Sandra777

Been there, got the t-shirt, but the puppy didn't come from a puppy farm because the pet shop person said so. Ignorance truly is bliss

I'd check everything seems to work OK, see if I could identify exactly where he was sore and probably wait and see. Front leg so it won't be cruciate or patella surgery. Bit blown away that the kennel would let them play that much - not something I would have been happy about.

Do you actually need to pay your money if the dog is ineligible for the age class it's shown in - surely a quick count on the fingers will show the steward someone got it wrong and it would be up to them to get it sorted??? Or are you meaning people deliberately lying about the whelping date?

If you included a SAE and didn't get it back then I would phone the secretary to check. Did you send a personal cheque - if so check your bank statement first. Sometimes I don't get the SAE back for 10-14 days after I sent the entries, but if longer than this I'd phone the secretary. Certainly don't drive a long way without confirmation

I've had a couple of phone calls for miniatures over the years - thank doG they weren't asking for miniature blue english staffies or I probably would've gone up in flames :laugh: :D Stonebridge - I had a PWD in NZ, she is pet homed there.

Valuheart or Dimmitrol monthly - both good value for money - but I think they're both ivermectin based (not sure about valuheart, know dimmitrol is) so might not suit your dog.

Gremlins!

I agree that if you want to take your pets you need to make your own plans and carry them out EARLY - but I think it's a bit harsh to say the authorities don't care, I can understand that if faced with the choice of taking the 87 year old grandmother of 12 and someone's pet the authorities really only have one choice. But why are there no official plans in place for pets? In NZ the civil defence (SES) had evacuation plans which included housing pets - when we had kennels we were on the list of places they could leave dogs/cats/small pets and they had a record of how many of each we were prepared to house. Some would no doubt think it's excessive, but past experience must have shown by now that some will refuse to leave without their pets and perhaps it's time to consider this. They do air drops of food for farm animals afterall!

Or they'd NEVER do anything like that because they know they're brother and sister. Yeah right

I wouldn't be taking her to the park or anywhere she can't return to her pups immediately if she feels the need. They act like they've forgotten all about the pups then suddenly remember and can get very worked up if they can't immediately get back to them. I assume the front of your house is unfenced so random dogs could have wandered through? If so then no I wouldn't be taking her there - but you have to remember you could bring parvo into the house yourself by walking on that same lawn so somewhere along the line you need to be sensible and realise that there are risks and there are RISKS A play in the back yard, a tummy rub on the lounge floor and a play with you with a toy would be enough. Make sure she has a comfortable place to rest away from the pups (next to the whelping box for example) if she wants to. About this age I put a dog bed on the floor by the whelping box and mum can usually be found there!

Never feed a dog cooked bones - really bad idea! I think you'll find this subject has been done to death in the health & nutirition section. Me - mine get a mixture. If I was in a position to 100% raw feed I would but at the moment don't have the freezer space so they get a mixture of raw & Black Hawk dry.

I understand what you're saying, but the OP has been told repeatedly that if they have proof the bitch is spayed they should make a complaint - otherwise all they have is hearsay or gossip or perhaps even the old 2 + 2 = 5 ( ) Some people always think they're above the law, some of them even show dogs. It's human nature that some people will always think the rules don't apply to them.

So what? The parents can be and then breeders have proof that the parents can produce good dogs. Works great in the horse world - for example some of the best race horses in the world have been geldings - all proving very handily that their mummies and daddies are good producers and should be bred from while never contributing a thing themselves. This is quite aside from the fact that very few breeders I know care much one way or the other for the show ring opinion of an all rounder and certainly don't pay any attention to what happens under these judges when it comes to making breeding decisions! The number of top show dogs which go on to be top sires can be counted on a very few fingers in most breeds.

Just try walking a Portuguese Water Dog and a red Staffordshire Bull Terrier Oh and both my 15.5 inch specialist BIS Staffords aren't pure bred because they're too small.... ETA: got the vet a good one too - booked the PWD in for her HD x-rays and turned up with her in show clip. Don't you have to shave them to take x-rays :D

At 4 or 5 weeks a well raised pup would probably be OK with 4 meals a day. If these mites have come from bad circumstances then 5 or 6 small meals may well be best for a week or so. I would keep it very simple at first - whether that be raw or commercial - only small amounts of the same thing for a day or two. Constant crying, yup - not unusual in pups which are unsettled and confused. Carry them around calmly and quietly, allow them to snuggle as much as they want. The movement towards the face might be some attempt at appeasement if they are uncertain about people, in which case it will ease with a few days of gentle handling, or it might be a begging gesture - will they eat if you are holding them?

I would suggest that if you can prove it you put your money where your mouth is and make a formal complaint. If you can't prove it how do you know you haven't put two and two together and come up with five? Nope, don't own a desexed bitch but I can't see what the big deal is about a set of testicles or some ovaries either.

Just call me flexability...................

My guess would be that the dog cannot understand the ''vibe'' it is getting from you (the disinclination to touch it for example) and also may not be able to understand why you don't interact with it as other people do. Dogs don't generalise so it's possible that because you don't act like other people the dog isn't 100% if you are a person or not (don't take that personally ) Do you pay the dog any attention apart from touching it - play with it with a toy, give treats for good behaviour etc? Even if you can't bring yourself to pet the dog, are you able to do these other things?

Personally I would opt to fly over drive - less stress IME because it is a much shorter experience. if the pup is only 8 weeks or so and has a sound temperament it's very unlikely to be scared either way - at that age they generally cope with anything thrown at them. The baggage handlers don't treat live animals as they do bags

Electric fence.

I asked this question yesterday but since OP hasn't been back I haven't got my answer either. "Big Staffies" is what is generally called an oxymoron (I think! :D ) Has anyone even seen in the mouth of a Scottie - bigger teeth than any ''staffie'' (big or not!) and usually the attitude to make good use of them when challenged. I would think fence fighting could be an issue with fault on both sides. Swap you my d*ckhead neighbours and their kind-off GSD type, which has decided demolishing the fence is the easiest way to get into the mouths of my Staffords. It'll be declared dangerous pretty soon I should think the way it attacks the fence on the other side which borders a public walk way used by a lot of children.

Don't put him in any water - put the water over him and let it drain away. A lot of dogs find standing in even an inch of water very upsetting. If he's on a non-slip surface and not standing in water, just continue as if nothing is happening, but personally I would do a lot of practicing without water first - unless he's a long haired show dog or he's rolled in something gross there's no urgent need to actually bath him until you've taught him that the bath itself is a good place, without water being involved at all. If he smells and is short haired you can rub him down with a wet towel or face washer (depending on his size ) in the meantime, especially if his first bath experience was particuarly bad and you plan on bathing him all the time (for whatever reason :D)

What type of dog? 6 months would be much too long for me, but if others have told you 7 then obviously your breed is different

I'm a bit puzzled by the "big staffie" title - what sort of dog are you actually talking about? A Staffordshire Bull Terrier is not much bigger than a Cocker Spaniel or Beagle and wouldn't rank as "big" in many people's minds I wouldn't have thought?

Wouldn't have thought it'd be for a while yet - maybe in next month's magazine.