Monah

thanks Mita. Good idea. Bertie, no I havent' trawled through rescue yet I will put a small post in there, they are usually awfully busy...

There is a fairly new (about 18 months) 'rescue' thing (can't call it an organistaion yet) here in my area. Started off with one woman who I have not met, but sounds nice on the phone and passionate, but, she has not much idea of procedures, protocols, how to organise, rehoming, doggy knowledge , rules and regulations etc etc. A friend of mine began fostering for her about 3 months ago, and through this I've sort of become involved in a very 'silent' way. Tomorrow there is a meeting at my friend's house to attempt to put this org. on the right footing, have a comittee, regulate how things are done etc. The council has donated 2 computers and an office ( ) and wants this to work. So, I said I'd go to the meeting but do more listening and maybe offer the odd suggestion (horror of horrors, sometimes dogs go UNDESEXED and they TRUST the owner to do it later ). I had a call this morning and now find out instead of about 6 people having coffee, several councillors and others are attending (my GF is out scrounging extra chairs ATM!!) and there will now be around 30 people as they want to turn this into a legit and expert type service with protocols (and it's been a thorough mess up to now so this is a good thing) So, my thoughts have changed as if the councillors are open to ideas, I really need to KNOW the very best, workable ideas that other orgs have used and how these operate. I'd like to go in with the correct and viable information so that something goes ahead, not a lot of ifs and maybes and not knowing what I'm talking about (which is where I am now) Can anyone please put up some agendas for me that I can use? Best practice type ideas, etc.? I will adore you forever... xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Vizslas have that effect on people.. :D :D xxx

heck you even bond with photos of animals Monah! - although I was about 10 minutes off shipping Talin to you this morning Tragic isn't it? It makes life difficult sometimes Ship him here, I'm ready :D xxx

I have the opposite problem. I bond with everything and it can take only minutes. then I worry about the animal , bird, wildlife etc. I have had around 5 pets that I have had an incredible connection with, too much really :D I bond with all the animals on we see on our walks, friends pets, everything. I dont need an animal to ''bond' with me to feel a special love and attachment to it. One of our cats LOVES the kids far more than me, and I am completely and utterly devoted to her :D People, not so much...

HE looks great Kaffy, but tha is a big lump Poor angel, such a lovely boy, and yep, he is huge!!! there is a dermatologist from bris who visits nambour vets, about an hour and a half away and we go there and even to bris if need be, he is excellent. Hopefully you wont need an allergy specialist....

cattle dog =

to use myself as an example, i think there isn't enough information. i went to obedience for nearly a year so i was committed and jaxx passed but then it got boring (for her) and i didn't and still don't know of any other type of training in SA same thing happened to us... Monah loves agility andd flyball though, but I would have liked to do more obed. We had a 'weird' lot of stuff in our paper not long ago. A flyball team did well in comp and actually made it to the paper first time.. Int he article it was mentioned about stretching and doggy first aid, a GOOD thing you 'd think. There were several 'letters to the editor' re. dog cruelty, people wanting to get accolades on the backs of their dogs, if it wasn't cruel why do you need dog first aid?, cruel to drag dogs around for comps, unnatural behaviour, let dogs be dogs , they should be allowed to relax in the back yard....etc etc etc. Needless to say, (as usual) I answered each one and letters were published (I'm a serial letter writer on animals issues and get pulled up about it or congratulated almost every time I leave the house ) What a peculiar attitude?? We need to combat this sort of stuff before we can even think of going further. We took our goldies to training in the early 70's and loads of others went too. I'm not a competitor, but my dogs love 'equipment' and I would not do it if they did not, hence not going to obed., they were soooooo bored.... I was a strict parent with the kids, I'm a bit softer with the pets, but they are 'good' girls. I can vouch for Jaxxs buddy's Jaxx, the most well behaved dog I"ve ever met, but I think she's (dog) either broken or has super powers of some sort :D she's ot normal..... ;)

Just read this bit, yep Im a twit,,, OK Mike Shipstone is FANTASTIC, hes at 263 Appleby Rd, stafford heights, phone 33590777. xxx

where in QLD are you? PM me if you need the name of my derm.

