White Shepherd mom

My biggest fear is that if something happens to a dog of mine, s/he will be too heavy for me to pick up to put in the car to take to the vet. Casper, at 35kg, is heading for paralysis and I know that one day, when he can't get up on his own, I will battle to support his weight. I am 41 now (and my back is already hurting!), I expect I'll be in my mid to late 50s when my next dog/s get old so I've decided the next breed will be a smallish/medium size dog. If I could find a Casper in a small package, then that's the breed I want. I guess I will be asking DOLers' opinions in the future. ;)

you are a wonderful Mummy It's because of you that he still enjoys life and is doing as well as he is. Good on you!

PM is en route! Thanks PP

Hi PP, I hate to ask but why don't you need them any more? Casper is on 4x100mg Phenomav tablets per day so I'll happily take them off you if you still have them. Let me know how much you want for them and I'll PM you my address. Thank you.

I was wondering about this. I've heard of dogs that were present when their mate passed having a shorter mourning period. My two are 2 weeks apart in age and will be 10 in September. That said, I expect Bella will outlive Casper. I cannot bear to think of life after my dogs (esp Casper). Like you say CW EW, I'll probably be a bigger wreck than the surviving dog!

Esky, could you please edit and add Casper (white German Shepherd) and Bella (Bitsa). I think you posted same time as me! Thanks!

Akita: Kyojin American Staffordshire Terrier: Tua, Max, Juno Australian Shepherd: Banjo, Archie Australian terrier: Bailey, Brandy, Jasper Belgian Shepherd (Groenendael): Fleming, Ivy Border Collie: Roy, Molly Boxer: Bruno Bull Terrier: Bonnerville Cane Corso: Ali Cavalier King Charles Spaniel: Bree, Ingrid, Jersey, Lacey, Fern, Floyd, Indy, Arnie Chihuahua: Chelsea and Pansy, Heidi, Bertie, Moose, Archi,Pepe, Dally: Appollo Finnish Lapphund: Halo, Vienna, Jaana,Magnus,Aurora-Rose,Niina,Paddington,Maximus French Bulldog: Lola English Setter: Spartan, James German Coolie: FlashBazil, Latte German Shepherd: Java, Odin, Tlaloc, Rebus German Shorthaired Pointer: Pip, Coco, Polo Golden Retriever: Onslow, Matilda-Rose, Chester, Genie, Ella, Rosie Great Dane: Sparkles Greyhound: Harry, Kiff, Sally Griffon Bruxellois: Mocha Hungarian Vizsla: Flynn, Rogan Japanese Spitz: Emmy Labrador Retriever: Lestat, Bailey, Tia, Mieka, James Newfoundland dogs: Annabelle, Katy, Lukey Norwegian Elkhound: Odin Papillon: Blaze, Minka, Portia, Tyson, Coco Pointer : Kite Audrey Poppin konrad, Badger Pug: Lotus Rhodesian Ridgeback: Meisha, Bakari Rottweiler: Roxy, Feonix, Radar, Neo, Abby Samoyed: Mistral, Alchemy, Yngvie, Dante, Bundy, Kamikaze, Fergus, Kato Siberian Husky: Akira, Tikaani,Romeo,Baby.Riddick,Indie Staffordshire Bull Terrier: Kiara, Zola SWF: Zoe Rescue Bitsa: Keely, Fred & Ginger, Ozzie, Tess, Maverick, Bosco, Kyah, Charlie, Astrid, Mala, Bella White German Shepherd: Casper White Swiss Shepherd: Rakim, Whippet: Herbie Weimaraner: Ariane, Lulu, Louie West Highland White Terrier: Penny, Mac, Daisy

Im in Ellenbrook so not too far Are you talking about the Eagle Pack one? That's what I'm referring to! You could always give them a call first. I hope you find it!

Very sad for your mum's neighbour. It's because of people like this one that old people in retirement homes are usually not allowed to take their faithful dogs with them. What a shame.

I thought it was a feel-good story too. It's just a crying shame that dogs like Rosie are needed in the first place though.

