Little Gifts

Yep, some of the dried fruit in the cake is a big no no for dogs. Hasn't hurt Stussy (fruit and nut chocolate thief) but better to watch in case Bonnie doesn't have a cast iron belly.

I started fostering again after my old girl departed. She needed extra care in those final years and I didn't think it would be fair on her. I have a weakness for SBT's so decided to foster a breed of dog I had no idea about - had never even seen in person, on the basis I wouldn't fall in love with them so easily. So while I didn't end up with a foster that I couldn't bear to part with, one foster herself chose us and it became clear it was in her best interests to stay with us. We then had a full house and had to stop fostering again. I have absolutely no regrets as I now love the breed (shar pei) and of course adore our funny little foster failure. There were a couple of other fosters that broke my heart when they left but they had chosen special families for themselves and that is what it is all about. I can't provide the kinds of homes they went to and luckily most of the new parents have stayed in contact with me. I've also seen several of them since they were adopted and they couldn't care less about me! It is important to find a group whose practices and values you support, the ones where you get a say on the dog you foster and who considers your household requirements. There are ones out there who will just dump any old dog on you and that is not good for you or the foster dog. It is easy to fall in love with your charges but what they need most from you is a safe and nurturing place to become their best selves so they can find their forever home. I found it so rewarding to see a terrified or shut down dog start to trust and engage again. Our other dogs really enjoyed the experience too and helped a lot with the transitions our fosters made. I've shed lots of tears but they were all happy ones.

Very glad he has been removed and hopefully will make a full recovery. I hope the wombat also had an alternative exit route.

So sad. I'm sure the rescuers would be just as upset as the owner.

Another Pikelet follower here so I know all about P'waff's time in foster care too! Rocco is beautiful!

Oh that's gorgeous! Happy Birthday Lola!

Can you go visit her with some roast chicken or something else that she really, really likes? Good news but weird too. Hopefully she picks up soon and can come home.

Oh I do like to be beside the seaside! Is that a cuttlefish Jessie is nomming on?

Oh. Not the kind of news anyone was expecting. Big hugs to you Gillybob while you wait for news.

Where is the like button! What a beautiful story!

Thanks for the feedback everyone. This girl has passed on now but it is good for me to understand in case I ever have another dog like her. It's distressing when you think you have a dog that is fine around cats but then discover it is only fine around a certain cats under certain conditions. Big difference.

Can I ask another related question from those in the know? I used to have an sbt who killed a few small things at unexpected times and I ended up managing it by controlling her environment. I lived on acreage when she came to me as a foster (quickly a foster failure) at a year old. She was fine around the chickens, duck and geese. She was fine around the silky bantams and cat next door. She was a good ratter and mouser and that was encouraged. She used to be at the compost heap eating with the chickens and she used to groom the next door neighbours cat till it was dripping. But if she came across one of my chickens laying and it made a racket she was on it and it was dead. When the neighbours moved some of their chickens in a crate and they were flapping and cackling she was trying to bite them through the wire. She killed a brown snake sunning itself in the yard. She attacked a 6 foot monitor lizard (it beat her up pretty badly in return and it died before I could get anyone to come and help it). I don't know what it was doing but she had been spooked by it before in our backyard. She found a baby crow on the ground and screamed and ran away when it pecked her on the face (it didn't flap or crow). When my sister got two kittens I made sure they were put away before we visited (because they had not been socialised around dogs) but one night when we arrived mum was carrying a little grey kitten, it hissed and jumped from mum's hands and my dog grabbed it then released it but it died at the vet. I'm not sure if she thought it was a rat but the damage was done. A couple of years after that we were living here in the suburbs and had a neighbours deaf cat who was always sunning herself on our verandah and it used to drive the dogs crazy because she couldn't hear their barking. One day we opened the side gate to our then vegie patch and she was asleep next to the compost bin. The dogs went to her and she went nuts. One dog backed straight off while this girl didn't. I eventually got the cat and rushed it to the vet but it was too late. So what's the deal with a dog like this who under normal, calm conditions with a non-reactive animal is perfectly fine? She obviously has some prey drive given her love of rat and mouse catching and she identified the snake as a threat and killed it (not sure if she felt the same about the big lizard). But then an animal in distress or who reacts to her gets the big chomp. I think the lizard and deaf cat were the worst - I had a lot of trouble getting her to obey me to leave them. They were clearly fighting back quite intensely and that over rode her brain. This issue is partly why we moved to the suburbs where I could control what other animals she was exposed to as it is horrible to own an unpredictable dog like this. She was fine with other dogs and if we walked by a cat that wasn't worried about her she was fine and she never tried to chase the birds, possums or blue tongues in our yard here because they were minding their own business. Do some dogs get their prey drive kicked into gear with particular stimulus? Was controlling that stimulus and keeping it out of her environment really my only option?

