Little Gifts

Seriously, it's not much to ask an owner to pick up it's own dog's poop is it? It takes maybe a minute of their time and one teensy little bag. If they can't even be bothered doing that then imagine all the other dog related stuff they probably couldn't be bothered with like vaccinations, heart worming, desexing, training.....

Some of you wanted evidence of the elusive shephard corgi cross. Since this breed first appeared back in the late 80s I did have some difficulty finding photographic evidence of its existence. The photo below was probably taken in the early 90s. This boy was named 'Hey Dog' and in all the photos he is lying down - I'm not sure if there was a genetic flaw which limited standing or if he was just lazy. Perhaps this is why the 'shorgi' never really took off as a guard dog?

OK no more LL from me - this horse is seriously hilarious! Is it one of yours Ellz?

"See, there is absolutely no cocaine in this nostril! I'm clean I tell ya so stop bugging me!"

Wow! Lyndsay Lohan is really telling those paparazzi off in that photo!

Oh geez, I actually had one of these in real life. He was a cracker of a dog - looked like a GSD pup his entire life. His bark was a little high pitched but his poops were small!

But if you get a dog that doesn't fart who will you be able to blame the smells on?

I see we are still in two camps over this case. Would you feel different if she obsessively knitted tea cosies all day rather than played computer games? Would you feel different if it were her children who were dead and not her dogs? I know I would feel the same - she lost the plot to the extreme and nothing but outside intervention would've changed this situation. It is a tragedy and she needs help, not jail time. I hope she gets well and that these children get a healthy mother back. They have already lost a father. I don't think she gives people with mental health issues a bad name because she was undiagnosed and untreated when this happened. There are lots of highly functioning people out there with diagnosed disorders - I am one of them and have completed a university degree, obtained a well paying job, own a house, a car, don't let animals die (except fish - I do have a problem there) and I don't have children because I know I wouldn't do a good job raising them because of my issues. It is because of my issues that I have compassion for others not as fortunate as me.

I'm not sure if it is depression as humans feel it but I think there is a sense that something is wrong or missing and they don't know how to fix it or make it right again. One of my dogs lost her son who she had lived with for 12 years. She turned into this old dog overnight on me. It was awful. She'd previously lost another dog in our pack and spent a lot of time looking for him, so going from a 3 pack to just herself she was quite lost. We got another pup and she is going great still - playing every day like she was still young and spritely. More dogs have also come into the pack as well. This old dog is also mostly deaf and blind now. She sees shadows but I notice at night if she gets stuck somewhere dark and can't work out where to go she gets a real look of panic on her face. I don't see this as a fear of being blind but a fear of not being able to take care of herself in a pack animal sense as something like this would result in her death in the wild.

I've submitted a nomination too. I've been wanting to become a foster carer and will be able to do so once my old girl passes on - it wont be possible with her now. So a course will get me on the right track! And I don't care who I foster for - might even become and MDBA Pacers girl! Julie will you let us know how we take the next step after this to participate in the course? Also, we have the capacity to create a secure kennel at our place. We have a carport enclosed on 3 sides (2 sides are tin to roof height and 1 side is a 6 foot timber fence) with a concrete floor and small patch of garden/dirt. When I am able to foster I also thought it might be an option to fence in this area as a secure kennel at my own cost? Is there a need for something like this for outdoor dogs that need temp care or for quarantine? Would MDBA Pacers be able to give me advice on how to create a good set up? Any other dogs we take on would be indoor/outdoor dogs. I live in the suburbs but everyone in my street and behind me has one or 2 dogs. Probably getting ahead of myself....

Where will the course be held?

