RuralPug

Great to see a bit of chat on here lately :) ... I will wave as I go past the turn off to Warrnambool on my way to the Hamilton show weekend at the end of August. Had a great time there last year. Hope to see Tenties there at least!

How did you go at the vet? Skin cancer most often happens on ear tips or smooth muzzles where these are white with pink skin underlying. I would have said the paw paw ointment was a good thing to use, or bag balm or lanolin. Sometimes if they like to dig about with their muzzle, it can lead to a dry nose.

I remember also that Leema's (DOLer) Border was Minor in Show... the rest is a confusion for me, sorry...

It is only the dilutes that can suffer from this form of alopecia. Both parents must be carriers. As a general rule of thumb, if both parents are the dilute colour and/or the majority of pups in the litter are a dilute colour I would not recommend the pups be bred from, and there is a strong chance of alopecia. If the odd blue turns up in a litter, there is less chance that it will suffer from alopecia. Blue merles are not at risk, dilute blues and dilute fawns are. Other species also have this problem.

My scissors came in shaped plastic pouches and I have always kept them all in their pouches. But I keep the expensive ones on the grooming shelves at home!!! Depending on the size of your scissors maybe you could buy a cheap set of pens or something that come in one of those plastic fold-over pouches and use that for your scissors? You want something that will stop them rubbing against other scissors, combs, knives etc.so using a pouch in the grooming box is a risk if anyone else has access (or even you after a glass or two :D ) and shoves a $10 comb in a pouch and blunts your $150 scissors...

I know that everyone grieves differently for their pets, I don't begrudge this guy his way, but it's not something that I would ever choose. Especially displaying it at a festival/exhibition.

RIP poor dogs. So were the dogs believed to have been deliberately baited or was it an accident with snail bait in the garden shed or something?

I'm glad that you have your new pup safe and sound. :) But it really worries me when airport staff don't ask for ID - really anybody who knew your name and the breed of the pup could have absconded with him.

"feisty little thing" sounds a little quiet for a Pug puppy - they are normally tornadoes with a huge energy budget. Your breeder should have given you written information about the worming schedule your pup has been on and you should feel comfortable contacting them again to ask questions like that - if you don't, that is a concern, but never fear we are happy to confuse you with our different opinions LOL! I am coming round to the "earlier the better" viewpoint on desexing, however if your own vet does not support very early desexing, then you will need to be guided by their advice. Certainly I would expect that they be done by six months at the latest, and you may possibly have to endure one messy season waiting that long. I've just seen her too cute picture in the pug thread yay, you!

You will never eliminate the risk entirely, but changing social mores by (1) education (2) deterents such as fines/removing the dog(s) of a serial offending owner/legally preventing them from owning another pet and (3) social meme to make the practice of irresponsible dog ownership offensive to the community will minimise the risk as much as possible. The recent campaign in several states against "hoon" driving which combined all the above, has to my eyes, made a marked difference. Compared to even five years ago more community members are ready to report "hoon" driving, fewer young people are ready to take the risk given the much heavier and sometimes immediate penalties and best of all the risk takers are much much less likely to gain the admiration of their peers for hoon activities. Sure, there will probably always be a hard-core in each generation that will "hoon" dangerously, and yes there will always be a hard-core of individuals who want aggressive dogs to cover up their own insecurities, but hopefully by changing the social mores with a concerted campaign and punitive genuine legislation (that punishes the owner for not properly socialising/containing their dogs, not the dogs themselves) then community views will gradually swing to put the blame on the owners, not the dogs. Therefore average Joe Blow will become a responsible dog owner. It won't happen overnight. No law could make that happen overnight. But throw enough intelligence and enough resources at the problem and 5 or 10 years could make our streets a safer place for us and our pets. And for my next pipe dream....

It's possible that the carpet already has residual odours from a previous resident's pet - perhaps hire a carpet shampoo machine or steam cleaner and use dissolved BioZet (as westiemum mentioned) as the "shampoo" over the whole carpet, or (less effective) a 50% solution of white vinegar. Then keep on hand one of the made-for-purpose Enzyme cleaners; Nature's Miracle, Urine-Off etc.etc. to remove all traces of the scent without danger of spot bleaching the carpet for any future emergencies. Certainly not as cheap as the Bio-Zet but I find that 500ml goes a very long way.

