Little Gifts

I'm afraid I was one of those irritating dog owners only this past Monday. Stussy has been sick on and off since Boxing Day so Monday we went in and they decided to test for pancreatitis, which meant we had to wait half an hour for the results. So I took Stuss through Red Rooster and I got some lunch, then we had a bit of a walk then went back for the test results. It was a very hot day so waiting outside or in the car wasn't a good option for either of us. The surgery was full by that stage and Stussy is an SBT who loves everyone and everything. There was a mini poodle, 18 years of age on a bed on the floor waiting to be pts and Stuss desperately wanted to go over to her to make her feel better (I could see in her eyes she wanted to give her face a lick/clean). There was a small black puppy and 2 kids and she so wanted to say hello to them all as well. Then someone with a cat in a little bed poked it's head out, but the thing that sent her over the edge was this grumpy looking man who came in and sat with the min poodle lady and for some reason Stussy acted like she knew him and went beserk - ear piercing barks, whole body wags. As I still don't have a lot of strength in my left arm I was getting her to sit and drop and shushing her rubbing her between my feet half under my chair. She didn't get close to any of the other animals or people but she certainly made sure everyone knew she desperately wanted to - like a kid in a candy shop. She even tried to get under the reception counter to say hello. As she had what ended up being a gastro bug she was also farting like a trooper and the smell filled the room. Luckily everybody was very good about her antics (and the farts) and none of the other animals in there were of the reactive type. Lots of apologising on my part. As for retractable leads - I think they are the worst invention ever and should carry warnings so that only small, non-athletic dogs are only ever attached to them. Unfortunately they make the leads big and chunky so people with bigger and stronger dogs think they are fine to use. An accident just waiting to happen.

Yep our latest pup is allowed on my bed if I read at night but is so used to sleeping in her crate she has now just been going in of her own accord and not bothering with my bed. In the mornings she is also allowed on the bed between when she wakes and when they get brekkie but she is often outside just playing in the yard by herself instead. I always try and keep the squishiest, comfiest bed in trhe crate for her to snuggle into. I am going to change over from a metal crate to a soft one soon but will leave it in the same position where she can see everything.

Oh that is so beautiful!!!!!

When you have a tummy upset and everyone makes rude gestures at you every time your bottom burps.

Amen to that. PS I'm already feeling a little bored with 2013.

Oh Lab Rescue that is terribly traumatic for you. I also remember the pups T is talking about and immediately thought of them when you mentioned the worming. I have no advice, sorry, but I would strongly consider what T has said re the worm products you use in future on pups. It certainly can't hurt.

Kura already has a strong and mature looking face. To my untrained eye it has slightly different shaping to the other pups and mum's though? Like more angles? I can imagine she will be beautiful when she grows up.

I recall the lovely Daphne was the Queen of stealing washing off the line though! One day I was yelling at her through your bathroom window as she was helping herself to clean and almost dry clothes and she was looking everywhere for this strange mysterious voice! A girl's got to get up to some mischief I guess!

Not that anyone's counting!

Our newest addition is a talker. All. The. Time. Unfortunately I have caught myself talking back. She has one humphy sort of sound she makes if the older dog has her cordoned off (evil older dog game) and that is the one we respond to most so we can train the older dog out of doing it and the youngest out of thinking she can't get by safely. The one that can never be neglected is her nom nom noises - usually followed by chewing on whatever bits she can get hold of on her humans. This is a sign that breakfast/dinner is clearly overdue by at least one minute! Up the nom noises and chewing as each additional minute passes till you are deaf and missing a limb!

How exciting! What breed? Katdogs has very recently got a new pup from a breeder so you could pm her and ask her the things she overlooked so you don't make the same mistakes!

We had 3 here - the youngest and oldest (both sbt rescues) were desexed. The youngest started fighting with the oldest when she was around 6 months old and it was getting really out of hand. The youngest didn't like her position in the pack but the old girl still wouldn't relinquish her spot even though she was about 13 when the fights started. We got an Amichien Bonding person in and overnight everything changed and settled. The young girl had a role in the pack that she seemed to need. Every now and then the young girl would look like she wanted to start something but we'd be right on top of her and things would settle without any scuffle. Our old girl went over the bridge last year at almost 17 still never having lost a fight! This year we started fostering and said we'd only take young males. All the young males bar one got on famously with our girls. One boy was cocky and started a fight with the youngest girl first night over a toy. She lost the fight. She tolerated him while he was here but he came back for a visit after he was adopted and as soon as she saw him she wasn't having him on her turf again! We ended up taking on sibling pups to foster and the female has become a foster failure and fits in beautifully with our existing 2 girls. Pup is desexed but is also respectful of the pack heirachy. So based on this I think it is really about individual dogs and not necessarily their sex. Our oldest dog now has always been known as the 'fun police' so any dog who lives or stays here has to be willing to pay attention to her doggy teachings and be submissive to her. With the second dog the worst thing that can happen is if a new dog takes away her role in the pack, wont play with her (or learn to play with her) and imposes on private time with her human mum. So perhaps think about the routine now and what is important to your current dogs and try and find another to fit into what already exists? We were lucky this foster girl just happened to tick all the boxes. She has found her own niche in our pack.

