RuralPug

Nothing vague about "at all times". Journo seems to be under the impression that because she's seen lots of dogs of leash there, that makes it ok. Lots of cars are stolen too, so does she think it's ok to steal cars as well? Ignorance of the law has never been an excuse.

That is a fantastic enrichment yard! Maybe throw a couple of old car tyres in for them to jump over/in and - bicycle inner tubes (only when supervised) make the best tug toys!! You've designed it brilliantly! Well done!.

Not really impressed with either party in the transaction. To treat a pet as equivalent to fittings in a home, not good. Even worse that the pet's owner was not consulted.

The real question is what is it costing you to supply that service? How many secure runs will you have available for non-boarders? If you are going to advertise the new service widely, will that mean you need to keep some runs empty that would otherwise have boarding dogs? Is there a potential loss, or will you only accept day boarders if you are not booked out? Will people need to book in advance? If the day dogs are using the enrichment area(s) will that mean more shuttling of boarders and non-boarders from yards to enrichment area(s) and back? I would probably expect a flat rate for a daylight only stay, with an extra 70% for the second dog in the same family, 50% for the third dog - (assuming that these are small to medium dogs which will not be cramped in one run together). Large and giants and mixed sizes in the same family you are going to have to assess and quote depending on whatever is reasonable for run sharing. Compare the workload and overheads with that required for your boarding dogs - I honestly don't think you will find it that much less, in fact there may be more work - owners coming more often to collect/drop off etc all takes up time for kennel staff. As a rule of thumb, you flat rate for daylight stays might probably be pretty close to your daily boarding rate for a medium sized dog - whether less than that rate or more will depend on your assessment of the different workloads. Are you aiming at a market of travellers who might want to leaver their dog(s) for a day while they do State Forests, wineries etc where pets are not allowed? Or are you aiming at locals who might like to give their dog a bit of enrichment every so often? Or both? Not that that should make any difference to setting your rates, but it will make a difference in how you advertise and how far in advance (thinking of travellers) booking need to be made. Lots of luck!!

Glad you're thinking it through. The working from home is a major plus. In the waiting five years time it could work out nicely for you if you offered to do daily walks for some elderly or incapacitated neighbour with a dog, just to get used to part of the commitment. You could consider that a limited try-out. And yes, I agree that fostering a smaller adult dog (baby puppies have enormous time requirements for toileting) will give you an idea of what will and will not work without tying yourself down for 15 years or so with an unsuitable dog. You could consider fostering a full-on try-out!

There aren't very many professional handlers in this country. It should be about having fun! Take your Pug to some laid back shows first - member competitions, open shows etc. and get your confidence back! There may be some puppy training classes held at the Dog SA grounds - I'm sure the Adelaide people will know. Another thought - juniors competing in handler competitions like to handle as many dogs as they can in the ring - there are probably junior handlers who would love to take your Pug in the ring if you really can't find the confidence. Good luck with whatever way you want to go.

That is absolutely awesome and a brilliant way to get across to the general public that show dogs aren't some sort of exotic creature that sits on a cushion when not at shows, but are family members just like other dogs! EFS

Hawkeye, I think it is more that you inspired a thread, than a judgement on your question. Dory is exactly right. Absolutely no reflection on you personally at all, H@wkeye. I didn't want to take your thread off topic is all. It just intrigued me that many people do assume that breeders who show can only supply dogs for showing, and this is very rarely the case. Most of the healthy, well bred pure bred pets around have originated from people who breed dogs and show them. Most show dogs are pets during the week and show dogs only on the weekends LOL!

