Danois

Sounds American to me. Hershey's is a US company and the use of 'Mom' and not Mum is also a give away. Target in Aus does not have a garden section either. See this link - http://www.hoax-slayer.com/cocoa-mulch-warning.html

1 cup of food for a chi chi - my 50kg + great dane only gets 6 cups of food a day. I think his foot is bigger than a chi chi's stomach!

Yay! stormie has reported that the package was delivered late this afternoon!

Just checked our tracking - its cleared customs and is at the local post office for delivery - guaranteed delivery is due for tomorrow!

a pup that may not be of show quality is hardly faulty, it could be as something as minor as a mis mark, a bit too much white for example. Something that has no bearing on the pups ability to live a long and normal life with it's new family. I agree Rebanne. In danes there are some colour 'faults' which mean the dogs cannot be shown (correct conformation aside) - merle, merlequin, fawns with brown masks, mantles with breaks in the blanket, blacks or blues with too much white therefore there is no requirements for these dogs to be on the main register - you cannot show them and it would be highly unlikely they would be used in a breeding program. Therefore they go on the limited register and go to great pet homes.

Fom 1 July the Neuter Championship title will commence into NSW and other states (is Qld still not doing it?). Neuters will not be eligible to go up against entire exhibits for BOB or Challenge certificates. Any points gained while entire will not count towards the Neuter title and a dog can hold both a standard title and a Neuter title.

I disagree - puppy pre-school is not all about socialisation. It is about teaching the owners the basics. The one I went to had us all sitting a distance apart and our puppies sitting quietly with us - the instructors would talk then we'd do an activity and then more talk etc. In the last couple of sessions the puppies were allowed to have some playtime (with instructors matching dogs). The idea behind this is that if the puppies are allowed to play from the start then they do not focus on the activities as they think puppy pre-school is all about play.

With my last dog, after the first visit we would drop into the vets frequently (as they had a scale there) and he'd get a fuss made of him by the staff and get treats etc so he learnt that the place was a positive place. He never had an issue being there. With my current dog - our vet was not as close but did a similar thing - made the first visit positive and fun. Now he loves going to the vet and gets so excited when he sees my vet and vet nurse.

Q: Other than covering accidents and illnesses, do they cover yearly check-ups and vaccinations? A: Not unless you purchase the top level cover do you get a contribution to these costs. The idea of insurance is to cover unexpected or unforseen expenses. Q: What do they mean by "Excess applicable"? A: An excess is the amount per claim (or per illness in some policies) that you must pay - usually around $100 - $200 in pet insurance. Some policies may also have an excess on certain claims. Q: Policy limits means that if the vet bill exceeds that, I will have to fork out the extras right? Yes - all policies have a maximum limit and this applies in the aggregate usually - ie all of your claims in one policy year in total cannot exceed that amount. Not sure on accident policies - it might apply as a per claim limit. Policies also have sublimits - i.e. within the limit there is another one. For example my policy has a $1,500 sublimit on medication so regardless of the fact I have $14,000 cover for illness, I can only claim a maximum of $1,500 for medication. Q: We have to pay the vet upfront and then make a claim right? A: Yes - you are required to submit receipts with your claim. As for policy - it is a matter of research into what suits your needs best. Choice magazine did an article on them last year. There are 2 types of policy generally - ones which have an excess per claim or ones which don't but you only get around 75%-80% of the claim back. I chose a policy with the latter arrangement as the majority of vet visits come in around $120 for me - this means I get just under $100 back. If I had a policy with an excess of $100, I'd get $20 back (if I even bothered to claim for such a small amount). Compared to other countries like UK and US and in Europe, pet insurance is still relatively new in this country. IMO it is worth it - with my last dog I spent around $800 on premiums in 2 years and claimed back around $6,000 in the same time as he was ill. Knowing I had the insurance behind me was reassuring.

No disrespect intended as clearly Jazzie did not intend to derail the thread but perhaps a separate thread can be started for Jazzie? This way people who are only coming into this thread for updates on Jed do not get confused about what is happening - it also means that people can pay their respects and give their support to Jazzie separately. This would be the most respectful way of handling it.

We will have to compare notes on the Sogeval - our order should arrive this week.

Why would it? It's simply another advertising medium - just like Petlink. Registered breeders are able to distinguish themselves in their ads by stating they are registered, health test etc. If anything its showing people that there are a number of options re where a puppy can be purchased from.

