dee lee

BB, they are both so gorgeous!! I'll have one of each thanks. :cool:

Paddo Pets No pet sales there.

Bummer about the GR, but I think I know what you mean. Shame, one like mine would be perfect . What happened to the Keeshond??? They are beautiful, wash and wear (despite the fur), great watchdogs and I have a very funny picture of my cousin as a toddler sharing an ice cream with our one. She loved kids. Big thumbs up for Lappies too! Before I got my GR, I was going to get a lappie pup! I met Corvus' Kivi and TerraNik's Ahsoka and they both were divine! Truly stunning dogs both looking and in nature. Along the same lines how about Norwegian Elkhounds- similar look but less fur than a Lappie or Keeshond. One day I'd love to own one- so beautiful. As for SBTs, they wouldnt be any less OTT boisterous than a Wei pup! I have yet to meet a SBT that doesnt get insanely excited at the prospect of a pat- as for being around a crawling baby?! Yikes.

I was the same. I called (in tears) and asked how much it would cost etc so I didn't have to deal with it after the event. In the end my OH was able to come with me and he dealt with that so I could spend extra time with Evie and then walk out without talking to anyone. Rastus-Froggy- I know how you feel. I didnt tell very many people and every now and then I run into someone who asks me what happened to my other dog? That hurts so much. I found the other video/euthanasia thread much more distressing. I didnt watch the video and was horrified by the idea of it. I am glad this thread was started, not only has it been enlightening but it allowed me to talk about my experience, which has been a little cathartic.

I researched a little prior to Evie being pts. I discovered that my usual vet was a rip off merchant who took advantage of people's misery by charging them over $300 for euthanasia and basic disposal (MUCH more for specialised services). I was recommended a local vet who was lovely (and incidentally did not charge at all for disposal). He gave me the impression that all vets sedate and, having never been through it before (all past pets had died naturally or in accidents), I deferred to the professional's expertise. I was never offered an alternative. Maybe I was just unlucky that Evie was one of the ones who fight the sedation- god knows, that was the way she lived her life- but the vet said it wasn't unusual that she was staggering around for quite some time (over 10 minutes). The sedation certainly wasn't a 30 second window, however the final injection was. Awful. (just to clarify- I wanted to be there while she passed on, but bringing home ashes was more than I could bear so I opted for basic disposal)

Oh god, thats like what happened with Evie- she was so distressed, struggling against the sedation, it was devastating. Fortunately once she was fully sedated she was completely still but I could still see her eyes twitching and then she had the lethal injection. I assumed it was completely normal but if I ever have to do it again I will request no sedation. I had been told over and over that it would be peaceful but it was not, because of the sedation.

My answer to breed suggestions is now always Golden Retrievers! I am smitten with my rescue girl, she is my first GR and she fulfills all your criteria- including watchdog. And dont worry about having this thread thrown back in your face when you do get a new dog. The majority of Dolers are extremely empathatic and supportive and will be behind you. I know because I have been there.

;) :p *faints from cute overload*

My dog was pts last september. It was the hardest thing I have ever done and I stayed with her til the end. I was shocked at how truly awful it was, the effect of the prior anaesthesia broke my heart, she was so frightened. Luckily the surgery was completely empty and the vet was so extremely kind and wonderful. So far the darkest day of my life. :D

Rubbish! Its the dog within the coat, breed, and the body that is of importance along with confidence that you give the situation. I agree. Its the individual personality of the dog that makes the difference. Large dogs can quite often be much more gentle than smaller terrier types. You should see the delicacy with which my dog will liberate a piece of toast from a toddler. She LOVES toddlers. However, I have a friend with a lab the same age as my dog that would be considerably less gentle. Its her personality, not just training- some dogs are definitely more boisterous by nature.

Aw, thats what I was going to say!! Congrats CW!!! She is beautiful!!!!

If they can handle the hair (and if they love your GSDs I'm guessing they could?) then I'm another Golden Retriever pusher! Mine is the perfect family dog, adores children, has the sweetest happiest temperament, goes jogging with me and she LOVES the beach! What more could you want?

I wouldnt give up on a larger dog . We adopted a 3 year old GR and she has been wonderful with our family. Gentle as a lamb and beautifully behaved. As gorgeous as pups are, Im not sure I could do that again- adopting an adult dog allows you to have a good idea of its temperament before you bring it home. We have a dog nervous 7 year old daughter so we were very specific with the rescue org as to our requirements (calm and not boisterous) and were prepared to wait for a dog that fulfilled them. Honey is everything I could ever have wanted in a dog and is perfect for us. Have you talked to WeiRescue about the possibility of an older dog?

I use Advocate for the dog and cat. After trying many other products I found this works for us. Also we flea-bombed at the beginning of summer and I think that has helped enormously. We live in a low risk tick area but when we went on holidays I used Pro ban tablets.

My dog has a leather collar, which I prefer, but I keep a synthetic collar on hand for scheduled swimming trips. Both have strong metal buckles. I once had a plastic buckle snap in half when my 17kg DA staffy cross lunged at a small dog- it was a nightmare come true and a lucky save. I wont make that mistake again. Another fan of Ruthless' collars btw- if I could justify another collar to my OH I'd get one in a heartbeat. They are beautiful as well as very strong. Maybe I should let Honey swim in the leather one, then I will NEED a new one !