No idea if it is still the case, but years ago dog food manufacturers relied on the horse knackery for a fair proportion of their meat supply. Some greyhound trainers and hunt kennels sourced horsemeat straight from the knackery. Hence the expression "dog food" for a poor or failed racehorse. These days, more people are buying dog food and fewer horses are around so it is unlikely to be as large a part of the supply. But any label claiming "meat and/or meat by-products" could include horseflesh (and hoof and bone).

No, I don't speak/read or intend to learn Han or Mandarin, but since Britain was the country of development of my breed, English is the must have language for Pugaholics so that isn't an issue for me. Interesting point though, especially for breeds less common in Englidh-speaking countries where most of the best kennels and genes are perhaps concentrated in their non-Emglish speaking country of origin or development. Some of the Central Asian Shepherding breeds for instance - I would think that only speaking English and not having access to a dog savvy interpreter would be a considerable handicap for a serious breeder in this country? Imagine trying to rely on babelfish or Goolge translate!!!

^^^^^Didn't you notice these subtle hints? Can't you take 5 mins time away from pug puppy cuddles and take some pics for us? Pleeeeeeease?

Seconded for Nekhbet - I hear good stuff... Also, knowing a few more details with Lucy, it wouldn't hurt you to consider the ideas of Jan Fennel on Amichien Bonding - her stuff is positive and it works - to be honest I'm not altogether convinced that her reasoning is always spot on but that doesn't matter, because her methods do work. I prefer to use TOT rather than her feeding method, but the basic principle is the same, and just pick the bits that work for you. I can loan you my rather battered copy of her first book if you like. Just let me know.:)

As well as maybe helping to catch the lowlives, a media report may also give closure if some family has been missing her. It's been a long while since I have been reduced to tears by a post. I remember in the 70's my own cat developed an ulcer and the vet said there were a lot of air rifle injuries coming in. Sure enough, she had a pellet in her thigh, but fortunately surgery in her case was successful. I was so impressed by your level of care, K9Angel. I think I will write you into my will if I have any elderly or ill ones when I am hit by that bus...

LOL @ Clyde!! Yes I would keep the pug puppy separated while you are not at home, for two reasons: (1) Adults need a break from very young puppies nagging to play all the time, even if you were at home all day you would be putting puppy in a playpen or separate area several times a day anyway. (2) Pugs, having flat faces, drop ears and tightly curled tails can be hard to "read" for many other breeds until they become accustomed to them (it is a bit like the Pug "accent" is very very broad) and miscommunication can happen which could be dangerous if you are not there to intervene. Only time can address this, and in some cases (Arctic breeds and other classic spitz types seem to have the most problems with reading pugs) misunderstandings can occur after years together. So certainly for the first month or so, I would pen the puppy separately when you are not home. After that, you will be able to judge from the way that they interact when it has become safe for them all to run together when you are not home.

If you breed for specific temperament, you are more likely to get that temperament. ...... After all the effort put in to obtaining a certain temperament in a purebreed, if others are allowed to claim that 'brand' for their own cross breed dog, the good reputation of the breed can suffer. If you think mislabeling doesn't matter, you are saying that the differences between breeds don't matter and good breeding doesn't matter either. That is harsh on all breeders that strive to improve their breed in temperament and conformation. People buying dogs should be aware that breed does matter and that different breeds have different tendencies. So are you saying that you think tha BSL is correct? That you think the government is correct is saying that all members of such-and-such a breed have such-and-such a temperament? Therefore if a purebred pedigreed dog SHOULD prove to have a bad temperament, for whatever cause, would you then be happy for all members of that breed to be so labelled? Or in that case would you then cry "deed not breed"? I have been involved in breeding and showing dogs for over half a century and I simply don't have the faith in breeders that you do. Individuals yes, but not all and not en masse, sadly. I am sure that most of us can think of lines within our own breed that tend to different temperaments from other lines, although how much this is actually due to nurture plus the tendency of the breeders concentrating on that line to choose certain homes, I don't know. You are wrong if you believe that I think good breeding doesn't matter. I think it is the MOST important factor, but I do not fall into the trap of assuming that all breeders of any one breed are good breeders and that is why I encourage puppy buyers to research breeders as well as breed. Any excellent breeder is entitled to defend their own kennel name and lines, defending the breed as a whole without admitting that there are ignoramuses and downright bad apples also breeding that breed is simply naive, most especially in the more popular breeds. There could be a case for very rare breeds, but you seem to be claiming that the reputation of a breed will never ever suffer from the misdeeds of one of that breed but only ever from a lookalike mutt described as that breed? That is a very very dangerous assumption. Also you seem to be saying that a hardwon "good" reputation for a breed could never be overturned by uncaring or ignorant purebred breeders leaping on to a popularity bandwagon? More correct in my view is the assumption that a dog with GR CH or CH or titled dogsport ancestors in every line is very very likely going to have a good temperament. I honestly think that that is what should be pushed and not just "pedigreed"or "purebred" because that label alone cannot guarantee temperament any more than a random mutt can have temperament guaranteed. Perhaps I am wrong. It wouldn't be the first time. But the observations that I have made over the years and the thought that I have given this matter means that an enormous amount of conficting data would be needed for me to revise my opinion. Edited for clarity. Sigh. More than likely failed at that, too.