I respect a breeder's views on diet and desexing as they are the ones who know their lines inside and out and know what works and what does not. But ultimately with diet - I will feed what I am happy works best for the dog as an individual but would consult with the breeder (as I have done previously). As for things like vet treatment, grooming, vaccination etc - these are a matter for me and the decisions I make are based on my research and own beliefs. Personally I think I would struggle to bond with a dog that I essentially had no say over the care, maintenance and upkeep of. Many of those conditions suggested would be unenforceable - the law regards a dog as a good - just like a TV, washing machine or a bike. Once you have paid for it then (unless it is in joint names with the breeder) then it is your dog to do what you please with. SBT123 does raise an interesting point though - there is a trend for some puppy buyers to want to hold the breeder responsible for everything that goes wrong. To use the same analogy above - you would not expect to hold a bike shop responsible if your bike was damaged after you left it in the rain, pushed it over or did not oil parts...

Thank you for the update. There is some comfort in knowing that the dogs were together at the end.

It is pleasing to see Jed's condition has improved. There have been some generous gestures and suggestions in this thread and it really does demonstrate how highly regarded Jed is and the nature of the community here but it must not be forgotten that Jed has family and friends away from here and as much as people want to help out, we should be respectful of them and their space.

My candle is lit to help guide Jane through the hard days ahead, to show the way how for Magnus and to represent the new stars in the sky tonight. Thinking of Jane's family.

Deep breaths guys - don't blow people's responses out of proportion and get yourselves worked up - I am sure SwaY is just upset like everyone else.

Can I reiterate a request for a description of TBCSITW? I will cross post to a couple of dane lists as there are a number of people up that way. Would be worth cross posting to Oz Show too.

sometimes the universe does the shittest and most f^&ked up of things to the nicest of people. My heart is breaking for Jed for the dogs she has lost including TBCSITW but am gladened to hear that some dogs are save. Julie - you are remarkable and a true friend to Jed. Re the RSPCA comment in the paper - I read it as they were seized (which can be done in emergencies) as there was a concern for their welfare as the house was burnt and the owner was incapacitated.

Dogs don't melt in the rain you know

Errr your aiming for a healthy dog - so what only purebreeds deserve to grow to their full potential? Cross or not he's still a very large dog and I would wait. Vets dont necessarily provide an unbiased view on this by the way You're putting words in my mouth! The OP is not aiming for a standard or type as it is a cross breed - therefore there is no way of knowing what the mature dog is supposed to look like. Black Bronson - You put up an interesting argument and talk about the "only genuine reason" - can you point me to any studies/ literature about this? It goes against what I have been told by people very experienced in dog behaviour so interested to learn more.

Bathrooms are heat sinks and can be very cold - I would not be leaving a young small breed pup in one overnight. Invest in a crate and use that.

I waited until at least 18 months with my giant breed - I am comfortable with this age as it also ties in with the minimum age for breeding giants. With a cross breed - I would not be so concerned about that - you're not aiming for a standard or type. 6 months is fine. Don't forget too that costs go up for desexing the more the dog weighs too. Health pros and cons aside, the main thing to consider is how willing you are to deal with an entire male weighing in excess of 50kg - not only his own behaviour but also how other dogs react and respond to him as he is entire male. I am desexing my boy at 22 months this week as he has been getting a hard time from other dogs and I do not want him developing any behavioural issues as a result of this. Am also over the entire male dog smell.

I was happy to use Hanrob until my dog spent the day in their care and they did not notice part of his tongue was necrotic (I smelt it and saw it the minute he came out) and they disregarded my instructions that he was to be kept quiet and had let him out in the yard a lot of the day. Add to that the fact they did not bother to tell me that the beds in the runs are too small for bigger dogs and despite this, you're not allowed to provide their own bedding or even leave a toy with them! I was also told things by an ex-Hanrob employee who said she would not board her dogs there. Have also heard about dogs sharing runs when you have paid for a single run. The other issue is that you have to pay extra for 15 minutes of 'playtime' otherwise they get only 15 minutes outside of the kennel during the day. If you want it to be one on one its an extra $28 This is despite the PIAA Code for boarding (to which Hanrob prescribe) says minimum exercise requirement is 10mins twice a day.

Boarding is the easiest option. However I would not chose either of the 2 facilities you named for a number of reasons. I would recommend sending a message to PAX from here or looking at Acacia Lodge (both out west)