Little Gifts

I was using Canidae kibble but keeping some Black Hawk tinned on hand. All of a sudden I can't buy Canidae so have gone back to Black Hawk kibble this time around. Waiting for it to arrive so will let you know what I think. We stopped buying it because the quality seemed to be waning (we found some weird stuff inside the bag once too).

I saw this last night and loved it! Go Lexie!

I'm so sorry LFF. I only just saw this thread because even though Tempeh has been gone 4 years at the end of this year I don't like to be reminded of it. But having Jonah come into my life not too long after Temp left us (even though we weren't looking) made me realise that we love all the people and animals so close to us with different pockets of our heart. When we say we will love to the end of life we mean our lives - not theirs. So yes that little pocket breaks when they leave us but another empty pocket is there when a new loved one (be it human or animal) comes along. Just like our wonderful dogs, our ability to love more is infinite and seperate to our pain. So Tonka will always have his own pocket - that will never ever change. Thankfully the pain loses its sharpness and the memories gain theirs, or we'd never get through it. So I can love and remember Tempeh as equally as I adore and make new memories with Jonah. It actually helped me through the grieving process to discover this. We can do both. So if a new doggo helps you deal with the passing of Tonka so be it. He will always be with you on the inside.

It's funny how different our dogs can be socially. If we go to a pei meet up Jonah has to circumnavigate the whole park and pee on every single little thing while Stussy has to run straight into the biggest pile of dogs to say hello. Eventually Jonah comes back to say hello to the humans and sniff his doggy mates and Stussy needs a time out in a quiet corner because she's gotten way too excited with all her new friends. The outcome is of course the same - two very tired dogs!

This was Tempeh too. Hated leaving the house! We just worked around it and found other ways to exercise her physically and mentally at home - why torture her with something she doesn't like? I do regret not trying Nosework stuff with her though - I think she would've enjoyed that but again, it would have to be at home. One human thing I did start doing with her though was talking to her a lot. I've never talked to my dogs before but we saw some animal communicator (I know, I know....) and they said she would benefit from being talked to. She did and now I talk to all my dogs far more than is probably normal! Stussy of course is deaf and Jonah doesn't care but I still do it! That is probably the most humanising crime I still commit.

One thing I have always been confused about is people who walk their dogs simply to physically exercise them. They aren't allowed to stop and sniff things - they are pulled to go from A to B in a set amount of time. I've always let my dogs meander wherever they want on our walks (as long as safety is maintained). Jonah in particular loves a good sniff and it really gets his saliva going so he always needs a good clean up around the chops. Stussy just wants to be out front seeing everything. I normally have one arm pulled in her direction and the other out behind me while Jonah is still standing somewhere soaking up the odours. It's their walk, not mine. I want all their senses to be engaged. And both mine have jobs - jobs they are naturally inclined to that suit our household and fit their personalities. How boring would their lives be if they couldn't get excited about something or feel they had a purpose in our packs?

I hope this leads to something positive for all the breeding dogs and their pups! And for customers getting ripped off believing they are buying some expensive fancy breed.

So far we have had a recommendation for BVSC - https://www.bvsc.com.au/?fbclid=IwAR27u7HFzqsRortCibhGKud2YcvCtTdAz-OcYzm3GzcKjztkVcJrjE2gpLc Pei people are very particular about their vet care (pei have some unique health issues) so I do trust any recommendations passed on to me.

I am Brisbane southside but know lots of pei people on the northside so will do a group ask for you now.

I look at it this way. Anything 'created' with quality materials by a skilled craftsperson should have a higher value than something mass produced by unskilled labourers. Few corners are cut and they take their time to produce a final product that is both fit for purpose and intended to have a long and useful/enjoyable life. We pay more money for quality goods all the time - furniture, cars, clothes, handbags, shoes, homes, holidays, hell I even spend more on certain plants for my garden. Why would living creatures be any different? Farmers do it all the time too to secure just the right stock. So it amazes me some of the prices people pay for poorly bred or fancy cross bred puppies. Sadly price indicates nothing about quality and skill in the companion animal world.

People wrongly assume the microchip system works like magic but it also relies on new owners to ensure their pet is both chipped in their name and that address and phone information is kept up to date at all times. I had a foster dog transferred over to me (had all the paperwork) and a post came up about checking your pet's micro-chip details. My doggo was not there so I rang the company and was told there was something wrong with the paperwork so it never went through properly. But they never bothered to contact me on the info provided or the rescue group or even the vet who did the micro-chipping. I'd had the dog permanently about 7 months by then. And on lost and found pages you regularly hear about lost dogs with no collar on and the owner saying they've recently moved (although you'd assume the mobile number was still the same). So we also need to take personal responsibility for ensuring those chip details are always current.

Oh bless him! He is gorgeous!!! And looking healthier and happier already! How did the meet and greet go?

I'm so very sorry Rascal but don't regret for a single minute that you took her into your hearts and lives and gave her the love and care she deserved, even if it was just for a few short weeks. Run free now beautiful girl.

The info about affidavits disheartens me a lot. Actually it hurts. I'm a Commissioner for Declarations and got it a long time ago so I could sign work affidavits (which I did multiple times a day for many years). I took those documents very seriously. The staff who had written them took them very seriously too because our aim before the courts was to prove harms had occurred to children and to keep them away from that situation so that no further harm could occur. If it was not spelt out in those documents then we would be laughed out of court and the suffering of those children was on us. So shame on any person in power not making the same effort. Change your job if you don't care enough.

Oh Rascal what a wonderful thing you and your daughter have done! Welcome to your new life, Katie! And just a suggestion for the arthritis if you need it - Golden Paste and Antinol Rapid are keeping our old girl very nimble and pain free still even though she has a lot of arthritis.