mita

That's a good summary of advice. Thanks for posting. I heard on the ABC News that quite a few homes have been destroyed. Here's hoping it can be contained.

I saw one similar a few days ago. I thought it was a baby pram, at first. But thro' the mesh, a dog was sitting up, enjoying the ride.

What Airedaler said, made sense to me. I've had 2 dogs with separation anxiety & got splendid assistance with handling the problem from a bahaviorist vet. Both had full access to the house. The training taught them to be left alone .... which they never really had been before, coming from busy, well-run 'show' kennels. ( I've had other dogs from same backgrounds, who didn't develop separation anxiety.) The first one, a sheltie, ripped up soft furnishings to show her demand. But she didn't make noises, like barking & howling which would have annoyed neighbours. That meant I could put the training into place, & during her learning period she wasn't annoying neighbours. The training ... like all training ... doesn't have success instantly. The learning is gradual over a few weeks (in the sheltie's case). In your dog's case, you don't have the luxury of a learning period like this, because noise disrupts a shiftworker's sleep. The second one, a tibbie, showed her demand for company by howling & barking. But most of the neighbours were at work all day. And the next door neighbours also owned a tibbie, were home & cooperated during the learning period. Unless you have neighbour's willing to be patient while learning kicks in, you're faced with a real problem. It could be an impossibility to ask for a period of patience from a shiftworker. (Yes, both the sheltie & the tibbie came good with the training.)

Thanks for that info.

One of the vets told me that crunching up bone in the diet, helps. But my dogs are only little & we've had a couple of nasty incidents with crunching bone that got stuck in gullets (expensive trip to vet emergency). She then told me to look for foods that have bonemeal in them ... that is, the already crunched up bone. But one of my smallies still has a tendency for anal glands to get full. It seems our cat is a rare case. She also gets full anal glands.... & I can always tell, because she'll suddenly stop eating (& she eats like a horse). The vet said it's rare in a cat, but can happen. ADDED: Found a reference from a vet (who used to be pres of the US Humane Society). He mentions bonemeal to help bulk up the stools which then helps the anal glands. He also mentions a teaspoon of psyllium (another vet told me about that, too): http://drfoxvet.com/Library/qanda/post/2011/02/07/My-neutered-corgi-mix-has-been.aspx

Yes, good question, Saithroth ... I agree with your answer, K. A tendency towards separation anxiety can be in a dog you raise from a pup ... so there's quite a few variables in it. Much depends on the individual dog. The 8 yr old we adopted, waltzed right in as if she'd lived here always. Yet, because of sad circumstances, ours was her 4th home. But our 7 month old sheltie, direct from a good breeder, did show SA. With easy to follow guidelines from a UQ vet behaviourist, it was soon fixed. There are things that new owners & relinquishing owners can do to lessen the risk of separation anxiety occurring. Some tips like that are being discussed in the Rescue Forum at the moment about a sheltie rescued, then lovingly fostered, who'll now be going into a brilliant forever home.

Check out if there's any shelters/rescues in NZ who willingly take in older dogs when owners have died or gone into nursing homes. Just an example. AWL Qld (Ipswich & the Gold Coast) are brilliant at doing that. Like presently, they have 8 & 10 yr old Pup & Em, whose owner's died. Scroll down: https://www.facebook.com/AWLQLD In Sydney, Denise at PAWS does likewise & has had lovely mature-aged & senior dogs for adoption.

Yes to this, too. Also would help the continuity.

That's a lovely thought!

For all sorts of reasons, breeders can have older dogs available. Or know of one. I've adopted an 8 yr old dog from a registered breeder who had kindly taken in the dogs of another breeder who's became seriously ill. That lovely girl waltzed into our home as if she'd always lived there. She's nearly 14 yrs old now ... healthy & looks years younger. Only recently I had to hold on to the furniture to stop applying for a beautiful 11 yr old from another excellent breeder who was seriously injured in a house fire that killed his wife. Most of his gorgeous dogs had to be rehomed. None of those were advertised .... as Cowanbree said, word-of-mouth is so important. That's a great offer to help you make contact with breeders. I don't think it matters if you enquire about breeds that you haven't had before. So long as the needs of that breed fit well with what you have to offer. And you've described that very clearly.

