pawsaroundoz

Jules Am thinking of you and your mate Brock - Have never met you but just a few weeks ago Carlin got his wings so feel your sadness and loss. Think about all the good times you shared and love your other dogs. Annie

My dogs are my family, my only family and so I wanted to connect with others who felt the same way or at least a similar way to how I feel about my dogs.

am: alternate days of more formal training and play on the local oval/longer walks and free runs at a choice of 2-3 parks, all involve a good walk to get to/from! Home for coffee and cereal or hot porridge - me and the boys. At 7.45 (yeah right, in my dreams, maybe one day I will make it on time!) the boys go out on the deck, they have the run of the house and the deck when I am at work. I go to work which is a 10 minute walk. At lunchtime I come home and the boys come out to wander around the garden or we go to the mini park in our street for a Whippet Wiz (or a roll in something that was previously alive, I tend not to join in on this one!) I usually get home by 5.00pm, change, have my (home made-no cream or ice cream) iced coffee on the deck then the boys come out for walks/plays or I go for a bike ride first, but all bar shopping nights we do both - shopping night I miss my bike ride. Week-ends are for the Pet Park or the Beach or a long walk along the Nightcliff foreshore path and a play on the Gym equipment for me, and sometimes a coffee out...or a bought iced coffee with cream on top and ice cream!! My dog time is by far the best part of every day! I think we are all getting a good amount of exersize.

Thank you for your caring thoughts, they mean a lot to me and the Whippets at this time. This is why Dogzonline is so good-people care. Annie and the boyz

Today the Whippets and had to say Goodbye to our dear Carlin (Kadnook Carlin McBeth CD)who went to the Rainbow Bridge to wait with Crash and Wellington. We are so missing our friend and companion, we have so many happy memories. Don't worry Carlin, we will all go over the bridge together, you won't be afraid anymore (Carlin always hated bridges of any kind) Love always Annie, Clancy and Connor Young Carlin Dear old boy

Ok, has anyone else been thinking, as I have, about how/when all the doom and gloom stuff will affect our lives with our dogs? I have not seen any sort of discussion coming from the State Controlling bodies has anyone else? Shouldn't these things be raised and discussed so if some of the dire warnings come thundering along we do all have some plans about how to keep our selves but most of all our wonderful dogs safe fed loved and all that? Annie

Well, we have just said goodbye to our friend Jan a horticulturist who lived and worked on CDU campus with firstly Gypsy a GSD and of more recent times her new GSD Kodiak 'Kodi' for short. Jan never had any problems at all, but then this is Darwin! annie

See me there too! mmmm crepes! don't forget to let us know When!!!! annie

My thoughts are with you, although I do not know you from reading your posts I know you will be doing what is best for your dog, because that is how you come over as a caring and committed dog person - the best people! I am in a sad place now too, but Carlin is not in physical pain, in fact he is a bit better physically than he has been for a while, but mentally he is a very sad old lad, he seems to be getting worse, he is scared of any loud noise now, not just in this house but if the next door neighbours door slams Carlin starts the whole heavy laboured breathing, acting really scared, end of the world stuff. He wanders around the house but then every so often will act scared of going into a room for no reason, like he has seen a ghost. He looks so haunted most of the time and I have no idea how to cheer him and make things better. Annie

I did the Kimberleys and down the wa coast for 6 months in 2006 with Carlin (Black Labbie) and Clancy who was a young Whippet then, in fact he had his 1st birthday in the camp at Kununurra showgrounds! I had no problems, but remember the crocs, the dingoes (got stalked by a male at Finke just last year), wild camels can spook a dog who is not used to them, and some of the Indiginous camps have some pretty rough and ready dogs so remember that too, especially if you are going through the Central Desert and the desert communities in top end of SA too, you may get a few camp dogs around some of the outback fuel stops too, there's always a few hanging around places like Ti Tree out of Alice and the roadhouses up here in the top end. Oh, watch out for those signs that tell you areas have been baited, they had just baited large tracts of land through the Kimberleys in 06 and I was very careful. The thing is though to get up there and enjoy that wonderful country NOW, the Kimberleys is being sold off to mining and gas people and pretty soon the whole nature of the area will be changed and a very special place will be lost - it is a crime against Australia as a whole. Annie

I live in Darwin, to bring my wonderful Connor home I travelled to just out of Geelong, Victoria! Thats close to 3700 k's! But he was the puppy I wanted! Clancy my older boy travelled down with me and we drove! For the 'right' dog from the 'right' (read committed and caring) breeder I would travel almost unlimited distance, within Australia. Annie

Poodlefan Your IT department sounds a bit like ours, and the length of time they take to even pick your call, let alone do something about the problem, would cause incontinence! My pet peeve in ads are all those Blue Healers running around, I cannot get pictures of Aussie Cattle Dogs in little nurses uniforms!! annie

Thanks for that Staff'n'toller, how are you. we met at a coffee morning once I think, at Nightcliff Markets.... Oh drat, I shall most likely be on the road by 2012, but anything could happen by then I guess! We could be anywhere.... as it happens it turns out that a friend I do some training with on Sunday mornings is doing the currant course and has indicated she will assist me get started, so this morning I played with Clancy first and got him all razzed up to do stuff then 3 or 4 recalls and he flew in! After the training session had ended I gave the 2 of them a play period and Clancy played happily, at 2 points he looked as though he would wander over to see what people might have left behind, I called and whoosh straight back, so todays lesson had stayed with him. I am looking forward to doing the next course, I am so going to do it even if it means I have to stay put in one place (even without work, if necessary) just as long as I have internet ! Annie

