whippets

I don't think it matters the size of the yard as long as the owner is prepared to take the dog to a fenced free run area. All breeds of dogs live in apartments in Manhatten, in New York, and thrive. I would even recommend a whippet to live in an apartment as long as the owner had access to a fenced galloping area and was prepared to exercise the dog regularly.

The old ladies that "show" cakes. I still havn't decided if I will visit the fruit cake competition at the royal this year. I still have nightmares about the cake ladies from a few years back .

I wouldn't say "hard" but thick skinned... yes. There are a few nasty pasties around. I don't care what they say or think either. Their are morons in all walks of life and more so when competition is involved.

I used to work at a pork production facility, don't know about loading practices that's handled by the supplier but on arrival they were penned in small groups (better not to let them fight it damages the meat), water sprays from the ceiling on hot days and stunning involved herding them into a chamber which then filled with CO2, once stunned they were bled out. You say a bullet would be better, would that be a well aimed bullet at a target that doesn't move at the wrong moment? What happens if it's not well aimed and the target moves? Most methods have the potential to be either humane or inhumane depending on the conditions and the handler. Whippets interesting you should say that the pike had a better life in the wild, how do you measure that better life in the wild? The quality of life in the wild is dependent on many factors and is not guarenteed to be better than that of a captive animal. How do you measure that it doesn't? As with everything else that is to do with Animal Rights it is all human perspective on what WE think an animal wants or has a right to have. As if humans have a clue what animals REALLY want or are thinking.

Those who havn't seen it need to watch River Cottage and see how animals should be raised and then humanely prepared for the kitchen table. That Pike had a far better life in the wild than grain fed beef, pigs and chooks bred for the slaughter. It's fantastical how some people stay ignorant as to what gets dished up to their table yet complain about animal welfare. If you don't like the way people fish then go tie yourself to someones fishing rod and protest.

SBT's are pretty popular. Maybe someone, who had nothing to do with showdogs, tried to take her and she ran off. Anything is possible. Glad she is o.k. though.

Years and years and years ago I saw a notice at the Werribee vets for an "almost purebred golden retriever" puppies for sale. I still get the giggles over it.

Nothing wrong with changing the name. I was listening to a farmer who specialises in training sheep herders. When the dog stops responding to the cue (it's name) the trainer changes the dogs name. He said a dog could have 3 name changes in a year. I was quite fascinated by that.

It's your first post and only post on here. I think you are just here for a $h!t stir. Forum Trolls edit to add: how many reputations have been ruined due to unfounded malicious rumors and competitors with axes to grind?

Riggggghhht... So everyone here is cool with the concept of a fish being hauled around alive by a hook for 10 minutes when we know that fish feel pain like any other animal with a functioning nervous system? So if someone were to haul around a puppy with a hook in it's mouth for 10 minutes that's fine because hey there are 'real tragedies' out there? I find it odd that people cannot see that something like this is often not about the incident itself but the questioning of the status quo, making people really look at their practices in the light of current knowledge, and to really ask themselves if it is absolutely necessary. This fish was hauled around for 10 minutes on a hook, but it's not just about this fish it's about all fish that feel the hook and struggle against it for longer than is absolutely necessary, and how putting a hook through a wild animal and reeling it in would be considered unacceptable for a land mammal or even a whale and yet it's considered ok for these animals. What's the difference exactly? I find that many people here are too quick to dismiss something as 'whacky, unrealistic animal rights activism' when in fact these are legitimate issues that need to be addressed if people actually care about animal welfare since it encompasses all animals not just puppies and kittens - and it's not just about one fish. I love your posts. Great for Sunday morning humor while eating my breaky. BTW I caught 3 pinkies fishing yesterday. You better call in the lawyers pronto.

Don't you need to mortgage your house to buy Ziwipeak?

The pike has it's own facebook page? Some people obviously need some "real tragedy" in their lives

It could be structural and nothing to do with diet. It was a common thing in my first breed (Newfs) to see pups with shallow chests and slab sided ribcages (overall narrowness) to be also east-west in the front. Some improved as they matured and some didn't. Is the east west coming from the pasterns or from the elbows? Have you taken puppy to the vet? It could be something else (medical) that is affecting appetite therefore growth. Have you tried nutrigel? chicken broth and meat (boiled chicken) on the kibble? Calcium Sandoz to help with bone growth. Unless it is something else medical then making the food palatable is the way and you'll have to try different things.

With the topic qu the first answer that popped into my mind was "my ex husband". Anyway looks like you baby has fun with the tree. We have a lemon tree that the JRT's love. Will never find lemons below one metre on the tree plus my JRT's have the shiniest teeth on the street

They are fibreglass? They must make a few from different materials then. All the ones I've seen are craft wood based with white and aluminium lined on edges to stop chewing. Kenol do not recommend leaving the whelping box out in the open weather or hosing it down which would be very strange for a fibreglass whelping box.

