered to another pound or euthanaised, it is all someone else's problem - the animals never come back to the original pound. T.

PR seem to like re-inventing the wheel! ... and then doing things their own "special" way... *grin* T.

For future reference, get the big thigh bone cut lengthwise so she can get at the yummy marrow... T.

Hmmmm... Pickles went to the one last year... she enjoyed all the pats and meeting new people. She also confounded a few vets with her "special" way of walking (Pickles is disabled, but she doesn't mind) Should I take Trouble the crazy blonde Labrador, or Zeddy the 13 year old Rottie/Pittie who would love a day out with mum... ??? T.

A nice big meaty bone should entertain her for a while... *grin* T.

Easy to attain when you delete any negative feedback. PR "tag" the dogs as "rescue", and pay a minimal fee to the pound to have them released to the general public - often sending the new adopter direct to the pound to pick up the dog - whilst pocketing approximately $180 per "adoption"... effectively playing the system IMHO... Blame the adopter... it's never the fault of the group who take pretty pics and use pretty words to sucker the general public into "adopting" dogs that may not be suitable for their lifestyle, is it? As for "fanatics" - established ethical rescue groups have worked extremely hard for many years to promote the cause of homeless dogs - when we see groups like this placing everything with a pulse to people they've not even met, it scares the bejesus out of us... we know the ramifications of a bad placement. One unhappy punter is more effective at spreading the word that rescue is "bad" than 100 happy punters saying the opposite. Ethical rescue (or "fanatics" as referred to by PR) DON'T advocate the "killing" of dogs - but we ARE aware that not every dog is actually a candidate for "saving" I've said it before, and I'll say it again... rescue isn't about how many we can rehome - it's about how well we can do it. T.

Well I'd like to know who that shonky rescue was. Ditto... PM would be fine... T.

My 3 are pat sluts... *grin* T.

I am so jealous that I can't get out to see the new arrivals until Saturday lillypilly... T.

Pathology results in yet? Update please... T.

4 dogs is the magic number for me... *grin* Then again, I'd have 40 if I could... errr! I currently have 3 dogs of my own, and I foster pups for rescue - works a charm for me. T.

Hahaha! That does happen a fair bit, doesn't it? T.

OMG! How awesome does her leg look now! Dr John - you are a legend mate! Well done to everyone who has helped Jessie - she looks adorable! T.

Animal Welfare groups can't account for the ancestral background of the animals they adopt out - basically they are "as-is", and all that sort of thing is usually explained to the adopter. With unknown parentage, no-one can give any sort of guarantee... but it is assumed that registered breeders will have a much better idea of what may be in their lines. I'm not saying that blaming a breeder for issues that arise several months or years down the track is right in any way, shape, or form - but there are many Average Joe's who will look to try and find someone else at fault before they look to their own practices - especially if it involves large sums of money to "fix"... T.

Am loving this one! Well said Ams! T.

The more unsuitable a potential adopter is for a specific dog, the more they will "want that one"... T.

We've had plenty of people apply for dogs that aren't suitable for their family, and in most cases we can offer them a different dog that WILL fit into their family well. When a prospective adopter can see the difference in the dogs side by side, we rarely get any complaint - they are usually too over the moon that we managed to match a great dog for them. Rescue isn't just about placing dogs willy nilly - it's about making the best decision for both the dog AND the new owners. People skills are needed as well as animal skills - which most ethical rescues have worked out nicely. The other thing we need to remember is that not everyone who wants to adopt a rescue dog is a bleeding heart who thinks they are "saving" a "damaged" dog - sure, we get our share of that type, but I've found that most applicants have decided to go the rescue route because they have become aware that most rescues are perfectly well adjusted souls who just need a family to call their own - not to mention that all the vetwork, etc, and temperamnet testing is included... *grin* Cowboy rescues who seem to be in some sort of race to "save" everything with a pulse only give the rest of us doing all the actual hard work to get it right a bad name... and that really narks me off! T.