tdierikx

I've been reading this thread and loving that you now have another ray of sunshine and hope Rach... happy tears here my friend! T.

I'm going to take Pickles for a wander around - she really enjoyed going to the PetFest in Merrylands a few weeks ago, and she's always up for stranger cuddles... *grin* Look for the strange woman with the white and brindle patched medium sized dog with a red harness that walks funny - that will be us! Pickles would love to give you cuddles... T.

I read the Sam one years ago - long before I became involved with rescue... it will never leave me... *sob* ... but now I get to help make sure that at least some dogs don't end up like the "shelter demonstration" dog in that story... *grin* T.

My very first dog as a kid was a black Lab girl.... couldn't fault her at all... the perfect family pet... My current Lab girl is yellow... and her name is Trouble... suits her to a tee... *grin* I will always have a soft spot for any big black dog though... there really isn't anything more stunning than a glossy back coat IMHO... T.

Here's another oldie... make sure you have your tissues ready... http://maxellah.tripod.com/sam.htm T.

Would that be the gorgeous Ben you people are referring to in Kogarah? He is a darling, isn't he? I'd take him over the Bondi guy in a heartbeat! Annandale Vet Clinic is also excellent. T.

Another vote for the crimsafe solution here... Zeddy didn't just rip the screen off my old doors, but she would buckle the mesh as well. Paid $900 for the crimsafe screen door and haven't had to replace anything for years now... worth every penny spent! The thing still doesn't have a single mark on it. T.

All of mine have to chaperone you to the bathroom... must be something scary in there... *grin* Rather disconcerting to have dogs watching you go potty if you don't own said dogs... lol! Pickles HAS to meander in front of you whenever you are running to get the ringing phone... grrr! T.

I'd probably go with SASH as they have all of the latest and best diagnostic equipment at their disposal - and the recommendations from fellow DOLers definitely give them the big thumbs up... *grin* T.

As far as I know the NDN is the only national network in Australia... T.

Yay for Earl!!! Now you can have your holiday knowing that he's going to be just fine... T.

Richard Naylor at Castle Hill Vet is an exceptional surgeon. I've seen some of his work in a dog that spiral fractured his femur into 5 pieces - the bone had literally exploded, and the xrays were as scary as all get out - the dog didn't even have a limp in older age... However, SASH is closer to you, and the other specialist there is getting a great rap from fellow DOLers... may be the first option to look at methinks... T.

National Desexing Network... http://www.ndn.org.au/ DABS Rescue can sometimes assist also... http://www.dabs.org.au/ - in NSW, but may be able to help elsewhere... T.

Way to go Earl - keep it up fella, and you might be able to go home tomorrow... T.

They could be on one of the other registers other than the ANKC official one - I'm sure the "oodles" have a registry of their own, sorta like the working dogs one but for the crossbreeds that have become popular to buy... T.

Having a Labrahoover, a Rotti cross, and a camp dog - mine will eat anything that's put in front of them... *grin* some of the rescue foster pups have been much fussier... *sigh* T.

Earl is a strong healthy boy apart from his desire to eat things he shouldn't... this may be a hurdle, but he should pull through, OK? I had an 11 year old Rottie girl who had a similar op for a gastric torsion, and she pulled through just fine against all odds... Sending healing vibes from me - and soothing licks from the furkids for you and Earl. T.

I would have thought that a Pom trying to give birth to a GSD/Kelpie cross pup would be a nightmare... caesarian for sure! Maybe the "breeder" really doesn't know which of her other dogs is the father and is trying to fluff it to get money for the strange mixture?? T.

Hahaha! Well... he's fat, so we actually think he looks like Jabba the Hut... but Malteser is definitely a better description... *grin* T.

Awww.... way to go Tammy... happy anniversary of finding yourself the bestest forever home on the planet! T.

Anyone up for a CHOCOLATE Maltese?? I swear we have one in rescue!! T.

My girl also doesn't like fireworks, so if I know they are going to be happening nearby, I'll put on something loud like the TV or radio to try to drown out the bangs, and it seems to help a lot. Storms - well - I think she can sense the barometric pressure dropping... she is trembling a good while before the storm actually arrives. She happily goes into the bathroom when I open the door for her, so whatever she wants as far as that is concerned is fine by me - I don't want a velcro 30kg Rotti/Pittie trying to sit on me because she's scared of the storm... T.

Nahhh... because I'm not the most girly girl on the planet, people tend to get the wrong idea about my sexuality, and thus don't think it's strange that I have large dogs as pets... go figure? (for the record, I'm very much into men for human "social interactions"... *grin*) T.

In general, keep the puppy away from areas where you know dogs go and you don't know their vaccination history. Vaccinated dogs can still pick up and carry Parvo without being symptomatic - I would only be socialising the pup with dogs I know haven't been running around at dog parks on a regular basis - at least until 2 weeks after the 3rd puppy vacc. T.

Run free and healthy Bracken... T.