tdierikx

I'm lucky... my dogs do well on pretty much anything I feed them... as long as we get the amounts right for each dog's particular metabolism. I have a 13kg dog here that eats exactly the same amount of food as my 32kg horse puppy... and the smaller dog is lean! We are currently enjoying raw chicken from the wholesaler I found only 5 mins from my house...$40 got me enough food to feed 3 large dogs and 2 pet foxes for 3 weeks! And the dogs and foxes are loving it and looking great... and the added bonus is much smaller poos... yay! T.

I fostered some Dingo X pups recently... four were 3/4 Dingo, and one almost full Dingo... and they are stubborn! None of them were food or toy oriented, so finding rewards they would work for wasn't much fun... I basically found that if a Dingo doesn't want to do something, it simply won't... lol! Here's hoping your owner's dog has more Kelpie traits... T.

I'd use welded panels rather than chain link... and at least 4-5mm mesh at that. I had a rotti who managed to literally stretch and tear open chain link when he was determined to get out... errr! When I built my pet fox enclosure, I attached welded 5mm gal mesh panels to wooden framework - but I have the frame on the OUTSIDE. Mesh was attached with gal stripping with bolts at around 5-6cm gaps. Foxes are smarter than the average dog, and mine haven't worked out any way to escape yet. The run is also on a concrete slab, and has colorbond roofing also bolted at 5-6cm intervals. Easy peasy to build for this old woman actually, so you should have no trouble doing something even more flash for young Kotz... *grin* T.

They are both still as stunning as ever... I love their large limpid eyes... T.

Death is a part of life... and we will all have to deal with grief at some point... be it a pet or a friend or relative... I still remember getting a letter from the people who adopted our first ever dog that we couldn't bring back to Australia from PNG... Nuppy had passed away. I was 15 and I sobbed my heart out for days. Nuppy's new family had always sent us photos and letter from Nuppy having her birthday parties and Christmases... for 5 years... but that last letter was the one I will remember most... I'm sobbing a bit about it now actually... and it's a good thing... because I'm also remembering so many of those amazing moments that a kid and a dog get to share... Nuppy having puppies as she walked down the drive, and me scooping them up and trying to get her to come to her special box I'd made for her to do it in... Nuppy chasing the local rascal gang down the road never to be seen near our place again... Nuppy tracking muddy footprints over the freshly mopped kitchen floor... and all the snuggles and kisses a dog saves for their special human friends... There have been many pets over the years now who have shared part of my life before their own journey changed phase... and I remember each and every one of them full of life and love and silly antics... not those final moments that hurt us all so much. T.

Very bad if the cats haven't been vaccinated for it... T.

Breaking news this morning... Blacktown Pound and other facilities refusing to take in cats at the moment... http://www.theage.com.au/nsw/feline-panleukopenia-virus-resurfaces-in-western-sydney-after-40-years-20170207-gu7qab.html Feline panleukopenia virus resurfaces in western Sydney after 40 years A highly-contagious cat virus not seen in Sydney for 40 years has resurfaced in a western Sydney pound. Blacktown Council's Animal Holding Facility was forced to close its doors to cats after the outbreak of feline panleukopenia virus, commonly referred to as feline enteritis. "This is a highly contagious, life-threating viral disease for the cat population," Blacktown Mayor Stephen Bali said in a statement on Tuesday. "It has not been seen in Sydney for some 40 years, and many people have therefore stopped vaccinating against it. "As a result, it is now attacking a largely unprotected cat population." At least three other pounds and animal facilities are understood to have closed their doors to cats after an outbreak of the virus, including RSPCA centres at Yagoona and Gunnedah and the Animal Welfare League facility at Kemps Creek. "Please do not bring cats to our Animal Holding Facility until we are sure the epidemic has passed, and because other facilities across Sydney are affected, cat owners need to check the status of any facility where cats are held," Mr Bali said. Veterinary expert Vanessa Barrs has advised cat-owners to ensure their animals are vaccinated against the disease. "Disease in cats is caused by two parvoviruses - small DNA viruses. The main one is feline panleukopenia virus but parvoviruses that infect dogs can also cause the disease in cats," Professor Barrs said. AAP T.

Was at Taronga yesterday... Fennecs decided that they'd spend the day inside where we couldn't see them... *sigh* T.

I went to Taronga today... and Fumo is sporting the Zuri baby hairstyle this week... lol! T.

OMG! How similar to Sule is Zuri? This is Sule... T.

Such spunk in the affected pup... made my eyes leak... *sob* T.

Still as gorgeous as ever... T.

Hell yes!! T.

Keepers love photos of their charges having a good time... especially when taken from a public view perspective... T.

Smart Molly... knows that she must use her own bed... lol! T.

Such tragic news... my heart breaks for all of her carers... Such a pretty girl, and your photos are a beautiful reminder of a lovely soul... maybe you could print a few and make a collage for the primate team's wall? I'm sure that would be highly appreciated. T.

The joys of owning a pup... lol! T.

If you suspect he's developing separation issues, then you need to start giving him "alone time" more often... Start with short periods where you leave him for a few minutes, and when you return,don't make a fuss of him, just let him out and carry on with normal tasks. I'm suspecting that you are spending a LOT of time together, and he's beginning to expect that you should always be around and paying attention to him. Another option is that maybe you can train him up to be an assistance dog (I get the vibe that you have some disability going on), and then he can be with you pretty much wherever you go... as it will be his job to help you with your daily life. My brother's assistance dog even went to hospital with him, so it could be a good option for you both in that respect. Worth looking into anyways... T.

When he displays nervousness, don't react to it... just act normally and he should get the idea that nothing is really that scary... As for not eating his pigs ear while you were gone... do you know what he was doing instead? Are you 100% certain he didn't settle and sleep, only waking when he heard the car arrive back home? T.

One of my boys hated getting a bath... but loved cool hosing of his boy bags on hot days... so that's where we'd start if he needed a bath... lol! 2 of my current 3 dogs go completely mental if they get wet... so we don't bath as such, just go to a friend's place who owns a pool, and we paddle around for a while on a hot day... not as thorough as a proper bath, but seems to do the trick. I have to carry them into the pool, but once they are in they are fine for a quick rub down while they paddle in the shallows. T.

Try removing the spray gun part and just slowly start wetting from the front feet upwards with the slower flow. Plenty of hands on while wetting down and talk to him... tell him what a good boy he is, and if possible, feed a treat at regular intervals to reinforce this notion. The lathering up is the easy part... they love the massaging effect... *grin* Rinsing off - repeat the initial slow wetting stage, and massage/rub while doing so to remove the suds... and keep telling him what a good boy he is throughout. Slow and steady wins the race... T.

Fumo is definitely leaner than Zuri, and he's shorter too... which is interesting because Fumo and Shikamoo are not small chimps. Sudi is easily the same size or taller than Fumo now, and Liwali is catching up too. T.

Nope... lol! There will most likely be a naughty teen stage from about 18 months to 2 years where he might try pushing boundaries again... You are doing really well so far... keep up the great work. T.

Fumo will be 4 in October, so there is a decent age gap, but I don't think he's going to be as large as Zuri at 4.5... Zombi is an awesome mother methinks... T.

Zuri is nearly 4, right? So much bigger and adult looking than our Fumo, who is around a similar age... T.