hortfurball

Sorry Jed, but I had to laugh at that! Dignity? What dignity? :rolleyes: Lovely pics of the kids, they all look so happy and relaxed - a nice change from the last time we saw them, all stressed out and missing their two legged mum. I think Phoenix is just adorable, but then I'm partial to brindles. (hard to tell from my sig and avatar pics but Kuges was all brindle before he turned into silverado) That's a nasty scar the poor little girl has - how will that affect her show potential? (presuming she's going to be shown)

I seen lots of threads like this one before... Anyone else cringe when they read that? I'm a card carrying member of PA. Oh and apparently 'his' is no longer just the possessive form, but is perfectly acceptable as an abbreviation of 'he is' - "His going to take his dog to training."

Another one with teary eyes here...had to go away and come back to read the Rudyard Kipling 'cos I couldn't see to read. Sagittarian, so sorry to hear of your loss, she's with her friend and he'll look after her for you. Jed, hope your recovery is still progressing. Hugs to you both.

Am I the only one who thinks the puppies are cuter? Hey Jed, haven't popped in for a while and sorry to say have been slack with candles but have just lit another for you... Hope you're still improving daily.

;) Go Angel! What a great ambassador for the entire dog world but especially the maligned pitty/pitty crosses! Fabulous story...and it just got better and better as I read to the end. Happy tears.

My advice would be don't take your dog to off leash parks as you never know what idiot will be there with their untrained and/or unsocialised dog. Stick to controlled meetings with friends whose dogs are known to be friendly and well adjusted, or DOL meets, because at least you know the DOL crew are informed. Think you answered your own question there.

Tarope, I'm glad my friend's GSD was a bit more accepting than yours when my friend was suddenly taken to hospital for a week and I had to jump the fence to gain access via the back door to feed her, play with her and take her for a walk. Admittedly she'd met me on a few occasions previously, but not in that particular house as they hadn't long moved. She did however also a friend jump the fence on a separate occasion who she'd never met, so not ALL GSD's are hardwired to be so protective. To the OP, best of luck. I'd hesitate to pay attention to the few whose knee jerk reaction is always to put the dog to sleep without knowing all the facts, in my opinion it is irresponsible to 'assess' a dog and sentence it to death from a simple post over the internet. Go with the behaviourist recommendation and take it from there. Sorry to hear that your breeder is not supportive, that would raise some doubts as to the ethics of the breeder in my head, and whether they breed their dogs with temperament as a priority. Your dog is only young, there is every chance that a behaviourist will be able to help you.

Funny, I brought this up in another thread just a couple of days ago... I think the opposite - that first time owners should be forbidden from owning small dogs so that they realise that a dog is not a walking teddy bear. Too many people use lack of size as an excuse for a completely out of control dog. There are some good small dog owners out there but there are also a lot of small irritating untrained shits. I'm so sick of people thinking it's ok for their small dog to jump up and basically do whatever it pleases because it's 'cute'. Always makes me feel tempted to egg Ella into a state of excitement and try to get her to jump on them and say "Still think it's cute?" Having a large dog as my first dog really forced me to take responsibility for being a dog owner as I thought, "I can't have a large, out of control dog" so I stepped up. It was a learning curve and I may not have been the perfect owner but we did lots of obedience and I learned a lot about dogs and myself, then came Ella the dynamo - two thirds the size and twenty times the energy - thank dog she wasn't first!!

Hi Jed, keep smiling. Still thinking of you and sending love and best wishes for your continued healing. Lovely offer Ker. C'mon people, step up with the candles, mine's feeling a bit lonely... http://www.gratefulness.org/candles/candle...=eng&gi=dol

*cough splutter* Eat your words! I've seen what beagles can do! I'm too lazy to be a beagle owner. Ask Centitout, the beagle was flown over to her, I'm pretty sure she was going to assess and rehome. I took her (the beagle) straight to the airport. This would have been about 2 years ago. What breed do you think could have coped? Doesn't sound like an ideal home for any dog if you ask me. Actually the key words were not enough. The dog did have all of those things, just not enough for the particular dog. The beagle was walked daily, was included with the family when they were home, slept inside and spent evenings in the house with the family, had lots of toys, none of which lasted very long so were replaced regularly, I saw the 'remains'. Some dogs are just more challenging than others and I think this one was a nutjob even by beagle standards. (sorry huski :D ) When I said a 'too small yard' again I only meant for this particular dog. A smaller less active dog would have been fine in a yard that size with a daily walk. They were just ill equipped to deal with a dog that pretty much needed a full time job to keep it out of trouble, unfortunately the dog failed the tests to become a sniffer dog, not food driven enough. To be honest I wouldn't have liked to have been that dog's owner, I would have failed too. She was very good in the car on the way to the airport though, I was a bit concerned when I met her whether my car would still have seats by the time I got her to the airport but she was good as gold and I felt a bit sorry for her being in inexperienced hands and then being sent off with a stranger like that but I knew she was off to somewhere where someone would understand her needs so all's well that ends well. I must PM Centitout and find out what happened to her.