I'm feeling like the worst mother ever! I am so focussed on my parents these days - remembering their appointments, monitoring their support schedule, paying their bills on time, etc that I forgot Stussy's birthday! She turned 8 on 22/10 and whilst I remembered to pay mum's credit card bill I forgot about poor Stussy! Since she doesn't need any more treats in that chunky monkey belly of hers I am just going to have to love her to pieces until the guilt goes away. I guess that means I will be doing lots of inner thigh rubbing this week!

Fantastic news! Can't wait to check out the calendar! He really is a fine specimen of a pei! Don't forget to add a link to their webpage so we can find the calendars! I did a google but there are lots of clubs!

I wondered about this or if it was a reaction to us not being home as much but it seems more about what she wants to do than what I might need! I wish I'd had my camera near the bed this morning. She spent the entire night sleeping in my arm pit. I had hoped when I got into bed and had to pretzel round her that she would move but nope, I was the one who woke up with the dead arm this morning. Usually she likes to take over my leg space but last night she decided she needed a proper night long cuddle. This is all from a dog that up until late last year didn't like to be cuddled or touched while she slept at all. She's an odd duck.

Tempeh does full butt wiggles but only with certain people. She seems to do it when uber excited and her body just wants to dance! She wiggles right from the middle, twisting herself in half. I've never seen her do it in relation to another dog, food or a toy - just people.

Where's the LOVE button!

I think Temp was here almost a year before she got on my bed. She really suffered from the cold and Stussy got her up there and snuggled with her to keep her warm. But if we came into the room or tried to touch her she jumped off. Second winter and we got her used to blankets on and around her and this winter you couldn't peel her off me in bed at night. And she would cry until I put her coat on. Fast forward to now and here's a pic for you Powerlegs. I was unwell last week and having a nap but woke up because I couldn't find anywhere to put my legs. I sat up and found out this was why.

I feel the same about Temp, FM, happy she is more open to everything we have to offer. As I'd consider her a submissive dog I wasn't sure how she would go with a change in pack dynamics as the oldest girl got past it but I'm wondering if it has had the opposite effect and allowed her the room to grow and feel more useful? Mind you, most of the time she doesn't even seem to speak dog when it comes to the other two poor dogs that have to share the house with her! She really has a lot of quirks and she likes to change them regularly. I just realised today that she no longer demands to inspect all incoming mail either. I'm not exactly sure when that changed but she used to be a stickler for inspecting everything!

Tempeh is our shar pei girl. She has been with us since she was 5 months old - now about 3.5 years old. She was a foster until she was about 8 months old. We've obviously had Tempeh for the majority of her life but she is not like any other dog I've ever owned. I swear her personality and behaviours change from year to year! As an example - up until this winter she used to put herself to bed after dinner every night. A few times a night (after going to bed) she would stick her head in the doorway to see what we were up to then promptly go back to bed. Other times she might come down for an evening snack then take herself straight back to bed. But since last winter she spends every night down in the lounge room with us bed hopping. She doesn't have a spot like the other two because she never used to hang out with us. Now we are constantly rearranging ourselves to accommodate her new 'hanging out with my homies' habits. Another new behaviour that started last year and has grown is she has decided she likes to spoon and snuggle. For the first year of her life if you touched her she would jump off the bed and sleep elsewhere. Now I'm struggling to find somewhere to put my limbs at night as she can't get close enough to them (even though we are now coming into the warmer months)! Another new thing is her morning rituals. I've always given my dogs a massage every morning while we are still in bed. I only used to be able to do it to Tempeh if she was in the mood as she is usually starving hungry and as I mentioned has not been a huge fan of a lot of touching. Now she gets up on one side of me (even if I'm not yet awake and ready) and as I massage she leans in to me and goes all floppy. What the hell? Where did this new dog come from? And she used to like to give me kisses but now she wants to lick me too - hands and face are her preference and she has even lain on top of me to do it! Another thing is her lying on the bed here in the computer room. She hasn't done it since she was a young puppy but now she is hogging it all the time and I've had to bring an extra bed in for her. Previously she'd stay on my bed keeping watch (which is what I think she was doing at night too). Other changes are I no longer have to chase her to put a coat on or clean her ears. She still plays statue but there is no real panic in her eyes. Has anyone else had a dog who continues to change? I am happy for her as these changes are positive ones for a dog that has had some uptightness and lots of rules she operated by but you'd think it wouldn't take 3 years to see the changes appear! She's lived in the same house with the same dogs, humans and routines for all this time. The only thing I think might be happening is she has stopped doing her role as alert dog. I'm not sure why as the most senior dog in the pack (our guard dog) is ageing and you'd think she'd feel more pressure to be doing her job? And if she is no longer doing her job who the hell gave her permission to slack off? Maybe she has just developed new found confidence in herself and realises she can have a bit of fun and keep us all safe? But again, why has it taken her so many years to feel this way?

