RiverStar-Aura

I totally agree with Souff. I think the problem with dog ownership is that the irresponsible owners fail to recognise the commitment, which goes into raising a dog. It is totally a privilege not a right. If this particular woman cries poor and that she couldn't afford to fence it as per regulations, then she should never have had a dog. If you cannot afford a dog, you don't buy one -- regardless of how much you want it! The same goes for children (well it should in my opinion). You should never have more children than you are financially able to support and in this case, 5 kids under 9 years is not cheap. My mother was in the same position (I'm one of 5 kids and there are 8 years between us), however, my parents made sure they could afford to keep us and a dog. We were a typical working class family (we're all adults now) with a stay-at-home mum and one wage coming into the house but we always had everything we needed. Our number of dogs was limited to one only as much as I pleaded for a second because our extra curricular activities meant we weren't home a lot of the time and we knew we couldn't afford a second dog. Although now I'm still living at home, I'm working and can afford to keep my two dogs and would do anything to keep them with me. If that means putting up a 1.8 metre high fence then so be it. The biggest problem with people is that it's so much easier to blame other people than to accept responsibility!

What about a standard poodle? I've seen a few at my local god park and seem to be fantastic dogs. I love that you have an Aussie -- they're fantastic dogs!! You also won't have a problem introducing a new pup coz in my experience Aussies love big dogs. :D

It's funny this topic popping up now as I've just splurged and purchased turkey wings in bulk for my boy Zeus and was wondering if they're any good for dogs. I've given him chicken wings previously, but as he's a medium dog, they're gone in about 2 bites and a gulp. He loved the turkey wing I gave him this afternoon and took him about 5 minutes to devour. Will he be getting the benefit of teeth cleaning in so little a time? Also, while I was deliberating over the turkey wings, I saw chicken frames in the same section. What exactly are these? I'd assumed it was a meat-free carcass but these ones looked like chunks of raw chicken. And how long does it take your dogs to finish them? And with turkey legs, they seem to have quite a bit of meat on them so are they okay to feed to dogs too? Oh and I got mine from our local Woolies. Haven't checked out the local Coles or IGA but I'm pretty well stocked for now!

Miss Brown is actually my favourite of the bunch too Dyzney. She's absolutely stunning! Are you planning on keeping one/any from the litter Stolzseinrotts? Congrats too on them all turning out to be so beautiful and I'm so glad CJ loves being mum!

I can totally see where you're coming from Kiwipete. It's a sad, sad world if people are judged over how their pet looks. I will loathe the day pet cosmetic surgery comes into effect. I guess I find it most amusing because I've got such a boofhead dog that if I cared about how he looked, I wouldn't own him. He's just managed battle scar number 3 from tripping over some slippery creek bed rocks and grazing the cr*p out of the skin under his eye. He's just such a clumsy nob sometimes. that your taping works -- if only to give you peace of mind! :D

I'm from down Wollongong way and considering how much I my bubbas, I'd probably be one of those crazy people to drive up to Menai.

I'm really pleased to hear that Brennan's getting better! Stomach bugs can be very nasty blighters. Your thread is why I love the Internet and forums so much. There are a lot of lovely people out there who are brought together by their love of dogs. People can form such amazing friendships over the Internet and I'm so happy you've connected with such beautiful people.

:rofl: I'm not sure if I'll ever understand the obsession with taping ears. Things like wonky ears add character -- well they do to me anyway. I mean humans are all different; it's what makes us special. And I didn't think your gorgeous girl looked so bad before. Now she just looks miserable -- poor little darling. My friend has a pet rat with a head tilt caused by an ear infection and it makes her look positively darling! I love animal quirks!!

When you're inside and she's outside, is there a closed door between you or is it open? My puppy Kirah will whine at the laundry door if it's open and she can see me moving around inside, however, if it's closed, she goes and finds better things to do -- like terrorise big brother!! :rolleyes:

Have you tried using a dry shampoo in between baths? They're a powder that you rub into the coat and brush out. I bought one for Zeus, used it once then couldn't be bothered again mostly because I don't find his smell offensive. I really love how my bubbas smell: Zeus usually smells earthy and Kirah's still got a bit of her sweet puppy smell left.

