tdierikx

Is the fawn boy the only one who's managed to get his ears up Frodo's mum? It's become a little less hectic around here today - 5 of the Lab X pups were adopted, as was the scruffy little guy - only have 2 Lab X and 3 fluffies now... so much less poopie around here tonight... *grin* Have you named any of the munchkins yet? ... and I know you are just teasing me with all of those gorgeous pictures of "my" fawn boy... lol! Feel free to keep them coming though - he's too cute for words... although the munchkin in that last photo is running a close second... T.

Speaking from a purely pet loving angle here... I'm probably one of those people who likes a bit of unpredictability in how their "mutt" turns out when grown up. I'm also more likely to want more crossbred dogs as pets during my lifetime. That said, however, I'm also highly likely to make sure that my "mutt" is given the best chance at having decent social skills as an adult via the use of training, and socialising it as a pup. I'm not talking obedience titles, but the ability to take the dog to a busy park and know that it's not going to do anything stupid, and come back immediately when I call it. As for health issues - so far the worst I've had is chronic arthritis manifesting in a 7 year old Rotti, and bone cancer in another 7 year old Rotti - the arthritic dog was managed with great vet care and made it to 11 before she had help to the Bridge. Both Rotti's were purebred from champion lines. So far I've been extremely lucky healthwise with my current "mutts" - a 12 year old Rotti/Pittie cross who looks and acts like she's 5, and a 6 year old Labrador (with possibly Dingo in her "lines") who made the infamous Marley look like a dream dog when she was younger, but can still be taken anywhere and knows how to behave herself in public. My 1 year old "camp dog" rescue girl came to me as a foster pup, and had a brain injury of unknown origin that means she walks funny (has coordination issues when walking) - her health in all other respects is exceptional - she has hit all milestones perfectly except for her gait... All of my dogs get brought up the same - food that maintains their good health, vet care when they need it, basic obedience and social skills instilled, and lots of love - it makes no iota of difference whether they have a pedigree or not. Don't get me wrong - I can see why many people may prefer a purebred dog - and even why some may "aspire" to have one or more in their lives... but I'm not necessarily one of them... and I'm not alone... *grin* T.

Wouldn't most male Samoyeds have testicles visible by about 8 weeks? T.

I have 7 nine week old Lab/GSD/Rotti pups, an 8 week old scruffy looking pup whose mum was Maltese/ShihTzu, and 3 seven week old fluffies whose mum was a Maltese. Mine are all cute - but yours are stunning! *grin* Seriously, if I didn't have 3 large dogs of my own and any number of fosters at any given time, I'd be applying to adopt your fawn boy... he's stolen my heart, and I don't even know him... lol! T.

May Zedley have an easy trip to the Bridge Loraine. Will be thinking of you tomorrow... and knowing that Zedley will be in some wonderful company when he gets to the Bridge, his wait for you will be spent happy and healthy there with all of his soon to be best friends who are also waiting for their beloved humans to cross the Bridge with. Remember that he will always live on in your heart. T.

You must admit that isn't a breed trait though. Sounds like yours is broken ;) Hahaha! Too funny... T.

Oh man!!! I have 11 foster pups here at the moment... but I'm getting really jealous about your chubby little munchkins... I'm falling more in love with the fawn boy each time you post a photo... he is truly stunning! You and Charm are doing an awesome job with them - look how perfect they all are... T.

I had a male Sibe turn up at my door early one morning - same thing, very well mannered and obviously someone's much loved pet. He was chipped, and was reunited with his owners later that morning... Hoping your girl is reunited with her family very soon. T.

When we look at the numbers of dogs owned in Australia compared to the numbers dumped or left unclaimed in pounds, it would seem that most people care something for their pets - the people who frequent DOL possibly even more so... *grin* However - the large numbers being euthanaised in pounds is definitely cause for concern, as they aren't dropping, but rising every year - despite the fact that more and more rescues are springing up all over the country and getting significant numbers out for a second chance... T.

My 7 babies all got a pig's ear each yesterday... and after the initial confusion about what they were supposed to do with them, they worked it out and had a great time chewing them up. Thank you Katdogs for the HUGE bag of yummy pig's ears - all of the furkids here reckon you are the bestest! T.

Zeddy - has been mummy's girl from day one - even though she was supposed to be the OH's dog - he's gone, and she stayed... *grin* Trouble - is just as naughty as I was as a kid - my mum always hoped I'd have a child like me when I grew up... this is her revenge... lol! Pickles - doesn't know she's supposed to be disabled - has the happiest outlook on life... makes one stop and smell the roses. T.

I just leave my back door open so my dogs can come and go as they please - they prefer lying around on the furniture or being with me, so it's just easier that way. If I close the door on them and make them stay outside, they whine and bark to be let back in. T.

All of my furkids got a pig's ear after dinner (kibble) - courtesy of my lovely neighbour who gave us a bag of 50 for Christmas... Had lunch at my cousin's place, and everyone was really good for not feeding her dog any "people food" - the dog got a few small bits of every leftover with her dinner kibble instead. T.

