Little Gifts

Meet and greet is done. I'd say he is crossed with a rottweiler based on a few physical features. He is a big boy with huge feet so may still grow even more. He has healed amazingly and has a lovely, fun nature. But there was no real spark between the three of us. Initially he was all over my sister but that didn't last long. He liked us but wasn't overwhelmed by our presence. He was very mouthy and I saw it as a comfort thing as he got a lot softer then stopped doing it once he was comfortable in our space. He's a lovely boy but I think he needs a more boisterous home. I also think he could be too much for Stussy now she is feeling her age a bit. Anyway we did it so we know. It would probably be enough of a connection for some adoptees but I've seen how a pei can react with the right people and he treated us just like new people to the house, not people he wants to get to know better. I'm not sad because it means something amazing is still out there for him.

We are now meeting him, his foster carers and the coordinator on Sat afternoon. The coordinator is lovely. I'm crapping myself in case he doesn't like anything about us. He's a pei so it could happen!

Thanks everybody! It's in the hands of the Dogs now! PC I'll have to check out that song! From the first post I read his original name was supposedly Fokker but I wouldn't be surprised if it was something ruder and a quick name change was made.

I have some news. Some of you may not agree. They put Floyd up for adoption so I submitted an application. I heard your words, I reflected on what I wrote but still felt I had to do it, like something is driving me. We had a long talk today about him and we all agreed he sounds like he could be a good fit for us (and vice versa given he needs similar sized dogs with similar play styles and a firm but flexible owner). Us humans are going to meet him on Sunday and if there are mutual feelings between all parties then we will organise a meet and greet between the dogs. If he and Tempeh like each other I think they will actually be good for each other. It will also take some pressure of Stussy given she has decided to get old and slow down on me all of a sudden. I'm very excited on the inside now and my anxiety over doing this has dropped now I know more about the real him and his needs. He was treated abysmally by his original owners and has some issues, including some ongoing health problems but they are nothing that scare me. So if fate decrees it we will have a new member in our family soon! Keep us in your thoughts for the right outcome for this boy - I wont let my emotions push it if it isn't right.

What a cracker of a dog you have been Dee Dee! I'm so sorry Grumpette. The good ones always leave a big hole in our hearts but you have so many wonderful memories captured of her to cherish. Run free in mischief beautiful girl!

Possum there are places that get 4 litre juice bottles. I'm thinking of trying Maccas and the type of places that have juice in those machines (maybe Donut King?). I went to 2 food places yesterday and they were so excited to give me their bottles! I even got a 3 litre caramel sauce container and I made that into a watering can for my sister's herbs. I made 2 storage containers and they were so easy! I can even imagine storing my fruit in them in the fridge as everything always gets knocked around in the bottom of our fridge. I took photos of my creations on my phone so will get them on the computer and add them to my OT thread.

I've just discovered a new idea the past couple of days. You can make containers from old plastic juice and milk containers. I don't buy any myself so I'm going to ask my local coffee shop for some. I have seen ones with snap closures and some with glue on velcro but I have some flat timber beads and left over hemp cord so I'm going to punch holes and make toggle closures for mine. I haven't posted about it in my OT thread because I haven't done it yet! But here is a link to a tute and to a taller image idea that wouldn't be hard to work out. https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.curbly.com%2F11213-how-to-turn-a-milk-jug-into-a-sandwich-box&h=ATPsYgUGwDpx1WCuuS8FG3fKkCsDLmsoV9fXh33VT67uK-xbNHTPYDi99UixtjadHSKeVTycW6nN2zWMLK75WYI0ImX_z7bF6NwTyCMIk8Dxa6GJ28CHli_M5z8zBJq8aLqXint6A8fE

I've been around a few neo's and they were all gentle giants. I can't remember any of them being overly active either. I don't know much about health issues in the breed but their nature seems to be quite good.

