Leah82

bugger! this is the beach we used to go to with our whippet club and it's where I was thinking of heading off to. Thanks for this info, probably why I couldn't find it anymore on the website. well you've got until next Friday to take advantage of the 24hr offleash time

we've been to carrum a few times and it's nice. It used to be onleash between 10AM and 7.30PM but looking into it now seems to have changed to no dogs during those times Looks like they have developed a new off leash area in mentone though, might be worth checking out http://www.kingston.vic.gov.au/Local-Laws-Waste/Local-Laws/Pets/Dog-Ownership/Dog-Access-to-Foreshore-Reserve "]http://www.kingston.vic.gov.au/Your-Council/Media-Public-Notices-and-Publications/Media-Releases/Summertime-dog-beach-rules

I think a curly coated retriever is a very big step into the large category. They are the largest of the retrievers, we met one at the park once and I'm pretty sure Collie could have walked underneath him with no problems whatsoever

too cute :)

she's looking great and oh sooo fluffy!

I would reconsider leaving him somewhere, you will find some groomers will call you when he's done rather than being left all day. You should be able to get some recommendations for your area, as your guy is getting older you want a groomer that will take their time and give your dog breaks, if they are happy for you to wait they are probably planning a rush job which sounds like what your current groomer is doing Also I wasn't suggesting you get done what's in the picture, only that you are really only limited by your imagination (and the coat type) when it comes to grooming. If you let me know your area I can put some feelers out on a dog groomer facebook group I'm a part of but you will probably need to leave him somewhere for at least a couple of hours.

Only one way to do it hey? Here is a poodle x maltese, was kept in great condition by his foster carer so the body was clipped short with cute fluffy legs trimmed with scissors. I would be finding another groomer who can do a longer cut all over to maintain a length that suits you and your dog. With clippers you can go as short as a close shave up to 25mm with a snap on comb

happy b'day fritz! lol you can see the excitement in his eyes :laugh:

ours are pretty good with the time of day regardless of the time of year as well. Whenever I get home from work they are waiting impatiently behind the gate but I can go home at lunch and catch them asleep in the kennel

we usually take the dogs places on the weekend so when OH and I are getting ready in casual gear (jeans, shorts etc) they run around like mad hatters. This has lended itself to them doing to same thing on Friday mornings when it's casual dress at work. Mon - Thurs though they couldn't care less while I'm getting ready.

I'd never been to the Melbourne show before either :) Definitely have a chat to Steph although I don't think she's planning a litter in the immediate future, apparently Dare is not quite your average fieldie, too much influence from her Aussies. Both her and Moo are gorgeous, we were a bit surprised about how solid the boys were, will definitely be going for a girl when the time comes. And from your original list, Corgies do shed quite a lot, spaniels not as much because their fur keeps growing, not sure about the Dachshund's though

I'm another that would suggest cocker, obviously I'm slightly biased though :p although I'm looking at getting a fieldie down the line, from my research they don't have the long thick coat like Cockers and personality wise are a bit softer and more independent, the reason cockers are great dogs for families is because they are confident little buggers when raised right and love being with people regardless of what you are doing, they would be equally happy sleeping on your lap or playing with the kids. When you say lighter on the grooming side would you prefer low shedding and having to take to the groomers to get clipped or higher shedding and just need a bath every now and then? Most dogs will fit into one of those categories

My parents have mentioned more than once that they plan to sell their dog with the property when they move off their farm. I can understand why they think it's a good idea, he's a Kelpie x and a good working dog and they think it will be unfair for him to move to the suburbs. I've said that I would be more than happy to take him, he's a very chilled out dog, and most of the time only gets one big run a day. If push comes to shove I'll see if my parents would be happy to surrender him to a rescue as a working dog so they can find him the right home, he deserves more than to just be a freebie addition.

