Little Gifts

And Myrtie doesn't even have teeth!

My 16 year old staffy girl is pretty deaf now (and also not so good with the eye sight). We have found a routine works well as they get older - they get used to it faily quickly. By that I mean say at night ours always get fed at a similar time, in the same spot and directly after she has finished eating I take the old girl out to toilet. So while dinner is being prepared she waits in her spot and as soon as she has finished eating she knows to head to the back door. She is never unleashed in public because you can't call them back or warn them of danger. In the house and yard we use a lot of large arm signals to get her attention and I do a lot of calling her with my arms once she has seen me and pointing to where I want her to go. We have timber floors so I also stomp the floors so she can feel the vibration sometimes. Apart from that if she is in the way I physically move her. It is all manageable and she doesn't seem to notice a problem. Oh and we have an 8 yo and a 3 yo dog in the house as well and there hasn't been any real concerns. They know each other so know how they each act/react so she never gets startled if one jumps up or rushes by her. She barks when they bark, even if she hasn't heard why they are barking! Despite their age they still give a lot of love. In some ways it is like having a needy puppy again!

I have mentioned it once before but I was in a park and got bowled down a hill by an Old English Sheepdog and fell in love. I got a pup from a breeder when I was 16. The whole family adored that crazy dog. When I moved out of home my land lord used to collect her so she could stay in his office during the day while I was at work. I used to take her to the shops and she'd sit outside and wait for me. She liked to be dressed up and she had a trike bike she liked to sit on. Her name was Phobie. Everyone loved her and she loved them. She passed away when I was in my mid 20s when I was quite sick myself so I think she was buried at my parents property but am not sure. I have never even thought of getting another OES. Her picture is still on display at my place some 20 odd years later.

When they get old they are not perceived as useful by other dogs in their pack so she might be following her instincts to protect her position. My old girl is 16 and if prompted to fight would do so immediately despite very bad eye sight, hearing and not being as quick on her feet. Her last scrap was only late last year and she still didn't lose to her much younger oponent. We had a behaviouralist in to help us as well. Money well spent to keep all our dogs safe.

I've only ever raised one litter of staffies from a rescue staffy. They all had very distinct personalities that were evident to me because I spent so much time with them. I don't think that personality would've been as clear to someone on visits. The one pup I adored and thought of keeping was very confident but the mother dog disliked it and since I was keeping her the pup went to a new home. The pick of the litter was a pied boy - a huge chunk of a boy and a bit of a sooky la la. He was quite dominant for attention and food. The strange thing was he came back to live with me when he was about 6 months old as he developed epilepsy and the owner was on the verge of pts. He was a totally different dog - submissive, scared, hard to keep weight on. He lived with me till he passed away at 12 and a half and he was still like that even though he had stopped fitting after about 4 years of age. He could also be very funny and talkative but certainly wasn't the dominant attention seeker he was as a pup. As for the mother - her original owner raised her to be a pig hunting blokes dog - a rough type who would challenge you if you looked at her wrongly. She lived successfully with me and chooks and ducks and a cat, but at other times she could be unpredictable and into a prey drive frame of mind and killed wild doves and lizards and a couple of cats she didn't know. As she has aged though she has become the gentlest of dogs, particularly with small dogs/puppies and kids. I never leave her unattended with either but it is lovely to see her other side shining through. So if you know what you want in your life then I think trusting a successful breeder to choose the right pup for you is the way to go. Everything else can be very hit and miss - even though you might be like me and learn to love what comes into your life anyway.

Sorry Patches. There's no more fits over the bridge - you can run and get up to as much mischief as you want!

Happy Birthday Beautiful Boy!

I think my old girl Ricky loves my mother. Whenever mum comes over she goes into a kind of trance and licks and licks and licks her on any part of the body she can get near. Mum thwarts this by putting eucalyptus oil on her legs before visiting. So ricky scrunches her nose and just sits on her feet, looking up and idolising her existence.