I know. I see dogs in need (mostly pei) every single day on there but he is the one constantly on my mind for the last few weeks. The games will only be 11 days of madness but Floyd will belong to myself and my sister so she will be here when I am not. Between us we've always managed to make sure the dogs have what they need when they need it. She is studying full time now so has the life of a slacker uni student! What did you think of your pei experience? I can't imagine my life without one now! I'm actually upset with Tempeh because she finally became a snuggler at night while we sleep but the last couple of months decided she wants to sleep in her crate again! No matter how much I coax her my bed is only for lying on during daylight hours now! It's like she does it on purpose! Anyway I am just going to leave my well wishes for Floyd with the universe and see if it leads anywhere.

Funny enough both my sister and I have just started to 'notice' other dogs but Floyd is the first that hasn't left my interest. Our old girl has been gone long enough for us not to feel like we were trying to replace her. It's just been a natural process. As I said usually a dog just finds us so it is a very different experience to feel like we are planning for one. My sister's been the one encouraging me to contact the rescue about Floyd while I am a bit scared. Part of that is because I've never been on this side of rescue before! I honestly think us humans and Stussy have a good track record with dogs like Floyd so could give him something extra. Tempeh is the unknown quantity. She's had other dogs in the house but most of them have left by dinner time so it hasn't been an issue! How will she go sharing meal times and bed space? I am trying to be practical and sensible both for any new dog and our own two. It could be magical or it could be terrible depending on how Tempeh feels about the particular dog joining the pack. I hope she is old enough and confident enough now for it not to be an issue (with us guiding the situation), but??? And I would go back to fostering but I have no group I've gelled with and she wouldn't like ongoing change so if we are going to add another dog to our life it would need to be adoption. I know I'm talking myself out of it and finding more reasons not to but part of me wont let the issue go. Grrrr. I could be wasting all this energy thinking about it when we wouldn't even be suitable for him (eg he needs to be in an only dog home) or something else about us wouldn't pass muster on an adoption application. Plus he would need to like us and vice versa. Geez! How do people do this! Imagine getting your hopes up over a dog and not even getting a look in!

It's sooo hard! I see his pic and he is calling me! Lots of thinking to do. I hope he foster fails and then I wont have to think about it anymore. This is him after a couple of weeks in care. Still some wounds not seen in photo.

I would never be dishonest to a rescue. I would tell them up front my concerns and need for meet and greets off premises and on and I hope they would decide what is in Floyd's best interests as I have to decide what is right for my own. I just wouldn't want to risk upsetting Floyd or my own dogs (Stussy gets stressed when Tempeh is). But I'm thinking a male could create a nice balance between the girls and a younger dog could give Tempeh a play buddy now Stussy is getting a little older and slower. I'm leaning more towards simply asking if they are taking applications, giving them some info about us and seeing what happens. He might be a dog who would prefer a quieter household. Or he mightn't even choose us. That can happen with a pei. It's not a commitment I take lightly so I'm struggling with making sure it is the right thing.

There is a pei called Floyd in rescue at present and he had the most horrible injuries when surrendered. It has been suggested he may have been a bait dog. As soon as I saw his arrival pics I nearly put my hand up to foster him (we did well here fostering pei like him previously). But he went to a lovely couple and his health is improving so now I am thinking I should make application to adopt him! But something is holding me back. Stussy loves all dogs who come here but I don't know how Tempeh would cope and Floyd does not need any more conflict or chaos in his young life. I know if our application was successful we would do meet and greets but even that might affect Tempeh if it doesn't go well. Outside the house she is very non-plussed by other dogs but in the house she likes everything just so and what if she doesn't like sharing her life with Floyd? She doesn't need anything else to stress over and that kind of conflict would also stress the peace loving Stussy. Plus we are hoping to move this year and change is Tempeh's arch enemy and we will need to put extra effort into managing any changes that arise in her already quirky behaviour. And on top of that our focus is still on clearing mum and dad's and selling their house and we are neglecting a lot of our own stuff while doing that. I guess it boils down to me not being sure we are good enough for Floyd? Can we give him what he needs and deserves? And are we doing the wrong thing by one of our existing dogs who we already know is not a fan of 'new'? How do other people determine what's right? Usually a dog in need just finds us and fits in. I don't know whether I should apply and just see what the universe does with it? Stussy is a desexed female of 10. Tempeh is a desexed female of almost 6 and Floyd is a desexed male of 2.5. Maybe him being male might be a good dynamic for the 2 older girls? Big decisions always hurt my head!

