MadWoofter

I've always had rescue dogs, but both of these breeds are on my 'one day' list. I've researched both extensively, and the Mastiff would be my first choice, nad the DDB the second. If my personal circumstances changed then I'd swap 1

dyzney - that would be fantastic ! thanks a million - I have PM'd you....

Thanks everyone, I like the look of the Weatherbeeter ones as I need to get both of them a raincoat too. Sway - LOVE those - and your Dane looks gorgeous in them :)

Thanks Erny - she's 71cm !!! I thought I was doing it right but then all the places I looked had only have sizes that go up to 60cm, so I started to doubt myself. Even Fleming is more than 60cm, and he's not what I would call big. I'll keep searching - either that or I'll have to dust off my non-existent sewing skills !

Tess is getting older and starting to feel the cold now, so I want to get her a coat to wear of an evening. I've measured from the bottom of her neck to the end of her spine - is this correct? If I'm doing it right then I need to find somewhere that sells really really big coats, as I've not managed to find one anywhere near the size I need :laugh: I guess I'm measuring wrong.

You have done a wonderful thing K9Angel, and I am so glad Cookie's story got publicised. I am sure you are still feeling her loss - the hard cases are the hardest to let go aren't they.

Hugs to you

Fleming - Belgian Shepherd, and no I don't speak French or Flemmish. Tess - Wolfie X - and no I don't speak any gaelic - although I would love to. I think my next pooch will have to be an ACD or a Tenterfield :laugh:

i'm so lucky in that mine don't counter-surf or are particularly bad behavioured with food, but I have come home on occasion to find the contents of the garbage bin spattered all over the kitchen floor ! I do the same, walk in and say "Who did this?" in a very stern voice. LOL, like I'm expecting an answer :laugh: Fleming just bounces around going "you're home, you're home" while Tess puts her head down and looks exceedingly sheepish. Tess is sooo well behaved, and I know it's Fleming that's the culprit - he's learned some bad behaviour from various fosters. Well I thought so anyway, until I got home one day and sprung Tessie with her head in the garbage bin :laugh: It is Flemo that's normally the instigator though, Tess just finishes it off what he starts !

Oh wow Horts, he's a stunner ! So glad to hear he is settling in so well. Love the pics

How cool is that !!!

A teenager and her dog have won Britain's Got Talent and a £500,000 cash prize as well as the chance to appear at the Royal Variety Performance. Ashleigh Butler, 17, from Northampton, and her pet, Pudsey, won the ITV talent show with a routine to the theme tune for Mission Impossible. They beat favourites pop-opera duo Jonathan and Charlotte as well as dance troupes, synchronised swimmers and a Welsh choir in the final. Miss Butler wept as she was told she had won and expressed her pride of her dog, who is a mix of border collie, bichon frise and a Chinese crested cross. Judge Simon Cowell even said the pair were one of his "favourite ever acts". "I adore both of you. You you have got better and better as the competition has progressed and to do what you did in such a short time is a miracle," he said. Comedian panellist David Walliams added: "I don't know how long it takes to train Pudsey but it is the third original act we have seen from you which is extraordinary. The nation has fallen in love, not just with Pudsey but with you too." Miss Butler joked that Pudsey had become "very diva-ish" during the last week, demanding steak dinners. Welsh boys choir Only Boys Aloud, with their 133 members, came third after their rendition of Calon Lan. Judge Alesha Dixon told them: "That was a really special moment. I could feel the passion coming from every single one of you. "I commend each and every one of you and I am so glad that once again you choice to stick to your tradition and sing something Welsh." Cowell joked: "This is why I love this show because I got emotional listening to a song that I didn't understand a word of. But I could tell how much it means to every one of you individually. Every single one of you gave it 100%." http://news.sky.com/home/showbiz-news/article/16226968

I've tried that Burkes, and it doesn't make any difference at all unfortunately. I should probably add that Fleming was in a pretty bad state when he came in to resuce. Certainly no where near the worst, but not great. He's been with me 5 years this August and he still flinches at the slightest noise.