I agree that dogs don't think and feel the same way as human beings (it's impossible). But sometimes it seems they know they have done something that will displease us humans and they also seem to know in a multi human house which human is going to be the least pleased. And if they don't know right from wrong then why do they do their naughty stuff when we aren't watching? Surely if they really didn't care they'd do it right in front of us? I can go and have a shower and come back to find my doona and pillows eaten. Just my doona or pillows - none on the other beds or the pillows on the lounge. And the culprit will just lie at the other end of the bed, trying to distance herself from the carnage like she never even noticed what happened. If she didn't care wouldn't she still be ripping it apart when I walked into the room again?

I don't think some breeders charge enough in comparison to the quality of puppy they are providing a new owner and ongoing support offered, particularly when you compare it to puppy farm dogs sold in pet shops for a ridiculous amount of money that come with absolutely no guarantee or ongoing support. How come people don't question retail prices but think good breeders are a rip off? Do people really think just because it comes from a shop it should cost more? Or do they think that the mother dog does all the work anyway so puppies shouldn't cost much to raise? How come the last puppy in the window encourages people to whip out their credit card while the last puppy in a breeder's litter is considered the dodgy one no-one else wants and should be discounted? Genuine questions. I really don't understand how people are happy to drop a wad of cash at a pet shop on a whim but are iffy about how quality breeders run their businesses. To me a good breeder is like a craftsman and good craftsmanship should be applauded and rewarded. And good craftsmanship lasts a lifetime while you can dress anything up in a window to make it look pretty. People are strange.

Yeh I know to stay away from Andonas. Blue is just my personal preference. Some people prefer black, some brindle, some red etc. not sure why everyone always feels the need to take a big dump and "educate" you on colour preference. I've owned staffs my hole life and my parents are registered breeders of an other breed. Im not exactly going to rock up to a puppy farm or pet shop to purchase a dog. My question was mearly price related. Thank you???? I will be honest, this is what concerned me the most about your original post and lead me to believe you didn't know much about the breed and the whole 'rare blue' issue. If I was in the market for a dog my approach would be to find a breeder who bred dogs I liked the look and behavioural feel of. Then I would wait for a litter to come along that had a pup in it that the breeder and I felt was just right for me. Sure I would have some price parameters and personally I am a little weak for pied staffords, but the starting point to finding a pup sound in body and behaviour is the breeder and the breeding stock they are using. This is a pure bred dog forum and you have been given some good advice from people in the know who were just trying to make sure you got a quality pup at a reasonable price. Not only for your sake but for your future pup's who doesn't deserve to live a life of misery with health ailments. It would be negligent if they didn't make sure you knew that blue can and does come with a myriad of health issues that many good breeders would be breeding to avoid. So if good breeders are avoiding it what does that say about the breeders who are specifically breeding to produce the colour????? Ah yes, we are back to good old money....

I lost a friend to PTSD (she was not in the armed forces) and it is a hideous mental health issue and difficult to get the right treatment for through the public system. I have always admired people who set off on long treks for a purpose and often wish I was brave enough to attempt something of this nature as I think you would learn a lot about yourself and human kindness during the journey. If he comes to my part of the world I'd love to give them a place to stay, do their washing, cook their favourite foods, whatever to show what they are doing is appreciated and important. And it's strange but I purchased something that was donated to Soldier On for fundraising late last week and then this week discover Royce's links to them. It's a small world.

This came up on my feed today and oh it made me cry! What an amazing thing to do! I hope people will follow Royce and Trigger's travels and donate to his cause. https://www.facebook.com/Afghanistanveteranwalkingforothers?fref=ts