Loving my Oldies

Well in the case of your Scottie and your blue bitch, they did find a home that was caring, understanding and committed. . The main point that needs making with the rehoming of “difficult" dogs though is the level of commitment an owner makes, wants to makes, thinks okay, etc etc and what is the right amount of commitment needed to make the dog happy and the owner and others safe. Each dog is an individual; it is a discussion that could go on forever and, if the dog is languishing in kennels while the discussion goes on, I think that is wrong. (Just speaking generally - I don’t know where or with whom the dog persephone posted about is.)

I missed this post, RuralPup, but so glad it is there. I have been thinking about you, Phyl. and your latest shopping list . Please don’t buy anything made in Asia - so much rubbish is imported from these countries. Buy only treats made in Australia from Australian products. I don’t know where you are in Melbourne, but there is a company called BM Animals which makes all its own jerky and meat treats. They are in Bayswater, but you can also buy online or telephone them to place an order. Please don’t buy any of those treats in supermarkets and never buy rawhide. The rawhide sold in shops is tantamount to poison from the ghastly processes it goes through (bleach, formaldehyde, colouring/flavour agents, etc). http://www.bmanimals.net.au

Blimey!! I was just about choking to death watching the video. I’ll probably have to take some anti-histamines today

(Part emphasised) This is true. When I was a volunteer at a pound and then involved in rescue, I used to say that there is a home for every animal -- it was finding that home. If you have unlimited resources and could advertise every dog/cat/other on the front page of every newspaper in the land, well that home could probably be found. Whether it should be or not is a whole different question. Remember there was the discussion once about taking dogs out of a pound and putting them into kennels where some were left to languish for not months, but years because the rescue person/group did not have a foster carer or could not find a home for the dog. That sort of thing is totally unethical in my book and so is rehoming people aggressive dogs. I don’t believe others should suffer because someone thinks all dogs should be saved. There are enough idiots in the world without deliberately putting into their control an aggressive dog.

Shock doesn’t come close. I haven’t moved at faster than a snail’s pace for a few years.

There was someone on DOL a while ago asking about walking a nervous stressed dog. I recall I was one suggesting no walks. There is more to life for a dog than going on walks that scare it to blazes. It depends what is going on in other areas of the dog’s life: play at home, activities it enjoys, etc etc.

It sounds as though the dog is uncontrollable, dog aggressive and people aggressive. Also sounds like one of those rescue groups which believe ALL dogs can and should be rehomed and bugger the emotional, physical or financial costs to anyone within its orbit.

Tell that to my legs LOL. Painkillers before bed tonight.

We had another long walk this afternoon. Toss up between this or this or this .

I was mean and horrible yesterday afternoon. It was a beautiful Autumn day, cool with brilliant sunshine, so I snuck out of the house with just Stevie, Benji and Tamar and went for the longest walk I’ve had in the years since Myrtie died. I went up streets I haven’t walked for years, just driven through. True to form, Tamar was wondering what the heck was going on, is she safe, has mum gone crazy, whereas the boys just loved it. Just about every post and every tree have been marked by Stevie, and Benji was just beside himself. Today is much the same and so we will be doing this again - it was so good to be walking at a normal pace instead of inching forward and then being pulled backwards as Jeune stopped to sniff or Bunter stopped to gaze at something only he can see . Heavens!! I might even lose some weight

We are here to help, Phyl. Anytime and with anything that worries you and, conversely as you share already, gives you joy.

Such a wonderful story. The passion and dedication of so many people who “work” in the world of animals is just so amazing and heartwarming.

It is heaven having a dearest little dog snuggled up next to us. My own dogs are quite happy to have their own spaces on the bed, but my two little fosters can’t get close enough to me As for the rest of your post ...... good luck . Shouldn’t laugh, but as your association with DOL topics grows, you will discover that pretty well most of us have dogs for whom the idea of getting their feet wet to toilet is the equivalent of being tortured, yet as soon as the leads are produced, they would go out in a blizzard.

