lappiemum

Yes please! I've tried calling the herding people on the VCA site - never had a reply, and hadn't had time to chase it up.

Just curious Ellz - had you had any issues with that girl prior?

Hey LC- Ah - edited as I just read your post LC - poor old girl Think you need a hug LC - what a crap day all up.

From her comments posted here, my guess is that she will probably decide to have the pups, if her girl is indeed pregnant. What she will need is some support/advice on pregnancy and whelping, even if just to try and mitigate the risks to the dam and pups. Is there anyone she can turn to for advice and support?

Luck she has you for a neighbour LC!

Thanks :D

Hey DOLers- Quick question - what other vets in the Melbourne area are equipped as repro vets? I know about Wyndham and Monash, but are there any others around? Thanks!

Hi Flash & welcome to DOL ;) Just one quick question - when you found Lucy did you let the pound know? If so, did they do a temperament test on her? That may give you an indication of how she would be with other dogs. You could consider instead of a puppy that perhaps another elderly/senior dog may be an idea? There are often many lovely dogs in their golden years, who need a loving home.

I was told by vets that relaxin wasn't that accurate an inidicator, mind you, they had the ultrasound equipment (and their prices are rather high).

So sorry to hear that your Grandad has passed. However, did you say that the media was alerted before the family? If so, that is a serious breach of regulation, not to mention terribly upsetting for you and your family.

Hi garden girl- just to clarify, when you say home alone for 3 days, do you mean that absolutely no-one will be around for the entire period - day and night - and the dog will be by itself? Or will there be someone there in the evenings and its just the usual 9 - 5 that no-one will be around? Also, will the other dog be around at this time?

Hey Jules - where are you doing the herding? We'd like to get into it ourselves, but haven't done it before.

that has just cracked me up - I love it!! Especially the waggy tail on the daschy - how happy does that pooch look? !!!!

agree with you Poodlemum. She'd probably flunk my puppy questionaire anyway...LOL

Don't worry too much - I have a male and female siblings, and we have 'survived' just fine My boy has recently gotten to his aust champ (and I'm a novice!) and my girl is doing well. We have added to our pack (now 2yrs old) with a new female at Christmas (destined for the ring) and we plan to have a litter sometime soon(ish) with hopes that there is something from that litter we will be able to keep. So our house is doogy central (and no, we don't live on a property!) but we love it. Our neighbours still like us, but we do run a tight ship - dogs are walked seperately usually everyday, and they have been obedience and ring trained so will respond to commands (usually!!LOL). They are crated inside at night, and come inside when we are home. And yes, we have a 'working breed' - albeit more laid back than others - but they each have their own energy levels and certainly like zoomies as much as any other dog! So keep up with the training, and yes, do it seperately, but don't stress about having two - there's lots of good things about pairs!!

Hi HuskyLove So sorry to hear your news - hopefully your puppy will be strong enough to pull through. Snail bait is very evil stuff.

You may wish to point out to your friend and her partner that going for the cheapest option may be false economy. First, consider the costs to 'do it right' in terms of breeding. To start with, there is the expereince and knowledge of the professional breeder - they should be knoweldgeable in their breed, many spending years, if not decades, devoted to their breed. A good breeder will be willing to support and assist those who are looking getting a dog from them, and to share their love and knowledge of their breed. Then there is the pre-mating costs - testing breeding animals does cost $$, and if it doesn go well, then that's that. As to the mating itself - if the breeder does not own the stud (which is often the case) there are stud fees etc, more tests to see if the mating was successful, count puppies etc etc. A good breeder will ensure that the dam has the best health care and nutrition during her preganancy, and ofcourse, if there are complications in the whelping that will cost big $$$$. The puppies will need to be vet checked, vaccinated, wormed etc - and thats before you even get to registration fees. In short, doing it properly adds up considerably. However, the alternative may be very costly for the buyer. A breeder who does not health test, doesn't look at lines for instances of breed problems, doesn't worry too much about the health and welfare of the dam and puppies, and just wants to make a quick buck on the pet dog is one that is ripe for having all sorts of nasty problems crop up - and once the cash is handed over, do you think they will want to know about these? There was a thread here recently about someone who ended up with a parvo puppy - very, very expensive, and heartbreaking. Not to mention the actual abnormalities that can occur in the breed itself - if these are not tested for, let alone known about, what guarantee does you friend have that they will not be paying big $$$ down the track because they lucked out? In short, you get what you pay for. If your friend buys from a byber, what guarantee do they have that its even the breed that they want? What health tests have been done? What is the temperament of both lines like? What knowledge and understanding of the breed does the breeder have? Most importantly, what guarantees will they have should it all go pear shaped? Ask her those questions, perhaps that is more helpful. :D