Hardy's Angel some people haven't been touched by mental health issues or addictions or depression so I don't think they understand that these are not issues where someone can simply fix themselves. It is hard to have compassion for something you don't understand. It is 'sick', it is 'disgusting', but it is also a tragedy, and not even an avoidable one because lots of people who are mentally unwell don't even know they are so can't ask for help. Try not to take other's comments to heart - they obviously don't have the knowledge or experiences you do. Big hugs XXX

Having worked in statutory child protection for a long time I hate to say it but neglect of children (and animals and households) happens all the time even without mental health issues or computer addiction. Kids can still be attending school and neighbours don't have a clue what is going on behind closed doors. Unfortunately stuff like this has to go on for a while before someone notices something is wrong. Things have to deteriorate to the point where it all falls apart before anyone external realises how bad things are. Some people who have previously coped normally do get overwhelmed after a tragedy and end up not being able to manage things they previously could. It is very sad but not generally intentional. Then of course there are others with significant mental health issues who may never be able to cope. And then there are others who simply don't give a shit. I wish at least 2 of those groups would stop having babies.

10 months is just heartbreaking. You haven't had enough with your boy. It's not fair.

I'm so sorry Waffle. My old girl got diagnosed with cancer masses almost 3 years ago - lumps of different sizes all over her. Then earlier this year she got diagnosed with mammary cancer with no idea how long she's got. She's still very active but does better on a routine. So I just try to give her that bit extra attention and cuddles and take photos more regularly rather than take her on extravagant outings. The vet has given me advice on what to look for as far as the symptoms to be worried about as the cancer goes into other organs. Apparently she will go downhill very quickly when it happens. At first I panicked if I couldn't see her breathing but as the months go on I'm trying to trust in fate to tell me when the time is right. I did spoil her more on her b'day last month and for winter this year she got loads of new and expensive coats and jammies because I was worried she would feel the cold more. But apart from that it is life as usual in our house, with just a little more one on one time. She is behind me right now play fighting with one of the other dogs!

I was on www.topbuy.com.au on Friday and I'm sure they had some very nice and not too expensive pens avail.

I have asked aboyut meds for incontinence but she has other health probs (cancer and pancreatitis) so the vet wasn't keen on the idea. She's also on meds for the dementia and she had to have a kidney test for that. Apparently she is just forgetting about her toilet training and is not so much incontinent. Normally she would hold it till morning but with the dementia she just feels like a pee and does a pee! I thought of doggy pants but sometimes it is poos as well as wees during the night and that seems yucky for her to sleep in. Plus she might wee 3 times a night and that is a lot of wee to contain in one pad! I'm not keen on crating her as she has never been a crate dog and that seems like punishing her and would contain her with her wee and poo as well. Our laundry is connected to the kitchen (by the half door) and lounge room (by open internal window). The other laundry door leads to the hallway and is right across from my bedroom. She is having trouble keeping weight on so does get cold but we are in QLD and it is quite moderate now. Because the laundry is quite large but not fully enclosed it doesn't get too hot or too cold so I feel confident she wouldn't be uncomfortable in there and I can put down heaps of bedding so she isn't confined to a small corner. It's still hard to think of doing and I do appreciate any other suggestions in case I haven't already weighed them up.

I used to live on acreage and one summer we put a kiddie's pool up for the kiddies visiting us and it became a haven for frogs to lay their eggs for many years after. Every year I'd have to put the damn pool up again and they'd come and about 4 species of frog would come and do their thing. Even though we had a dam and water running through there was a problem with the toads laying in the dam and killing the frogs eggs. Anyway what I was trying to say was that we were advised that frogs couldn't be relocated out of their area or they would die. I was just wondering if it was the same with lizards given they are also cold blooded? On that particular property we had a massive monitor lizard living there - he was around 6 foot. I know this because one of my staffies killed him. It was a major fight as my staffy was black and blue from the pounding she got from the lizards tail. Luckily it didn't get its claws into her. It was awful - I just couldn't get anyone to help seperate them. Prior to that he had just always been hanging around down the back but must've gotten too close to the house that day and she was defending her turf. I currently live in the suburbs and my staffies have disemboweled a couple blue tongues over the years while I've been at work - again always when they are right next to the house itself. I reckon there must be loads of blue tongues living in people's yards and that maybe it is a territory thing - they continue to live there out of instinct even though it is unsafe.