So in effect this would create a huge fricking mess and instead of law enforcers focussing on the evil puppy farmers they would spend their time breaching people having maybe one litter of puppies or housing dogs inappropriately? A one size fits all approach? What happened to some common sense? Are they scared to upset puppy farmers by targeting them? So everyone has to suffer? I don't breed, don't intend to breed but can still see this misses the point of what we worry about the most. I feel so naive thinking this looked quite good initially. Deep sigh. Bangs head on desk. Actually that Sesame Street song is now stuck in my head "One of these things is not like the other...."

Am I reading this differently to other people? I thought this was about puppy farms/mills and not about pet owners or registered breeders? I didn't think registered breeders would come under the same definition as 'puppy farm'? Most breeders would be hard up to create and sell that many puppies each year and I thought came under their own codes already. Have I misread or misunderstood the purpose of this document? And Steve where to from here? What is now proposed re the desired outcomes and suggestions for moving forward?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GYPSY! You are a beautiful girl and I hope you enjoy the treats mummy got for your special day! May lot of hugs come your way too!

If it wasn't for the ex-girlfriend taking his other dog (I'm hoping she loved it and couldn't part with it) then Andrew and Dimples would never have found each other. Sometimes you just have to trust in fate I reckon. We all hope to see you home safely Andrew. Feel welcome to join DOL and share pics of you and your new buddy with us - we love happy endings!

Stuffed toy addict in this house! She destroys them so I just buy them from an op shop now - she gets one a month. Her other love is fleecy toys. Despite her love for them fleecy pom poms last maybe 5 mins. The plaited ones with balls last several months, although the balls are quickly killed off in the first couple of days. She plays with the fleecies daily. I've bought fleecy offcuts so I can make some myself and obviously save some money. I also spent a fortune on kongs - she likes the ones with dangly bits but the plain rubber ones you put food into she has no interest in at all. None of my other dogs could give a toss about toys but with the destroyer - I let her destroy only those items I specifically give her and remove the debris after a play. It saves her eating all my pillows and doonas (as she also did before the toy a month idea).

Hello! Look at my name! Of course I have a weakness for puppies! Some people think skin babies smell wonderful and I think the same of fur babies! Heaven for me would be my own puppy day care centre where we all lay on a big bed having cuddles and kisses followed by naps!

My ADHD girl has slotted into my lifestyle. I think she just wants to be with me so curbs her energy when I'm in a sloth mood. I used to have this huge cat and not only did we used to carry him to his bed every night but every morning we would go out and gently rub him till he woke up, softly calling his name "Alby, Alby, time for brekkie Alby" He would take quite a while to wake properly before doing a big stretch and indicating he was ready to be carried to the kitchen. He wasn't a lazy cat either - every afternoon he went down the beach fishing with my partner and he had regular play dates with his siblings. He also spent a lot of time going for trips in the car. But when it came to sleeping he took it very seriously.

Roishana if you go with the steps idea keep in mind that a dog with some mobility problems might be unable to manage compact steps. I only say this because I bought some stairs off Deals Direct for my old staffy girl so she can get on the bed by herself during the night. She seems to find the steps too close together to be able to use them properly. The ones in my house are obviously wider and she kind of launches herself up them but the steps next to the bed seem too confined and clumsy for her and she gets on the first one but can't get onto the second. If you are going to spend the money on a ramp I'd suggest seeing if she could try one in the store before committing to it - I can't see my girl using a ramp at all. Another suggestion is to get a handyman to make some steps for your mum based on some other stairs at home that you know the dog can use. They shouldn't be too expensive to get made.

If you think a shovel is going to kill a toad then think again! You could drop a boulder on one, see its insides come out of its mouth and then later, while you're not looking it will suck those insides back in and hop off! They are very hard to bash to death. Even driving over one with your car is no guarantee. And I am not condoning this, but there are people who hook shot them over the neighbours fences with their golf clubs, but that just means they'll end up back in your yard at some stage.

