Little Gifts

I love a gal who is a bit OTT with colour . She is gorgeous and reminds me of the Christmas Card that Shar Pei Rescue Queensland put out last year. But they forgot the Tiara - LOL. Trust me DD, I had a tiara (and sparkly wand!) at the photo shoot but I couldn't talk Ams and the photographer into it!

Sniffme? They practically stole my old DOL name!!!!!

All I've got is tears. Missing you already Charlie. I hope you are having a blast at the bridge!

Oh Dawg I had to stop reading the Rainbow Bridge area and didn't realise Charlie was gone! I am sobbing like a big baby here because he was so ripped off - he deserved a long, healthy and pain free life. He was certainly a character and a tough nut but four years is just not long enough. I'm glad his last day was on his terms and comforting to you all - that is a blessing. He will live on in your hearts and memories (and quite a few DOLers who have followed his story). The hugest of hugs to you all. There will be tears for a while yet. XXX

Mt SBT girl has always done that - she likes to lick her bowl sparkling clean!

My sister's dog Wolf is nearly 10 and very active for her age with no real health or joint problems. I switched all three dogs over to a mainly kibble diet a few months back - either Canidae ALS or Black Hawk Chicken and rice twice a day with either greek yoghurt or sardines or chicken necks. Treat wise they get dried fish, yoghurt drops, lamb spines and other dried chicken thingies. Wolf has always been on the lean side and due to her hunger levels she gets a cup in the morning and at night. As a dog who used to need to be hand fed she scoffs this down wityh no problems. Unfortunately, even though this diet seems to agree with her health wise (shiny coat, clean teeth, no more ear infections, etc) she has lost weight and is feeling bony around her spine. As she is already lean we are concerned about this. The vet said she needs a diet more attuned to a senior dog. I looked at the options (like that Hills B/D mentioned in the other old thread about diet) and the ingredients list is not what I'd consider appropriate for good quality kibble - too much grain and by-product. Can anyone give me other suggestions on good kibble or even items to add to what I already think is good kibble (the Canidae and Black Hawk) to put some weight back on and keep it? Should I just feed her more of everything? Could she need some age appropriate supplements to help her metabolise all the nutrients she is getting in her current diet? As I said she is still very active and has shown no signs of any joint issues for a dog of her size. She plays zoomies and bitey face as hard as the other, younger two and still flies through the air rather than using the stairs! Her coat has been a little manky but only in that, like some others have experienced, she has been constantly moulting this summer. Thank you!

We get so used to their little quirks (as they do to ours). I have this thing where I still go to round up our pack and can't find the black one (dead almost 2 years now). Same in winter when it is coat time - I get too many out. I've conveniently forgotten all the things she used to do to drive me crazy (like when her head was out the back door but her arse was still inside and she'd pee). Hugs Pers. XXX

Oh to be a birthday dog at your place!!!!!

So glad she is home! I guess she gets ball catching time now but it might have to be limited to a few throws so you don't have to go through this again. Thank you for sharing your experience though as it could help others. Gotta love DOL for that!

This also happened to a lady doing the Kokoda Trail. So how did they treat Sally for this? Do they try and replace the depleted elements or just monitor? Vomiting would only remove excess fluid from the stomach so I'm assuming it is like the whole body gets over saturated and not just the stomach? Awfully scary for you!

I'm still loving Tango!

I've always thought Willow had a dose of extra cute every since you started 'fostering' her. With her new pink bedding and bling she had FF written all over her!

I started coming down with a lergy last night - rare for me. Feel like total shite but I'm trying to sweat it out. I've spent all day cleaning the garage and house and leaving a trail of tissues behind me! No head spins or I'd be in bed too cuddled up with my sloth dog. Hope we both feel better soon!

How do you get anything done? I'd just want to lie around in the yard with them crawling all over me!

Why isn't the council or the RSPCA doing more to educate the public around this issue? There is no reason in this day and age for people to accidentally breed not once but twice! Mandatory desexing!!!!! Oh and I hope they are able to re-do the bedrooms of one of those kids to make the new pup feel the love and security it deserves!

My sister has been saving bags of wool from her husky/GSD girl with a view to felting it but I am yet to see anything other than collecting the fur happening for the last 2 years! Crazy dog lady hair hoarder! PS Macgyver is so cute!

Pei seem to pick who they want to live with so I think Ams does things a bit differently. If a connection is made between the humans and dog at a meet and greet then the next step is making sure the home environment will match the dogs needs. An adopter is given time to address any specific issues (like fencing) that may have shown up on their home visit or application. There is no overall right or wrong but just what is best for the pei in question and there is also not this big rush to move dogs on. Some of mine have had multiple visits with their new family before they left me. I am not sure why other rescue groups wouldn't want to do something similar if it was really in the dog's best interests to live with that family? Give them a chance to rectify something they didn't realise was an issue if that is the only thing preventing the adoption. Of course you couldn't waste time chasing people but is helping people who are genuinely interested in a particular dog so difficult? I think people who are keen tend to willingly stay in contact anyway. And despite pei being a bit special we've had adopters who have not owned a pei or dog before either so the hoops are not impossible to jump through!

