minxy

Oh my gosh. Poor dog

My two love them. Nah they're not hard like antlers, they can chew on them and easily scrape teeth marks into them. I think they're great.

I've been using Pet Circle for about 11 years now. I get all my dog, cat and chicken supplies from there with the exception of cat litter, only because I like a particular brand that they don't sell. They're great. We've had the occasional hiccup but it's always resolved very quickly and easily. You can just order as you need, or set up automatic deliveries of items at whatever frequency you want, and they'll remind you a week beforehand to give you the opportunity to change it if needed. Edited to add: Budget Pet Products is who I get my cat litter from. I prefer Pet Circle overall but to be honest it's been a very long time since I've checked to see whether I can get the same items I like from BPP and how their price compares.

I'm also late to the thread, sorry. I hope everything worked out okay @Bexrose. What did you decide on in the end?

Oh daaaamn they are all so beautiful! I'd LOVE to own bunnies and pigs! I can't have either here

Oh damn, I remember reading about them on here about 9 years ago when we got Kyojin! They would have been sooo handy when we got Dash, he was a terror of a puppy.

I heard about it on the radio this morning. So horrible. The poor husband must be devastated.

So cute

I get Dash's Leading Raw at Petstock (they sell Big Dog too). That's in Brisbane, but hopefully your closest one will have them too. You'll want some decent freezer space!

I started Dash on Black Hawk (as per his breeder) but then 6 months later transitioned him onto Leading Raw BARF patties for dinner (He still has kibble for breakfast, which I don't mind continuing because I can scatter it for him to find or stuff into things etc).

I can't say for sure, but there was a dog at the dog park I ran into a few weeks ago and the owner said he was a Catahoula. Definitely didn't look like either of those two links, but moreso like the actual one from the AKC. It was a crossbred rescue for sure and about 11 years old.

I only have a 7 month BC, so I'm not the most experienced, but yes, I would say that all sounds pretty great. Right now Dash still gets tired very easily (but recharges just as quickly). He loves to fetch, swim (he's a natural swimmer and LOVES it!), play tug, solve treat puzzles, run around the yard with me and go for walks. And also sit in my lap and cuddle for as long as I'm there. If I'm sitting on the ground, he'll want to be in my lap. He's an amazing dog and I love him to pieces, but right now (and I'm hoping he grows out of it once he stops teething and matures past puppy stage) but he's also by far the most destructive dog I've ever had or heard of in my life. He eats EVERYTHING. From the plaster of the laundry (when confined as a tiny pup) to the floor of my deck, to my wooden front door, to my daughter's swing set etc.... I even bought him a clam shell pool yesterday to swim in which he was happily doing, but two seconds later he was chewing it to pieces. So it doesn't seem to be a boredom thing for him as he will happily try and destroy stuff in front of me and even after I've taken him out somewhere etc. Having said that, even though he has damaged a LOT around the house he's also a pretty amazing dog and I still love him to pieces. He learns everything (except not to chew!!) VERY quickly and is the friendliest, most affectionate dog I've ever had. He is always up for some exercise or adventure and as soon as the hatch of my car opens, he jumps in. He doesn't even wait for it to be opened fully, he just leaps in underneath it whether he's supposed to be going for a drive or not. They are amazing at agility and you'll probably find that if you did do agility, that most of the other dogs there are also BCs.

We have a 5 month old border collie puppy and we've just started leaving him outside when we go to work in the last week, but that's because we live on 2 acres with rural mesh fencing so we got an electric collar system installed to make sure he can't get out (some spots he could probably crawl under, but being a border collie, when he's bigger he'd definitely be able to clear them if he really wanted to). So as Dogsfevr said, it'd depend on the security of your yard in particular. Making sure there's nowhere he can escape, nothing he can hurt himself on/eat anything dangerous, have good access to shelter and water etc. Before that we had Dash living on our deck. We did try and build him a run in the yard underneath the deck but he kept getting out somehow so it was safest to leave him on our deck until we had the Hidden Fence installed.

Thanks everyone! I've passed your feedback onto my sister to do some research now with her husband. I don't think that would really work for them to be honest. It would definitely be possible to add a doggy door to their laundry but with the two young kids they always have clothes overflowing in the laundry or toys around the house etc that I don't think it'd work having a dog inside when they're not around to supervise unfortunately.

Thanks so much guys, a few breed suggestions we'd never thought of so I'll get her to have a look at them. Funnily enough, she got a reply from another Cav breeder later that said they sounded perfect and that while Cavs would love to have someone home with them they cope better with being alone than some other breeds. Okay yep, I can definitely understand your reasoning here! That wasn't said by the breeder at all unfortunately, she seemed to think working part time was absolutely absurd and literally said she would never consider selling her a dog. I definitely agree that if they do get a pup now, they'll have to make sure it's well prepared for her return to work! A reasonable backyard size. Shady trees and plants to lie under, lots of grass, as well as a huge covered patio area.