I prefer the fibreglass whelping boxes. They are much easier to keep clean and are more hygienic.. IMO.

I'll say well done if the dog is nice or the people are nice otherwise I don't say anything. I don't bother with people who I see treating their dogs badly. For example: they yank the dog out of the ring when they lose and shove them harshly back into the crate . Some people just think it's all about "them". I won't offer an opinion on anothers dog unless they ask for it. Some of the "nutty show dog people" do make a day out quite entertaining though.

Definately food for thought, I don't know what the answer is, I do know that somehow we need the public to start taking responsibility for their actions. There have been some interesting threads on here recently, and it really does seem that more and more people expect someone else to clean up the mess. Ownership of animals is a big responsibility, one not to be taken lightly, but when things get tough there is always someone else to blame or to pick up the pieces. I think it is sad that baby puppies have to have their reproductive organs ripped out to prevent some idiot allowing them to breed. I think it is ridiculous that people beat their chests and wail fowl when local authorities destroy unclaimed and unwanted animals. Equally sickening are the people who use emotional blackmail to try and get rescuers, shelters and councils to take on the unwanted litters that they were too damn lazy to prevent. We live in a world where no one wants to accept responsibility, yes maybe we are making it all too damn easy. Amen to that. It goes beyond keeping dogs as well.

We just use a complete food. Artemis Osopure Power. The whippets do well on that formula. 30% protein and 20% fat. I was using the regular formula but we were having trouble keeping the condition on our dogs. It started to work out quite expensive when I had to feed up to 3x the recommended serve for their weight/age. I don't have the time or motivation to go the BARF route of play "chef". I'm happy with what they are on so I'm sticking with it, as do most other people with their chosen dog food regime. It it works why change it? I used THIS website when I was researching dog food. It's quite comical how some of the "premium" dog foods have only a 1 star rating (which is right down the bottom). People should give more credit to the marketing department of a company rather than the dog food quality assurance area .

I know of a similar program with racing greyhounds here in the early 90's. The lady (I'll just use her initials..BP) had set up the program of proposed matings that gave a % of relation to top winning dogs and successful litters. Bottom line was the program was considered useless because on paper everything looked good but, as with everything else with mother nature, there are no guarantees. The results were still hit or miss. I also havn't seen enough evidence to prove that using COI is the way to go.

Honey we all know this. So ask yourself, do you help dogs when you're trying to be morally superior or will you help dogs by actually engaging people and changing their minds? I'm sure it makes you feel good to slam them, but it doesn't help the DOGS one bit. If you want to help the dogs then you need to be smart about your approach. You need to talk about the conditions that the animals live in and not call someone's BELOVED pet an ugly mutt and a piece of crap. People who call oodles stupid and ugly are a puppy farmers dream - it just drives ordinary people into their arms. For the record, I own a dog who was used as a puppy farm breeder. I think they are the scum of the earth. But by being engaging and telling people my girl's story I have helped steer at least a dozen people away from puppy farmers. If I called them morons they could rightly tell me where to go. I also own an oodle. I bought him before I knew what puppy farmers were. When someone writes about stupid and ugly oodles it makes my blood boil - and I am not an advocate of oodles at all. If you turn me off, you have turned avarage Joe off a thousand times more. Think about your objective and the most intelligent way to meet it. Taht is the only way to help the dogs suffering in puppy farm hell. My breeding practices ARE morally and ethically superior to a puppy farmers, as are most of the registered breeders on the DoL forums. BTW I'm not your honey. I have also had a couple of rescue dogs here but I don't present myself quite as sanctamonious as yourself. You would support a puppy farmed oodle because a registered purebreed breeder calls them ugly?........o.k. I've had a couple of mongrels with one being the most unhealthiest of all the dogs I've owned, plus she was quite ugly. Very ugly in fact.

She still isn't talking to me The face says it all. She will be about 7 weeks on Thursday (depending on which mating took).

ooh Puh lease. I'm sure the dogs would be mortified. The fact of where these dogs come from should be more than enough for a reasonably intelligent person not to support the puppy farm trade. To many bleeding hearts where this is concerned. If people don't support the puppy farm trade then the cycle diminishes.....considerably. Here is a nice link Puppy_Farms_In_Australia Some images may be distressing

I administer anti-depressants to patients at work and St Johns Wort is either contra-indicated (or to be used with precaution) so the research has to be there. The place to look would be the USA websites as most of the major drug companies are based there.

Cahrming. How many hearts have you won over by calling them that? I don't really care about winning hearts with mixed breeds. These dogs are MOSTLY bred by puppy farmers for the pet shop trade. I don't really care about political correctness where this is concerned. There will always be a market for these "designer dogs" mutts, crapadoodles. Call them what you want. Ethically bred puppy farmed mutts are few and far between. Give me a purebred over a mutt any day of the week.