tdierikx

It sure can be challenging to get good photos of active young pups, can't it? But you have succeeded nicely with these cute little munchkins... T.

I must admit that I really haven't looked at the 52 week threads or the like... it's a bit of visual overload for me... errr! I do love the threads with photos that capture a moment - or lots of moments - even if the photos aren't technically great. With my own photos, I like sharing those that have excited me for whatever reason. I am still very much a learner, and am open to any and all constructive criticism - in fact, I loved the advice from Tess in the Zoo photo thread, that was awesome! I also like watching the progress of various people with their photography... for example, k9angel's stuff as she is exploring her new DSLR is inspiring - I think she really has an eye for good composition, and her photos appeal to my taste. I will also look at anything by kja or Kirislin - their subject matter appeals to me, and they take simply amazing photos... *grin* T.

I have always left my males entire, and I don't think it makes any real difference if the dog is trained properly from the start. However, an intact dog tends to have other intact males challenge it when out in public a little more often than desexed males do - so training to make sure it is non-reactive to this sort of stimulus is a good idea... especially when you own a larger breed of dog. As for changes after desexing - my experience is that desexed males are often heavier set and a bit larger/taller than undesexed males - in larger breeds mainly. Personally, if I was looking for a good all-rounder dog to both be a great family pet AND have protective instincts... I'd get a female every time... *grin* T.

My dogs are allowed to do pretty much what they like at home, but they know that as soon as we walk out the front door on a lead, it's a completely different ballgame - and they behave accordingly. The minute the collar and lead go on, I'm the one in control, and they know that they will be allowed to have their fun if they are well behaved about it - otherwise, it's back home and no play in the park. It's actually amazing how quickly my dogs worked the above out - especially when they had their "fun" cut short and were taken back home as soon as they misbehaved. Their reward for good behaviour was to be able to soak up the sights, smells, and puppy friends to play with for much longer... T.

It is an offence to have an unrestrained dog anywhere in a car that may cause the driver to take their attention off the road. Sitting on a front passenger's lap is not a good place for an unrestrained pup to be. You can have a passenger in the back seat holding on to the pup however. Personally I'd be buying or borrowing a travel crate for the pup's trip home in the car. T.

What actually worries me most is the breeder's admission that she had similar heart issues with at least one pup from another litter - and was completely happy to sell a pup with a grade 3 murmur to a "pet home"... Are there any breeds in which it is "common" for 6 week old pups to have a gradable murmur? I'm not terribly au fait with this sort of thing, but would be very leery of purchasing a young pup with such a problem - regardless of the breeder assuring me that it would "clear up" by itself. T.

That last photo makes me want to go give her a cuddle... what a pretty girl Pippa is! T.

What are their natures like dogmad/indigirl? They look a little shy, but definitely happy to have landed with Ella. Damn! I want to cuddle them so bad!!! T.

I'd be backing away from this breeder and contacting the state controlling body about them. The admission of a grade 3 murmur in another litter says (to me) that the breeder may not have the health of their breeding stock as their highest priority... as does the insistence of full payment long before you get the pup even after being told that it has a grade 2 murmur at this young age. Sure, the grade 2 murmur may clear up on it's own by the time the pup is around 5 months old - but where do you stand if it doesn't, and you knew of the issue prior to taking the pup home? You could try using small claims court to get your deposit back if all else fails. Personally I wouldn't take any pup from this particular breeder - go find a fully healthy pup elsewhere... T.

Well done to all who lobbied for this change! Awesome news... T.

Amazing save dogmad and indigirl... I'm sure these sweet boys will thrive under yours and Ella's loving care. The looks on their faces on the bed says it all doesn't it? I think they know that they are going to be OK now... FWIW I have actually seen a dog in worse condition (and 8 weeks pregnant) that recovered fully. I'm sure the boys will have a great outcome now they are with your group. T.

OK grumpette.... you beat it with those smiles... *grin* Can you give that pretty puppy a big cuddle from me please? T. Yes you can :laugh: :D

I sure hope the poor puppy got a little bit... T.

I am a self confessed Crazy Dog Lady... love them all really. Anything unsocial turns me off completely. To own and share my life with? I prefer short coated dogs that don't require a lot of grooming because I'm lazy like that... *grin* Like Staffyluv, I like a boofheaded dog - and you can't beat the staffy smile... Dogmad - I must introduce you to my Zeddy. She's a Rotti/Pittie, and I think she would be happy to show you that not all dogs with her genetic makeup are nasty... how do you go with nearly 30kg of lap dog? hehe! T.

It doesn't matter how well you do it dogmad - the armchair experts will always think they know better. FWIW I reckon you are tops... keep on doing what you are doing... you make a BIG difference for many dogs every day, OK? T.

Is it just the angle, or has Oscar started to fill some of his skin? Looking great - and I can see his eye in that shot too... what a handsome boy he is... T.

How much fun are they having? Brilliant capture! T.

I have forwarded the info to one of my vets - I reckon she may be interested. T.

One of my vets told me that the yearly vaccination reminder was more for the purpose of getting the animal in for a general health checkup. T.

Oh yes... cuddles MUST involve kisses too! T.

One of my school friends had a drive like that... without the fancy gate though... *grin* T.

Damn the begrudgers... I wants Chopper photos!!! Pretty please?? With cherries and whipped cream on top... T.

I think we can all agree that rescue isn't for the faint of heart or thin of skin... the things that some say about others can be totally outrageous, and very rarely is there a whole lot of truth to what is said on the rumour mill. OK - sometimes there is truth, but there have been many threads about those already... Case in point - I foster a lot of puppies - my preference - and I get to source or select them for the rescue I work with. Our rescue is also running a program we call Pregnant Paws (explained in another thread) which also sees us taking in pregnant bitches reasonably regularly, whelping and raising/weaning the pups, and then desexing, vaccinating, and microchipping the bitch and giving her back to her family. We then rehome the pups with the same work done. Any money we make from the sale of the pups covers the expenses of the program. Win-win, right? Well... some people have decided that as we seem to have quite a few pups moving through our rescue, that we MUST be breeding them ourselves. This is NOT the case, and it is actually very hurtful to receive rude, nasty, and downright scary emails, text messages, and Stalkerbook attention from people who have never met us or been to our rescue themselves. I will note that some of the people who have been very vocal in espousing their opinions about us all over the internet are ex-volunteers who were asked to leave because THEY were actually endangering the health and wellbeing of the dogs in our care - some people take rejection quite badly it seems... Personally, I don't care at all what people who have never met me say about me, because I know that those who have met me know better. It would be nice to not have the police on speed dial for when the latest death threat arrives though... ... and I will continue fostering puppies as long as I am able and my dogs still love having them around. To be quite honest I have come so close to "failing" with a large number of my fosters - but when the perfect family comes along for them, I don't find it as hard to hand them over... *grin* T.

You also get to share the fun of my fosters though Katdogs... and they all love their time playing with you and the Katdogs clan... T.

Yes please T. That'd be great. Thankyou. As soon as I find one, I'll get it to you, OK? If I can't find one for the 350D, you can always borrow my 450D print one... there shouldn't be too many real differences between the two models. T.