I have no experience of this operatin but have heard good outcomes from it. My dog had similar for over 3 months , huge expense, massive ear canals, flushes, tests, etc etc. We took her to a dermatologist, Never looked back she had prick tests done that day, discovered what her allergies were immediately, she was put on a course of vaccs, that ended up being one every 3 weeks after a few months. Best thing I have EVER done. I had no idea the ear problem was to do with allergies. My vet suggested a derm. so we travelled nearly 4 hours to see him and it was a revelation. I have to keep an eye on the ears, where we live has about the highest allergies in humans and animals in the country... she was fine elsewhere. She also likes ot swim.. and needs to. I'm not sure but I think when there is bad damage you do need the op. :p EIther way, I'd be going to a specialist. we did an elimination diet to see if that helped before going to the derm, no good, she's not even allergic to any food at ALL!!!! There only needs to be a minute amount of infection and the ear will flare up again. WIth large canals it's practically impossible to get rid of infection unless they are flushed. If our dog needed the ear op, she would have had it. I'm so sorry about your old dog :p xxxxx The young one has a lot of years left yet, I dont want to appear horrible, sorry, but I'm quite surprised the current vet allowed the ear thing to go on for so long, bad damage was a definite with this timeframe, I really hope you are able to get on top of this, it's awful to see the dog is so much pain and so uncomfortable. Good luck and lots of love .xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

FionaC,, I'm still here!! Talin is welcome :p But he'd have to putt up with the viiz and the spin and the dreaded DEVONS

4 cats here, viz is wonderful with them, cats are the boss too... Nearly Christmas, maybe Rogan can get a kitty of his own under the tree?

Love and get well wishes very fast for Csan.xxxxxxxx

Wonderful that you are researching. Good on you and your BF :D Choosing a breed is such a personal thing, you may meet one of a breed that you adore and then another of the same breed may not click with you, there are differences in dogs of the same breed. So I can only comment on what i have personally experienced. Lappies I've met have been enormously less busy, boisterous and excitable than gundogs. Lovely, often can bark a lot like many herders. Very sweet. GSPs, Vizsla, Weis, I have owned and seen have been very busy. If you are saying you can exercise for a couple of hours a day, keep in mind that that will not be 'optional' if you are tired, it's raining, you worked late etc. ;) :D These are high energy dogs.................very beautiful looking, very intelligent, eternally young at heart (or to say another way, grow up at around 8 years of age... :D ) all very lovely breeds. Weis are very large and strong too. Rotties are gorgeous, laid back, dont' mind missing the odd walk we've had several in our extended family, like my spinone, when they have a drink be prepared for half of it on your floor I only know aussies through flyball so cannot comment on them. I adore cattle dogs, a well socialised and trained (they almost train themselves) cattle dog will not stray, have great recall, be active but also happy to sit and guard the fence, garden, car, you ,etc etc... A good one will also stick with you and love ball games, bike rides, swims etc. I know some can be pretty protective, but as long as they are used to outings and visitors etc. they are fine (from my experiences, ours were fantastic) English pointers are a wonderful breed and if people realised how great they were we'd be seeing them everywhere ;) :D they are a well kept secret.. Keep in mind things llike, do you want to travel at any time? if you have to rent, will you have a problem finding dog friendly etc. My kids travel a lot, but we have my daughter and her BFs BC or else his parents do (he was their dog first anyway but I adore him and love having him here...) I'm sure you've already thought of all the things like this and that you will offer a fantastic home to a lucky dog!! You have a lot to do to find the breed you would like to spend the next 16 or so years with (hopefully), it's a huge responsibility and you are very responsible to be thinking a lot about it. Good luck :D Spikes puppy... Now I want a smooth!!! lovely!!xxx