Oh look, another nutty PETA story (posted ABC online http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/03/04/2836074.htm ) Really, these people are using up valuable oxygen. Castrate Knut the polar bear: PETA Posted 5 hours 45 minutes ago An animal rights group in Germany has come under fire for saying Berlin's celebrity polar bear, Knut, should be castrated because he is related to his love interest, Giovanna. The PETA animal rights group warns potential breeding between Knut and Giovanna, who was moved to Berlin from Munich last year, would carry the risk of depression amongst offspring because both bears have the same grandfather. PETA Germany zoo expert Frank Albrecht says the organisation wants to provoke Knut fans who have pressured Berlin Zoo officials to keep the couple together by saying Knut should be castrated. "Fans have to accept the fact that Knut just has to be castrated and then there's nothing wrong with the couple staying together," Mr Albrecht said. The suggestion to castrate Knut, who became famous around the world in 2006 when his mother rejected him and he was instead raised by a trainer, angered fans of the three-year-old polar bear. Mr Albrecht says he has received many calls, including one man saying he should castrate himself first. He says once he explained the reasoning behind his suggestion, most people calmed down. Zoo officials have repeatedly said Giovanna's stay in Berlin is only temporary, and she will return to Munich this summer. - Reuters

Couldn't agree more.

I didn't attend myself, but I understand from reports that at the recent Breeding Better Dogs Seminar at Monash University, the 'commercial' puppy farmer was complaining about the fact that breeders won't share their lines with her, or offer her our good dogs to use. Um, right. Personally, I'd crawl over cut glass before a puppy farmer ever got near one of my dogs (and I do seriously vet people!) but there seems to be a complete lack of understanding by these 'breeders' as to why ethical breeders find 'farming' so distasteful. In much the same way that battery hen farmers don't get it. Mind you, aside from the welfare and health and general treatment issues, there is the fact that dogs are social animals, and you can't expect a battery farmed animal to make a perfect companion if they are isolated and confined. That in itself speaks volumes of the stock that these so-called breeders put in ensuring temperament and mental health.

I would have a behavourist come in - someone who can assess things in your home environment and give you advice and support on what you need to do. I had two pups at once - you can do it, you just need to be smarter than the dogs!LOL

I'd not give up hope, an ultrasound this early on could miss things - esp as you say they won't go do the course!

the forum conversations that I'm readin from people in my breed over there are dubious about its effectiveness/practicality as well. I know for my breed here, which animals I would and wouldn't use, and would not require a database to tell me. However, we are still relatively few in number, so we all tend to know the individual breeding dogs.

Lappies fit your categories. For a spitz, they do have a softer temperament, and are very very affectionate. I have three now, and they are all very easy to live with. Moderate exercise, and while they are a working breed they shouldn't be hyper or obsessive. They are very smart, though, so you do need to stay ontop of it - make sure its you who runs the house!

Ok, this story is now the lead article on the Age online website. It also has a pic of one of the poor dogs - a very sad and skinny looking pug. Link is http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/animal-a...00225-p50q.html Animal activists fight to shut down alleged puppy farm MEGAN LEVY February 25, 2010 - 2:57PM Behind bars ... one of the dogs at the alleged puppy farm. Animal activists are fighting to shut down an alleged puppy farm operating west of Melbourne after inspectors found the animals to be living in horrendous conditions. Dog carcasses were left to rot on the ground, animals were found covered in their own faeces and enclosures were not large enough for some animals to lie down, according to an inspection of the property by Moorabool Shire Council. The owner of the 20-hectare property at Beremboke, Leslie Paxton, had applied to the council for a retrospective planning permit to keep 30 dogs on the land. However the council knocked back that request last week, saying the proposal did not meet the minimum standards of the council's animal keeping policy and was not in keeping with the land's zoning. A council report revealed there were 59 dogs kept on the property late last year without approval, as well as additional livestock. Three Animal Liberation Victoria members secretly visited the property at midnight on Monday to film the appalling conditions, campaign manager Debra Tranter said. "The dogs are sitting in their own faeces. It was really, really bad," she said. "There was one water bowl among about 40 dogs, and that water bowl had filthy water in it." She said the farm should be shut down immediately, and called on the state government to pass legislation outlawing the factory farming of dogs. Moorabool council compliance officers visited the property in September last year and took photographs of animal carcasses rotting on the ground, the council report tabled last week states. "Many of the animals were living and covered in their own faeces," the report says. "Photos show raw meat on the ground for animals to eat, and water containers tipped over. "Photographic evidence does not reflect a good quality of life for the dogs." The inspection also found significant amounts of faecal matter and mud present in pens; that kennels did not protect the animals from the rain; and between two and five large dogs were kept in one pen. The compliance officers found some animals had died unnecessarily. The council concluded that the owners were running a puppy farm, advertising their services through the Melbourne Trading Post. In his application for a planning permit, Mr Paxton claimed the dogs were family pets, and proceeded to name 30 dogs. When contacted by The Age today, Mr Paxton declined to comment. Moorabool Shire Council chief executive officer Robert Dobrzynski said Mr Paxton had 60 days to lodge an appeal against the council's decision with the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal. If an appeal was not lodged, the council would seek an enforcement order under the Planning and Environment Act to have the current use of the land cease, Mr Dobrzynski said.