Sydoo

Some large crates will fit a cot or bassinet mattress (though I'd avoid the innerspring varieties if you have a serious chewer). People don't often reuse them so you might be able to nab a one from someone you know that would otherwise have gone to the tip. I know my nephew's will be repurposed as a dog bed (with a basic canvas cover for durability) when he outgrows his cot.

We used metal baby gates (figured she might chew a timber one) from Bunnings. Kmart, Big W, Target etc all sell baby gates. We got standard size gates with addable extensions of various sizes - we used the gate + extension to span french doors when she was young and now we can use just the gate section for normal doorways. You could scout around for second hand ones too - a friend of mine got the same gate as us from a garage sale for next to nothing.

Aren't they lovely? Our BC is great when I am sick...though the first time I was ill and vomiting, she tried to help a little too much by emptying the bucket while I was out cold on the floor Luckily she is slightly less 'hands on' now and just keeps a quiet presence next to me until I'm up and about again. Hope you are feeling better now!

Dry food that you poured hot water over to make gravy (Lucky Dog IIRC?). I remember it was unavailable for quite some time so we just poured hot water over regular biscuits...almost the same result. They also got lots of scraps - raw and cooked. Meat, all sorts of vegetables, pasta, even ice cream on occasion (when the adults weren't looking of course). No cooked bones. Can't remember ever having tinned food around. Cats were fed roughly half dry, half raw.

OH and I are entering the serious second dog discussion phase (insert squeeeee! smiley) and I am leaning heavily toward a young adult. I don't expect to bond any less than we have with Billie, who came to us as a baby. We just have to find the right dog.

On the money the vet practice owes often from an overdraft or a business loan. Perhaps they were referring to potential interest the business is losing from not having the funds available for use (whether it be saving interest by paying down loans or earning interest by investing somewhere; both are a loss to the business). If I am paid excessively late by my employer, I expect nominal interest to be added to the figure owed. I have lost income by not having my salary to invest.

I hope to adopt an adult dog as our second dog at some stage. OH is set on a puppy so I am slowly working on him...will show him this thread when he gets back.

We had a kelpie x when I was young that used to try this. He was terrified of water (he was the sole survivor from a bag of pups thrown in a river) and would sit well back on the dry bank while people and other dogs swam. If someone went under the water and didn't resurface immediately, he would hurl himself in to the water and clumsily swim towards where they disappeared from.

I would absolutely take it further. Not just for the money - having someone examine the 'nitty gritty' of any contract will put your mind at ease with regard to the dog you would like to care for again in the future. Would be interesting to know if the other carers got paid.

She is adorable, such a baby face! I had to reread your post after seeing the photos as I assumed I'd misread the age.

Same. Billie will probably figure out how to open the freezer one day and then I'll be obsolete.

Live animals are put in a heated, pressurized section of the cargo hold so they have enough oxygen at the high altitudes and don't freeze. Normal baggage and freight goes in the unheated unpressurized sections. ETA I really can't find the words to describe the stupidity or callousness of this person And if the US use dedicated mail/freight planes, it's quite possible the only habitable area during a flight would be the cockpit. How very fortunate for the pup that someone decided to check out the parcel contents. No comment on the poster

I don't have much experience with dog grooming...but it's much cheaper than my people hairdresser so it sounds pretty darn reasonable. TLC this is why Billie hasn't been to a groomer. Friends took their long haired SWF for a bath and basic trim and came back to find her close shaven all over. No reason given for doing so. OH is worried we will ask for a straightforward wash and dry and end up with a hacked or bald pup. I'd like to take her somewhere but admit I share some of his apprehension. I have made enquiries with a few places and when I say it is a border collie they reply along the lines of 'Welll that's not a small dog but I can't see why not'...doesn't fill me with confidence.

My first childhood dog was a yellow lab and at the family discussion to choose her pet name, my mother's first order of business was to ban Goldie from the list of contenders. Said she certainly "didn't want to risk bloody Goldie ***** (an acquaintance of hers) turning up every time I call the dog in".

