Bluefairy

Thank you. Yes I mean Caltrop, everyone around here (rural town) pronounce it Cow Throp....so thats what I thought it was called I'll tell OH its safe to use Roundup and let Archie out when its dry. He uses a large pump sprayer, so can get right at the weeds. We have lawn too, the weeds are all around it. Luckily too Archie never digs or goes off the grassed areas much. He prefers sunbaking on the decking. Thank you Lynn

Hi, We have a medium backyard. When we have not had dogs OH sprays weed killer (Not sure of the name) and it kills the weeds. He has contacted the vets to ask about the safety of it with our Pug, and the vet said to keep the dog inside when spraying (well obviously ), and when the weed killer is dry its safe to let the dog out.... Our weeds are now high, mostly cow throp, as OH doesn't feel right in spraying the back yard. So I am here to ask DOL what do you use in your back yards to get rid of your weeds? Just pulling the weeds out isn't an option, OH is a shift worker and I have a disability. Thanks Lynn

Archie the day after we got him in September 2011 aged 14 months: Now aged 16 1/2 months: Other than loosing some weight he looks the same. I don't have any baby pictures sorry Lynn

Every 6 weeks we have to travel into the city, which is an all day trip, so on those days Archie is by himself from about 10am until 5pm. He gets a raw hide bone while we are away. My daughter and myself are home almost 24/7, but we do put Archie outside for 30 minutes to an hour, a couple of times a day. More as a break for both him and us. He has heaps of toys and chew bones out there. He mostly lays in the sun and sleeps. I do check on him often. One day a week we go into the town for a couple of hours, and Archie is left in his crate. He is happy to just sleep or chew on his raw hide....its taking him ages to chew this ;) So he's not on his own a lot, he mostly spends it inside asleep while we watch TV. Lynn

I was always told with medium to smaller dogs 12 months is fully grown. I am not sure about the large and giant breeds. But for staffy's definitely 12 months. Lynn

I managed to get a framed bed for Archie from our local KMart, it was $29. Its very well made, and it comes in 3 colours, black, red and blue. I got red. I called Archie to get on it, he was reluctant at first, but he managed eventually to get up by himself, and he sat proudly on it, they took a huge jump off it. I'm not sure it will get used, but at least he has a bed in the shade if he needs it. Thanks again everyone. Lynn

This happens to cats too We used to have a baby gate on our hallway, so the dog couldn't get into the bedrooms and we could leave the doors open. But for a whole year my oldest cat never jumped the gate, because she thought she couldn't, then one day she did it, and she did it every time after that Yes animals have a weird way of thinking sometimes. Lynn

Thank you everyone. Unfortunately I don't have an Aldi here. I will have a look at KMart, its the only store we have. If not it will have to be online. Anne I have that bed for one of my cats, that might be an idea. Archie can climb over the opening, but might struggle with stepping up onto the frame beds. I might give him a try with it. Thanks again Lynn

Thank you so much. Yes I think the trampoline type would be perfect....my only problem is, do they come in a smaller height. Most of them are 20cm, Archie has neurological problems and he's not all that good lifting his front legs, or climbing stairs. I know I can just cut off the legs and make them shorter, but can you buy them shorter first? I just think he might give up, if he has trouble getting onto or off of it. Thanks Lynn

Hi, My Pug is an inside dog, but when the weather is lovely I let him go outside for a while and he likes to lay in the sun (if its not too warm). So instead of laying on the decking, I want to get him a bed, but I have no idea what types of beds are best. I would like a bed that doesn't deteriorate in the heat and cold, as it will stay outside. It will be under shelter so won't get wet. So what do you think? What size for a Pug? Where do you get them from? Thanks Lynn

I agree, that is so sad. But surely Mr M can still go through Legal Aid to get help with this? They might even be able to recommend a lawyer who will work for free to help, some lawyers do. Or couldn't one of Mr M friends who pat Bull everyday contact the local paper or ACA and tell them about it? The Media can make councils, or anyone, think about what they are doing.... Lynn

BlueFairy ~ From the movie A.I. aka Artificial Intelligence. I loved the boys/robots faith in the Blue Fairy turning him into a real live boy. It was a lovely film. Lynn

Has she explained all this to the breeder? Maybe the breeder will refund the money but hasn't been asked about it yet, and still thinks your mum wants the pup. I have always been led to believe that any deposit you put down on a pup is non refundable. I have known some buyers, have a change of circumstance and they didn't take a pup from that litter, but the money was forwarded onto another litter down the track and the buyers took the next pup. Giving them more time. Why won't your mum tell you what breed of dog she picked? I hope its not a Heinz variety dog too. Good luck Lynn

We have owned a Dobe x GSD (more Dobe than GSD), he was the most gentlest and lovable dog we had owned. There were 4 of us kids from aged 13 down to me aged 6. Nero lived with another dog, a cockatoo, lots of lizards and other pets brought home by my older brother. He never had a problem with them or us, he wasn't into being destructive play, but loved to be taught tricks and trained. I have also sadly met a pedigree Dobe that lived permanently outside, the families children would sometimes go out and play with him. His food bowl was a gigantic bowl, more like a bucket full of dry food (I guess so the owner didn't have to go outside too often). I was surprised this dog wasn't going insane with the lack of any training or socialisation.....but he was also a very gentle dog, when I was introduced to him. He totally craved attention, it broke my heart to see him trying to get as close to the sliding glass door as he could. I was just amazed that even with the way he was treated and ignored he was still this lovable gentle dog. They are a wonderful dog, and if I was ever to get another larger dog it would be a Dobe. Lynn