I think they are very pretty but am happy to admire everyone else's...not the dog for me. Actually, like a few people have said, a first time owner can be excellent if they do their research and are committed to satisfying the needs of the dog. A friend's daughter and her new hubby (both very mellow, laid back people) were interested in getting an akita as their first dog, which rang alarm bells for me, especially with two toddlers placing demands on their time. I advised against it as a first dog and told them all the reasons why. They answered, "Yes, we read all that and we don't have a problem with it." Sure enough, they didn't have a problem and have a beautifully behaved, well adjusted dog. ...and that's how I ended up with a Siberian and a beagle :p Sucker for punishment more like. ;) I think the opposite - that first time owners should be forbidden from owning small dogs so that they realise that a dog is not a walking teddy bear. Too many people use lack of size as an excuse for a completely out of control dog. There are some good small dog owners out there but there are also a lot of small irritating untrained shits. I'm so sick of people thinking it's ok for their small dog to jump up and basically do whatever it pleases because it's 'cute'. Always makes me feel tempted to egg Ella into a state of excitement and try to get her to jump on them and say "Still think it's cute?" Having a large dog as my first dog really forced me to take responsibility for being a dog owner as I thought, "I can't have a large, out of control dog" so I stepped up. It was a learning curve and I may not have been the perfect owner but we did lots of obedience and I learned a lot about dogs and myself, then came Ella the dynamo - two thirds the size and twenty times the energy - thank dog she wasn't first!! I'd be spending the next three weeks finding out if I was you. Huski is a good person to chat to, she'll give you all the beagle goss. I once went to collect a beagle on behalf of a rescue group from a hysterical woman who was at her wits' end because the beagle had demolished half of her house and turned her entire garden into a sandpit. I just wanted to grab the dog and get out of there but the woman kept handing me bits of skirting and door frame, saying "Look, she just ate it right off the walls, why didn't anyone tell me they were so destructive" and bawling her eyes out. I think she was just trying to justify in her head handing the dog over but I felt so uncomfortable, there was just nothing I could say except "she'll be going somewhere suitable and nice where they know how to handle beagles." The poor dog had just been bored silly in a too small yard with not enough exercise, not enough inclusion and not enough mental stimulation, but where another breed might have coped in that house with that woman and their lifestyle, a beagle could not. EFS.

No and No. I agree it's a no brainer. Potential. It's simply not worth the risk if you know your dog has issues. I acknowledge the fact that you've already said that you don't let yours off leash so we're talking hypothetical here. For me, ANY risk is too much risk. I wouldn't risk a lynch mob baying for my dog's blood, I keep my guys safe by keeping them on leash (mine are somewhat DA depending on the other dogs). Plus, it's better exercise to have your dog on leash and walk/jog with it rather than stand around socialising while your dog runs around. Sorry to hear about your boy Jacqui. I'm going to regurgitate some info I remember reading here on DOL over the years and say stop making a fuss of him, act like nothing happened and get him out socialising with KNOWN friendly dogs pronto in a controlled situation (ie not a dog park but a friend's house or your own.) Wish I'd found DOL in time to be able to do that for my two, might not have DA dogs now. :p Oh if only!! What are you saying here? That if one of your dogs was attacked and ended up with DA, you'd have your buddy PTS? Or that for some magical reason you'd never end up owning a DA dog? Sometimes it can happen despite your best intentions. My dogs have become somewhat DA through being attacked when younger, they didn't start out DA and I certainly didn't choose them because they had 'attitude' as pups. They used to both be great with anyone and everything. Thanks to other people's DA dogs being offleash and out of control, I now have the issue myself. Difference is, mine are never offleash in public so I'm not continuing the cycle for the next poor unsuspecting owner. I scared a guy the other day, his off leash dog approached fast (in a 'dogs must be ON lead' area of course - amazing how many people can't read ) and I stepped between Ella and his dog and growled "Back Off" in such a tone that I've never seen anyone scramble to get their dog back on leash so fast! Then he fumbled it and let the dog go and, as we'd moved a few metres further on by then as I thought he had it in hand, seemed to think 'oh well never mind' until I said "She's dog aggressive" and he jumped forward and grabbed his dog again (who was once again making a beeline for us.) My apologies for the grammar in this paragraph, it sucks but I'm too tired to try to fix it without just hitting delete. ;)

Still thinking of you Jed and keeping a candle lit for your recovery. Wow, those photos certainly are...I don't know, I'm lost for words, but wow! Must be hard for you to look at.