By Helping a Girl Testify at a Rape Trial, a Dog Ignites a Legal Debate Kelly Shimoda for The New York Times POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. — Rosie, the first judicially approved courtroom dog in New York, was in the witness box nuzzling a 15-year-old girl who was testifying that her father had raped and impregnated her. Rosie sat by the teenager’s feet. At particularly bad moments, she leaned in. When the trial ended in June with the father’s conviction, the teenager “was most grateful to Rosie above all,” said David A. Crenshaw, a psychologist who works with the teenager. “She just kept hugging Rosie,” he continued. Now an appeal planned by the defense lawyers is placing Rosie at the heart of a legal debate that will test whether there will be more Rosies in courtrooms in New York and, possibly, other states. Rosie is a golden retriever therapy dog who specializes in comforting people when they are under stress. Both prosecutors and defense lawyers have described her as adorable, though she has been known to slobber. Prosecutors here noted that she is also in the vanguard of a growing trial trend: in Arizona, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana and some other states in the last few years, courts have allowed such trained dogs to offer children and other vulnerable witnesses nuzzling solace in front of juries. The new role for dogs as testimony enablers can, however, raise thorny legal questions. Defense lawyers argue that the dogs may unfairly sway jurors with their cuteness and the natural empathy they attract, whether a witness is telling the truth or not, and some prosecutors insist that the courtroom dogs can be a crucial comfort to those enduring the ordeal of testifying, especially children. The new witness-stand role for dogs in several states began in 2003, when the prosecution won permission for a dog named Jeeter with a beige button nose to help in a sexual assault case in Seattle. “Sometimes the dog means the difference between a conviction and an acquittal,” said Ellen O’Neill-Stephens, a prosecutor there who has become a campaigner for the dog-in-court cause. Service dogs have long been permitted in courts. But in a ruling in June that allowed Rosie to accompany the teenage rape victim to the trial here, a Dutchess County Court judge, Stephen L. Greller, said the teenager was traumatized and the defendant, Victor Tohom, appeared threatening. Although he said there was no precedent in the state, Judge Greller ruled that Rosie was similar to the teddy bear that a New York appeals court said in 1994 could accompany a child witness. At least once when the teenager hesitated in Judge Greller’s courtroom, the dog rose and seemed to push the girl gently with her nose. Mr. Tohom was convicted and sentenced to 25 years to life. His lawyers, David S. Martin and Steven W. Levine of the public defender’s office, have raised a series of objections that they say seems likely to land the case in New York’s highest court. They argue that as a therapy dog, Rosie responds to people under stress by comforting them, whether the stress comes from confronting a guilty defendant or lying under oath. But they say jurors are likely to conclude that the dog is helping victims expose the truth. “Every time she stroked the dog,” Mr. Martin said in an interview, “it sent an unconscious message to the jury that she was under stress because she was telling the truth.” “There was no way for me to cross-examine the dog,” Mr. Martin added. In written arguments, the defense lawyers claimed it was “prosecutorial misconduct” for the Dutchess County assistant district attorney handling the rape case, Kristine Hawlk, to arrange for Rosie to be taken into the courtroom. Cute as the dog was, the defense said, Rosie’s presence “infected the trial with such unfairness” that it constituted a violation of their client’s constitutional rights. Ms. Hawlk declined to discuss Rosie. In written arguments, she said that all Rosie did was help a victim suffering from serious emotional distress, and she called the defense claims “frivolous accusations.” The defense lawyers acknowledged the risk of appearing antidog. Rosie, they wrote, “is a lovely creature and by all standards a ‘good dog,’ ” and, they added, the defendant “wishes her only the best.” As the lawyers prepare their appeal, Rosie has been busy. She spent much of her time in recent weeks with two girls, ages 5 and 11, who were getting ready to testify against the man accused of murder in the stabbing of their mother. The Dutchess prosecutor in that case, Matthew A. Weishaupt, argued that Rosie and dogs like her did not affect the substance of the testimony about horrifying crimes. “These dogs ease the stress and ease the trauma so a child can take the stand,” Mr. Weishaupt said in an interview. In the end, Rosie was not needed in the second case: the defendant, Gabriel Lopez-Perez, who had a history of domestic violence, interrupted his trial last week to plead guilty to killing the girls’ mother, his girlfriend, in the Wappingers Falls rooming house where they lived. But Rosie’s promised appearance next to the children might well have played a role. “It became obvious,” said Mr. Lopez-Perez’s lawyer, Andres Aranda, “that the children were going to be testifying, and he decided to avoid that.” The defense’s appeal of Rosie’s first courtroom outing, in the rape case, is likely to establish legal principles on the issues of dogs in the witness box. “It is an important case, and appeals courts will consider it an important case,” James A. Cohen, a professor of criminal law at Fordham University School of Law, said. When New York appeals courts study the question, they are likely to look at the experience of courtroom dogs around the country, including in Washington. In Seattle, a developmentally disabled 57-year-old man, Douglas K. Lare, recently recalled how a Labrador retriever named Ellie, who has made more than 50 court appearances, helped him testify against a man charged with a scheme to steal from him. Ellie gave him courage when he was afraid, Mr. Lare said in an interview: “It was like I had no other friends in the courthouse except Ellie,” he said. For 11-year-old Rosie, said her owners, Dale and Lu Picard, the courtroom work is a career change after years working with emotionally troubled children at a residential center in Brewster. The Picards’ organization, Educated Canines Assisting With Disabilities, or ECAD, places service dogs after training them to perform tasks like turning lights on and off and opening doors. Rosie, named for the civil rights pioneer Rosa Parks, was originally taught to follow 80 commands, including taking off a person’s socks without biting any toes. But she has a special talent with traumatized children, said Dr. Crenshaw, the psychologist who has worked with all three of Rosie’s witnesses and many other troubled children. “When they start talking about difficult things,” Dr. Crenshaw said, “Rosie picks up on that and goes over and nudges them. I’ve seen it with my own eyes.”

