Kelpiegal

Oh how I loathe the F&F in Kilsyth!! I can't count the amount of times I have heard their staff telling some person that the little scruffy (crossed with about 3 breeds) doesn't need much maintenance (grooming wise.) Oh & when they were trying to sell a border collie x lab, they were telling the potential buyer that it's exercise levels were low coz labs are very laid back!! I think I nearly spat my drink all over hubby that day!! I have to admit my local store knows me by sight as I continuously go in there to check how state of their poor animals. I shudder to think how many dead birds I've seen lying in the bottom of their avaries & not to mention the floating fish, just let to be picked away & fester in their water. I can't wait to see the day these sort of places go out of business. Sadly though I still think it'll be a long time coming.

Wow - a whole lot went on in here whilst I was gone!! I'm so sorry for not responding earlier, we had a death in the family so I haven't been around much. I have managed to get another pic of the lil cutie in discussion, so we'll see if this more front on pic can give us any more to go on. Ned:

Hubby & I have finally managed to get the time off to go to the Kelpie Muster up in Casterton, Vic this year. Apart from just a good chance to socialise with heaps of other people & their working dogs we are hoping it will be a fun filled weekend. I have booked our accommodation, which is thankfully dog friendly & now am counting down the months!! So is anyone else going this year? Have you been in years gone by? Would love to hear of other's experiences with this event.

I'll try & get another front on pic later today & post it up. From my understanding he is under the 18 month range in age. Not sure of exact age but definitely under that. The couple who have purchased him got him at a shelter in rural Victoria, so he hasn't come from Melbourne area. Definitely country area (Shepparton to be precise.) So far I believe he is fitting in extremely well & with some training should become a lovely forever pet for this couple.

My hubby is sure there is a bit of corgi in there but I'm not seeing it.... We figured ACD was a definite just not sure what else is in the mix.

Just wondering if anyone wants to give some thoughts on what breed (or breeds) this young man might be? My gf & her hubby have just taken him home from their local shelter but the shelter didn't give much info on what breed he was.

Thanks everyone. I popped around & had a quick visit this afternoon & although she is very gingerly moving about she's held up remarkably well for her age. Now I just have nurse gf through the vet bill!! Although in all honesty she would have paid whatever it took but quite a few free meals at my place will be taken up I think.....

Sorry guys couldn't get on the computer earlier much to update. She is now home & recovering ok. Once in surgery they found a knuckle type bone obstructing the bowel. Luckily it was removed with no major drama & hasn't seemed to have left any damage. They stitched her up & my gf got a quiet visit last night as she was slowing coming around. It was decided today that if she kept quiet & was eating the food offered by the vets that she may be allowed to go home. She apparently gobbled everything they gave her & drank a good healthy amount of water & was very content to sleep & not try & be active. She got picked up earlier this evening & has gone home. I didn't stop in & see her tonight as I think excitement from a visitor was the last thing she's need. My gf has said she is mainly just lying about & snoozing. She is moving very gingerly but has a big zipper of stitches up her belly so no surprise there. Overall the vet said they thought she was in good condition & will just see her in a week or two just to check & see that her recovery is coming along as expected. So she's been a very lucky girl I think. Gf has told her work that she'll work from home for the rest of the week to keep an eye on her, so that won't hurt either. Thanks everyone for the advice & well wishes. Gf & I both slept better last night knowing her girl was on her way to recovery.

I honestly think you would adapt to a wagon fairly quickly, they are easy enough to drive I find. It really is personal preference when it comes to a model so I would get out & look at all models in your budget & get a good look at their roominess & comfort to drive etc. Also if going for a 6 cylinder see if you can find something on LPG or can be converted. A lot of places offer conversions at reasonable prices these days & overall they do save on your fuel budgets. Not sure of your dog's age but I know my gf had a custom made ramp built for her older dog to walk up to access her car. Being a 35kg+ dog she can no longer lift her easily on her own. She paid around $200 for the ramp & for dogs that need more help with access to cars the ramp seems ideal. It easily slides down behind her seats too. Good luck with your search for your new wheels.

Addorable looking puppy & I hope he fits in well with your current family.

Jeez I'm not a nervous person by nature but that would have me on edge a bit. Not knowing the GSD at all & having it approach with no idea of how it'd react would have been very unnerving for you. Luckily in this case he sounds like a young possibly naughty GSD whose finding someway out of his yard. Luckily also he was well behaved & didn't show signs of aggression towards you & your dog. It's an assumption but if he has had some basic training I'd assume maybe his owners care about him (why bother to train him otherwise) rather than just letting him roam coz they don't care. I know I'd appreciate knowing if one of my girls was out wandering the streets. As for the young guy - well I'm a bit jaded these days. Sadly it often seems people are happy to give smart remarks & sneer at you but not lift a finger to help anyone. Try & forget him, he obviously isn't worth your time stressing over.

My sentiments exactly. I've been around horses all my life & know that a lot of that behaviour will not be tolerated by a horse/pony. This dog needs to learn boundaries when it comes to herding. Otherwise it is likely this won't be the last accident.

Yep, all paws & feathers are crossed here atm. Her vet asked her to lose a couple of kgs a few months back just to help her in the battle with aging & with some changes to her diet she has come down to an ideal weight. She has everything going for her to pull through so long as the obstruction isn't too bad. She's an older dog but she's a spirited old girl so am hoping she'll recover well if she makes it. Her fur-mum will make sure she gets well looked after if she comes out of it. She can work from home if she needs to which is ideal so she can be there to keep an eye on her.

She got a call earlier & the vets were talking of it most likely being a bowel obstruction. Nothing major showed on xrays but they are going in for surgery this afternoon & will go from there. Hopefully it will be something relatively easy to remove & she won't have to have any of her bowel removed. At her last general check up her health apart from the usual aging issues was reasonable so I am confident she can get through the surgery if it all goes to plan.

I haven't been through it personally as we don't have kids but I helped my sister & her family adapt when they got their first dog. Organisation & patience are key but you sound like you'll do fine. A gf of mine has the nuttiest lab you'd ever lay eyes on but when kids are around him he clicks & just becomes the most gentle, sweetest dog. I honestly think they do instinctively know when precious cargo is around. Personally I love watching the relationship grow when a youngster & a dog are put together, they often grow up to be the greatest of friends.