Staffyluv

A good shelter will tell you but in all honesty, it would be better for you to ask.. At least you know what they have discovered about the dog then.. Also, dogs often act quite differently in a pound environment compared to in a foster carers home... I suggest you contact a rescue organisation near you and ask them what they have that would suit your circumstances.. Check out pet rescue.com.au, as they list a lot of animals in foster care already... It is good that you know your limitations, as its your first dog in your own etc. Have you de died on a type of dog? Small, medium, large breed? How much grooming, exercise or training can you do or will have time to do? Once you know the answers to these questions, go to the generals optic section and start a thread telling people what you think you want and the times you have etc.. I am sure we can help you come up with the right dog for you. Just because you are in Vic, doesn't mean you need to just use Vic rescues.. Most rescues are happy to transport dogs and there is a wide network that accomplishes amazing feats for dogs...

It is a busy time, maybe a human only lunch would be better. At the usual Calibre cause it is pretty central fro most of us..

Dogs from reputable rescues will have been temperament tested and all the dogs 'quirks' and 'issues' should be made available to you when you enquire about a particular dog... I didn't know that rescue orgs had an age limit, I have never heard of that before... Your best bet is to contact a rescue (or a few of them), explain your circumstances, the type of dog you want to give a home to and add anything that you won't accept.. You have to remember that a lot of rescue dogs are there because they have never been trained or had very little training and or socialisation. Often times, they have been dumped in a backyard and turned into barkers, diggers, dogs that jump up or shy away and generally problem dogs.. All these things can be fixed with time, patience and training... Not all rescue dogs are like this but some are.. If you don't want to spend the time training or walking a dog, then you need to let the rescue org know,so they don't suggest one of these dogs... Yes there are bad rescues out there but by and large, I dare say they all are all in it for the dogs... I wish that there was more screening for homes by some as here on DOL we have seen more than a few come here to complain about their rescue is not what they trout it would be. It also takes time for a rescue to settle in, some more than others.. One of my fosters was still a bit shy a month after being here. She was great here with us but wary of strangers. She had 4 visits to the new family home, a meeting at the park twice with them, their kids over the space of a couple of weeks before she went to live with them.. Some take more time than others but remember, you can always contact your foster group for assistance in settling your new dog in..

I was in a hurry tonight and forgot to take it out of the fridge for a bit before I gave it to him.. Now I think about it, every time he has done this his dinner has come straight out of the fridge.. However he eats frozen turkey necks... He seems fine now but I will let him be until morning and he can have a good breaky.

I like these threads. I find them extremely interesting.. We are lucky to have so many knowledgable people here on DOL.

Would the Canberra/Quangers DOLers like to catch up for a lunch or dinner before Christmas? We could do a doggie day picnic or we could do a human lunch or dinner somewhere.. Let me know if you are interested and available dates (cause we all get busy around this time of year) and we will work it out..

Thanks that is what I thought as its not a regular thing and it doesn't seem to be related to any particular food.. I might just give him a bit of dinner early and some more later to slow hi down.. He is not usually a pig with food but I guess he must have been extra hungry tonight.

This has happened a few times now (not regular). Zig had eaten his dinner and within minutes throws the whole lot back up.. Tonight it was still in the chunks of meat that was fed... It basically looked like his dinner but on the mat, instead of in his bowl.. Nothing else in it that I could tell.. Could it be that he has just eaten it to fast? He seems well otherwise, no temp, not flat... He eats raw meat for dinner, tonight was roo...

My sisters Stafford has just been diagnosed with epilepsy.. She kept trying to describe it to the vet when someone here suggested she video the incident on her phone so she could show the vet.. She did the last one and he had some tests.. The poor boy is epileptic and needs just one little tablet every day... Maybe video the next episode for the vet... Agree with others a vet visit would be a good idea.

Great to hear it all went well.. Hopefully his recovery will be a speedy one and he can get back to playing soon.

Fresh sample needed.. To be honest, I wouldn't leave it a few days.. In a few days a UTI can travel and cause all manner of further problems.. I don't know if you have ever had one yourself but it can be quite uncomfortable... I realise you are probably busy like the rest of us but the dog really needs to see a vet sooner rather than in a few days.. Hope it all goes well for her.

