Little Gifts

I've just had a talk with my sister. Looks like we're in! I'll PM you to see where to from here. Alyson

I've actually thought about helping you out in some way for a while now Ams as I planned to go back to fostering once my old girl left us. Well she left last May and I've still not felt quite ready and the two remaining dogs have been doing so well together I was worried about upsetting that. So this thread is my prompt. I will talk to my sister tonight to see if she is up for it as she lives here with her dog and we'd share the care of any fosters. We'd also need boys ok with some boisturous play. In the almost 12 years I have been here and the 5 dogs of different sizes and breeds who have resided here we have never had an escape either!. I've also got a covered concreted area already protected on 3 sides that is waiting for some stored furniture to be removed before I can turn it into a quarantine/run/outdoor kennel area if I ever need it too. Both my sister and I work part time so there is only 1 or 2 days out of 7 that someone is not here. I'll talk to my sister tonight and let you know. Then you can check us out!

Meat slurpee!

My first dog was an OES and she was so simple to keep clean and unmatted. I just don't understand. Clearly he was neglected in all ways possible. Terribly sad.

Here is the tutorial. My suggestion if you do make a round one though is to make the top circle smaller than the bottom one. You will need to adjust the number of ties to suit or just double up on some (which is what I did). If you make the rectangle shape then both pieces will be the same size. http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=236744.0 Suzie your big dog bed is brilliant!!!!!

Nope I just chuck the whole thing in the washing machine as is and fluff it out a bit before drying and then again before using.

Do the people taking fawn boy know he comes with a stalker? :laugh:

He is a very nice looking boy but they have listed him as furless? I hope they actually know the name of the breed. Look at the big bling tag it is wearing in one photo?

Varicool I will pass the word around as I have at least one friend interested in fostering only small dogs. She is also approved with RSPCA but they don't send much her way. She currently has two swf's who are social with other dogs and have not really been bothered by the comings and goings of previous foster dogs to date.

I've posted a pic of this no sew bed before. Another DOLer has made the same in a rectangular shape (der, why didn't I think of that!). I got it from the craftster website. It is washable and it was made of washed recycled blankets and stuffing (from all the pillows and doonas my SBT has eaten). If you like the idea of it I can give you a link to the crafster tutorial. I just did it in front on the tv one night and even our shep/husky cross can fit on it, although a rectangular one would've been much easier to cut and make!

When I was a teenager my mum had been cooking a large silverside as we had guests for dinner. She'd taken it out of the pot and put it on the bench in the kitchen to carve and poof it went missing. My OES (who was outside) had apparently opened the screen door, come in, grabbed the boiling hot meat (no bench surfing required at that height), chased it all the way along our wooden verandah (based on skid mark evidence) taking chunks out of it until ever fibre of it was gone. It took all of a minute for her to do it as well. I thought it was a cool feat but mum was not so impressed. The only problem I have these days is a dog who will bark incessantly at the kitchen bench if a skerrick of food remains on it. We can't defrost or even leave anything to cool on it or the stove. Even popped up toast attracts the same attention. In her mind all human food must be immediately consumed or hidden or she wont be held responsible for what she might do in desperation!

This has to be the cutest and most funnest litter of pups to watch grow up. Even if we only get to do so through photos. I will miss the ones that go but hope the ones that stay will keep showing up in the threads along with photos of your other bundles of character. Hard to think they could compete with Frodo but??????

More photos please!!!!!!!!!!

Another OT but does Jack start kindy this week or next? I know it wont be the same for you having him around the house and he'll probably be wondering why kindy doesn't have any dogs!

Is she your new forever girl? She looks naughty!

Best Friends Rescue (BFR) is located in south east queensland but started out as a staffy rescue. They could be worth contacting to see if with some transport options the dogs can be brought down this way. The group desexes before rehoming and has a fairly high rehome rate at present, including with a lot of staffords. You will find them on Facebook and they have a website with details about surrendering and their email and phone contact details. My advice if she loves the dogs is to first get a behaviouralist in to see what can be done to settle them into their new environment. It may not cost her an arm and a leg as she thinks. Next, if she rehomes locally PLEASE make sure she desexes her girls first. Some councils and vets run cheaper desexing programs so again, it doesn't have to cost a lot.

You big sooky-la-la! What are you going to be like when she starts her first day at school???? Only joking.... she'll probably need her mum tonight so you'll get to fuss over her lots.

Oh that made me cry! Such a beautiful boy - he did not deserve what happened to him before he got his forever home. Totally unacceptable. I hope he gets to the stage where he forgets his past and just enjoys his future. Alfie suits him too!

I've read about that calcium issue in the breeders threads. Seems kind of commonish. Imagine how horrible it would be thinking the mother was going to eat them all! Pregnant Paws sounds like a great initiative too - it should impact on inappropriate dumping of small pups and their mums and it certainly gives the pups a much better opportunity to find good homes. Plus mum goes back to where she came from desexed! What's not to love about the idea! Please keep up the pics T - I've been feeling a bit forlorn about the lack of puppy pics of late!

Very funny!!!

The only dog I never gave silly nicknames to was one I chose from a breeder named from when she first came home as a pup. She was Phobie and sometimes got Phobes. All the others (bar my heart girl) have been rescues that came with names which I invariably extend in to silliness. One dog came equally to the names Hey Dog, Gordon and Ian which was very strange! My heart girl came nameless and named herself. Stussy was the only name she'd respond to (offered up by a friend) and it was not even remotely on my list of girly names I wanted her to have. I generally call her Smooshus or Smooshalicious. I think it is just the Sssss sound and tone that attracts her attention. When I give her commands though I only ever use her proper name like "Stussy come!" so there is no confusion about what I want her to do.

My girl knows when I'm struggling and just snuggles up next to me for as long as it takes me to get out of bed again and face the world. There was a time when I wasn't doing so well when she was still quite young and she'd bring me her favourite toy and just lay it on my chest. Dogs really are magical creatures. I'm glad Maui is there with you during this awful time.

I bought babies/kids socks with the grip dots on them for my old girl as she was bending her toes under. One of the rescue people suggested taping them on with some stuff I got from the chemist that comes off easy. A little hair would come with them but not much. If you sew you could try putting some elastic in them or velcro the tops. My girl tolerated them with the tape. She's gone now but I've kept the socks as a memory of her because they were bright pink and I know she hated being dressed up in any way!

I'm with you. If I had the option I'd fill it with grey muzzles.....

I wonder if there is a DOL type website out there for these 'caring' puppy farmers that helps them share these fantastic mass breeding ideas? Oh I'd like to have a read of that and see what they tell themselves! I notice there was no mention of the vet that must always be on hand to help with managing pregnant bitches, whelping, vaccinating the pups and the like given their core business can be a life and death thing. Yes I'm sure their dogs are regularly health assessed to see if they are up to the breeding task and if the pups are healthy enough for those long international flights! And I'm sure they have a range of top quality ancilliary services they work with like groomers and behaviouralists given their clear focus on the dogs. Oh yes I'm sure they're very proud of the only great homes their pups go to because they have nothing to hide at all! Think I might just take a holiday to Tassie and see if they offer a B & B service as well. It sounds like such a lovely place!