Little Gifts

I love all your videos! I am personally very drawn to black dogs because I don't think there is anything more beautiful than a shiny black coat! Even with the shar pei's wrinkles you get all this light and dark and texture that I just want to touch! I also love dark eyes hiding in dark fur! Yep, I'm a sucker for the black ones!

I wonder if they have a Sam Man?

Ethical rescues are still for the most part recycling the same stuff from the pet shops, puppy farms and the like placing product from irresponsible breeding's of unknown ancestry......a mutt through rescue means it may have a had quick vet check and the temperament is tested pet worthy, but the background and nitty gritty on the dog is not even close to what a registered breeder can provide who has years of breeding and bloodline experience of their respective breeds. Good rescues do a great job, I admire their work, but it's not in the same league as a good registered breeder. Sorry but I take offence to this. You can't compare the two like that and make those assumptions. Rescue is not in competition with breeders but it is part of the continuum of dogs being bred and abandoned, regardless of who has bred them. I am with a specific breed rescue group and some of the numerous dogs we have come through have come from a registered breeder. A lot of blood, sweat and tears goes into bringing them back to good health and assessing their suitability for rehoming. A lot of time is also taken by the person who runs this rescue working with owners to try and avoid them being surrendered in the first place. Our vet bills are astronomical because it is felt a dog in pain and poor health is not going to show its true personality. When we do public events people are shocked that a rescue group for this breed of dog is even needed. It is and with a lot of effort and money many beautiful dogs have gone to their forever homes. In a perfect world this breed would all be well bred, without health and behavioural issues and if an owner could no longer keep the dog then the same registered breeders would take it back and rehome it. We are far from living in a perfect world.

I think that is a misconception that goes back a long way when people who bought pets with pedigrees were likely to be better off and a bit snobby. My parents only ever bought from breeders because the cats and dogs they liked were not super common, even though they had no interest in breeding from them. But we also took in strays of different varieties as well, just because we've always been a family of animal lovers. Back when I was a kid, even if the puppies were cute a bitsa was still a bitsa and you had to give them away - no-one was going to pay you for a dog that wasn't purebred and didn't have papers! Things of course changed when people started breeding supposed purebreds that just didn't have papers and offering them at a cheaper price than a breeder. I really don't think a lot of people still have a clue about the importance of what they are getting from a breeder when they get a dog with a guaranteed lineage, good vet care and socialisation. And the value of that in the long term! I've recently joined an international shar pei page on FB and the questions on there shock me some days. If these pups were coming from a breeder they wouldn't be asking people on an FB page about diet and skin/coat issues. There is even one on there recently that is definitely crossed with something else but the owners are convinced it is pure bred because they were told it was.

Yep, one of ours has a dibber-dobber bark and we call her The Fun Police! And Mita your story reminded me how when my heart girl was young she had a tendency to run and run and run and not realise how far away she'd gotten from us. We'd say to my sister's dog Wolf "Go get Stussy" and she go and round her up and bring her back to us.

So very sad. I'm sorry for you both. Run free Cloud. XXX

I didn't even know you were pregnant so I'm very excited to get all the news in one go! Tyrone is rather handsome already!

Like others have said, if you have a good vet that is more concerned about the health and recovery of your animal than upselling then it can actually cost you less in the long run. I've been a VIP customer for about a decade so get 10% off everything for a start. But on top of that they do lots of little things for me for free (toenail cuts, foster dog stitches removal, etc) and they also give me freebies (inc medicines) and chemist scripts to save costs. They also pursued an alternative treatment option for one of my dogs without charging me for the time they spent doing it. Because they know I will follow treatment regimes, often my dogs will be released to my care rather than kept in over night as well. I also have my vets home and mobile number for emergency advice.

I know a cat that moved itself from an English only speaking house to a Cantonese only speaking house with no problems! Even it's diet changed! It was called something like Fluffy and they called it Jook (phonetic sound of the word - not sure how it is really spelt in English).