People can be jerks. Who cares what other people call their dogs? I had planned for years beforehand to call our first dog Pickle... on the long drive home with her, OH convinced me that it didn't actually suit this pup. No idea how we got to Billie. Most people assume she is a boy. I'm still on the hunt for a Pickle...

I think (well I hope) it is normal. Our 1yr old dog still barks at toys or while playing with us, but it is a very different sound to when she barks at someone hanging around outside the fence, a trespassing cat or other strange happenings. Her play bark is very high pitched and makes me laugh...especially when she runs into the lounge, shoves her head under a seat cushion and barks to herself half a dozen times before resuming zoomies around the house. She has a few toys that always elicit barking so I put those away before dinner out of respect for the neighbours. We've had no problems with anyone so far and I worry the high pitched squawk could carry over some distance on a quiet evening.

Once upon a time I was a reckless country young'un and I have been under the tonneau cover of a moving ute. I would certainly not recommend it for any animal. All the reasons I can think of have been covered - heat, lack of ventilation, danger from being virtually unrestrained. Depending on the way the cover is secured, there is also a chance of it coming open at some point during the trip. It's about as good a place to travel as the unairconditioned boot of an old sedan.

Billie used to stay silently in the corner until we got up to start clearing the table. She doesn't share our dishes. Now she sits near OH, rests her chin on something and quietly stares at him. He will almost always give in and hand her a tidbit which drives me insane. She doesn't bother me or guests...OH is such an easy mark she doesn't need to

Our dog was not keen on either Billinghurst or Canine Country patties. Currently wolfing down the ready-to-eat VAN mince but that's probably just because of the kangaroo base. I believe it would be cheaper to make yourself. I want to get into making my own once we get a second freezer - not necessarily all-inclusive patties, just prepared quantities of various things for convenience. As it is our small freezer is about 80% dog (bones, necks, chicken portions etc) which makes storing food for the humans a little difficult. To think I originally allocated just a shelf in the door for the dog

Yep that really is the same! Dogs were killing livestock, they got shot as the person had a right to do. Exactly. Personal morals aside, it does not actually matter whether they were dingos, strays or a pair of champion show dogs.

They do try to discriminate. They're recently been allowed to discriminate based on age - when the government first allowed that in they set a 30 year old age limit thing - eg if you had insurance and you maintained it continuously they couldn't charge you more than what they charge a 30yo. I've also noticed some variation for the same type of cover - the price varies between states. I don't know if it's more dangerous to live in some states or that health care is just more expensive. I believe it just depends on what is included in the policy - for example QLD policies don't include ambulance cover so our premiums should be lower than the NSW equivalent.

I had to be vaccinated at uni as my research involved lab work with bovine material. I haven't heard anything about it since. Hope the vet nurse is recovering well.

Our girl seemed to get them fairly frequently for a few months but no problems lately. We are hoping she just grew out of whatever was causing them to recur.

Oh important point! I have to use Draino semi-regularly to keep ours running freely. My hair + dog fur must be too much. Ooh thanks for the tip! I'm still clueless with all these cleaning products, I've had my mum to worry about all that, but I finally moved out of home and have to think of these things myself now I had no idea what to do when I first moved out and my shower stopped draining! That was pre-dog so can't blame anything but my own hair. Be very careful using it though - I lock Billie outside so she can't possibly get in the bathroom until I am done. It's nasty stuff (which is why it is so good for clearing drains) and I hate to think what it could do to a curious doglet. Store it securely away from paws/little fingers when not in use. Billie used to try and get in the shower when we were washing. Now that I've started washing her in there, she won't go in the shower recess voluntarily if the bathroom door is closed. She's small enough for me to carry in if necessary.

Why can't the showgrounds ones use pavillions and stables?? It simply isn't good enough. : Very disappointed when I heard this today. I think it will result in fewer early self-evacuations, which will inevitably cause more problems if the situation worsens.