Phyl. I’m with persephone. Don’t try your pup with a multitude of different foods as she will just get fussier and fussier. I have had some dreadful eaters over the years and at time despaired. But dogs are like people: some will eat until they burst and some will eat the bare minimum to stay alive. I have one of each at the moment and another who prowls around the food bowl full of suspicion that I am trying to poison her. If they haven’t eaten after 15 minutes, the food comes up. The only treats my dogs get are various meat jerky and dried roo tail. Please don’t get your little girl any of the junk treats like smackos and rawhide. These are rubbish at best and dangerous at worst. And remember, even 1.1kg dogs are still dogs: they like fresh raw meaty bones.

He is a terrific little dog, @Cazablanca. He is part Jack Russell part Maltese. He has the soft coat and lovely squishy body of the Maltese and sturdiness of the JR with lovely strong, solid legs. We have to work on his mouthing though, as I believe he has been played with very roughly - maybe because he is so sturdy - but he is so much better already. He is a very quick learner, though, and if he starts to mouth, I just stop what we are doing and he knows why. He used to take my fingers with his treats, but I stopped that very quickly just by telling him to be gentle. He loves games, has a few tug and throw toys, yet when we go to bed, he just snuggles up next to me on the bed and hardly moves all night. Stevie is the same. Getting the harness on was quite a thing in the beginning, but he has improved out of sight. He was surrendered as the previous people want to go travelling, but so glad he was surrendered to Tania. He follows me even more closely than Danny used to and puts his head against the back of my legs as I walk ; if we have been in a room for a while and they are all settled, when I get up there is a mad scramble to follow me. He will be a wonderful dog for an active family. Both of them are fine with my dogs and with any dogs we have met on our walks. I had just the two of them and Tamar the other evening and met up with a neighbour who has two Shih Tzus (father and son) who I call Tamar’s boyfriends. Daddy dog always goes nuts and even though his was going full blast, Stevie and Benji were just 100% fine with him jumping and barking (just excitable - no malice); they were just happy for new and interesting bodies and bottoms to sniff. We passed a beautiful black and white Greyhound this morning and they didn’t take a bit of notice. I’ll have to get some more photos of Benji. Hard to get because if I call him to look up, he races towards me. He is a sweetheart ..................

LOL Sars. They ARE gorgeous, but they don’t belong to me. I am fostering Stevie and Benji for Tania of PAWS; once they have been with me for a couple of weeks to get a better idea of their personalities and quirks, they will be up for adoption. I have three of my own: Tamar (13), Jeune (16) and Bunter (anything between 14 to 17 ?? If pound believed, 17) and we are a settled little family. I can’t imagine ever being without a dog and when my three have crossed The ‘Bridge, I will foster.

Latest pic. He decided staring at me from the floor wasn’t enough LOL. And this is Benji in the background ( and my Tamar in her little coat):

He is doing fine, @Scottsmum. He is very sweet, loves his walks and cuddles and smooches.

Some tradies think it is their right to have unleashed dog on any sort of working site - from family home to multi-unit complex.

Charlene

I don’t know why you thought for a nano second you would go and apologise to the tradie. He was the one in the wrong. Anyway, very pleased that all your training and working with Monty has paid off. Well done.

He is doing well, SM. And, I hope, I am not putting a jinx on us, but no marking in the house for the past day and two nights . I am beginning to think that might have been “unknown place - gotta make sure everyone knows I’m here” type thing. I came home from taking Bunter to the vets yesterday evening, came in the back way, no Stevie to greet me and couldn’t find him anywhere. It was dusk and the house was a bit dark, I started to panic ......... but there he was perched on the front window sill keeping watch. . Same thing a little while ago while I was out in the front garden.

How odd?? I posted a response to this hours ago. Maybe I closed computer before submitting it. Yes, I do have belly bands, and they have been a life saver. However, with Stevie, he is in and out of the house all the time and I don’t want him weeing into them when he is running around downstairs. He doesn’t wee on the bed at night. If I wake up after several hours, I’ll take him and Benji downstairs. He is home from the vets now and very tired from his big day: anal glands, dental, desexing, nails. He is sound asleep on the couch wrapped in a nice light and warm fleecy.

Stevie is at the vets today being desexed. I hope it has an affect on his marking in the house Quite a few episodes last night, but I rarely see him do it. He is 5 years old, so has been doing it for a while; I think the training will really need to be upped. You visiting Oz soon, SM? LOL LOL

He looks as though someone has started to strip him and stopped. LOL.