There was an incident involving a highly trained police dog that bit a celebrity journo during an interview with the police handler when the interviewer/journo leaned over the dog. Sorry but I think that situation makes a bit of a joke of the comment "It's how the dog was raised." That is a blanket statement that doesn't take into account the fact that dogs are NOT teddy bears that should allow themselves to be approached in any way, shape or form. If you approach a dog in a way that the dog perceives as threatening, leaning over it, then expect it to act like a dog and bite you. As we weren't there and don't know the full story, it is possible that the dog was either defending itself, or perhaps defending its owner. It stated in the article that the owner was talking to the witness when the incident happened, he may not have seen the girl approach. The dog may have perceived the girl's approach as a sneak attack on the owner from behind, we just don't know, and yet there are calls for this dog to either not be taken out in public or to be muzzled. I think it's great that the dog is not being PTS and great that the staff member is taking responsibility for approaching the dog in the wrong manner, if a little concerned that now she has the mistaken idea that all rotties don't like being patted on the head. What we need is proper education of the public, with the most important rule being "NEVER approach ANY dog without the owner's permission and attention" and the other vital rule (unrelated to this story) being "NEVER leave children and dogs unsupervised." If we could achieve the aim of getting those two messages across to ALL, then dog bite statistics would be significantly reduced.

Beautiful comments Sag. Still thinking of you every day Jed. Off to light another candle for your continued healing.

Hi Jed, not posting much but still thinking of you, and keeping a candle lit...well most of the time anyway. Big hugs to you You are never far from my thoughts.

Lump in throat, can't talk, just as well I only have to type. You really are amazing Jed. Have lit a candle to help heal your heart and given my babies an extra hug today.

No way!! down in the shed, pumping them out, pumping them out. Nothing wrong with a bit of patella luxation, and most of the suckers puppy buyers wont know the pups have their back legs on back to front Chi x JRT, chi x poos - chipoos!! Very popular. Can't keep a good puppy farmer down, Mother Moocher, you should know that, and I now have official confirmation from the RSPCA that I am a good ethical breeder, with beautifully kept and well socialised dogs so I can trade on that!! Prices going up. Regarding the legs on back to front, believe it or not I have seen a dog with one hind leg on the wrong way. It was a little poodle that had had a car accident and the vets had done the best they could, but I thought, "Gees, if you're going to bother reattaching the leg, at least put it on the right way round" Weirdest thing I've ever seen! One hock pointing backwards as it should be and the other forwards with the paw facing back, so wrong!

It must have been so good to be reunited with your babies, even for a little while, hopefully it won't be too much longer before you can all be back together.

Exactly what I was thinking. I was dreading it so much I ran away for a little while. Jed, your tributes for all your animals were so beautiful but heartbreaking. Sorry to hear it's not going to be easy for a while yet - I still think about you every day and wish you well. Waiting room people, the candle situation is looking a bit sad!

Lovely to see you Jed, so pleased that you look so well. I think you held it together beautifully and presented very well...I also noticed the hands but I recognised it as nerves. Your Rudyard Kipling poem brought tears to my eyes... Another candle lit.

What an honour Jed has bestowed on the DOL community by sharing with us these precious photographs and the unfathomable depths of grief and pain she must be going through. It's almost undone me, frankly. :D + another here. Face needed a wash anyway...

Just back from lighting another candle. Thank you so much for the wonderful update Goldchow. I haven't dropped in for a couple of days and it's so nice to come back to a positive update. If you see Jed again, tell her it's simple really, not only do we miss her wisdom and truth (and sense of humour) on DOL, but Jed is our hero - she had the courage to do what we all hope we would do if we were in the same situation - ran back inside a burning building to save her animals. Some would, some wouldn't, some think they would but will never really know until they are put to the test. Jed just did it, and that is amazing and admirable. She is everything a true animal lover should be, and we love her for it. :p We also share her pain that despite her superhuman efforts, not all made it, and that is just devastating. Being a forum of animal lovers, we can all empathise with the dreadful sorrow and grief that would cause. How could we possibly NOT offer our support in some small way? Love and hugs again to those supporting Jed in the real world. Ooh Jed, have just read that you have access to DOL! So pleased that you're able to read if not post. Just take care of yourself and heal at your own pace...we'll be with you every step of the way. Thanks Toohey for the update! Woohoooo!! Just saw your post Jed!! Is it weird that I suddenly have a massive smile and want to do cartwheels (...if I still could...doubtful ) and yet am all teary too? I don't often drink but that calls for a celebratory drink...here's to you Jed... ;) (ok, ignore the christmas hat...it's the only emoticon raising a glass in a toast) Welcome back! ;) Oh dear, the wine suddenly doesn't taste so good...just saw your next series of posts Jed, and now can barely see to type... My heartfelt sympathy for your losses. Such beautiful babies... Kissindra and Trisven said it best...we'd take away your pain if we could Jed. Big gentle hugs to you. Off to light another candle for your babies...

:D I loved the mastiff who didn't seem to give a hoot, and absolutely pissed myself at the iggy's reaction! That was hilarious - bet they didn't expect that! Funny I read all your comments first and as I was watching I thought, "What could a smart dog DO in this situation, how on earth could these guys tell it was smart?" ;) Oh yeah, no question!