Just a suggestion. Before Bonnie goes, get an old towel & rub your hands & feet over it, to transfer your scent. Rub it over Georgia, too, to transfer her scent. Those scents might give Bonnie a sense of continuity in her new home ... a bit like taking 'photos' of loved 'familiars' with her. Won't be long, tho', before her new people are 'her' people & she's their sheltie princess. She's started that already, as soon as she met them.

Just a suggestion, don't wait for advertisements. Ethical registered breeders sometimes take back their adult dogs (of any age) because something has happened in the life of the owner. The breeder then looks for a new good home. Also some registered breeders retire a showdog to a good pet home, after that dog has done its bit for development of the breed. So, contacting breeders of your breed of choice & making enquiries, can be helpful. They may not have advertised a dog, but have one available if a good home lobs up. Even if nothing is immediately available, they may keep your name & contact when an occasion arises. They may even put you on to another breeder. Nothing like word-of-mouth. Also sometimes the breed club keeps a list of dogs that breeders or a breed rescue has available for rehoming. Again, they also might keep your name & contact if a dog becomes available. All of our dogs in recent years have come from doing these things. We're hugely grateful for the beautiful, lovely natured dogs that ethical registered breeders have entrusted us with.

You taught Bonnie what good humans are like. So she knew what to look for in her new home. You're right, she picked them!!! As a foster-carer, you did mighty good ... and deserve to feel proud. Lovely that they'll keep in touch.

Some people were behind the door, when tact was given out. That 'friend' may be excellent at 'reading' dogs, but not too good at 'reading' humans. You've been Bonnie's foster-carer & have done everything in her best interests. You're also in charge of your own household & what fits best into your life. All of that has led to your decision that Bonnie is available for adoption.... which was the 'contract' when you took on the fostering in the first place. Keep going forward ... no place for guilt in that. We were in a different position when we took in rescue sheltie, Danny. We wanted a second dog to go with resident sheltie, Shelley. The 'want' was already there.... & by lucky chance he showed up.

Very easy to answer the poll with my buddhist tibbie girls. :)

Loving this thread, too. All that gorgeous dopiness is why we love them so much. :)

Lilly is gorgeous! We have a Tibbie girl neighbour called, Lily! . Yep, Tibbies are like potato chips... you can't stop at one. :) Lucky you, who'll get Lilly's kisses & cuddles. Keep those pics coming. Sydney friends just got a Tibbie girl puppy named Gigi (same direction). Mmmm ... wonder if they're Kissing Cousins! :)

My dogs would just say, to it all, 'You've got a lot of time on your hands. So instead of playing silly beggars with towels, how about a cuddle?' Ask any question & that's their response. Their favourite is if someone mouths 'I love you!', they fly across the room into their arms. Does lip-reading count as intelligence?

We met someone with a large lump of a dog named 'Puddy'. Ha! Ha! I assumed it was a funny name based on 'Puddycat'. Turns out it was short for 'Pudding'. :)

You're very perceptive, sunny! I'm a Tibetan Spaniel ... & that breed is described as having a nature that's 1/3 dog, 1/3 cat & 1/3 monkey. Description from the site for international breeders: The TS is a highly intelligent animal that will bond very closely with you, but it will not be your obedient servant, and it will be convinced (perhaps correctly) that in most circumstances it knows better than you. Hence, the one-line manual. :)

Lady... I'm me. Enjoy, serve my needs, give plenty of cuddles ... and practice patience.

The big racing greyhound next door, Harry, is a dope. He was a Qld Sprint Champion & represented Qld at national level. The commentators praised his macho aggressiveness to beat the other greys. But, when our little tibbie girl goes to the fence & gives one bark at him, he hides behind his dad's legs. 'Please, dad, save me!'

Love the name, Reg. Perfect for a Kelpie.

A big YES to this. Causes awful confusion for 'other Staters' who don't know about the NSW microchip registry. And happy moving!

Kelley. Because she had the luck of the Irish to get into fostercare. And may that luck take her to a new, good home. A green bandana would suit her! Or you could just call her 'irish'.