poodlefan

When I was 11, I had my heart set on an English Setter. My parents were not dog people so it didn't happen. I left home, moved a lot, got into horses and didn't get my first dog until I was 37 - wish I'd done it sooner but its never too late. I waited till I owned my own home. I'd recommend that to anyone.

Yeah that's true I will see what she says when i have a job. She likes some big dogs like Dobermans, Belgian shepherds and Ridgebacks. But thats about it haha. My dad on the other hand likes kelpies and cattle dogs but he thinks its not fair on them to live in suburbia. As we said the other day, its not where a dog lives that dictates how good a life it has but how its owner cares for it.

You're going to have to leave home at some stage and renting is how most of us start. You'll find renting with small pets far easier. It might pay to keep it in mind. Another thing to consider - some breeders will think twice about selling a pup to an 18 year old. The next 12-14 years of your life will see a lot of changes. Many many dogs don't get through all those changes with their owners. If you're planning to travel, how will a dog fit into that? If your parents are your fallback then their wishes need to be factored in breed wise.

Dogperson, the only advice I can give is to wait until you leave home, have a stable place to live and can get a dog on your terms. If things go as they usually do, your parents may well end up having the dog with them long term. I can understand that your mum may be concerned about being landed with a dog she doesn't really want. She'd not be the first. You don't need a big dog to get something good to train. There are lots of small breeds that do really well at obedience. Papillons, Shelties, Poodles, Corgis... lots to choose from.

Underground carparks in a storm surge area will be death traps. You'd be crazy to be in one in any of the coastal towns.

How about the RSPCA start to bend their minds to the task of a pet friendly evac centre. They just need to be allocated a safe space and all the rest of the stuff needed can be trucked in. Most people don't own a crate for their dog or cat and I wonder how much of the resistance to pets is because most people can't contain them. One designated "pet friendly" centre with a bunch of crates, pet food and water would be a godsend. I'd sure donate to see it happpen.

Saw that. and that they had to turn people away too. Lives will probably be lost as a result. Appalling lack of planning by local government. But the lesson is there for all of us. The only person you can rely on to protect and keep your pets safe is you. Flight looked like the best option. All I can hope is when they slug us again to rebuild that they spend some money in preparation for the next one.

Gee I appreciate that people need to keep their kids safe but there's no way in hell I could just leave my dogs at home and walk away. I hope to God people at least locked them in bathrooms.

Proheart. It does heartworm. That's it.

Someone generally does. And watch the media move in in a cynical grab for ratings afterwards.. the biggest scavengers of the lot. :D

Cheapest and best aren't usually found together. A good well made crate will outlast the dog. I'd spend a bit more on a crate that's not going to fall apart, have welds break or present a hazard to the dog when it does. I'd recommend a CCrate every time. :D

And in a repeat of the Brisbane debacle, the Evacuation centres are not taking pets. So much for animals belonging to those who failed to flee ;). If you ever needed a reason to own a crate and have a place to go this is it. Animals left outside until the last minute and that panic and hide are probably not going to make it.

Yep, Charlie is a popular dogs name, my GSP's sire is a Charlie I love the name and although it has special meaning to me for humans and I'd persinally never name a dog Charlie, I have no problem with other dogs being named Charlie! I know of several dogs with my own name, that is a littler weird to me, but I don't have a problem with it. There are dogs named FHRP?

Pongo! And watch his face when you suggest it

As long as a live I will never understand what drives people to name kids or dogs after convicted criminals, motor cycles or child murder victims. That rules out Tyson, Chopper, Harley and Jaiden. And FHRP is right - Ben, Sam and Toby ARE dog names!

My Whippets will always have out of style, old fashioned English names. Next one might be Nigel or Rodney. That said I have a coworker named Howard sitting right next to me ETA: I'm a bit of a Pride and Prejudice fan (loved it with Zombies) so Bingley might be good too. Then I can sing "I like Bing Ley..... " :D

Hello? There are people called Storm. Ok, they're mostly soap opera characters or pole dancers but it is a human namne. Clearly they've never heard of Banjo Patterson either. Units is right.

From whom? Let me guess.. another of the "they're just dogs" brigade? Ignore them.

Nothing's wrong with it.

Sadly, my dogs have not read the advertising for chewable tablets. They turn their noses up at them. Much easier to dose with traditional ones.

Dispute over payment for dog sees papers withheld by owner O/S????

I use Proheart which is a monthly tablet based on Moxidectin. No stomach issues here and one of my dogs is pretty sensitive.

Yep, the power of this thing means it will retain a lot of momentum for a long way inland. I worked with people (when I was in the Navy) who helped with the Tracy clean up. There was little to no evacuation for pets. They were shot. People need to get them out and go with them. You won't be trotting down the supermarket for food for them and there won't be any power.

250km an hour winds.. and plenty of buildings that predate 1974. Do the math. There is no way in hell I'd be staying put in the path of this thing. All I can say is expect casualties. If people aren't scared shitless, they should be. You won't see anyone I know that survived Tracy volunteeering to stay put for a second bout with one.

Spraying it black will make it at least 10 degrees warmer inside. They are white for a reason - heat reflection. I suggest you keep the white colouring (particularly on the roof) and add some customising touches such as stripes, pawprints or pictures.