Portia. the boys send healing tail wags and say you must get better really soon coz you don't want your mummy to get all stressed out do you? Hope all is much better soon Mel Annie

This sounds really great I would love to do this course, obviously it can be done from here (Australia) and I suppose it doesn't matter which State we are in ? When does the next course start does anyone know? It's just that after June/July this year I may be on the road and not always in areas with internet coverage.....I am very interested that there are other Whippets doing the course, feedback - how's it going with the Whippets? I have 1 great recall dog and 1 who is very distracted by the sort of stuff the long grassers leave in their camp spots! This is what I really need to have Clancy leave alone. Annie

Good on you Yarrowfell and Itsmeg. Right now I show Connor in the entire classes but as I am not a breeder and never will be (I'd keep them all!) and as at some stage I expect to be living on the road for an extended period I will probably have Connor (checks over shoulder to see if he is listening) desexed, Clancy is already desexed but I would like to continue to show so I have a vested interest in the neuter classes. Yes there is the thing it could encourage new comers to showing, it could also keep the older comers in the game, especially these days when so many Councils have 2 dog limits so one cannot have a house (or is that bed?) full. Annie

Just wanted to say 'Hi' and welcome, especially as you have 'Crash' who is a handsome man indeed. My own beloved Crash went on to the Rainbow Bridge back in 2003. I miss him still and when I am saying a little thank you to the powers that be for my wonderful Whippets and old lad Carlin there is always a thought for Crash too. I applaud your research and thinking with respect to drugs and overuse of same. My Crash! Funny enough throughout his life some of his best mates were German Shepherds. Annie

Hi How do the breed travel and if ok would the RSPCA release for re-homing interstate, does anyone know? Reason is I have an older tenant living in my area (I work in public housing) who has a rescue Schipperke who is his only friend companion and family, Scout is 12 years or possibly even older, he is a desexed male. As cute as and worships his master. I was at my tenants unit (with a garden) the other day and my tenant started talking to me about Scout's age and how he really doesn't know what he will do when Scout has gone as he will have no-one, he got really teary and I had to make him a cuppa and stop to have a longer chat as I did not want to go whilst he was upset. I have been meaning to look into the breed and see if there was any way I can be ready to help out when Scout does go to the Bridge. My tenant is suffering from a permanent degeneritive spine disorder but Scout gets the best of everything. Annie

Perhaps you could train the dogs to do the housework LL? (then when you have got them doing it right you could send them to me for a bit or I could send you the Whippets to housework train too) Annie

I do not think there is any 1 answer to this but I really do believe we are becoming more and more unfriendly towards dog ownership among other things ( independant camping in a leave no trace way, rather than being in a caravan jail, oops sorry park, is one that springs to my mind) some of this has to go back to the Aussie 'she'll be right attitude which is great when things are going well but when people start whittling away at your freedome as a responsible dog owner or traveller or whatever, we really need to stand up and shout 'NO MORE' as the people who don't want us to play with our dogs on the oval, or have a coffee sitting outside a shop with our best mates, for no other reason than they don't do it, tend to make a great deal of noise - we must too, about all our small freedoms being taken away from us, all those things that too many people, make life enjoyable. My 2 friends (who I meet for coffee every 1st sunday in the month) and I meet for coffee with our dogs in a local park as there do not seem to be any dog friendly places in Darwin, we take our brewed coffee, table and chairs, some yummy brunchy things to eat and of course our dogs! It is very enjoyable, we often have people come over for a chat and some have even joined us! Annie

I suppose it may be down to the individual dogs but I went on a trip in 2010 and visited with Connors family and after a little bit of 'not quite sure' Connor his sister , his doggy mum and his doggy 'uncle' all got on famously, as did Clancy my older boy who is not related! Crash, my Rainbow Bridge boy, a lovely yellow Lab always seemed to remember his mates, and he always greated his err 'lady friends' in a special way too! Annie

A Wiz of Whippets! Annie

The funniest creative spelling and pronounciation of any breed I ever heard came from a friends young daughter many years ago now but I always think of the breed as such! The child kept referring to 'that Wild Banana dog over there'......Yep it was a Weimaraner! Annie

Yes I relate to this too! Went back to work the other day after lunch and went up to my tenancy manager who said 'eek no, go away I don't want all that dog hair over me' .....one way to get out of any nasty tasks toward the end of the day! annie

I will have to dig it out but somewhere in my stuff I have a name of a rooming house located near the Tassie ferry where they did allow peopel to keep their pets, or at least they did a few years ago. Times change and sadly rooming houses that were a wonderful half way for homeless especially elderley folk. Yes ok they were or at least could be a bit rough too I know. I work in Public Housing and the situation for elderley homeless tears my heart out, I know of at least half a dozen pensioners who this very wet season are living long grass or in tents in some of the bush areas in and around Darwin, the wait list for a 1 bedroom place is counted in years. One old Gentleman came by the office every few days, always clean and tidy, but always with a mark on one shoulder of his shirt, turned out he had a small lovebird who shared his tent with him, every morning he would cycle from the northern suburbs to Fanny Bay and a old friend of his would let him take a shower and shave and would also care for his bird for the day, in the evening he would call by and take the bird with him to his little camp. He would not go into a hostel as he was always worried someone might hurt his little mate. We haven't seen him for quite some time now, I often think of his situation and whisper a little prayer when I am tucked up in my bed with a Whiipet each side of me. Whilst not denying help to all of those who have lost homes in floods, cyclones and fires I cannot help but wonder why it takes these type of events to bring the homeless to mind when every State in Australia has many thousands of homeless people every night of the year - many of whom are in that situation through no fault of their own, some of whom are that new class of homeless, the working poor. Annie