The Buddhist in me turns feral whenever I hear the word 'toad'. Yes they are one of the earth's creatures but I just can't stand them! They are so destructive! In summer I always keep huge bowls of water and face clothes near the back door. If one of the dogs gets spit I immediately use the cloth and water to wipe the poison from their mouths. I found this much quicker than a hose because the poison is slimy and sticks to the tongue. I have had to do a vet visit only once. As for toad disposal I put a plastic bag in each hand and go around in the dark with the torch (dogs inside of course). I use the plastic bag on one hand to pick up the toads and I put it straight into the other bag. This is so they can't spit on me while I'm chasing them. After doing the rounds of the yard I then tie the hand bag inside the toad bag and hang it on the clothes line overnight. Next day the whole lot goes in the bin and usually the poison inside the bag has killed the toads. Yes I know it is awful but my hate of toads is so deep that I refuse to put them in my freezer! If you have ponds or dams there is also a need to catch them in the tadpole stage. Fingers crossed my memory is correct here but toads lay eggs in long strings whereas frogs lay them in like lumps of froth. If you put a toad tadpole into a white cup or bowl you will also notice its body is all round, Frogs are indented - they have a waist. Toad tadpoles will kill the frog tadpoles. With little toads it is sometimes hard to tell if they are frogs or not as there is a brown frog very similar that just never gets very big. I must admit to erring on the side of caution and leaving those just in case but generally a frog will look wetter and less gnarly than a toad. Toad spit is also dangerous for children and don't go catching them and rub near your eyes - not good either. Oh and after it has rained don't try and run over what you think may be toads on the road as they can often be huge green frogs and we want to keep those! Having said all that I do know numerous dogs who have been poisoned by toads but none that have died or who have had long term health issues.

I know it might seem silly to some but I think that is fantastic news! Tango has overcome a major fear with your persistence, patience and love! Toasty Tango!

Sadly all my dogs over the years have had ridiculous nicknames and theme songs. Usually the theme songs also need to be sung in a silly foreign or operatic accent. I have no idea why. The dogs all just look at me when I sing to them like "wtf?" My heart girl Stussy does have her own collection of silly songs (like the infamous Stussy Poo Head song sung to the tune of My Darling Clementine) but sometimes when we are sitting quietly together I sing that Beach Boys song to her "God only knows what I'd be without you" because that's how I feel about her. She came into my life at a very important time and always seems to know when I need her close by to keep me grounded. I wonder what goes through their heads when we sing nonsense to them?

Yep I was going to suggest Amelie too.

Yep, they look the same as the Kmart ones that are $12 - I have 2 staffies squished onto one beside my computer right now. Covers are washable and this one has last several months without being chewed on so I'm happy!

Trishm my staffy girl has had pancreatitis since 2000. She has just turned 16. Ever since her diagnosis I have fed her a strict diet of the Hills Prescription w/d. She gets 1 cup dry in the morning and 1 cup dry and half a tin of wet in the evening. For snacks she gets bits of toast (with nothing on it), raw carrot and vegetarian pigs ears. Absolutely no other scraps but sometimes I give her leftover plain rice, pasta or steamed vegies. She has done really, really well on this diet. She drinks a massive amount of water but has not become diabetic. Her poos are HUGE. I don't know how they don't hurt coming out! My vet is very much into homeopathic stuff so in the early days if ever she has a tummy upset I keep nux vomica bolles on hand for her. My vet also found a homemade diet for pancreatitis as I was keen on doing it myself but it contained about 20 ingredients and it was too much for me and she settled so well on the Hills that I just stayed with that. I know my vet sourced the diet from a colleague OS and unfortunately I no longer have a copy of it or I'd give it to you. Given the Internet is more popular than when she got the diet for me you might be lucky and find something online.

Thanks Jaxx's Buddy!

I'd still appreciate some advice on a good dry food as that is an ongoing struggle in our household. One has a special diet but the others get mainly raw, rice and vegies. We have tried different types of biscuits but it is a pain when they decide they don't like it and you have a 10kg bag of the stuff and it cost you a fortune. There is a Pal brand for small breeds (even though they are not small) that they gobble up so when they are being fussy we just buy that, but I'm really not happy with it because I don't think it's any more nutritious than the sugary cereal kids love - hence the need for suggestions based on nutrient value if anyone has any? Dobesrock I will check out the Black Hawk.