Leah82

re your criticism of my involvement: See #17. I did go to the pound to find out what was happening and I did speak with one of the rangers and I have reported here what I was told. This issue had already been raised and asked about in the Urgent forum where it went unanswered but that is the norm for those threads. Questions are never answered. People even offered donations to help this girl but from memory they were not acknowledged. I started this thread to draw attention to that girl's situation and to try to help her and other dogs in similar situations. I am not sure exactly how else I am to find out if that dog is safe. eta If reading this thread was a waste of time no-one asked you to read it. I wouldn't say that post 17 was particularly clear with regards to your actions, I can't tell if you called to check if she was in yard 1 or just walked past the yard yourself. either way how this goes to helping her predicament I don't know. Also the urgent forum is not for people to ask questions it's to alert rescues or adopters to dog pending PTS or needing critical care in case anyone can help, these lists are not always put together by people who work in the pound. If you want your questions answered you need to go to the source

There are some good points raised in this thread but ultimately asking questions in a public forum and repeating that you are concerned for the welfare of the dog without making any steps to find out the full story or help this girls situation is a waste of everyone's time. I agree with Melzawelza that legitimate questions should be answered upfront and honestly by welfare organisations but sars didn't ask the people involved in this girls care, she sought opinions from a public forum I've seen this FB post shared a few times, a few things to think about next time you are concerned...

Well TSD already explained where the cocker spaniel name comes from sooooo Spoodle - Cocker Spaniel crossed with a Poodle

It was a different person stacking her and she went to the front. Neko seems to prefer them standing behind her. Week 4 and 5 I just had to do it myself though. She wasn't so good in week 4 but week 5 I think she's getting the hang of it. She is due 31st Jan/1st Feb so she'll beat you. lol I read that last bit as 6 weeks to come, not week 6 to come :p can't wait for puppy pics

Cockers can get 'protective' of their people, especially if they're an only dog. As well as dealing with the resource guarding when it happens I'd also be encouraging your dog to have alone time while you're in the house to reduce changes to her routine when the baby comes. So things like putting her outside for a bit during the day, I'd be preventing her from access to the couch and bed as well. removing yourself from the situation is a good thing regardless of what you're doing because you're giving an immediate response to her behaviour without giving her any attention in the process, so if watching TV, get up and go to the kitchen for a few minutes, when you come back make sure she goes to her bed, crate or a spot in lounge away from you. I'm pregnant as well and due in about 6 weeks, I know our dogs are going to love having me home all the time but so they don't become too dependent on that we'll be keeping their routine kinda similar. Currently they go outside when we leave for work, so that will continue to happen when hubby leaves for work, I'll just bring them inside at different times of the day

OMG Neko Puppies! That's so friggen exciting Had to lol at week 3, what gave her such a fright? Edit: if she's got 6 weeks to go we're due about the same time

Getting slightly off topic willem, if you wish to discuss the similarities between desexing a small breed dog before it's fully grown vs tail docking you might want to start a new thread

...desexing for fashion?... ...worse than docking IMO.... Yep should totally wait until a dog is fully grown before docking and a fluffy cocker isn't particularly fashionable although it does help with my allergies by keeping the dust bunnies down

yep the best non poodle looking poodle you can get is a poodle that's clipped differently even then their prey drive can be a bit much for some people If you want a low shedding cocker spaniel just desex it before it's adult coat comes in and you get a fluff ball

Collie and Sarah aren't particularly noisy but they have their own noises for different reasons. Sarah has her demanding bark which is either hurry with dinner or hurry up and throw the damn ball then she has her "I've been left outside all alone bark' which is kind of apologetic in tone as if to say, I don't wish to bother you but I'm not sure if you've noticed that Collie is inside and I'm out. I just thought I'd let you know Collie being a cocker spaniel is a bit more vocal, he had his "You've come home I'm so excited!" bark, his "Someone is at the door or in the front yard so I need to sound all tough and manly" bark. And then his "I'm really enjoying this scratch" yodel and other times he'll just start talking to you. Weirdly the only time Collie howls is when he's fast asleep, he'll let off 2 long howls with his face half muffled by the dog bed

I wouldn't imagine eye issues were to blame, you'd be seeing a lot more obvious signs before toileting inside. Our 8 year old cocker is blind from PRA and with no doggie door he manages just fine (unless we leave them inside for too long). For whatever reason your girl is toileting inside, you may never know why but start focusing on getting her out of the habit asap before it gets too ingrained. Leave the dogs outside when you aren't home and take them out regularly when you are with lots of rewards and praise when they go in the right spot

We have a snooza mat designed for a raised bed in the dogs big crate, it has Velcro ties on each corner. You need to check the size though as they aren't crate sizes. Ours is the same length as the crate but slightly wider so we have it going up the back side of the crate which acts a bit like a crate bumper. http://www.snooza.com.au/mats/multimat

I'm not sure collie is going to get his snuffle mat made by tomorrow. We have the mat and material although somehow the OH couldn't find fleece and the next best thing was apparently curtain material :/

So back from the specialist last night and I guess we got the best news we could. Eyes aren't swelling up yet, just a little bit red so we have a high dose of the eye drops for a couple of weeks (2-3 times a day) and then hopefully after that we can cut back to once a day. So no need for drastic measures just yet, although I do wonder whether or not the ongoing costs of the drops are worth it when the end result will probably be the same. Either way with a baby on the way and an move to WA soon after we can't really afford surgery so this will have to be the road we take for the mean time.

Also not a vet but if was me I'd give him another dose of telfast and keep an eye on him. I'd say there's not much the vet can do unless he becomes compromised in anyway also find whatever is attracting bees in your backyard and get rid of it

41 degrees today so Sarah got her Christmas present early, it's safe to say it's a hit, currently positioned under the aircon as well

Yeah I don't expect Sarah to be interested in the snuffle mat when we get around to making it, she puts a lot of things in the too hard basket. Collie however is already a big snuffler. He snuffles the lawn, the floorboards, even me :p. You won't even find a crumb where he's been snufflin

you need more high value treats to start with :) got any christmas ham yet?

How do you get it delivered and order online?? no idea, you need to be a costco member to shop there which is a $60 annual fee, as far as I'm aware they don't do online orders in Australia. I haven't been a member for the last year so not sure if that's changed

the OH has been putting this one off for awhile which is understandable because Collie is his baby and he's not in any immediate discomfort I managed to convince him to finally make an appointment by suggesting maybe we get the vet's opinion on removing his cataracts, which is not as crazy as it sounds as his eye sight hadn't deteriorated in a very long time before the cataracts. So we'll be seeing the specialist on the 22nd.

I think it looks great, perfect for the littlies

maybe I'll get a cool mat for Sarah, might keep her out of the dirt on warmer days resulting in weekly baths at the moment.

Bunnings have a few of those rubber mats, here one option... http://www.bunnings.com.au/bayliss-40-x-70cm-black-rubber-circle-mat_p4491916

So for Christmas this year we'll be making Collie a snuffle mat - can't think of anything more perfect for a blind gun dog, plus maybe then he'll stop snuffling me :p with Sarah I'm a little more stumped, she doesn't tend to remain interested in new things for very long So hit me up with some suggestions, and what are you getting your furries this Christmas?

I only have the two softies but even I was impressed by my dog's ability to share a bone the other week. We cut the flap off a lamb roast and gave it to Collie for 10 mins, then took it off Collie and gave it to Sarah for about the same amount of time then back to Collie. After awhile with most of the meat gone and the tendons taking a bit more effort one dog would get bored and wander off and the other one would have a go. I was watching from inside and both dogs were completely respectful of the other when they had the bone. I love my low management pair