Reading another thread, where a person asking about getting a pure breed pup wanted to know where they could go and meet one was directed to a dog show with an invitation to meet a breeder of that breed, I was struck by the reply but didn't want to hijack that thread. The reply was something along the lines of they hadn't thought about meeting a show breeder, they didn't want to show but just wanted an example that they knew was pure. I have come across that attitude before. It is not anti-show breeder, it is just the assumption that show dogs are some sort of exotic speciality and not suited to being pets. If only they knew - most of them are household pets! DOL forum members seem to be a fairly wide spread, and I just wondered if any of you had ever had the same thoughts or knew others that had had them? I grew up a fourth generation breeder/exhibitor so I really never had a chance to think that way at all. This thread is not meant to be about the merits of mixed breed vs purebred, just about the way the general public think about getting a dog from a show breeder. By show breeder, I mean a breeder who frequently exhibits, although I am quite aware that there are some excellent breeders out there that never themselves exhibit their dogs.

Not a bad idea, although better for bitches than male dogs. Probably good for baby puppies overnight etc. If you followed the cleaning instructions given (daily rinse and regular enzyme scrub) I don't think it would hold a smell. Most of us with cat litter trays indoors manage to keep them fairly smell-neutral.

Astro looks like a Pembroke to me in that photo, although the ears are quite hard to make out. Best of luck with your search. I advise you to choose a breeder (or a group of breeders who work together) and then be prepared to wait for the colour that you want.

Wow! All the lovely stories of wonderful dogs doing wonderful things - and the ones that really choke me up are the formerly not-so-wonderful dogs doing ordinary things because of the love, commitment and hard work of their owners. I love the well bred dogs with fantastic temperament and ability - but I am just lost in admiration for the rehabilitated dogs who, in partnership with a human, have learned or are learning to be sociable.

Yep...what Cowanbree said. After you have rotated different pairs a few times, you will soon find out which ones are happiest where.

Loca has almost 20 videos, together with her Pug and Boxer housemates and the household cats. Find them all on youtube. :)

Sorry, but what others have said is correct. There is no single dry food that is perfect for every dog. In fact no single dry food or any type of diet is perfect for any dog throughout all of their life stages. Puppies/adolescents/adults/seniors/ dogs in full work or sports/pregnant bitches/lactating bitches all have different needs. If you did your research and purchased your puppy from a reputable breeder they will have spared no expense in sourcing and recommending the best food for puppy rearing that is best for their lines. If you have doubts about the particular breeder, then possibly you could ask other Frenchie breeders what they recommend for this life stage. And please don't assume that the most expensive brand is necessarily a better brand than a moderately priced one. It is not always the case. By the way, 8 weeks is the minimum legal age for puppies to be sold but personally I would have be happier if the breeder had kept the puppies with the dam for at least 10 weeks, just my opinion. Take a little more care to study puppy development so that you know to give the puppy the lessons that he would have naturally learned if he had stayed in his litter another few weeks. Best of luck with your Frenchie baby - and we would love to see some pictures please!

Interesting discussion, especially since PetRescue is currently considering more fine-tuning exclusions in searches - most of us will have the survey email from them asking for input on this. Some of the exclusions they are considering that you can add to your listing for an individual animal include "no children under 6" , "no resident cats" , "no outside only dogs" and the like. I know we usually put these things in the description, but I can see the value in excluding animals from the search before the searcher sees the picture! PetRescue are asking for other suggested search exclusions...I have suggested "Less than 45 minutes a day for grooming/exercising/training" which I would use for some high drive and/or large full coated and/or needy dogs and cats when listing them. I would be interested to hear any suggestions you may have made in response to the PetRescue survey.

Sometimes its the body language..other times it seems that something in the appearance or manner reminds the dog of a person they have met previously who has made a strong impression, good or bad. I was visiting one day and the resident GSD suddenly began to bark warningly at the owner's brother-in-law, who was actually a frequent visitor and had never caused that reaction in the GSD before. The owner was totally mystified. I suggested that the brother in law remove the Akubra he had just donned, which he did, and lo, all was good again. My heart dog, a Mastiff, was startled one day when young on a walk when a Telecom repairman in a hard hat suddenly popped up out of a hole in the ground as we were passing. I was dragged 50-odd metres, grimly hanging on to the leash of a terrified dog. For the rest of her life, although she was not an anxious or fearful girl ordinarily, she would bolt at the sight of men in hard hats. My grandmother had a Peke bitch who would bark warningly and show fear of teenage girls with their hair in plaits - if they unbraided their hair then she would bounce happily up and cover them with kisses. We always wondered what had happened to cause that.

