westiemum

Thanks kc but no - I got them all as adults and none of them are at all enamoured of anything to do with water...

Looking for the usual brilliant DOL ideas please… Next week in Adelaide the temperature during the day won't get below 40 degrees Monday to Friday with a high of 43 degrees on Thursday and the nights won't drop below the mid - high 20's until tomorrow week (Saturday). I'm in a poorly cooled house-sit which is a nightmare on hot nights and we're all fairly heat intolerant. I'm worried about the westies during the day while I'm at work - particularly my 14 year old Mac with his clipped but still thick UK coat. I'm going to bite the bullet, stack up the credit card and put them all into air conditioned doggy day care on Tuesday and Thursday and they'll go to my mothers and hole up in her aircon with her on Friday (I might join them Thursday and Friday night even if I have to sleep on the couch!). But concerned about how to keep them cool on Monday and Wednesday… So apart from frozen treats out of the freezer which won't last a work day, how do others keep their dogs cool and happy for a work day in such horrendous conditions? Particularly old dogs? TIA.

That is a brilliant photo - what a wonderful smile - and Antionette smiles with her eyes too. Well done both of you.

Gorgeous pup! Only question now is who owns who?

Fantastic! Great story and photo! What Christmas really should be about.

We've all gone to bed and with only one oscillating fan it's a bit of a competition... Mac was really restless until I literally sprinkled him with water - worked like magic on his thick UK coat. Now I just have to get him off my side of the bed... Otherwise it's like having three hot water bottles next to you on a 33 degree night...

Can I share with the dogs? Stinker here today too - up to 43 degrees today and at almost 11 pm it's still 33 degrees and only struggling fans - unhappy westies makes for a tired grumpy unhappy westiemum.

Well said CvR - my thoughts as well. I doubt I could do it and I know very little about breeding and raising pups - I'm better off sticking to rescue - so congrats Steve and have a wonderful puppy breath Christmas.

After being with Telstra forever - despite my best efforts to persuade her that there are cheaper better options elsewhere - my elderly mother has suddenly started having problems getting her paper bills on time or at all - she's followed up and followed up and rung the bank, put a direct debit on it, rang them yo ask where her bill was - and still they threatened to cut a lifetime elderly customer off her only phone over a $30 bill. She's finally seeing things my way... So I'm now looking around for a good reliable landline provider with good customer service. Yay! Suck eggs Telstra Gonna cost you a damn sight more than $30 to replace her now she's leaving.

Happy day gorgeous girl!

My elderly mother got a call from these b*st*rds and she doesn't have a computer - not even a mobile phone - and they didn't believe her when she said she didn't own a computer - they were really really nasty about it so she hung up on them and then rang me in floods of tears - I had to explain it was a scam and she did well to hang up.

Another one here for a specialist opinion. My old Westie has had three ACL repairs (one failed two weeks after surgery )but since the third procedure he's done brilliantly.

Yes mine are great hoovers - never know there had been a spillage. Also make great hot water bottles in bed in the winter!

Same here. Brilliant organisation. Saved my old cat Sam when I was living in Melbourne years ago. I wish there was one in every city.

Ditto. And I've always found cats are very clean and particular with their grooming so they rarely need bathing.

Yes and Cairns are very cute - but the problem is people think westies are just the cutest once they get the bug!

HW that's a good thought - will pass it on... Thanks The only prob might be that after people meet my gorgeous trio - and she has - they tend to get really stuck on them (not that I'm bragging or nuff'in! ) Yep LG it sounds from her description like a real dodgey brothers set-up. Another hard lesson learned.

Hi everyone, Thanks so much for your replies - very helpful given how little I know about puppies! OK, she's absolutely sure it was a different puppy - different coat, markedly bigger size. It appears she is getting her deposit back and yes there was hand-written receipt. It was definitely a BYB. She's a smart really nice woman who knew better but had been waiting for a Westie puppy for a long time - she's been on registered breeders waiting lists for a long time too. The opportunity came up with a BYB, she knew better but she took it and it ended badly. But now she has first hand experience of why to stay with registered breeders and away from the shonky BYBs - and that's a good thing. Anyway all is not lost - I've given her the name of four SA registered Westie breeders who are all fantastic, breed wonderful puppies and show them and suggested she give them a call and wait patiently for a good pup to come up. She's now said she would be interested in a rescue Westie as well and in the meantime if she needs a Westie 'fix' I've got three of them! Thanks for your help everyone - really appreciated!!

Yes that's true - it was a week between paying the deposit, seeing the pup and going to collect him. I'm going to give her a call now...

Hi All, I think I know the answer to this but I thought I'd check in with the DOL brains trust as well. A woman I met on Saturday at a rescue service Christmas party had already put a deposit down on a westie puppy from what sounds like a BYB. Of course my heart sank - but not a lot I could do at that stage. She was due to collect the puppy today - and the inevitable has happened - when she went to collect the puppy it appears an older puppy with a different coat and personality to the one she put the deposit on was substituted and she would like her deposit back However of course the breeder is just saying t5hat she has just changed her mind. I suspect if she can't negotiate with the breeder then small claims will be her only option assuming some paperwork changed hands. She's suggesting she seek the help of the RSPCA... yeah right! Anyway would appreciate your advice before I give her a call tonight. TIA. :)

Jules I'm so happy for you all that Miah's birthday party went so well. I'm sure Joey was looking on with delight as the baton passes to your next generation. Happy birthday gorgeous girl from me and Mac, Sarah and Andy (who incidently did their duty yesterday as part of the socialisation program for a neglected 12 month old rescue cav who has been with his new family for two weeks ) .

Sam without knowing the details and going on what we know, if you need to rehome then rehome and cut all ties with your dog. Legally you don't own him anymore if you rehome properly anyway. If you can't cut all ties then I think you need another solution - such as a dog friendly apartment and a dog visiting/walking service - can be done. I've recently had to move out of my home so I could demolish and rebuild - luckily a friend offered a house-sit. But the Adelaide South parklands and a tent were looking pretty good there for a while. My westies are all too old to rehome and I couldn't give them up - ever - but that's me. For me it's like a good marriage - for better for worse - but if for you it's 'divorce' with your dog then it must be final and for good IMO. Hope that helps and good luck.

I just bought one on EBay for about $18 with postage thrown in.

Yep agree - if it's not bothering you or the neighbours then ignore it. Collars as a last result and not citronella - have seen dogs completely shut down, change personality, become very unhappy and withdraw with their use. If you need to try a collar try a pheromone collar like Adaptil first, then vibration - nothing else IMO. Some Adaptil spray in beds during the day I found helped as well and made for a happy but quieter Westie.

Blessings to you Kirstie and peace for little Pye.