I'm very dissapointed there is no pei as well Boronia!

I was terrified I would not be considered good enough to be a foster carer for Ams but was honest on the 100 page application form (ok so it was only maybe 80 pages!). I would've learnt and performed a magic trick if she had've said I needed to! I think it is impossible for anyone to say they are a perfect pet owner because it all depends on the pets/breed of dog. I like to think I am a responsive pet owner and foster carer; I adapt when it is needed and I am constantly learning new tools. I hope the learning never stops. I was talking to someone today in a hairdresser who was saying how important pet insurance was for her swf. I have never had it for any of my pets and have not even considered needing it. The reason for that is because I am all about prevention first and I think knowing your dogs and paying attention to any changes that take place means you get appropriate treatment early for any issues that might arise and it can save you money in the long run. Feed them appropriately too and it saves you money on dental work and other nasties that can arise from the wrong diet like allergies and pancreatitis. I know this seems simplistic and that accidents occur and we can't possibly predict all ailments but I don't get why people leave their dogs rubbing their eyes or scratching at their skin or squealing if you touch their sore ears? So many things that dogs come into rescue suffering with are easily preventable in those early stages and less costly on the pocket and the dog. Even malnutrition - people can afford cigarettes and alcohol but not a $1 chicken carcass or even shade and fresh water on a hot day? I just don't understand why they even bother owning an animal in the first place if it is such an inconvenience. Sorry, an OT moment.

I believe in fate and even though he cried he probably needed to. And he probably needed to be reminded about his own dog over the bridge and new life rather than just loss. Sometimes when people are older it can all seem about what they don't have rather than what they do. I think he will probably remember meeting Sammy and it will make him smile. I hope they run into each other again!

If they knew about Max I'm sure they'd have a perfect stamp model - crazy face sells right?

Tempeh was already being a bit of a cry baby this morning - she is over the rain as much as me, so I got up early and wrapped her amethyst and put it on a rubber necklace thingy and she is wearing it around without a problem, all nice and quiet noise wise but her ears are doing crazy things. She looks quite funky in her bling! Her eyes look a bit funny as she is still healing from entropian surgery a couple of weeks ago.

That's the thing Jules - the dogs don't know what is supposed to happen so I take any change as a sign it's working!

Jules I use a puppia harness on my SBT and it is the best harness set up I've used on her. Nice and comfy and it gives me good control of her. I wanted one for my pei girl but her neck/chest ration is not right for one so she has a couple of Rogz adjustable harnesses instead.

I am not adverse to trying different things with my dogs that others might consider wierd. For instance At least 3 of our dogs over the years have worn crystals with positive effect. It first started when I got given a magnetic hematite necklace and I put it on my old staffy girl - she was black and it looked good on her! Anyway we found out it was good for arthritis and mobility and that girl lived to be almost 17 without any bone or joint issues. She did have some brain and nerve problems that caused her to drag her back toes. We figured she wouldn't have a clue whether it worked or not but she was certainly a lot more lively when the necklace was on so it became a permanent fixture. We then got an amethyst for my sister's dog that was rather highly strung (amethyst is calming) and she has become more content but I think that is more an age thing as it is attached to her collar and she only wears her collar when we leave the house with her these days. We got a clear quartz crystal for my young sbt and it sent her crazy immediately. I can't remember what is was supposed to achieve but it was not good for her so it came off failry quickly. I think she was also wearing turquise at some stage but I can't remember why or whether it worked. So with our new pei girl Tempeh I was reminded of this and when I set her new soft crate up (taking away the metal one) I put a large rough amethyst piece in a pocket of the crate. Instead of being a little concerned about the change of bed arrangements she seems to love the cosiness of her new crate and no longer wakes me early for a piddle; only waking me by 7 so she can have her brekkie. I leave the door of it open but she still prefers it to sleeping on my bed with the other dogs. Sleeping through the night could also be that she is older but she has not peed on her bed and also takes treats and toys in there during the day for privacy and she never did that with the metal crate. Yesterday I was in a bead shop and was drawn to this tumbled piece of amethyst so I bought it. When I came home Tempeh was fascinated with it, sniffing and licking it. So I cleansed it overnight and will wire wrap it tonight and hang it from her harness to see if that calms her down on outings. Anybody else used crystals on their dogs with noticeable change or am I the only hippy here? I love rocks in general but cannot wear crystals or even have them in my pockets - they just amplify things for me and I feel too OTT. So I just have them throughout the house and no-one else is allowed to touch them!