I am so very sorry dogslife. That is horrible. She fought a brave battle and I am sorry the outcome was not different. I don't know what else to say. I just really feel for you.

My vet suggested when cutting back on their food, add lots of grated veggies to fill them up without the calories. Bella gets a raw grated carrot in her food so when I cut back her meals she didn't seem to notice too much...and she's a guts! She lost 6kgs in about 10 months.

Are you sure he's new? He looks like he has lived a life time with you. What a happy and very dirty puppy! Congratulations Gayle and pack, you made an excellent choice. He is stunning!

That happened to me as well except the treats were in my pocket. Happened to me too. I was at the Perth Airport carousel waiting for my luggage when the customs Beagle came over with tail wagging. I didn't know what I'd done wrong until I remembered the pack of Schmackos in my back pack...you see the dogs had flown with me and I was about to pick them up from the Air Express terminal. His handler was having a laugh...sounds like this is not an unusual thing to happen

I buy mine from Petstock in Joondalup and so far have had no problems with supply. Is that anywhere near you Mason?

Love your work! Perhaps it's time council change the way they deal with this tosser, what they're doing now is obviously not working.

Farewell Jessie, you have left much love and sadness behind you. I am sorry for your loss jetty, may your pain and sorrow turn into happy memories soon. Rest in peace Jessie.

They take a piece of your heart with them when they go, don't they? I am so sorry for your loss Dogslife. What a wonderful life you gave Chantie and she knew it. I hope you, Ella and the rest of your family are ok. Rest in Peace Chantie, until you are reunited with those that love you.

Hi guys, FYI, Ocean Reef Vet have just opened their Aqua Treadmill for doggy physio. I found out today so have not used them yet (not for that, anyway). Just thought I'd share.

How scary, poor Honey. I'm glad you did something about it but I would say, watch out for the owner next time you walk past. I'm sure he will know who dobbed him in. I wouldn't walk past his place without OH if I were you...at least until the storm blows over.

After all that Gary has been through, it's just not fair. My condolences Gary and to Chris who I am sure will also be affected. Rest in Peace Banjo, your job here is done.

I think Kuma will love running with you. As you say, start off slowly and build up speed and distance over time. I run with a dog on either side of me and we all love it. Mind you, there is a park at our half-point mark and we spend about 10 mins walking round it before running home again. Have fun!

I agree fully. It doesn't take much for a 78 year old to fall down stairs. Again the dog might suffer because of a clueless owner

I know EXACTLY how you feel. I have a friend whose GSD was a year older than mine. He was from a good breeder whereas mine is from the pound (I refer to Casper more than Bella as he has always been my troublesome dog health wise). When my friend's Shepherd died at the age of 8, I thought Casper's time was surely up. I fretted and cried thinking I was going to lose my boy when he turned 8. I took out pet health insurance and on his 8th birthday took him for a check-up even though he wasn't due for one. The vet checked him out and felt a small lump in his abdomen area. He wasn't sure what or where it was so told me to bring him back in a month by which time the lump had doubled in size. X-rays showed a growth so we opted for surgery and it turned out there was a big lump on his spleen. Had I not taken him for that check-up and had the vet not felt the lump, it would have surely ruptured and possibly killed him. 4 months later he had pancreatitis and we almost lost him again! I have certainly shed some tears for my boy already but in 2 months he will be turning 10 and I am overjoyed that he is still with us. So, I am with you with the paranoia. It's easy to say "don't fret" but not so easy to do. We just love them with each passing day and enjoy having them around as long as we can!