Oh my day is made! (the pics, not the doggy discipline!) Pauline, is there a close genetic link between Pania and Sammy at all because I look at him and see her little face (the eyes)?

Photos, photos, photos, photos, photos.......

Merry Christmas Maree and all you other wonderful rescue peeps! I will no longer be fostering as Dimples is an FF and now named Tempeh so we can't take anymore pei on but I will continue to support Peiradise actively up here in QLD and support you guys in spirit here on the threads. Pics and stories of great saves continue to be essential! Big hugs and kisses to you all!

He's a water baby too! We will need weekly photos I think to watch him grow. He has lots of aunties!

Look at those happy little faces!!!!

I'm feeling all teary about Julie's post given Pete and Pauline trusted me to care for their precious dogs while they had a holiday (and when Sammy was made!). It was an amazing experience for me to see behind the scenes of a quality breeder and I admit, I became a Pauline fan whilst sharing a table with her at the awards earlier this year (Pete was home with the bubs) and just listening to her talk about how they perform their magic! They both put so much love into everything they do so young Sammy already comes with part of them and will be well loved by so many people here on DOL!

Treats and a squishy toy to snuggle into during the trip!

I'm going to laugh if he turns up all tired and cranky and just wants to be left alone! Fat chance Sammy! Fat chance!

No excuse now! You want an outside cat then at least it stays in your yard!

great outcome cougar! as for the people who live next to my parents - they are both elderly and disabled and you think they would have more to worry about but they prowl their yard late at night constantly up to no good so it is hard to find a suitable payback time. they truly are strange because they can come up to my mother in the supermarket and be all sugary with their hellos. they had mum's cat (an ex-stray now desexed) in the boot of their car earlier this year when it got out of their fenced in verandah and after these two old people swearing at me it got to where i said i'd have to call the police if they didn't set it free they were all like 'oh gee how did your cat get in there?'. mum and dad have since tightened up cat security again. i wouldn't mind if they caught and sent animals to the pound but they prefer DIY torturous deaths. i hope they come back in their next lives as cats. if anyone is ever really angry and needs to take out some vengeance i'd be happy to pass on their address. :D

glad cat has been found and is getting treatment. now things are calmer i would just avoid her - she can handle her own vet bills as i'm sure if she ran over one of your dogs in her driveway she'd be claiming it was your fault cause your dog was out of it's yard. T that is just awful and i can understand why you'd just clean up quietly. as i said earlier some people just don't understand that in today's society you have to care for your cats differently. all kinds of dangers are out there now, even just from simple things like cars. my parents have evil people next to them who trap cats - strays and pets, then drown them in their wheelie bin inside the cat cage or bury them in the cage under their compost heap till the animals die. they hate all animals except crows. no point microchipping your lost cat with people like that out there. actually they hate a lot of things - they have poured boiling water over an old man's new vege patch, poisoned fruiting olive trees and a gold fish pond, let people's dogs out of their properties and even threatened my parents when chicken feathers have blown into their yard. i've had lots of unpleasant thoughts about them over the years.

you have checked with the council and now have to go with your conscience. my old sbt killed a deaf cat on our property once. we went out to the seperately fenced in vegie garden to pick strawberries and the cat was asleep in the corner. both my sbt's went for it but one backed off immediately. not much blood on the outside of the cat so i'm not sure what it died of but i raced it to the vet who rents across the road but it couldn't be saved. the family across the road who owned it were not overly concerned as they had several other cats from an unplanned litter - but i was devestated. i bought a big pile of cat food and toys for the other cats. the husband came and borrowed a shovel and buried the cat in their yard and was fine about it. they had so many kids that i think the cat came over here for some peace and quiet. it didn't deserve to die like that though. so as an animal lover i would've done what i could for the cat even if the owners were not as concerned. i'd have to tell them because i imagine how i would feel if one of my dogs went missing and was never seen or heard from again. plus the cat could be in pain or need vet treatment. cat owners do seem to struggle with the concept of keeping their cats indoors or in runs and i can never understand why. do owners not care for their safety? when i moved to my current property with the two sbt's mentioned above (one with high prey drive) there was a three foot falling down back fence. when i spoke to the other owners about my urgent need to erect a 6 foot timber fence they refused to contribute whilst making sure i knew they would make my life as a neighbourhood newbie hell if my dogs touched their beloved cat! so i had to keep my dogs totally indoors or leashed for 2 weeks while the fence went up at my expense and it was pouring with rain the whole time. not that a 6 foot timber fence stopped the deaf cat. you can't control everything unfortunately.

koko had so much character. very sad.