I hate these kinds of stories. You pay for what you get and you get what you nurture. Vets have to make a living and keep up with technology and public expectations. I chose my vet the same way I chose my personal GP. I don't care what my vet charges because it is the outcomes for my animals that are more important to me - I wouldn't insult her for all her hard work by even questioning her rates because she constantly goes above and beyond what I expect of her. So if you don't have a regular vet that you have a good relationship with that benefits your pets then big surprise when you go into any old clinic and get charged for random fees that you want to complain about later!

Happy Birthday beautiful girl!

As if they can do better than you DD! Mine don't want to share the bed (let alone my time) so apart from downloading bedtime stories I doubt they will assist with any hook ups even if Johnny Depp came calling!

The weirdest thing for me that has me really wondering what dogs can or do understand more than we credit them for is how we have had to change how we interact with our little pack due to Tempeh (our foster failure pei). We went to an animal communicator who told us Tempeh needs to have everything explained to her because she does have a lot of anxiety. Prior to this we just gave the dogs commands and followed a routine and didn't really talk to the dogs other than silly/sweet stuff during cuddle or play time. But with Tempeh we now explain where we are going, what we are doing, how long it will take, what is expected of her, etc. She needs to know everything! The strange thing is it calms her down, like she knows what we are telling her and can plan her very busy day around our activities accordingly! I've even been known to be getting dressed after a shower with all 3 dogs on the bed saying "Now Tempeh, are you listening to mummy?" It works particularly well in the car if we are going somewhere she has never been before and starts to stress. We remind her where we are all going and why and how long it will take and who we will see and tell her we will be there with her the whole time and she will be safe. People must think we are crazy but it really does settle her down. Otherwise she whines and cries and gets worked up with worry. I was a bit embarrassed after she was injured and had to have vet treatment. She was clearly scared and in pain and I just sat with her on the floor every visit (she had tubes and stitches) saying that I wouldn't let anything bad happen to her and to trust me and she never once snapped at the vet in fear, even though we were all worried she might. When she shook I would say "Look at me Temp, I'm right here with you." And she would focus on me and let them continue removing stitches and tubes. She is currently behind me crying because in her mind it is now dinner time and I am not already in the laundry preparing it! She's a funny thing and we love her so!

Fantastic news! I'll also let you know when our Peinics are on if you and Hudson want to come and hang out with a bunch of pei and meet a few other DOLers. I'm not sure if Shailer Park is in Logan City Council or Brisbane City Council's area but you can check that out online and see what dog/offleash facilities are nearby. Although your dog owning work colleagues can probably fill you in on all that anyway.

Traditional favourites like border collies, cattledogs and kelpies are simply too active and require too much intellectual stimulation for the modern Australian lifestyle, according to a panel of experts assembled by The Sunday Telegraph. Slightly OT but last night I met 2 foster puppies from a national animal rescue org. They told the foster mummy that the pups were kelpie/bull arab crosses and due to their breed they will be outside dogs only. She can't bear that of course and keeps letting them in the house to sleep in their crate at night and is hoping it wont get her into trouble as a carer. I looked at them and they looked like Jack Russell crosses, which made even more sense when she told me other pups in the litter were tufty (hers are smooth). They certainly don't look like they will grow to much more than ankle height. These are definitely not going to be working dogs and they are only young puppies. What the hell is it with the rescue org telling her to raise them as outside only dogs when they are likely to just be pets? What has happened to actual breed knowledge? No wonder the public buy the wrong dogs if this is what they are reading or being told! And of course if it's red it must be a pit-bull!

I can't believe I overlooked that one! Patrick and Keanu!

My sbt girl named herself Stussy (well it was the only name/word she would respond to). You could also go with female surfing stars (Laine Beechley but check sp) or that young girl who lost her arm to a shark but still surfs (google that). Then you have well known surfing movies like Big Wednesday or Blue Crush.