We had an old fry pan that we used for Ollie when we needed a sample.. Even an old container that is low and flat but has enough lip on it to collect.. Put her on lead and take her out to the same spot over and over again, treat when she wees and tell her good dog.. Lots of praise for good work. You may need someone else to collect while you encourage her to go...

I think the organisation has a duty of care but in all honesty, I couldn't let any dog go without treatment if I thought it needed it... I realise not everyone is in a financial position to do so and hope the rescue coordinator should give permission to do so. I agree with pers, it could be a couple of things...

We don't have pet insurance. When Ollie got cancer, I applied for a rather large credit card with very low interest and 55 days interest free. Ollie has been gone nearly 12 months now and I still have the credit card - I use it maybe once every few months just to keep it active and pay it off before the due date, so never any interest... I was thinking about it for the new lad but I think my credit card works just as well for us.. Thankfully (touch wood) I have not had to use it for Ziggy yet and I hope I never have to...

For everyone getting angry with the mum over the dog comment there is nothing worse than not knowing where your lost child is. We lost our oldest son for over 30 hours in the snow, overnight. The search was called off overnight and you just can't even imagine (unless you have been through it) exactly how horrifying it is to be warm and safe at a camp, while you know your child is out there on his own - not knowing if he is hurt, cold, hungry or worse, dead.. You really don't think of anything other than the child - nothing else matters.. I am ashamed to say I left my youngest at home with friends while we searched for my son and never thought of how he was feeling or my husband - the only thing that mattered was news of the kid.. He ended up in hospital with a broken shoulder, hypothermia, kidney problems because of dehydration and the cold.. I then spent all my time at the hospital until he could come home and my youngest and husband were left to fend for themselves (I was very selfish but that is the way I handled it)... Apart from losing my husband last year, it was the worst experience of my life.. Please be patient with her, everyone reacts differently..

Yes and this morning he stole a kiwi fruit from the fruit bowl... 2 steps forward and 1 step back... haha. He is doing really well with so much of it Snook. We (trainer and I) have worked out that his excitement levels escalate to the point where he would rather be with the other dogs than me - so he only gets to hang at the park for about 15-20 minutes once a fortnight or so now. Once I call, lets go after that short space of time, he is ready and willing to come home.. So that is all he gets now and it seems to be working - his recall is good during that short time frame to. He looks like he has so much fun, I just can't bring myself to not let him go. We have the same issue with training classes - he can only handle it for so long before his concentration just goes and he starts laying down, rolling over and generally being a PITA..

That breakthrough moment when you do the big test and it works is such an amazing feeling... We still have a way to go on a few other areas but we are getting there.. Even if sometimes it feels like 2 steps forward and 1 step back...

We use polaramine in this house, it seems to work best for us...

For my old Stafford, there are just to many to pick one.. I guess with the new guy, everyday we make more memories together... It is to hard to pick just one, they have both made me smile for so many reasons.

Great news.. I watched the reunion with his mum this morning.. I have been following it to and so hoping he was going to be OK... Deep down I thought he would be because he had his dogs with him... He is one lucky little guy...

Just reported he was with the dogs... His mum said those dogs kept him alive.. So I guess they are all there.

So sorry for your loss.. RIP little man

I took my fosters to the vet at my own cost if I was worried about them.. Rescue organisations are on a limited budget, so I did what I could to absorb costs... Not saying you should but if one of mine was frequently urinating and now coughing, I would want it checked out for the health and well being of my own dogs as well as the foster baby...

It is usually just him doing the usual army crawl up to her so he is lower than she is.. She does zoomies and he chases her... She has a really tiny tennis ball that she chases to.. If they are up there next time, I will try to get some video of them.. They are funny to watch...

We are really lucky here.. Most of the dog parks have 2 fenced off sections so the little ones and puppies don't get overwhelmed with the bigger dogs... In saying that, one of Ziggy's new friends is without a doubt the tiniest Pom I have ever seen.. She is also the bossiness dog and has all the other dogs following her. I thought she was a puppy but she is about 7 years old.. She is probably about 3/4 the size of the other 2 Poms the lady has...