Week 41: This one is a bit of a show off as I've been working really hard on maintaining Collie's feathers and they are getting quite long :D

I think diet and lifestyle is more about keeping the dog young and active for a longer period of time rather than lengthening their life. We all know we feel better when we eat well and exercise but at the end of the day the body is great at ticking along on the bare minimum, it's just not much fun. Unfortunately things like cancer and other chronic conditions creep up on the best of us

Unfortunately the problem with suburbia is it mostly hangs around the coast. I have friends in Perth that regularly take their horses along with their dogs to the beach and even though they live in a rural area they have the get through the burbs to get to the beach. Also horse beaches tend to coincide with dog beaches

is this thread limited to dogs?....

As others have said you cannot 'impulse buy' a rescue dog that is being displayed in a pet shop, you need to go through the same checks and balances as if you came across the dog on pet rescue. As far as only needing to follow the DEPI code goes, well that still leave a lot to be desired. I have a former puppy farm bitch, she was 7 years old when I got her and from my understanding the puppy farm was 'one of the better ones' indicating that they are an approved facility. Sarah didn't have a name, she was a scared little dog for a long time and even now (nearly 18 months later) she still jumps at loud noises and hasn't really warmed up to my husband. She's only recently learned how to 'play' with dogs although she will still only play with our cocker spaniel, it takes her awhile to warm up to other dogs. As far as training and stimulation goes she didn't even know to sit when I got her. Her repertoire now includes sit, drop, stand, spin, bed, come and sometimes shy but it takes her longer to learn things simply because she was never taught how to learn as a puppy. So I realise you think this proposed legislation is a direct attack on you and your farm dogs but have a thought to the many dogs who would benefit from such a legislation. You will never be able to catch everyone that breaks the law but a law like this would mean that when people are clearly doing the wrong thing the police and RSPCA have the ability to prosecute. Without legislation behind them their hands are tied

If you like cockers go for the cocker. I think there are many breeds of dogs that would suit your circumstances and cocker spaniels are just one that would thrive in an environment where they get to spend most of the day with you, and when you are out they'll just find the spot that smells like you the most and curl up on it. A couple of extra points about cockers so you know what you are getting into. - they have a flair for the dramatic... brushing, clipping toe nails and even when they scratch themselves all tend to come with lots of whining but you eventually work out when they are being serious and when they are being a PITA - they are extremely food motivated which is great for training and like Gruf said earlier their recall leaves a bit to be desired but if they know you have food it will be a lot more reliable - as I mentioned before they like to be near you or if that is not an option near your smell, so unless you want them rifling through your dirty laundry keep it out of reach - when it comes to training and what the dog is not allowed to do, if you give them an inch they will take a mile, allow them on your bed once or twice and as far as they are concerned they can hop up whenever they want but if you can live with all of that then good luck with your search :)

I had a dwarf lop during my apartment days. :D personally I'd rather pick up dog poo in the backyard than have to clean out a rabbit cage on a regular basis

Thanks T :D So it pretty much is like rejecting a job applicant. Don't give them an excuse to argue with your decision just give it to them straight... here's a template I prepared earlier :p

Ok, So I've got some ads up on pet rescue and I'm getting a few responses for each dog. Question is, how best to respond to the people that are not successful, not necessarily the people that aren't suitable just those that weren't the best home for the dog out of the applicants that you get. I feel like I'm advertising for a job opening :p

Oooo, weather for Sunday just got awesome, Mostly sunny and 25 degrees. Looking forward to sunshine and puppy dogs

Loving the bubbles teekay :) and Weibritty I can never get enough of flowers in spring time and photos are even better than really life because photos don't make me sneeze :p Week 40/52: land shark

I'm confused, is the proposed limit 10 breeding dogs or 10 fertile females. Breeding dogs would include both entire bitches and dogs. Either way I don't think it's a particularly harsh limit, Ethical and registered breeders aren't in it to make money and you can always de-sex any dogs that are not part of your breeding program. Unfortunately when you are trying to stop practices like puppy farms there are always going to be a few good breeders caught in the cross hairs. You have to ask yourself, would you rather reduce your non-profitable breeding program or continue to allow puppy farms to use and abuse dogs and produce unsound and unstable litter after litter.