I'm really struggling with my old girl again. I am getting so little sleep I am like a walking zombie. She is not sleeping much at night anymore and since she sleeps on the bed I wake up constantly to her either wandering around the bed, licking me or the sheets, her scratching at the bedding, just standing on the bed next to me, getting off the bed and piddling on the floor (and licking it up) then crying to get back on the bed. Also she regularly wants to a drink and a toilet break a minimum of 3 times during my 8 hours of sleep even though between her dinner and bed time I practically have to force her to go to the toilet outside (then she will come back in the house and go on the carpet)! My house his smelling like a urinal! She has only slept on my bed for about the past 5 years and previously slept in the laundry which is quite large and has a half door and 2 big windows (one into the house and one to the outside). So my plan is to make her a very comfy and warm set up back in the laundry and put training pads down on the tiles so if she goes to the toilet it will be ok. She can also drink all she wants and wont need any help getting in and out of her bedding. I might also leave a night light on for her as she can hardly see a thing anymore unless it casts a shadow. I figure I may have to lie with her the first night for a while and maybe the other dog might lie with her too. Do you think this is a good idea? Do you think she will be ok or will she cry by herself? Given the dementia is this the wrong thing to do or will she get used to it? I feel terrible and sad but I can't keep going without sleep day in and day out and the house can't cope with much more piddle. Has anyone else had to do this? The other idea I had was to walk her at night but given the darkness that is probably unsafe for her until it is a little lighter after work. Maybe this might tire her out physically a little?

Congratulations Little Man! I do think it is a sign that he was on PR for so long and there were no enquiries as he is a very good looking boy. It was meant to be!!!!

I used to have to do community recovery here in QLD and one of the most heartbreaking things I remember was out at the Charleville floods many years ago. This elderly gentleman loved his chooks and he had them in a bird aviary in his back yard. The water rose so high the chooks were drowned and stuck in debris right at the roof level of the aviary. He was inconsolable when he was able to return to his house and saw how they fared. In a true emergency the emergency services staff have to focus on getting the skin people to safety, despite how much they might also love animals themselves. My sister was an SES team leader for many years so based on our collective experiences doing disaster work we have a few strategies in place. Firstly we keep some camping gear and water together in the shed, as well as some spare doggy stuff (leashes, fold up bowls) both in the shed and on the front verandah (in case of a house fire we keep spare leashes out the front), and this year I upgraded my car to to a wagon. If there is a threat of flood or fire (or whatever) in our little town then instead of staying till being advised to evacuate we plan on packing the car with some camping gear, the dogs and the parents and leaving town and heading in the safest direction as soon as possible. We will not be waiting for the threat to escalate and a formal evacuation to be announced. Might sound dumb to some but in a few hours we would know if we did the right thing or if it was safe to return. Best case scenario all we lose is some time. And at that early stage we would not have problems getting through on roads and getting accom somewhere for all of us. I know that transport can be an issue for some people but if you have ever experienced a disaster then I truly never understand why some people choose to stay at home and defend their property. This excludes farms/large properties and remote communities of course. I am more talking about people who live in the suburbs. The risk to life is just too great, even if the threat has never amounted to much before that doesn't mean one time it wont be much worse. Let the house go. Does anyone remember all that footage of New Orleans with all those people stranded in and out of that sports stadium? I remember so many of them said that because the levee had never broken its banks before they stayed in their homes and then got stuck. What they experienced after that was life altering.

I think I'd like to have an animal farm come to my next birthday party too! Do they cater for 47 year olds?

He obviously had a great day - look at the huge smile on his face!!!!! Happy Birthday Little Dog Whisperer!

There was a thread about this before - dogs getting erections out of the blue, but this was about ones that wouldn't go down. My desexed boy used to get them and I had to put wet cloths or frozen vegies in a tea towel and hold it on him until things settled. He was very uncomfortable and doubled over with them. Funny but not. I think other DOLers used vaseline to ease things back into place but that idea grossed me out. So unless it gets stuck in that position I guess you just have to wait for nature to take its course and settle of its own accord!

My older girl had spent most of her life with another dog or two so after the death of a long term companion she started to turn old before my eyes. A rescue pup came my way about a month later. She looked after it and taught it some manners. Three years and another dog later and they still play rough together and sleep together. If one leaves the house without the other it is bedlam, even if going to the vet. The old girl is 16 and it has really changed her life for the better to have active company and remain part of a pack.