I'm looking for advise on how to give both of my hairies a walk without upsetting them. I've always walked them together. Tess is much more a 'sniff & widdler' and Flemo is more of an 'are we there yet, is that a cat, oh what's up that tree'.... I'm sure you get the drift. Despite their different walking styles the major reason I walk them together is that when Flemo entered my life (as a rescue wreck) he would get utterly distressed at being left behind, and that hasn't really changed. It's not been an issue (even though my arms have been torn in different directions), until now. The problem I'm facing now is that Tess is slowing down and I'm not sure that walking them together is the best option for either of them. The obvious scenario is that I take them both around the block, and then drop Tess off at home and walk him a bit more, and I have no problem doing this. I am however looking even further down the track, when taking them both out together is going to drive them both nuts - he wants to go go go and she's slowing down even more - and I'm going to go nuts trying to satisfy them both ! I was thinking of treating the situation like a new dog at home being left alone, and taking Tess for a 1 minute walk and then going home to Fleming, and increasing the time apart until he is used to me taking her out and he realises he's not left alone. The problem I have is I can not even take her out the front door, let along get past the front gate (which is a staggering distance of about 5 metres away) before he starts screaming and getting distressed. Any suggestions on how I can desensitise him to Tess leaving - even for a short period of time?

Oh Sas, I've just seen this and am so sorry to hear of your loss. Dante was a beatiful big boofer. My thoughts go out to you & Lance.

The previous owner of my house died at home, and the neighbours have told me that she had a dog many years ago. Both of them have visited, and I often see a swish of a tail going down the hallway and realise that both of mine are fast asleep on the bed. In some ways I'm sad that the dog is visiting its home but no-one it knows is there, but then I also feel that if it didn't feel comfortable popping in to say hi ti wouldn't either (if that makes sense). I always say hello to both of them if I feel their presence.

This thread is great :) Not many people ask about Fleming but when they do I get "is he a kelpie x" or 'is he a border collie x" Nope - he's a Belgian Shepherd dead silence..... He doesn't look like an Alsation. Are you sure he's not a kelpie / border collie cross? He does get lots of comments about his speed and agility on three legs though :)

I'm also really bad with sizes - being a big dog lover anything under 25kgs or mid-thigh is small ! I'm sure I've got some 'small' and 'toy' which others would say are not, but here goes (I'm going backwards to make it easier on myself).... Giant - Great Dane Large - Mastiff Medium - American Stafford Small - Cocker Spaniel Toy - Dachshund (long haired)

Congratulations to all the nominees and winners. It was a wonderful evening,

Tried to send you a PM but got a message saying you can't receive any new messages.

I have just been to the vet with Fleming who has had a really bad itch for the last few days. It turns out that the problem is fleas, even though he is regularly treated for them. So just a heads up to those in the Sydney area, this humid rainy weather is apparently a boom environment for fleas. If you're regularly treating your dog for fleas but they're getting a bit itchy, don't rule out fleas as a cause, as I found out. With another month of the same weather, the problem's not going to end any time soon either

I hear you Crisovar, and know exactly what you mean, and thanks to everyone for their suggestions. Back from the vets, he has had a jab, and has lots of tablets (anthistimines & antiobiotics). I was absolutely gob-smacked to hear that FLEAS are the problem. Both dogs get advantaged religiously, but the vet said that with the awful weather Sydney has been having he's seeing a lot of cases now on dogs that are regularly flea treated. Fleming is allergic to them which is why he's been so itchy. Interesting to note too, he said that regular washing with Malaseb not only dries out the coat, but it also reduces the efficacy of a lot of flea treatments. At least the poor boy has stopped scratching. Now if only this humid rainy weather would disappear for a while....

Thanks Pers - I'll mention Vit C when I see the vet later. Crosivar, Malaseb is what the vet recommended, but I'll see what he says about the EPO. He scratches himself so much he tears the skin and has lots of wounds & scabs which is why we're using it. We've done the whole itch investigation before, and ruled out diet. It appears that the poor boy is allergic to grasses and dust. Usually the rain is good as it dampens all the dust down, but it's been so wet that the grass (& weeds) have gone berserk, and it's not been dry enough for me to get into the garden & attack it.

Poor Fleming has skin problems, and this awful rainy weather is not helping at all - there's lots of grass & weeds around which exacerbate the problem, and he is just soooo uncomfortable at the moment. I bathe him in Malaseb, and he's off to the vet this morning to get some antihistamines, but I was wondering what other people who have a dog with chronic skin problems do to help ease the problem. Are there any natural solutions out there?

Firstly, apologies if this is in the wrong place or shouldn't be posted, I just saw it & thought it was a fabulous idea. The Pine St Creative Arts Centre is holding a photography project for rescue pooches. It's run in conjunction with the City of Sydney council so I don't suppose it's open to other areas, but I can't find anything to say it's not :)