kaywoman68

I wouldn't like to sleep outside so my dogs dont There has been a few fosters that have slept outside but that was because they started whining when I let them sleep in the bathroom (with a mat, water etc). In the beginning, my dogs were supposed to sleep on the floor (on a mat) in the bedroom but for some reason they migrated to the bed and they've stayed there ever since

I always just share a small spoonful of yoghurt/ice-cream with my 2 when I'm having some. 'Daddy' will let them lick his yoghurt tub/lid Lucky lucky Ripley in getting a Freddo ice-cream cake Hope he enjoys it and you better post some piccies

I haven't had a problem with feeding my 2 a little bit of ice-cream every now and then. I seem to remember reading in old threads people buy a whole ice-cream for their dogs to Riley!!!!!!

I have a Mars Coat King (26), slicker brush and tooth comb (like the gripsoft medium comb in the link Hesp posted). I mainly use the slicker on my 2. I probably dont need the tooth comb but anyway ETA: From my experience of using both a slicker and undercoat rake on a Rough Collie, I could get more with a slicker. Maybe it's the way I used it....The slicker seems to do a lot of upper layer work and not so much on the undercoat......

Orson and Oi get half a tin of sardines each.....normally once a week but sometimes will be once a fortnight. They get fish oil tablets every 2nd - 3rd day

I feed my 2 furkids and any foster dogs I have RC.

I agree with you there. That is a big concern if they ever get lost. I live near paddocks and nature reserve. I once lost Orson for 10 minutes because I fell over when walking them and he saw some sheep and bolted off (couldn't hold on properly). I went over the fence to look for him and it turned out he went back to the otherside of the fence looking for me

It's not 10 minutes in one lump sum. It will be 1 minute here, 2 minutes there etc. They can't help getting excited from pigeons cooing from the neighbours' backyard. The council law doesn't state a specific time frame. It is kinda based on individual opinions cos a neighbour wont make a complaint unless he/she doesn't like it. Now this depends on whether they think 4 - 5 times a day or once a day before they make a complaint. In ACT, all complaints are looked at and there's no diary logging now so basically even if my dogs have improved I can't prove it and there's no way of telling until I get hit with an infringement fine. There's some people I know who are better off not talking at all. Here we are trying to shut our dogs up for under 10 minutes a day and some people talk non stop Looks like I'm going to have to save really really hard to buy a rural property so my dogs can do whatever they want (well....almost ) Once I find out whose dog is barking at 6:00am in the morning for the last week when my dogs have been inside sleeping......... ETA: and NO, i'm not bitter! I'm merely venting

what do you define as excessive barking? Kaywoman68 .... I think you'll find that each individual Council have a definition of what constitutes "excessive barking". I'm sure I read it somewhere for mine, but just can't put my fingers on the article at the moment. I'm not talking about the council. I'm more interested in individual opinions. I mean, we all have a limit on everything. Im wondering what everyone's limit is on barking......

what do you define as excessive barking?

It's YUMMY!!!!!!!!!!!!! The best part is to peel the whole prawn by yourself I love having them by themselves or with soy sauce (with chillies in them).

Awwww...come on Shmoo. It's really not that bad Ooooo....garlic sauce. I love garlic

I peel the prawns then just rip a little bit off (starting from the tail) to the dogs. I like eating brains etc from the head so I would peel it carefully *mmmm.....rubs tummy*

I'll share it with whoever wants it Dont worry about the dogs I've fed Orson and Oi a tiniest bit of prawn and they dont seem to have problems

He looks gorgeous. I bet you miss him heaps still ;)

The concern is if the procedure will be done correctly. I'm very frustrated, upset and angry at the neighbours for not coming to talk to me about it and instead go and file a complaint instead It's very rude. Im also not having a lot of confidence in the local dog authority/pound because they wont let me have any information to confirm it's my dogs barking. It can be anyone for all I know even when supposedly the ranger came around to assess the situation I'm going to suggest the ranger meets me at my house at 5am when I wake up so he and I can both check if my dogs are barking If there's a choice, I rather the 'debarking' be done on the kids that live on the corner block (back of our house). I like kids and I want to be a primary teacher one day but these kids just draw the line. I mean, screaming at 6am in the morning on weekends and some neighbours have the nerve to complain about my dogs. Too bad I can't complain about them

I've just been issued with a nusiance notice saying there's been excessive barking at my house Someone has suggested debarking my dogs but I really reckon it's an absolute resort.....I dont want to jeopardise my dogs' health by putting them through an operation....I mean, they're perfectly healthy!!!!! I agree with you sonni. To me, a dog is entitled to bark. Just because we're supposedly SUPERIOR as humans, the "highest" in the food chain we must think we can do whatever we want.