Maybe Rosie's will to live is far stronger in real life than we can see from pics and videos? I'm sure people did tell you to let go of Pickles and I'm equally sure that if you saw or felt she had no quality of dog life you would've made that hard decision, but she has proven her ability to overcome her disabilities and she is still very much a dog living a dog's life. It doesn't seem like Rosie is able to be a 'dog' unless someone is helping her do it. That's what I'm struggling with. If a person with physical or intellectual disabilities was raised like a dog there would be outrage so to raise a dog (or kangaroo!) as a human baby (because that is the level she seems to be functioning at) just disturbs me I guess. I think of all the natural instincts that are unable to be provided (rather than being deliberately denied as I am sure the owner does care for Rosie). I also worry about the pain she must still suffer from time to time as a result of her inabilities to care for herself. How can she tell you when she needs to scratch or lick some part of herself? I respect her will to survive if it exists and I respect her carer's commitment to her but I struggle with the life she currently leads as a dog and how she understands the ongoing pain and suffering that comes with her existence. She might be used to her limitations but does an animal really get used to pain? I guess I'm just sad that some shitty, shitty human brought her into this world and whether she likes it or not humans continue her existence inside her damaged body.

T I can see how her carer/owner has fallen in love with her and I can imagine she says to herself that Rosie will let her know when she has had enough of this life but the only moments of happiness for Rosie are the things others are doing for or to her. Think of the doggy things your own fur kids love to do, even Pickles. Can Rosie destroy a stuffed toy or roll on her back in the grass or sniff out all the neighbourhood poles? Can she lay in the sun and wait to scare the postman? Can she walk on wet grass or play tug? Can she dig a hole and lay in it? Can she play with other dogs on her own terms or is it simply that they come up and sniff her? Can she even chew on a bone? I can also see her cuteness (I have a weakness for the uglies too!) but it is like a baby that will never grow up. I just feel sad that this is her life whether she wants it like this or not. 3.5 years is an awfully long time to just be laying around doing nothing that comes naturally.

That broke my heart in an angry way. A dog that can only wriggle is a dog being kept alive for the wrong reasons. And she has a high pain threshold? Well what other options does she have? If Rosie had a say on whether she wanted to live another year like that I bet she'd say "thank you for saving me but this life is too hard; please let me go now."

Thank you for the reminder! I meant to grab tickets when I first saw this through the amazing Teangi Metal Sculptures. Well her CEO Bart probably told me!

My way of coping is knowing that the new forever family will be able to provide the fosters something I can't. It may be they have kids (I don't) or they might live near the beach or have their own business so they can take the dog to work with them everyday. There is always something. It also helps that pei tend to pick their new family (rather than the other way around). I have seen them exhibit totally new behaviours in front of their new family right from the minute they arrive. It always amazes me. And every foster leaves here with a little piece of my heart. I am lucky that there is really only one I don't still get to see on FB or in real life because once you get a Peiradise dog you become part of a big family. I think it is incredibly rewarding despite the tears.

The whole lot are hilarious. Did you see with the Morgan Freeman one it seems like the real Morgan Freeman has actually left comments? "Every time Morgan Freeman smiles a baby is born in a field of kittens."

Oso, given the extra care/services and quality of facilities you provide do you still have people complain about the price? I never get that. People will spend a fortune getting pissed on one single night out or blow a wad of cash simply because they are on holidays OS for a week, but then they will leave their dogs, which they simply adore/can't live without/paid a fortune for through a pet shop, at the cheapest place they can find. Instead of the dogs kennel stay mimicking their home life or even making them feel like they've taken a bit of a holiday too it must feel very isolating and confining. Of course they aren't going to act the same when they have no idea what the hell is happening to them and are devoid of their usual level of human contact. It's probably why house and dog sitting has become so popular, particularly if you have a couple of dogs.

I know someone who is sad at the moment that I absolutely have to send that to! It's a cracker!