I didn't see any kelpie hallmarks OR chi ones...I would have guessed a terrier mix as I have a foster here very similar except for colouring! Must read up on the brred temperment of these little guys...very attractive looking.

The first time I saw this, I remember thinking how short-changed Britain was - probably because to have put more than 15 pictures in a box would make them too small to see! Perhaps if they had separate boxes for Ireland, Scotland, Northern England and Southern England then we might see a few more of the other terriers, hounds and coursers that originated there. A nice little bit of fun nevertheless!

Over the decades, the number of dogs I have owned/fostered at any one time (not including litters) has varied from one to fourteen with every possible combination in between. DD is absolutely correct with her "how long is a piece of string?" remark. It really does depend on you, on your circumstances, the time you have available for them, your commitments and of course how they function together. What is important is your ability to keep them contented (which might mean engaged, depending on the breed type) and healthy. Be realistic with what your household can manage. Fostering is a great way to dip a toe into the water and see if you can manage more. Any number higher than one, it is essential that you have a plan for separating if needed especially when introducing a new dog or when the sizes, ages and play styles are widely varied. I have been aware of many tragedies occurring when a pair of mismatched dogs, who have lived harmoniously together for many years, suddenly fight to the death. Having said all that, there is no greater joy for me than watching a half-dozen or more assorted dogs zooming happily about a paddock on a supervised romp, racing each other, wrestling, exploring together and running back to you with bright eyes and huge smiles!

I already own one of them :laugh: NO HazyWal, you have got "Windhound" confused with Gashound". :) I know, as I have a couple of Gashounds here at the moment....

I understand your grief and am very sorry for your loss. Regardless of whether or not there was any way for the breeder to know if Gus' ancestors carried an allergy to the dye, it occurs to me that a falsity in the pedigree at the fourth generation level might not even be known to the breeder - he or she could also the victim (among others) of a falsity perhaps of a grandparents pedigree caused by a different breeder and imposed on all who purchased pups or used a stud dog (in all innocence) from that litter or their descendants. In that case I would definitely be passing on to the breeder what you have found out. If, however, it was the same breeder that produced the litter with the false registration, then I would be asking the owner of the great-grandparent in question to make an official complaint to the state body concerned. I know it won't help your Gus, but it is up to all of us to try and ensure that when we do have facts showing malfeasance by a breeder that we do urge them to be presented to the appropriate ANKC body.

Talking to your pets is perfectly normal. It's when you transfer that habit to inanimate objects that it becomes a problem. Especially if you are out in public, and your stern "Stay!" to the wayward shopping trolley is overheard, or you hit the car horn with your elbow and tell it "Thank you. That will do, now!"

Your local council may also have bylaws pertaining to a minimum age that a child may be in control of a dog in public. A child walking a dog is not deemed in control if accompanied by an adult, in most cases.

I would be feeding him boiled chicken and rice until the diarrhoea stops and then gradually going back onto the puppy diet he was doing well on. If he stasrts diarrhoea again, replace components of his diet. You really do need to establish what was causing the diarrhoea - it may simply have been something a bit rich or a bit off. I wouldn't be scrapping the whole diet until you establish what part of it caused the problem (and it is not impossible that puppy ate something he shouldn't have, either). A lot of dogs do well on VAN supplements with meat meals but it is too high in grain for my own liking. In my opinion dogs do not need many carbohydrates, they are a carnivore first and foremost. The best diet for your dog is the one that he does best on, do not let anybody (with the possible exception of a fully qualified canine nutritionist) browbeat into saying their way is best. If he doesn't choke on chicken necks, then he is unlikely to choke on any other raw meaty bones! Adding the odd whole egg (including shell) and some fish a couple of times a week would also be good. Search this forum for threads about raw feeding - there is so much information out there. Remember, though, that puppies need a slightly different diet than adults who have reached their full growth. Good luck!