Little Gifts

Up at Bald Hills, Mita. Too far away really.

Mine spoon me when it is cold but aside from that I can often be found only half on the bed because they need to spread out. I also find lots of present - sticks mainly but soggy toilet rolls are also common so a quick clean before getting into bed at night is essential for personal safety. Tempeh is also into scratching and licking while the rest of us are trying to sleep. I think she gets too hot. Her other bad habit is that she has to scrunch the bed linen into a ball during the day. When I get up I spread out the sheet and doona cover. Half an hour later she has it bunched into a nest right near my pillow and is fast asleep there. Before I go to sleep at night, after I check for sticks, I spread the linen back out and it starts all over again. I used to have a snorer and a farter. Special times.

I know Denali. If I was working locally it would take me about 2 hours to get to work every day! I quite like to go to new places to live temporarily though as I am on the lookout for my new 'forever' location! It is still a smidge rural there. Around the corner is all horse paddocks!

Thanks Boronia and Rev Jo!

I house/dog sat for a lovely young Sri Lankan couple late last year. They want to go on holiday again in March/April but I am already committed. They have been trying other options, including the Aussie House Sitters website but so far have had no success. One of the dogs was repeatedly beaten as a pup so they had never even gone on holiday until last year because he has anxiety around new people and they never wanted to leave him. I simply visited a couple of times before I house sat and he was fine while they were gone. I think that's why they have decided to take another longer holiday! They both have full time jobs and run a business so really do need to take a break. They are the loveliest couple, their dogs are extremely well behaved and loving and the house is new and has all the mod cons. They are very security conscious and obviously concerned about finding the right person to care for their dogs. There would be a payment involved but that is between whoever does the house sitting and them. They are not concerned about who you are, what you do for a living or even how old you are but someone sensible, mature and a dog lover will be important. So if you are interested, know someone or can offer suggestions it would be greatly appreciated. Happy if you want to PM me instead. Here are their two boys. This was the first night I stayed, which will give you an idea of how relaxed even their stressed boy was because he'd had time to get used to me before his skin parents left. Neither dog were any trouble for me.

I did a bit of shopping with them only today HW (chicken treats) and I bet that is where City Farmers buy their supplies from based on what I remember of the bulk packaging and labels. Will buy my lamb puffs straight from the source next time!

The doodle breaker also used to like to back up to things to poo so it wasn't uncommon to find a poo hanging off a shrub. A couple of times he backed into the rose bush and got several thorns in his butt. I only noticed because his back end was all quivery and when I touched him to see what was wrong I could feel the backs of the thorns under his coat. He was hit with the speshul stick.

I was shocked when I saw what a scared rescue pei was prepared to do for a piece of lamb puff! It doesn't smell overly offensive, doesn't leave messy fingers and can be broken into different sizes so it is my go to treat. Pei can't eat just any old foods either but I've never even experienced smelly farts from using this product. I just order mine in through my local City Farmers. It comes from an Australian company but the name escapes me right now.

Wonderful news!

My old sbt boy ran to something at the back fence at speed and didn't quite clear the low retaining wall. I ran out expecting a broken doodle. It slowed him to a stagger and he was piddling in all directions but remained intent on what was going on over the other side of the fence. Doodle not permanently damaged. Doodle clearly as hard as his head.

Hopefully Feather is doing much better today.

That's another state to add to my list of places to avoid. Do they not research anything from other states or countries on this issue? It's like when they get scared they put more rules in place to try and 'fix' it.

There are a couple of link of page 1. If I were you I'd go with Steve's organic supply! Also supporting a DOLer! I feel like a total twit because I just realised that my homeopathic vet has been giving me calendula cream (that she makes herself) for years to treat wounds and rashes. How did I not make the link in my brain????

It's a doggy miracle! I hope all the puppies thrive. I am a little worried that Reba will reject any if she thinks there is anything wrong with them (which could actually be true) but I know SLF is on top of it. It would just be a miracle if all 6 pups and mum survived such a dangerous experience. Come on puppies!!!!!

So glad things turned a corner for the better. A belly full of bird seed would be uncomfortable but I think bloat/torsion would be hideously painful! Naughty Josie, scaring mummy!

Yep, fantastic news!

Hopefully the fright has knocked her around more than any serious injury. When older dogs fail at something physically I think their ego takes a bit of a hit. I know that is anthropomorphising but in nature an old or injured dog is useless to the pack and I think that old or injured dog knows and fears that so why wouldn't our domesticated canines also suffer something similar? I also hope she is just bruised and the drugs are keeping her mellowed out. It really is like your grandma taking a spill though and getting a fright!