Squeeeaaallll! They is on the grass now! Simply stunning little munchkins! Merry Christmas little ones... and auntie and the rest of the pack of course... *grin* T.

I think I understand what you are trying to say mace... but I'm not entirely convinced of the argument behind your conclusion. I'm of the opinion that the average Joe looking for a pet for their family is generally looking for the "best price" for same - and in more than a few cases, when that cute and cheap pup is no longer cute and hasn't had much training, grooming costs hadn't been factored in, etc - the easy option of taking said dog to a pound or shelter is there to relieve them of their "problem"... The truth of the matter is that rescue go to the pounds and make selection of the dogs there based on a lot of factors - health and reasonable temperament are high on the list of which makes a dog "adoptable". We don't just grab whatever is there willy nilly. It's a crap job making those selections when you know exactly what is going to happen to those you can't take in. Then again, there are some dogs that really shouldn't be "saved" - and ethical rescue understand that too. As for pups in rescue - most are either surrenders from "oops" litters from Joe Public, or from dogs that have come into rescue heavily pregnant from pounds. We try to make sure that those pups get the very best socialisation and vet checking for any health issues that may arise, then select new homes for them VERY carefully. In many cases rescue will assist the owners of bitches whose pups we take in get desexed - sometimes paying for it ourselves, or helping them find a vet that will do subsidised desexing. BYB's survive and thrive due to the public's buying patterns - not because rescue are peddling their detritus. I'm currently fostering 11 rescue pups - 7 from an "oops" litter (the bitch is being desexed), and 4 born in rescue from a bitch that came in to us pregnant. I'm just happy that none of these pups were ready to go to new homes before Christmas - as fending off the "my kids want a pup for Christmas" enquiries is a huge headache... *sigh* May I also add that a pup from rescue has had quite a bit of socialisation, their current and future health needs have been identified, and prospective new families have been screened and fully appraised on what that pup will need from them over it's entire life - future socialisation, regular vet checks to make sure their pet will stay healthy, and/or grooming requirements if looking at a fluffy type, vaccinated, microchipped, desexed, etc. We show new owners how to check ears, eyes, teeth, feet, etc, the pups have been crate trained, partially toilet and obedience trained, etc. Your average BYB won't do that - they will happily sell to the first comer with the money... not to mention that rescue pups are generally cheaper to purchase than your average BYB pup - and we are happy to take the animal back if it's not a fit for the family for some unseen reason. The biggest difference between a pup from an ethical rescue as opposed to one from an ethical breeder is the pedigree - the ethical breeder has a better idea of how their pups should turn out physically and temperamentally, but there are no absolute guarantees there either when you factor in how a pup is raised. All that either "source" can do with regards to that factor is to screen prospective new homes to the best of their ability and hope that their screening process has covered all bases. T.

Thank you Greytmate... summed it up better than I ever could... T.

I can see some "oodle" owners trying to debate the pure or cross question - maybe rephrase by asking what breed or breed mix the dog is? That way they can use their DD name and it will cause less headaches at the initial stage of data collection - you can break down the crosses later for summing up the data objectively then. T.

*giggle* He's definitely got it there Kirislin... T.

Merry Christmas back at ya dogmad... and please give Ellie some extra smooches from me too. T.

My first thought when reading the story was that the poles ended up choking the dog to death - capsicum spray is nasty, but it would take a hell of a lot of it to kill a dog that size unless he had an allergic reaction to it. My Lab took 2.5 cans of the stuff to her face during a fight in my back yard with my other dog - only side effect was swelling due to it getting into the wounds on her face. The policemen who used the spray were up for a lot of paperwork after the incident too. Being secretive about findings of the autopsy and no real indication of the full story from those who killed the dog is not good form. Stinks of CYA to me. T.

I must also mention that D & M have done a wonderful job raising these babies before rescue got to take them in - they are all very social and not timid of anything - big fat healthy bubs too. A real credit to the care of their mum's owners... and there were 12 in this litter all up! That's a heck of a lot of work - and I thank D & M for allowing us to help find these lovely furkids new homes. My 7 are the funniest things to see romping around - they definitely have that Labby pup gawky running style... lol! lillypilly took a whole heap of photos at the same time as I did the other day - she got a good number of pics of them chasing after me and running back to her - check the photos out at http://www.flickr.com/photos/72458083@N05/ - but I warn you, you may hit cuteness overload! There are 145 pics in all... T.

Don't forget to grab the harness from Rach - Ellie travels nicely with the harness buckled to the seatbelt in the back. Fingers crossed that Ellie finds a new home soon... T.

*Note to self: must visit Rach with Rory...* Hahahaha! T.

Actually mace - most BYB's charge more for their "product" than rescues do - and a good number of the pet buying public expect a rescue dog/pup to be the cheapest alternative. In many cases rescue is even cheaper than buying from a pound. The other difference between getting a BYB pup straight from the "breeder" or getting one from rescue, is socialisation of said pup and careful selection of the prospective new home. It certainly isn't a first come, first served situation. And some rescues are even more "intrusive" with their adoption process than your average registered breeder... T.

Some people will never get it... T.