Personally, from what you have said, I would go with the rescue dog. 1) its older and out of that puppy stage, 2) it already has all the ticks crossed for what you are looking for 3) its of the same age of your dog is, so they might get along better than your dog having to put up with a biting, chewing, annoying youngster. Plus a pup never comes with guarantees of being perfect for livestock. The pup may be aggressive towards them or too shy. You have to hope its going to be OK. The rescue dog is already good with them. Lynn

Years ago, when OH, myself and our 3 girls (aged 4, 11 and 14) were traveling along a rural road, that had only a few houses and open fields. We saw a small dog run across the road. It jump out from our left, where there were bushes, and ran directly towards a house opposite. We hit it, even though we braked, it was too late. The girls saw everything, they were all screaming and crying in the car. OH and I walked back to see the dog, who was dead, OH picked it up and we carried it to the house it was running too. The owners, who must have heard the squealing of the brakes, had come out...the lady was beside herself, the guy took the dog. We tried to explain that we just didn't have time to stop....it happened in seconds. We found out they had 2 mini fox terriers, male and female, this was the male and was always escaping. My girls, as well as OH and myself had nightmares for ages after.....I just don't get it....if your dog escapes....yes I have been there, but you do everything in your power to stop it happening again. So why do people allow other people like us, to kill or injure their dog. Its horrible to go through, its even worse for children to witness it....why do people let it happen? Lynn

I have a Pug called Archie, he is 15 months old. He was starved of O2 at birth and has co-ordination problems, so he wobbles and trips over a bit. This has only affected his balance and not anything else. About 2 weeks ago he had a reverse sneezing fit, it just seemed to go on forever. I had never witness a reverse sneeze so I was unsure what it was or what to do. After the sneezing stopped (about 10 minutes) Archie was very jumpy (like electrical currants going through his body every few seconds), was staggering, would stumble to one side, and would fall over. His head constantly nodded. I rang the vet asap, they told me to get him down there as they thought it was a seizure. He continued to have this seizure for the 30 minutes it took us to get to the vets, then it stopped. Archie was lethargic, he looked exhausted and all he wanted to do was lay there. They kept him over night and did a full blood work up, xrays, and an ultrasound. The blood tests were negative to anything, the xrays showed Archie has a large misshapen heart, and it sits in the wrong place. He doesn't have a heart murmur or one they could hear, but they haven't ruled this out yet. The ultrasound was unclear as the heart is sitting against his ribs, and the ribs are so close together that they couldn't check it properly. The only thing we know is it probably was a seizure, cause unknown. The vet had dealt with one other dog with Archies O2 starvation condition and the dog also started having seizures which eventually led to being PTS. So Archie is now being watched for any more, we are unsure of how long he has, or if the seizures will return. Its just a waiting game. Lynn

Actually there are exceptions. I had a Rotti that came into season every 3 months. But apart from that I can see having a season, being pregnant, having puppies, then coming into season again....is impossible for 4 litters in one whole year. Lynn

I was looking for a Pug, I didn't care if it was an older dog. I mainly wanted a female, but never thought about a male. I was told about a dog with co-ordination problems, Archie was a male and 14 months old needing a new home. I then got this picture: How could you resist that face and that tongue. I fell in love with him. He has been with us now 5 weeks and he just fits in perfectly into our family. We don't know what his future holds, we might have him for years and years, or a short time. He had a seizure a couple of weeks ago, the vet isn't sure what will happen. But he is loved to death, spoilt rotten and a happy little guy. Thats all that counts. Lynn

I use DOL because when I was looking for help to find the perfect breed for my family, I was sent a link for here. I have been here for a while now. I use it to chat to other Pug owners and breeders. I get an enormous amount of help with any problems I have had with things like training, feeding, health, etc. I use the forums a lot, but mostly its the Breed section I go into. I did research the breed I was after, the breeders in my area and interstate, and also all the info I could find. This place is an unbelievable wealth of information for any dog owner. I come in every day. Lynn

I have one 15 month old male Pug called Archie.

I have always had girls, I just find they are so much more placid and easier to train. Archie is my first boy, and I am pleasantly surprised at how much calmer he is, though he is 15mths old. He is very easy to train, he is also very smart and tries to trick you into thinking things....for instance he will go outside, sniff the grass, and come proudly back wanting to go inside. He thinks he's tricked me into thinking he's gone to the toilet ;) he does this a lot. Lynn

I am hoping to come back after this to see great news from you. Good Luck Earl, hang in there. Just like kids always worrying the hell out of us Lynn

Archie my Pug loves Yoghurt Plus as well as mince, rice and vegetables. Lynn

I think it is going to take some time for your dog B to get used to you again. Dogs seem to see life in the here and now, so now you are a a familiar stranger, and they are going to have to get used to having you there. Just be patient. B will come round. Lynn