I've been pretty lucky with Zeus that since I've taught him to shake hands, I used that as a way to get him used to having his nails cut. He zooms around on pavers during the day so I only have to worry about his dew claws. I get him to jump up on the work bench, tell him to sit, then say "foot" and he gives me his paw and away I go. It usually takes me about a minute or two for each claw because I'm always scared I'll cut off more than I should and hurt him, so I tend to be overly cautious of hitting the quick. I'm also teaching Kirah the same way, however, she's got black claws so I'm even less confident with those. Although I have noticed that I can still see the quick if I look really closely -- it's just not easy as she's a puppy and is still learning to sit still to have her nails done. I use a nice pair of Rufus and Coco nail clippers I bought from the pet aisle in Woolies. They're nice and big and sharp, which I need for Zeus as his dew claws seem quite tough.

You aren't serious????????????? No no no no h*ll no! I could never and would never hurt an animal no matter how much they annoy me. Besides, these cats are peoples' pets and I know how utterly devastated I'd be if something like that happened to any of my bubbas. I've opted for spraying the porch with a cat/dog deterrent after using a urine off product to see if that helps. Definitely no ratsak!

My interest in showing dogs has been slowly increasing over the last few months to the point that I know it's something I'd love to do. I've been tempted to enter Kirah into shows to try out for neuter titles but I know I don't have the time to dedicate to showing just yet. For now I'm happy looking at photos and watching dog shows. I would like to know though the point to holding out a dog's tail when it's being judged. If the dog's tail isn't supposed to be erect then why make it point up by holding it? And vice versa. If the dog's tail is supposed to be erect, doesn't it stick out naturally? I guess I'm just wondering because in most of the show photos I've seen, the handler is holding the tail up and I was just wondering why this is done.

I guess the main difference between dogs and horses (besides the obvious ;)) is that horses don't break out of their paddocks and rampage the streets looking for people to bite and terrorise. All of the incidents involving horses that I've come across are labelled 'accidents' and not 'attacks' and I've never once heard of a person/child being mauled to death by a horse. Cats running feral is another thing completely. I have 4 or 5 neighbourhood cats who use our front porch as a place to hang out and they piss all over the front doormat and terrorise my own cat. They're in and out of the drains and their owners have no care in the world -- "they're not hurting anyone and they're just doing as cats do". My own cat doesn't even leave our backyard because we took the time to train her. I don't need a cat run because she literally does not go past the fences or front gates. I've been very tempted to try and catch the ****ers and take them to the pound -- it's a much nicer option than Ratsak-ing them!

It really sucks to be caught in the middle hey? My mum's much the same -- only problem is I still live with her! : I really hope you can talk her out of this foolishness -- mostly for her sake. I'll cross my fingers for you. Good luck!!

I suppose like all insurance you're damned if you do and damned if you don't. Odds are if you've got insurance you'll probably never need it and if you don't have it, you'll probably wish you did. :rolleyes: I've been thinking about pet insurance ever since I got Zeus about 2 years ago and have yet to make a decision -- and I now have a new puppy too. I doubt I will ever get it, mostly because I'm lazy, but I think I'd prefer to keep the money aside in a separate bank account. Plus I know if I ever truly get stuck, my parents will loan me the money, that I can then pay back. And if it was really costly, I'd even hit up the banks for a loan to cover the costs. Anything to keep my bubbas safe!

I'm beginning to think there's more to this story than simply no longer wanting the puppy due to an additional $50 for interstate freight. If you really think about it, $50 to fly a dog interstate seems really cheap so I'm wondering if your mother did indeed change her mind about wanting a puppy. Could you have offered to loan her the extra $50 if she really couldn't currently afford it? I know that if I so desperately wanted a puppy enough to have placed a deposit and follow-up payments, I'd take it no matter what. I'm surprised she didn't opt for the breeder's second option of longer term payments myself and believe they've been more than fair to your mum. She's starting to sound quite immature if she can't accept that she was in the wrong -- however I totally relate to how you're feeling though. After all, it is *much* easier to blame someone else for your screw ups than to accept responsibility yourself. Hope your mum grows up quick and releases that in the scheme of things, 50 bucks isn't worth all your troubles.

If they're after a low maintenance dog I'm going to suggest an Australian Terrier. These guys are so robust and suitable for kids of all ages. They act big and tough like big dogs but are compact in their terrier size. Very easy to look after and very sound health wise. Coat doesn't require much and there's little to no shedding. They are a very active breed but are also very happy to lounge around too. I can't speak highly enough of this breed. However whippets and greys are growing on me too!!