IKEA have $1.99 lint rollers- I suggest you buy a dozen! Japanese spitz are a beautiful breed!

Damn difficult if their legs aren't on the ground or the collar is wrapped around another dog's jaw. I remember in a thread a couple of years ago, a Doler left her 3 dogs home with their collars on and one of them got caught on another one's collar. The dog died (or nearly died? cant remember exact details) It was a sad and tragic accident. Anyone else remember that? ETA: Thats it PF!!! Honey has her collar with id tag (with her name and both mine and OH's mobile numbers) on at all times. She is inside when we arent home and has zero chance of catching on anything. Mind you she is unlikely to ever escape either but I do feel much better knowing she can be easily traced to us if that happened.

Yes I often reminisce about going to the toilet on my own, getting out of the shower without having the water licked off my legs, sleeping in a bed with no dog hair in it, moving from one room to another without my two shadows coming to see where we are going and what we are doing now. Those were the days. At the end of the long weekend which we mostly spent at home with the dogs, I distinctly recall saying something along the lines of "OMG I just need some personal space, OK?!?" :D :D I was on the phone to my sister yesterday and had to firmly tell Honey JUST GO AWAY!!! because she had been bugging me for about an hour!

I dunno about the male female thing- I have only ever had females and they were all very affectionate. Fran, remember, affectionate dogs are not always easy to be around. If I decide to sit on the ground for a cuddle with Honey, she will throw herself on me for a full body cuddle and refuse to let me get up! She can be very insistent and will occasionally give me a very firm nudge when I am not paying attention to her.

Oh Fran, I'm sorry you are feeling this way. Is it possible your recent breakup and living back at your mum's might be making you feel more sensitive about this? As well as you missing Atlas? Actually, I imagine the Atlas factor is massive for you- and I expect that you wish Luuka could be more of a comfort. I know thats how I would feel. When I'm sad all I want is doggie cuddles I hope she is just being a silly puppy and grows out of it- I'm sure you will bond with time. I think thats a good idea. :p Also, I dont know if you have done this already but try only giving affection when you instigate it. Ignore her if she comes for pats, then after she has wandered off, unsatisfied, call her over, get her to sit and then give her a good rumbling pat session. Another piece of advice I once got was to withhold affection for 2 weeks, only praising and patting when training or out walking. I was never good at that, :D why have a dog if you cant cuddle it?

Bub, you shouldnt be ashamed of that ! Timing is everything and you obviously werent ready to share Bubby! I have friends who did something similar with a schnauzer puppy. For them, they had a romantic idea about what a second one would be like- their first schnauzer was their baby, surely an equally sweet little brother would complete their family? Nup. Like puppies do, he terrorised their first dog (who is not a very social dog anyway), barked A LOT, chewed stuff and in a week they conceded that they had been very happy with just one dog. Back he went, no harm done. I applaud the mother and daughter who recognised so quickly that they had made a mistake. I imagine being the owners of 2 GSDs they were pretty clued into whether it would work or not.

Damned if you do damned if you dont... ;) I posted a similar thread a little while back because I was having so many people comment on how skinny my GR was! After a while even I started to think she was losing weight and was getting too skinny so I changed her food to a higher fat one. Now a month on, she has lost her waist, seems heavier and is much more lethargic. Back to the old food and keeping her trim, she looks and certainly seems to feel much better on it. Also looking at the lovely fit labs in here, I think I was on the right track before!!! Rubystar- your lab is stunning!!

Absolutely walking is exercise. My last dog was very DA and was not allowed offlead, we walked onlead for an hour every morning and she went jogging onlead with my OH a couple of times a week. She was a very high energy dog and she coped just fine. My current dog gets a lot of offlead time but I have started putting her onlead a bit more to help with her training.

I have had a couple of dogs display what I would call threatening behaviour (more just dominant, not out and out aggressive) when approaching, I have tried the above and found it works. I have been pissed off that the dog is offlead and being "allowed" to behave like that so obviously they get the message. Unfortunately I have had a couple of occasions in the past where an offlead dog has actually had a go and I have just reacted instinctively and kicked the dog and yelled at it. That wasnt very successful and I was lucky both times that the other owner was able to get their dog. I dont think I would have been able to react any other way- it was quick, unexpected and I just responded without thinking trying to protect my dog (the second time from the ground in the middle of the 2 dogs ) .

My GR is an inside dog, if we go out without her she is left inside. She gets an hours hard exercise every morning, gets taken with us wandering around our area (ie school dropoffs, out for coffee etc), she gets taken to dog training once a week, we practice daily. My OH works irregular hours so our dog has company most days. She is pretty happy as far, as I can tell, as long as she is part of the family. We didnt start out with wanting a totally inside dog but we adopted her as an adult and when she exhibited distress at being locked out in our (tiny) courtyard we felt it was safer to leave her in. It has ended up working really well and she never goes outside unless we go with her. When she had access to a massive yard when we went on holidays all she wanted was to come inside where we were. I'd love a big yard but it aint going to happen and Honey isnt suffering.