Merry Christmas Ollie, Jodie and your family!!!! Have a wonderful break because you deserve it

Great news Rachelle!!!! ;) Certainly a HUGE change with Ellie. You must be so proud of her :p Steve, will you ever consider doing a session in Canberra??????

Oi growls when she's comfortable and doesnt' want to be moved She doesnt' do anything at all but growl to let us know of her displeasure of being moved to somewhere else. I dont usually move her but when she sleeps horizontally on the bed then she has to be moved!!!!!!

Oh no ;) Hope At is better today

Thanks :D I'll wait till my foster goes first then try to sort things out. It's not going to do much good with a cassette tape recorder cos it wont actually support my evidence of the time and date. I have been keeping a log of the barking when I've been home. I've also noted stuff like people screaming, birds chirping etc.

I think it was a genuine question, Jenny. The ActewAGL guidelines don't say anything about wading pools for humans or animals, so I only top mine up during the accepted hours on the accepted days. And thereafter I bucket it on to the garden. I don't think anyone at Actew will have a problem with that, and it's an issue of wellbeing for the doggies. It might be worth asking them, though? kaywoman, it sounds like you're controlling the situation as best you can. If you can possibly muster the energy for an early morning walk, or adjust your working hours to accommodate one, I think it will help. It certainly helps calm Jack each morning. He's nuts if he doesn't get his morning stroll ... barks at the birds, the planes etc. With a walk, he snoozes :D Thanks Mooper. Im trying to adjust my body to get up earlier in the morning but it just isn't working. Orson and Oi gets excited at times when they know they're going for a walk and they can start barking for a few minutes. Can you imagine if I take them for a walk in the morning one day and they get excited? :D I really want to find a job that gives me heaps of flexibility so I can have a job and go to uni at the same time.....it just doesn't work cos I dont get enough hours which means I dont get enough money to cover bills and expenses. I have been taking them to work since last thursday and leaving my foster at home. I have been circling around the block 4 - 5 times before I actually drive off to work and I've heard nothing at all. My foster is hopefully going to his new home on Saturday so after that, I will be able to really monitor the situation. I think my dogs are happier when they go to work with me. I put them in the dog run with my mum's dogs and they just play and run around all day. They get tired and sleep the whole way home. I drop them off then go to my other job. I have been using a citronella collar so that has decreased the barking a bit cos now they know if they bark loudly they get squirted so they growl :D

I only took them to work when they were little. They have been at home for the SAME AMOUNT OF TIME since they were 4 months by themselves and never had a problem. I think the main concern is the length of time specified in the complaint. DAS says it's been happening for 4 -5 months (around the time of my fostering). Not sure if it's just a coincidence. I'm not going to hire a dog walker because I dont trust anyone to come in my house/yard when I'm not at home, even if it is to take my dogs out. I NEVER said a wading pool is classified as a swimming pool. I dont know where you got that idea from ;) My reasoning is why use it when I dont even water my plants very often? :D There's plenty of places where there's shade in the backyard and they've got a HUGE bowl of water for them to drink. If you choose to put water in your wading pool for your dogs, that's your decision. It's my decision not to let them have the wading pool for the moment. I rather be able to supervise their 'pool playing' time. They're also going to be swimming on Saturday and Sunday. Maybe you should look at the website again. Stage 3 restrictions are coming into place on 16 December. A wading pool to me pretty much comes under a water feature (when I look at the water restrictions). A few inches of water in a wading pool will equal to a few buckets of water and that can be better spent on watering my plants which are dying. Under Stage 2 and 3 water restrictions

My neighbour (the one who is home most of the time) received a letter. I know cos she came and told me it wasn't her who put in the complaint. I put letters in the left and right neighbours, 3 on the side of the road, the one directly behind and 3 across the road on Saturday night. I haven't heard anything from any of them yet. I haven't asked the council yet about the diaries. Are we actually allowed to sight them? I have been keeping tabs on when mine have been barking and I'm more aware of other dogs now. My gosh, I let my dogs out while I was having dinner last night. I heard a dog barking so I went to let my dogs back in (getting a bit paranoid). Anyway....it turned out to be a neighbour's dog! I have been writing down the times I hear dogs bark (whether it be mine or other dogs).