Little Gifts

Hey K9angel! Still remember when you lost your beautiful girl. Hope things are going well for you, the kids and your doggies. Gosh your kids would be so grown up now!

Only 6 months? If he is capable of that he is capable of harm to humans. At his young age there are plenty more years for his bloodlust to need feeding. A normal person would not be able to hear an animal screaming in fear and pain and get excited over it. Sadly, it wont be the last we hear of him.

I think it could be a vicious circle. You have a breeder who wants to be known for their work so they show their dogs to get a name for their kennel. To do that the potential show dogs from their litters need to exhibit certain characteristics set by the judging world (as opposed to the breeding world and monitoring bodies). I think the puppy a breeder thinks is the pick of their litter could at times be different to the puppy or dog judges in the show ring would award. This could also apply more to certain breeds where showing expectations are more extreme. And what is a breeder to say if they don't want to be ostracised from the showing world? People would claim they were just bitter their dog lost. I'm also assuming there are plenty of breeders who don't show (for various reasons). I'm not sure why judges are supporting a look in a dog that most of us can see could be detrimental to the animal's wellbeing. That's a whole other question. Humans are willing to make sacrifices in the name of beauty for themselves and perhaps some just don't know where to draw the line and it all snowballs?

What's wrong with a dog with a nose? It seems like we are trying to get rid of pesky snouts in the name of perfection and beauty! Seriously though, how can people not see the harm this is doing to brachy breeds? Oxygen is the one thing none of us can stay alive without so why would you make it so hard to access it? I fostered a pei which had enough skin for about 3 dogs. When he lay down he just oozed everywhere. When he walked quickly everything would swing. If he needed to look at something he had to flick his head back so all the loose skin was out of the way. His rescuer remembers seeing him as a pup and he was actually walking on loose skin until his legs grew long enough. He had a groove on his back near his tail that was as deep as my knuckles. Of course he knew no different and was a lovely boy who went to an amazing home. I feel grateful my pei girl is more your traditional style as she has no real physical problems.

Makes me so angry. Puppy farmers not only cost dogs their lives but they are costing taxpayers, donators and rescue groups a lot of money cleaning up their messes. The only people getting anything out of this is the puppy farmers themselves. How many other 'businesses' get away with this kind of thing?

I had a foster vomit up worms too and I agree it was the most disgusting thing I have ever seen. Cleaning that up had me almost puking too! He had also been wormed maybe the week before. I felt terrible knowing they were in his tummy but could've done without seeing the evidence! I love a shiny black dog. I'm sure there will be someone else at there who falls in love with Evie too and is just the right human for her!

If this is such a big issue for the RSPCA then why aren't they doing more as our national body to end puppy farming? And where is the educational information out in the public domain to help people know the difference between a legitimate breeder or a well bred dog and one that has been puppy farmed or back yard bred? I've seen them spend plenty of money on mail outs and events to raise money so why aren't they at least using those as an educational tool as well as a begging strategy? The RSPCA and current governments have not even scratched the surface in ending this horrific money maker. There is still nothing stopping any old Joe from breeding animals and selling them. And as we have discussed many times before, there are lots of DOLers who own dogs (through rescue and other means) who would never have made it through an RSPCA behavioural or health assessment. What hope do long term puppy farm breeding dogs have in their care? They mislead people to think all those harmed animals have gone on to new and wonderful lives. That's the hidden tragedy of puppy farming - the loss of life, not how much money it costs the RSPCA.

Fevah your froggy stretch sounds familiar. Stussy can't dismount from furniture normally. She goes to the ends and stretches over and slides to the floor giving herself a furniture belly rub as she goes. At the end of my bed is a lounge usually covered in clean washing. She does the same thing over that when getting off my bed. Oozes up over the pillows, back of the lounge, clean washing, front edge of the lounge and then hits the floor, covering everything in fur. Lucky I love her!

Sid looks very handsome and stylish!

Huga that's so similar to the Cold Frog! Like the clip idea! Did you make the pattern or use a commercial one?

Strangely I just found a pic of 2 I've made. For Temp I make longer necks and more underbelly coverage but this is what the person who ordered these wanted. I named the coat style Cold Frog. The dog in the blue and black is male so his underbelly section was shorter. Both dogs had arthritis and the owner wanted a blanket type effect around their back legs when they lay down so the back areas are quite full. So many things can be easily changed when you get a custom coat. I wish more people did it for a reasonable price.

Not sure why I have this box above but it doesn't want to go away! All these issues are why I used to custom make dog coats (sewn and knitted in a myriad of fashion AND weather styles). So few dogs are standard shaped or sized. I really need to find time to make more for Tempeh this winter as her last years ones are again a tad small. Last night it was chillier than expected and she cried and carried on all night because she was cold (blankets falling off creating first world problems). The link below is to a coat style that helped me come up with a simpler, more streamlined design I am now using for Temp to create maximum coverage for warmth. I make mine with more coverage around the armpit, belly and bum/thigh area and finish with a velcro section over the spine. I think it is a good style for a cold dog who doesn't like or suit pyjamas and the under section wrap part can be made shorter for boy dogs. I've made them with a plain fleece for the under section and a matching print over the back and they look pretty good. A bit tricky to pattern design for a good fit but worth it for a cold dog in need of extra coverage. I don't have any pics of mine on hand but you get the idea. Not sure who sells similar out here but I started with this image and a commercial dog coat pattern (the red and black style) so I can't be the only one who has had this idea! http://www.chillydogs.ca/coat/30

I'll be honest - I never get why people go for short cute coats that don't cover the butt and thighs of a dog. If I were a dog I'd want as much of me as possible covered and toasty warm! It's a bit like a human wearing a fluffy jumper and bikini bottoms!

I can usually tell by Tempeh being unsettled that she is cold. She has no fur and prefers to be quite warm when she sleeps. So if she is wandering around carrying on at night rather than fast asleep straight after dinner I try a coat on and off to bed she goes. Usually 15 degrees and under is coat weather for her but I don't have a thermometer so let her guide me. Tonight it will get to 10 degrees and I know that means she will need a double coat to stay warm enough. As for Stussy well she has lovely thick fur but will nudge for a coat plus sleep in it under the doona if she feels like it.

Moosmum that reminds me of something Stussy does - also self taught and unasked. She does a batch of rollovers pretty much every night in the lounge room. She flings herself into them though from a standing position and has been known to take out furniture in the process.It's like watching a gymnast practise a floor routine on a too small mat. I tried to make her do them on command but she looked at me like I was a crazy person speaking with my hands in Italian. Malcolm is a legend!