kelpiecuddles

Question though, how is she intending to get the dog certified? There are a couple of options with autism assistance dogs, the main one is to go through one of the organisations that trains and supplies dogs, the other is to DIY train. Does she need the dog to be able to access places like shopping centres, etc?

We are now training our basset to work with my oldest, basset personality is great for kids that need a calm dog, they adore kids and just love their people, she does shed but is pretty good as long as I use the shedding rake on her once a week or so. She's going to have a bed next to my sons. Size wise they are heavier being around the 25kg mark but she doesn't feel like a big dog because she is so short.

Signed, what a gorgeous squishy faced girl!

My dad's a MAMIL :D To be fair though he'll ride 30-50km before stopping at a café for a cuppa and cake and then ride the same home again :D

Apparently my son agrees with you too HW. He picked up a replacement blade for our deshedder and looked at the back of the packaging and it says on it "Pets are kids too" His statement was "Pets are kids too, no they're not!"

When I was around your age I used to travel on the trains down there with my family dog and there were a lot more dogs on the train back then and never once did I see a troublesome dog on the train, I think it's just a beurocratic arse covering exercise

She'd have to wear a mask, silence of the lambs style ;)

I think it's fairly recent Terri and hasn't been well publicised, personally I was willing to just take my chances and play dumb if I was approached about "Oh gosh, I didn't know that was the rules now, I'll know for next time..." I realise there's the chance they may be hard about it and give you a fine but I'd never put a muzzle on either of my girls so I'd rather take the small risk of a fine. Personally I don't think the ticket inspectors care and probably half of them don't even know the rule!

Yes you can. Unfortunately now they have introduced a rule that says they must be muzzled which would turn me off completely, in the past you didn't need to

Wow, I've certainly never seen anyone in a shop with a dog shoved inside their t-shirt here I also very rarely see people with dogs at the beach in the no dogs areas or with dogs offleash and it's quite uncommon to see dog poo left around as well, in fact even at the dog beach we frequent I've never seen a left behind poo. I'm starting to think it might be worse where you live.

Holy hell WIW, I've never seen anyone do that! I'm pro dogs at cafes and I wouldn't like that. Is behaviour like that common in your area? Back in Melbourne we used to go to cafes around Brighton and never had that issue and up here our favourite café at Huskisson I've never seen a dog do more than lie at it's owners feet.

It is, they even made a decision about 12 months ago to install a large permanent marquee tent over the rear half of the outdoor area, previously the back section of tables and the playground had been in the full elements, no shade and no shelter from the rain, now it's an all weather playground :) The kids potter off down the back and all the adult patrons can relax because there is no rear 'escape hatch' at the back of the café so the kids can't go anywhere. Yesterday we went we had our basset hound and there was a couple with a toy poodle and another regular with his bearded collie, all lay quietly under the table. :)

Well I take my dogs and my kids so don't go to the café I frequent! :D Actually the café we go to has a fenced little playground at the back for the kids to play on and a lovely big outdoor area out the back where dogs are welcome and then seating indoors as well so their are suitable seating options for those with kids and dogs and those without. it's a lovely café, highly regarded in our area and has awesome food and hot drinks. They also make dog bikkies for their canine visitors :)

I already did that, I knew the price of Aussies. I asked for info on Aussies and people started throwing other breeds at me. I'm happy to suggest other breeds that may suit but only if they are within their realistic affordability.

Can anyone share the approximate price for the breeds you have suggested? As you can imagine I'm the type that will spend whatever it takes to get the breed I want but I suspect they'll start to top out in terms of willingness to spend more at about $900. They want to spend the money to get a good healthy dog and will do all the necessary desexing, vaccs, other vet care etc but will look at breeds that are realistic for them in terms of price in order to have more to spend on other doggy needs.

A friend was today asking me about my reccs for buying them a puppy/dog when they are settled in to a permanent home. I took them through the options regarding rescue/breeder and asked a fair few questions of what they are after. They are wanting small to medium size dog that will go for daily walks but also be happy to be a running companion for her husband when he jogs. Are Aussie's up to being a jogging companion? I was inclined to think they would be but having very little experience with the breed I didn't want to lead them totally astray. They are keen to go for a breed that is more robust with less known health issues which is why I thought of aussies plus she looked a little overwhelmed when I mentioned how much I'd paid for my basset and Aussies are at least on the lower end of the cost scale for a dog from a reputable breeder, she did understand why they were worth the money when I explained though so I don't think the cost turned her off, just gave her something else to think about. They have two young children also, the older a toddler interacts very nicely with my dog, younger is only ten months old.

done

http://www.sydneyroyal.com.au/www.sydneyroyal.com.au/breed_judging_schedule_2014_draft.pdf Last two pages ;)

That's what the schedule says

Is that a baby sloth? I'll take two :D

In my experience the people who call their babies fur children are more often the ones that will blindly follow the marketing of random companies rather than doing their own research. Personally I hate the term!

Call me crazy but the nose and the ears on that dog look too long for either a saint or a cav? Maybe it's just because I live with one but whatever that is looks like it could have some basset in it with those long ears...

I'm wondering about possible issues with there potentially being more dogs around with higher testosterone levels if people start choosing this instead of castration. Maybe I'm cynical but I see a lot of boofhead males with badly bred and poorly socialised dogs who will choose this 'desexing' option rather than traditional methods. I realise many of those wouldn't have desexed anyway but there are also many who would have.

Thanks guys, I'll pass on the info :)

Someone on my local facebook page is hunting an Aussie Bulldog. Initially she asked for references for bulldog breeders, I asked her what sort of bulldog she was after and linked her to the DOL british bulldog puppy link but she's now clarified they are hunting an Aussie. I know they aren't ANKC at this stage but can someone tell mw where I am bets to refer her to for info on reputable breeders? She would be in my area, Sth Coast NSW