could he have got a 'zap' from it without you realising? I ask because if he's been fine for a few weeks and suddenly is not it may be because something's happened. I know my viz had a 'car' phobia for a while when she burnt her nose on the hot dashboard, after loving the car before. Different behaviour is often because something has occurred. Hope the lovely boy is OK, poor baby.xxxxx

agree with the general concensus on here of it 'depends' I even feel this way about humans. I know several people who have had and do have cancer and they have refused treatment as for them it was a choice of 6 extra months but being ill, or 6 less healthy months in which to carry on pretty much as normal. I've spent several thousands on operations, allergies and cat stuff in the last 12 months. I would not have if I thought it was not the right thing to do for the sake of the pet. Everyone should do what they think is best, it's too personal and also with so many financial problems around these days it can be impossible for some people even if they'd love to be able to pay for treatment. Often the decision can depend on the cooperation of other family members too, such a stressful situation.xxxxx

;) There's a world without hair and slobber??

Your dog's more important to ME than some stranger's children... Oh Raz, you snob you!!

xxxxx

Nicole, she is gorgeous. Good luck fantastic Nekhbet, you are an angel.xx

was that Marlow's lagoon? we used to go there nearly every day, the dogs loved it. There is also an oval over the other side , part of a school but no one is ever there and it's not fenced but very private and we'd go there when the dog park was busy. Watch out for 'croc' signs during the wet, there are big pipes that the odd one gets washed down. :D Might need a bin in the cupboard :D Ours always stayed in in the aircon too. xxx

It's a bit of a worry when there are arguments on here about dogs and kids, no wonder there are neighbourhood disputes. And yes, Sheridan knows her dogs very well, and even I who does not, would not see any point in Grumpy meeting the kids. Grumpy is very special. xxxxx empathy, respect, cooperation and consideration go a long way, find a middle ground. In 50 years I've never had a neighbour problem and I've moved a LOT, countries and states. I've been really blessed to have neighbours who also like to live in harmony and friendhip, but it's been a lot of give and take over the years. Ashanali has printed a lovely 'possible conversation' Ruger, take a deep breath. dogs in crates often do that, it doesn't make it right and I'm sorry it happened, but turning it into a major issue does not help your child deal with it either. Shows can be highly stressful for some 'showers' and maybe your child was the 100th to do that on the day, the lady coming over to make excuses does not appear to be turning the blame on your son but rather sounds embarrassed and explaining how her dog reacts. It's up to the parent to make sure their child feels OK about it and learns from it and does not interpret the experience in a negative way. I hope you enjoy other shows in the future. They really are great fun!

Dear old Grumpy. xxxx Ash's post was terrific :D I'm so lucky where I live, the whole street and eveen the street at the back of my place is very very friendly. we ALL!! make quite a lot of noise and have a lot of activity happening and have for many years. My neighbours on one side have been away for 2 years while their house is being fixed up, they have now sold the place they were in and are moving back in before christmas, I was so pleased :D as I had to travel to see them and was used to seeing them every day But, they have 4 kids, active, outdoorsly ones with motor bikes, a go cart, trampoline, swimming pool directly next to our pool.... I can just imagine the dogs goiing off as they are now acclimatised to no one being there... we have already had the "talk' about this and how to deal with it, they also have 2 lovely cockers. Im positive there will be much yelling from both sides, me at the dogs... and them at the kids.. :D but we are on the same page which makes things very easy. Re the learning music (guitar..) I feel the pain, mine did guitar, banjo, violin, piano and flute, I have a drum teacher who teaches from home across the road, and a band next door who practice in the garage on our side, if only they could play... sheridan I really hope it all works out, i had a dog with those issues too. You certainly would not achieve anything by intro to the kids or 'training' Hopefully the neighbours have common sense and empathy, that's is what makes for great neighbours. good luck.xxx

Bokezu, more love and hugs..xxxxx