Thanks everyone, as far as I am concerned the original question has been answered, and I won't be asking this question on DOL. I would like to say that I can't agree with those who don't like mutts labelled as a fluglehound X or whatever because they worry that if the mutt has a bad temperament or some other fault it will then be attributed to all fluglehounds...personally I don't think that set of mind should be encouraged at all because it leads to BSL. We all know that it is perfectly possible for any purebred pedigreed dog to become a menace if it is treated badly, or has a brain tumour etc - should that reflect badly on every member of that breed as well? I feel that the emphasis should be on the deed not the breed, in which case mis-labelling should not matter.

so maybe ask Troy what he will permit , and where?That way everyone knows .... Thanks for that!! I read those rules twice over and still managed not to see that! Well that is clear enough, I guess we have to just use an alternative board for those. Better dust off my password and login elsewhere...

Since you said that they had papers, I assume that you have already tried to contact the breeder? That would be the first step that I would take.

OK, just wanting to get something clear. We all know that a Heinz 57, mutt, mongrel, multi-cross-mix whatever you want to call them isn't a breed. But when you have to describe a randomly crossbred dog (or microchip it, or register it with council) "medium mutt" isn't acceptable. So it is necessary to identify it as a something cross for the records. And so opinions are sought on what the dog most resembles and/or what is most likely in its ancestry. I do understand that this is first and foremost a purebred forum, and I can see why some people are annoyed at mutts being identified in this fashion, but from a rescue point of view it is a necessity more often than not. And we are not breeding them, only desexing and rehoming, but we would rather that the ID be as useful as possible rather than a random stab in the dark, which is why we ask on a purebreed forum. What I would like to know is where is the best place for these threads? Should they stay in the rescue forum or can we put them in general where we are likely to get more opinions/suggestions from experienced people? Or, as some have suggested, should they not be on DOL at all? ETA for typos - even though I proofread it four times!

He doesn't look grossly underweight in those photos, although the lack of flesh on his forelegs makes me wonder if there is some sighthound (grey maybe?) in his ancestry - sighthounds do actually look thin to many eyes when they are at an ideal weight as they have the first couple of ribs visible. Not that I would recommend having any ribs visible on this boy! It is hard to judge from a photo but I would be more concerned that you feel that his coat could be shinier - skin and coat are the best guides to whether or not a dog is getting the best diet for it. I would slowly move him onto a mostly raw diet as you intended to do and then reassess. Personally I prefer to feed twice a day rather than once a day for adult dogs, but dogs are fairly adaptable and people need to do what works best for their household.

All good points in this response post too, HW. Geez I think I'll have to move to ACT if the average family there desexes their pets. First state in Australia to have the message sunk in widely then ... hope the others follow soon. Rescues there must have very low vet costs if they rarely need to desex o wouldn't it be luvverly... Personally I don't consider myself a snob for owning and showing pedigrees, especially since pet shop mutts can cost thousands more than thoughtfully bred pedigreed dogs. And rather than thinking any other group of dog owners is not up to par (e.g. those who buy from puppy farmers or pet shops) I prefer to think that they just need educating ... I don't really care whether they want purebred, cross or mutt I just care that they don't end up funding pfs and BYBs who breed for $$$ only without health care etc. Most of my rescues are mutts BTW.

Oh Mita can you tell us anything about the Kel Tal-But please? History especially?