mr.mister

Hi guys,

A friend of mine's mother is looking for a new dog. She has fallen in love with Westies, so I said I would help them do some research to find a reputable breeder. :)

The lady in question lives on her daughter's property in her own granny flat, and is after a small dog as a companion. The dog would be inside/pottering around the house with her most of the time, but would also be able to spend time running around their (fenced) property. Would a Westie suit this kind of lifestyle?

Does anybody know what you could expect, price wise? They are happy to pay around $1000, but were told by one breeder that they contacted that they wouldn't be able to find one for any less than $1800 - is this really true? I don't know much about the breed but that doesn't sound right to me..

They are really nice people, this little dog would be very well loved. :) If anyone knows of any good breeders in Victoria, feel free to PM me!

I still haven't watched Red Dog. I am such a sook!

No loss it was absolute rubbish.

It's mildly entertaining, but you really aren't missing out on a great life experience if you don't ever see it :laugh: :laugh:

Read the book instead.

Yes so many people went on about the movie and when I finally watched it, it was such a disappointment. Bad acting and just badly executed. Harrumph! :laugh:

I adopted and later rehomed a cat from the RSPCA who was going to be PTS. I was the one who found him as a stray and surrendered him; thankfully I gave them my details and they called me when he hadn't been claimed saying that he was due to be PTS the next day because he'd contracted a mild case of cat flu from being there. I took him on and after a week of medication (which, ironically, the RSPCA had to pay for because he was sick at the time of adoption) he was fine. He was a gorgeous, bubbly, sweet and very human-oriented cat, that luckily ended up in a really nice home. I can't help but think how many animals like that lose their lives unnecessarily.

I understand that not everything with a heartbeat should be kept alive, but when it's something as simple as a case of the sniffles or a weepy eye that puts an otherwise rehomable animal on the kill list, I have an issue with that.

She says she's trying to make a point... of what, exactly? How to be a moron, maybe? :laugh:

That seems like an odd rule. What if the bitch purchased doesn't turn out as hoped or has some kind of complication prior to breeding resulting in a spey? Do they revoke your prefix or something?

On a bed of flowers.. how absolutely beautiful.

Such a lucky dog to have been so loved.

I rode a standardbred as a teenager, his name was Phil. :laugh: He couldn't really trot, he paced most of the time but he was very quiet and gentle (and a bit lazy!) and I enjoyed riding him. He tended to pace most when he was overexcited. He was a hard worker though and I agree with the statement that they are eager to please.

Definitely email a detailed letter to your property manager before you get the pup. If you already have well trained pets then that will probably work in your favour. Having it all in writing is paramount.

I emailed my property manager detailing what kind/size of dog, whether it was desexed or not, where I planned to house it and all the good points about it. (for example, 'Fluffy is a poodle, thus she has a non-shedding coat'). The landlords were fine with me having a dog (inside, too!) even though they had had bad experiences previously. As it turned out it didn't work out getting a dog but that is a separate story. I think it worked in my favour that I was a long term tenant with a good reputation.

Thanks so much everyone. :)

I feel a lot better now. It helps that he is just the sweetest dog and just seems to be making the whole thing as easy for me as possible. :laugh: I had a little cry earlier in the day but once I did that I seemed to feel a lot better.

On a completely different note, zeke has this oily grey/brown stuff in his ears. He isn't shaking his head but does scratch them sometimes. They smell very 'doggy' compared to the rest of him. I just gave him a flea bath as I found a few on him, not sure if they have anything to do with it?

I'm not sure if I'm the only one who gets this, but is love to hear from other people about their experiences when getting a new dog.

I adopted a 13 month old kelpie cross yesterday. In essence, he is everything I've wanted. Well trained and well mannered, sweet and gentle with my two cats, loves people, very intelligent but not hyperactive, and just generally sweet and affectionate. So really, he is a joy to have around.

However, I seem to have got myself into a slump today and am worrying whether getting a dog at all was a good decision.

I have no problem training him, exercising him, taking him out to toilet or anything like that but just seem to be really depressed about the whole thing. I am wondering if its just a passing feeling because of the shock to the system (he's my first dog in 7 years) or if I'm really not cut out for it yet?