I hope someone can give proper advice. I wonder if the cat was in a council area where it was supposed to be suitably contained? If that's the case then some blame will be on the cat's owner for having it loose too. Then there are the dogs. No history but a potential disposition to chase and catch based on breed might be considered. And then we have the fact that even though the dogs were leashed the parents were unable to restrain the dogs at a critical time. No intent and no history to suggest they are a public risk but several unfortunate contributing factors have led to this incident. It could've been avoided if the cat was contained and the parents were able to manage the dogs under all conditions. I hope they are not seized (or worse) for instinctual behaviour (perhaps muzzling in public might be a safety measure that is now needed) but it is an eye opener for all dog owners really. Of course we don't want our pets to cause harm to others but I don't know how well I could control both of mine if I was walking them at the same time and a cat ran in front of them either. I hope you find out some factual information so your ex can take a sensible course of action.

Yep that's how I would say it!

I was wondering who this was when you posted the pic and I thought maybe it was one of your fur babies you don't post many pictures of. Can't believe he is a newbie! Welcome Mezza! And Mezza is the female word in Italian for half, middle or medium. Mezzo is the male equivalent and a term often found in music so maybe you can pretend you just happen to like Italian words!

Where is the f*** off button when you need it?

What a brilliant story! I have a friend in Washington DC and he and his sister foster homeless dogs that have been brought over from Europe by a local rescue group. They are mainly large breed mutts. Obviously their quarantine enables this kind of thing more than ours. Good to see.

I'm so sorry Rascal. I'm sure Claudia is very glad she found such a wonderful family. Run free tomorrow without a care in the world beautiful girl. XXX

DDD our regular vets are amazing (they picked up the cancer) and by all accounts the specialist centre we went to is amazing, as is the particular specialist vet who worked with us. But when you are given a range of treatment options and you ask repeatedly if they are realistic for a dog of that age and health you assume the tests indicate they are. And when you ask for signs of deterioration re an anal gland tumour and straining to toilet or diarrhea are not mentioned then you assume it is not the kind of tumour that will grow quickly and block a bowel. Same with the other organs - I get the sense that things were far worse inside than we were told for things to change so quickly. So why not just say the extent is unclear? Our last few days would've been much different with our girl had we known the real situation. Based on the report from the specialist our own vet was very shocked too. How did they get it so wrong? I wonder if vets have a review process in situations like that to see what learnings can come from dogs who pass away within short time frames from assessment and starting a treatment plan? Maybe with Jeune she has had discomfort for a while and now with treatment she is feeling like a new dog, hence her new eating and exercise habits? I know you will watch her but just don't naturally excuse things to her age is all I can advise. This is the part of them getting older that I hate.