That is fantastic news. Come on Astro! Keep some tucker down so you can go home!

Staffyluv does your park have plastic pools for cooling off or was that BYO? What a fantastic idea! Most of our local ones have natural water courses and lots of water fowl/lizards and the like. The water is always muddy and smelly so we endeavour to restrict swims but it does give the dogs a little something extra (mmmm, duck poo!).

I can't believe the madness continues. Have they not learnt a damn thing from all the court cases this has already caused? How much trauma do they need to cause innocent dogs and their families before they get that their descriptors aren't finding the dogs they think? How do they sleep at night? I don't even want to visit Vic anymore.

Sending healing vibes to Astro and coping vibes to you. This is an unexpected crisis so don't beat yourself up trying to maintain normalcy. You caught it quickly and for now he is where he needs to be and you have done all you can. Hugs to you Rascal. XXX

There is so much wrong with that response it pains me to reply. You don't have to know a thing about canine behaviour to think a dog peeing on your bag is unacceptable. Most 'normal' people would be horrified if they discovered their dog did that. I said children and not small children. Some dogs on their hind legs can be longer than a child and some can also be stronger than a child. No child, regardless of age should be around strange off leash dogs without close supervision. Dogs are often family pets which means children do walk and play with them both inside and outside the home, including in off leash parks. Off lead areas ARE training areas for some dogs. How do you think some rescue dogs are socialised? And why shouldn't a supervised blind or timid dog be allowed to wear warning gear in an off leash area? Why is that unacceptable for those poor dogs who also like exercise and who might be a work in progress or have a disability? Why should it be their fault if a poorly behaved dog and even poorer behaved human can't respect that? All off lead areas I have been to in Qld and parts of NSW contain furniture/equipment and sometimes even dog agility gear. In every single park I have been to there is something made from timber - seats, weaving poles, etc. I regularly see people sitting in under cover areas with their dogs sitting or standing on the table. I'd be interested to know if they are allowed to do that at home too but I suspect not. I have never tut-tutted in my life but I do swear a lot. And if you will notice I said that a dog's behaviour should be within the acceptable range of whoever else is in the park. This means other people and other dogs. If the park is empty then fantastic but if a family is already there with their new puppy and your dog has its crazy face on then letting it off it's leash as soon as you are in the gate is just asking for trouble. Is it so hard to keep it on the leash and walk it to a more remote area to play and let off some steam? Why must we keep letting people get away with poor attitudes and behaviours? So many people here on DOL report their dog being attacked by some other idiot's dog that is running loose without being actively monitored. Why must one or two cretins ruin it for everyone else? Don't we have the right to say that's not good enough? I don't think this is idealistic at all but some basic common sense. I don't go around humping other people or getting into strangers faces or pissing on people's stuff so I don't accept that people think it is ok for their dog's to do it either. And if they walked out to their letterbox and stood in another dog's poo then they would be angry so they know it is wrong to let their dog do the same in public and not clean up behind it. They choose to be ignorant or lazy or whatever and I just think instead of moaning about it we should be assertive and say these things to owners when we see it happening. Create the environment we want and be good role models. At the very least I say this for the dogs who are the ones that suffer the most when things go wrong.

Acceptable to whom? A casual walk past my local dog park suggests that dogs tear arsing around with no heed to their owners is perfectly acceptable to the majority of park occupants. Forget council's version of acceptable and think of what most normal people would consider as acceptable and sensible. That doesn't include an unmonitored dog jumping up on a child, rummaging in your bag, peeing on your bag, madly humping your dog or you, human crotch sniffing, pooping all over the place, chewing on the offleash furniture (wooden chairs), trying to rush out the gate, rushing at other dogs trying to enter the park, rushing at dogs who might be wearing 'in training' or other warning gear, leaving the park without a leash or human. If an owner isn't close by to see their dog then all this is possible. Basic and acceptable behaviour designed to keep everyone safe and enjoying their outing. Even picking up your own dog poo is the most basic common courtesy but if you aren't looking then you wont know your dog has even done one. And if you aren't even close by no-one else will know to point it out to you.

I'm with you Terri. Dogs running loose at off leash dog parks still need to be actively supervised and just because they want to run around like crazy doesn't mean that their behaviour is left unchecked. What your dogs get up to still needs to be within an acceptable range of who else is in the park (people and dogs). You can't just let your dog do whatever the hell it wants to in a public place.

Horrible news for you but I'm glad you have a diagnosis and got in quick to help your fur baby. I would be visiting your neighbour with a vet bill. He may not pay it but he needs to develop some awareness of how sick his own dog was and how the lack of medical assessment and treatment has put your dogs at risk. Not acceptable.