My dog Poochie was getting old and at 15, who could blame her for slowing down! I wasn't actively looking for a new dog, however, I was in the middle of a fitness kick and did deep down want a companion to take jogging -- Poochie just couldn't keep up try as she might. I'd actually been lurking on DOL for a while before signing up and posting and had been checking out Aussie Terrier breeders and listings because i knew Poochie wouldn't last forever and my parents are very much of the 'one dog' mentality. Our local Woolworths has a Best 4 Pets pet shop opposite and I usually made a habit of stopping in just for the sake of it. At this point of my life I was naive and knew nothing of BYBs and Puppy Farming so I make no apologies for the fact Zeus is a pet shop puppy. I didn't know better and I've learned from it and I don't regret getting him at all. I'd gone in and Zeus was sitting by himself looking miserable with his floppy ears and it made me sad. I went back two days later and he was still there do I asked mum if I could have him. She didn't say no and I haggled his price down (he was approaching 12 weeks which is old for pet shops and they threw in his final puppy vaccine for free) and I walked out with him. I knew nothing of either breeds (he's a beagle x JRT) which was a huge mistake on my part as I didn't know how active he'd be but I've learned with him. He's no Poochie bug I didn't know I could love a dog as much as I do now. We lost Poochie on ANZAC Day last year and I thought I would die -- I was gutted!! I've been battling severe depression for 5 or so years and without having Zeus around I know I wouldn't be here. Poochie's passing hit me hard but I couldn't quit knowing my bubba boy was relying on me do struggling through I slowly got better. I still really miss Poochie but I know she had a bloody fantastic life!! Now I've filled my dream and I've got gorgeous Kirah my new Aussie Terrier pup and again she's no Poochie -- no dog ever will be -- I'm loving having Aussies in the house again. And the best thing ... my parents are cool with the multiple dog concept!!

Hi and welcome! Photos of your girl are a must if you're to become an accepted member of the community!! ;) Don't write Talia off just because of her arthritis - dogs are amazingly resilient!! My old Aussie Terrier lived to 16 with her arthritis. She was on Rimadyl tablets, a series of arthritis injections and Glyde powder in her food. She bounced back like a new dog and you'd never have known her age as it didn't show. Sounds like you live her to bits so see about getting her the best help available!! Pictures, pictures, pictures!! :D Edited to add: The only thing Poochie couldn't do whilst on Rimadyl was drive heavy machinery but it didn't put her out too much!! ;)

My two are both on Royal Canin and I'm really happy with it. Zeus is on RC Sensitive Medium and is super fit, has a lovely shiny coat and gorgeous muscle tone; people are always commenting on how shiny he is! Kirah's on RC Small puppy at the moment and is doing very well on it. Her coat is also nice and shiny and she's growing nicely and in proportion. She's not pudgy and has a little waistline of her own happening. I've been contemplating switching to Black Hawk because of all the good things I hear about it, however, I've decided I'm happy with how RC is working for my guys so I might as well stick with it. Plus it's not very expensive (and I only feed dry (with weekly bones too of course ) as Zeus is gets half a cup per day, which is bugger all when you've got two dogs on different size-appropriate food!

I know you said that greyhounds "creep" you out and I always used to think the same until very recently. I met up with a whippet and a greyhound at the local dog park and boy are they gorgeous dogs! And so friendly and cuddly!! :D The most surprising thing I found was their coat. I'd always assumed they were harsh, much like a Staffy, however they are so soft. I couldn't believe it. I'm thinking now there's a lot of stigma surrounding greyhounds via their racing reputations as aggressive and dangerous. The gorgeous blue girl I met didn't have a mean bone in her body and I wanted to take her her. Not to mention her owner also has a gorgeous Norwich Terrier who I wanted to pinch too!

You've done such a fantastic with Shae! I really can't believe anyone could leave behind such a gorgeous girl!! Even though she wasn't at her best in the first photo, she still had a beautiful smily face. Her coat now is amazing! Although seeing it clipped short shows a lot of her gorgeous merle spots!!

I currently have a 2 1/2 year old Beagle x JRT (Zeus) and a 6 month old Australian Terrier (Kirah). But I'm very tempted to add another Aussie Terrier pup to the mix or quite possibly a rescue dog. It really depends on the parents though.

I agree. If she sleeps through the night in your room just move her there then gradually move the crate to where you want it when she's older. Kirah has slept through the night since day one of bringing her home but she's an outside dog so it's a little different. It was only during night 2 that she whined and howled all night but that was because I gave her a kennel to sleep in and took her wooden box (it used to be Poochie's bed) away. At 3 in the morning she still hadn't stopped so I went out and put her box back. She shut up instantly and I've never given her the kennel again. It's there if she wants it but she's happy and secure with her blankies in the wooden box so who am I to tell her any different! :D