Perhaps it's just the fact that its been cold and dreary for the last 4 days, and I'm tired from the 7 hour trip to pick him up?

Has anyone experienced this with adding a new pet to the family? Did it pass?

Would love to hear some related stories.

For those who asked, this is zeke. Kelpie x coolie. :)

My old border would go mental for almonds. I remember having to close my door once while I was eating them because I couldn't bear him sitting in the doorway giving me sad puppy eyes. :laugh:

Details on Friday when I pick him up. :laugh:

Is that all?? The rescue I got him from told me they don't do it as its too expensive for them

Maybe :p

I know it depends on the vet, but can anyone give me a ballpark figure? I need to get my new dog done and have to save up a bit.

Thanks for the heads up, I've been looking for cheapies for a while. :)

I never really bonded with cat number 2. even though she's the more affectionate one. Sometimes I wonder whether she'd be better off in a one cat home. So no, although I care about them both very much, I don't love them equally.

I have a copy of the dog man. I don't agree with all of his practices, but think he has a wealth of knowledge and a lot of the things he does make sense. Amazing life story!

So, I'm finally in a position where I can own a dog. :)

I'm wanting to do some preliminary research first - I have two cats and don't have health cover for them. However, they're pretty bomb proof and are inside only cats, so risks to their health are minimal. Do you have pet insurance for your dog? If so, how much do you pay, and who would you recommend? I have just been looking at Medibank pet care which looks relatively reasonably priced, but I don't really know what to compare it to. :laugh:

Is it worth it? I don't have high disposable income so I think a $300 annual fee would be easier for me to handle than an expensive vet visit.

And on another, completely unrelated note, how do those who also own cats deal with the cat litter issue? I don't want my dog chowing down on kitty crunchies.

As I rent, I can't put a cat flap in the door to their litter tray, but thinking perhaps a baby gate would work in supervised situations? The dog wouldn't have access to that part of the house when I'm out anyway so thinking this may work - if the temptation isn't too great. :laugh:

I agree with others on the 'doing it the right way' stance. I knew from a very early age I wanted to be involved with dogs and breed them. I ended up discovering the show/pedigree world for myself because I was an industrious researcher, and have since made some great friends and mentors in my chosen breed. When the time comes to do it, I'll be doing it right. :) If they really do love their dogs then they would probably be open to being taught about the sporting/showing world and may be prepared to wait until they are more knowledgable and a more suitable dog comes up.

Hey there ziggy, and welcome to DOL. :)

You have repeated throughout your posts that you did not know about the vaccinations, transport costs and how much it costs a breeder to breed (they're lucky to break even, usually!). Well, now you know, so I would suggest giving the breeder a phonecall like others have suggested, as it's easy for things to get lost in translation over email. Perhaps apologise to them that you were not aware of these costs and that you are still very new to all this puppy buying business. We all make mistakes, after all.

I, too would have been suspicious after reading what you've said in your emails - it would have given me the impression that you weren't prepared to spend money on the pup to adequately care for them. Give them a call, it will be a lot easier to explain what you mean over the phone than through the internets.

That's awesome! I'll be sure to keep an eye out when it starts screening. :D

I haven't tried many places but I can definitely tell you where to stay away from - Bendigo Pet Retreat. I had my cats there and wouldn't do it again - they came back into my care in appalling condition.

Is that for good, or just over the Christmas period?

If it's permanent, good on them. Any pet shop that makes a point of not selling animals has my patronage, and I hope more continue to follow suit.

This is probably common sense to a lot of DOLers, but I thought I would put this out there anyway, after I heard a very sad story from my neighbour.

This neighbour had two cats and a dog, as well as another dog which regularly came and stayed with them. The dogs have always interacted well with the cats, but one day it seems the two dogs were playing, got over aroused and ended up using one of the cats as a tug toy. Her back was broken, and she had to be PTS.

Unfortunately, this isn't the first story I've heard like this. So please be careful, fellow DOLers. Watch carefully for any predatory behaviour, and separate if possible when not at home.

RIP little tabby cat.