We had a bad experience not too long ago with our 12 year old husky/shep cross girl. We went in for weight loss and reduced mobility - all normalish stuff with an older dog but we wanted to stay on top of it. It was cancer and we were referred to a specialist centre and went there the same week. Within only 5 days of having the specialist go through all the bloods, xrays and ultrasounds they took that day she was gone. Only 3 days on her new meds. We were like a 2 person Spanish Inquisition before deciding on our course of treatment (we had 3 options). We asked many, many questions about what to look for regarding deterioration and the meds not having a positive effect. Some of the technical stuff is lost from my memory given how quickly this all happened but our girl had cancer in her anal glands and some spots in other organs. Due to age we went for meds (can't remember their name) but were offered surgical options too and at no time were we advised treatment was not an option or that things had progressed too far. On day 3 of starting the meds she got diarrhea (can never spell that word). We thought it was the meds. We adjusted her diet and watched her. The next day it was no better and she wanted to eat but wouldn't. We went to our vet. He checked her out and said the tumour in her anal glands was blocking her bowel and things inside were already starting to break down. We had no alternative but to pts then and there. We couldn't even take her home for one last night of spoiling - it was too bad. We are still shocked and angry. She must've been in so much pain. I still can't fathom how less than a week earlier we were lead to believe a very different scenario and were not given any advice about what symptoms she might exhibit that were critical despite us asking those specific questions repeatedly. I wanted to go back and see the specialists but my sister couldn't do it so it has been hard to put the issue to rest. So sadly I don't have a happy experience for you but I know you like honestly. My advice is to not put anything down to old age or change in diet or anything usual like we did. Dogs can't talk so have limited ways of telling us something is wrong inside. Changes to eating, poop and mobility could all mean something so keep on top of them (I know you will). Ask questions and don't care how many questions or how many times you ask them (I know you will do that too!). We can't predict exactly when it is their time but we can keep them comfortable and not let it go too far. When it is time send Jeune off with love rather than regrets.

Tialeigh Palmer's foster brother got out of prison this week after only 16 months for incest and covering up her murder. How is that justice for that poor girl? She was already neglected by her own family and taken into care. She is then taken advantage of within her foster family and the entire family cover the sons crimes up and the foster father kills her and lies about it. How did she get any justice for her short, painful life? Prison for me is as much about depriving a criminal of a normal life as it is keeping them out of our communities so they can't harm anyone else. Same with serious crimes against animals. Why do we give them a second chance to own and harm another one? I saw the footage of the GC man just after it first happened. A witness started filming after seeing him punch the young excitable dog in the head. If he did that out in public and his partner turned a blind eye then just imagine what he does in private when things don't go as he wants them. He has anger problems that probably stretch across everything he does so I'd prefer he had no animals or children in his household. It wont happen but at least this one dog wont end up unsocial because of how it was raised. I hope the man got a rude wake up call seeing himself spread all over social media and the comments people were writing about him as a human being. His partner too - standing by and letting it happen is neglect and just as damaging as abuse.

I love the Bosh boys! Someone was having a real whine on there the other day about their use of avocados saying they were being bigots buy using something the marginalised and people in poorer countries can't use. What the? Animal Lover were you referring to me re the brownie recipe? I hope so! I'll send you a message!

DDD I messaged them and they gave me his details. Still not sure if it is worth going down that path as last time having her in the air cond with a heavy blanket weighing her down actually worked whereas the compression wrap didn't and a shirt may not either. Still weighing up the options. Think we have another storm coming now because Tempeh has started crying so we'll get to try out the blanket compress again. As for the mats C4P use they do source from Bunnings but have a process for washing and airing them out before working on them and say they have had no complaints on smell. I know I made mine from a camping mat sourced from Anaconda that Stussy chewed the corners off (I made the corners rounded). It is charcoal covered and has never smelled. I washed it before turning it into a mat because it had been camping a few times but it never smelled or I wouldn't have even used it. I am asthmatic and tend to be a bit iffy about certain odours too. Animal Lover hopefully you will get what you need from one of the places mentioned on here!

They are savvy sourcers - fleece in bulk at the best price and the same with the mats. I suspect they get both items wholesale through where some of them work. They take bloody hours to cut the strips and then tie/knot! and the lady makes at least 6 every week for the group! Like me they wouldn't factor in time to make because it is a charity fundraiser rather than a business. C4P also seems pretty good with postage - actual charges (no handling fee and they let people hold open bags so they can fill them over a couple of weeks before posting).