kelpiecuddles

Her ears only get washes when she is bathed She eat a predominantly dry diet though. I'm more than happy for you to meet her for a play when we come down if you like. Might help you get a feel for them as they aren't a breed you often come across in the street. :)

If you own a animal it's your business to know what the rules are. I'm most city council areas dogs have to be leashed at all times unless it's a designated off lead area so in actual fact I would think the result would have been the same even if there was no sign at all!

Only a small amount of drool if it's a hot day or she's exercising a lot, most of the time no drool at all. :) Nothing that can't be sorted with a quick wipe with a tissue

Oh and should say that while they are classed as a medium to large breed she is a lot shorter than my kelpie and I don't feel like I'm living with a 'big' dog if that makes sense.

Oh I was going to say you might like a basset :) there's only a couple of basset owners on the forums but happy for you to ask any questions you might have. We have three kids and have found her to be an amazing dog. We don't have much trouble with barking but it was something we focused on from day one that it was not allowed and now she will only woof if she thinks there is good reason, no different to most dogs in that regard.

My girl is extremely laid back, she is a hospital visit therapy dog. They can be stubborn and I would say that while I didn't find ours hard to train they aren't a dog that you are going to win obedience championships with, but our girl knows the house rules(no jumping, toilet outside, sit and indoors is quiet time) and as far as I'm concerned that's the most important thing. They aren't great off lead but ours runs off lead in fairly contained locations with no real trouble. Where are you located? We'll be in Melbourne for a week at the start of December and would be happy for you to meet her.

I can't quite decide how I feel. I'm pretty convinced my cats would much rather stay in this house and have different owners than be moved to a new house(but I'll still move them LOL). I suspect most cats aren't as attached to their owners as dogs often are so the cat probably will be quite happy to be able to stay where it has always lived. As for the money side of things it sounds like a mess, although if the son is about to head off on an extended trip overseas it doesn't sound like he'll be spending much time with the cat any way!

No they are only barely damp so they don't leave her ears wet.

I guess I would just look at what reasons you currently charge by size, if those aren't applicable to day boarding(feeding from food you supply for example) then there should be less variation between the amount you charge for a small or larger dog.

Yep I use the Coles fragrance free baby wipes on my bassets ears, get right in to all the creases and give them a really good clean after her bath. :) I also use the antibacterial hand wipes on her paws and ear tips when she goes to visit hospitals

I think there is a lot f luck/genetics at play. I suppose it's no different to the amazing couple who would make awesome parents struggling for years to conceive while a drug addict who can't care for their own kids breed like rabbits.

I guess you just do the best you can and turn the rest over to the universe.

I know it's paid for by a dog food company but the topic being researched was actually not related to brands of food but the way owners fed their dogs(feeding to keep them lean as opposed to overweight) but I was looking at this 14 year study today which was done by Purina US. Showed a 15% increase in life span on average in dogs fed to keep them lean. So while I do agree there will be some dogs that just keep going on average I think many more would pass away early due to ill health.

http://www.purina.com.au/dog-food/feeding/nutrition/extending-healthy-years

I have never used one but wanted to suggest that you can also get the little whirlybird birds put in the roof of them for extra ventilation

I raised a baby emu a while ago, they are the funniest critters to have around your house, they leap in to the air for no apparent reason, kick their legs in all directions for no apparent reason and run in to things...for no apparent reason.

They're really smart ya know... LOL

I raised a baby emu a while ago, they are the funniest critters to have around your house, they leap in to the air for no apparent reason, kick their legs in all directions for no apparent reason and run in to things...for no apparent reason.

They're really smart ya know... LOL

Yes, sadly this is the third dog this woman has had this year. The first just disappeared, I think she gave it away, the second also kept escaping and she just told the person that found it that she didn't want it 'because it was a hassle' so they told her to 'F' herself and they rehomed it themselves and now this one.

My neighbour has a little dog that has recently learnt to escape her(poorly fenced) yard and today was coming over hassling me. Neighbour has a long history of not properly caring for animals but given we front directly on to the princes hwy and the dog is wandering around a few meters from the road you'd hope she's have little more sense.

Well guess who's little dog got run over on the weekend

I've seen that pic before and always wonder whether that photo was taken somewhere like a hotel as it's the dual doors between two separate apartments.

Thanks flippy dog. I knew I'd seen a little vet room there. Thought it may have been the same arrangement. Good either way. :)

Wish it was available somewhere other than Masters, it sounds great!

Well they certainly desex before rehoming. (or did when I used to work for that vet and I believe that vet still does the pound work) In that case I think the pound had their own small surgery room at the pound as he used to go out there certain days for a few hours at a time to do the pound work. Other pounds I know the animals go out to the vet for desexing. I think Nowra is the same having it's own surgery room in house and a visiting vet.

Wow dogmad, that's pretty scary! I'm surprised at the Sydney ones. Very different in Melbourne, but fewer adoption centres I think, channelled through centres run by major grousp(RSPCA, Lort Smith, etc)

Is Wagga country enough? I used to work for the vet that did the pounds desexing there.

Many very rural pounds don't unfortunately. From what I've seen the closer you get to major cities the more likely they are to desex before sale.

Ours does, its run by the RSPCA though (it's also non-kill for healthy, behaviourally Ok animals)

My neighbour has a little dog that has recently learnt to escape her(poorly fenced) yard and today was coming over hassling me. Neighbour has a long history of not properly caring for animals but given we front directly on to the princes hwy and the dog is wandering around a few meters from the road you'd hope she's have little more sense.