RiverStar-Aura

*huggles* to Louis and you and your hubby. I really hope you don't have a repeat of the MCT and that it turns out to be one of those "growing old" lumps dogs can get when they're older. Will be thinking of you on Monday! ETA: Louis is a gorgeous boy! He looks so happy in your photo! :D

When I got Kirah (Aust. Terrier), I went through every combination of food possible for a puppy. I wanted to try raw as I've never fed any pet raw and ended up confusing myself, so while she's a pup, I'm sticking with kibble so I know she's getting the right nutrients to assist with the growth process. What I did realise though is that when it comes to raw, I don't think you can go wrong. Dogs in the wild aren't concerned about "lean cuts" or the "fatty cuts" and I don't really think pets are much different. But at the moment I'm happy to give mine an all kibble diet with a bone a week. Zeus gets big meaty ones and little Kirah loves chomping on her chicken wings. Maybe when Kirah's older I'll look at switching both to a mix of raw and dry again.

Hi guys, Am not really sure which forum to post this in so feel free to move it to the correct place if here's unsuitable. So Kirah graduated from Puppy Pre-School yesterday and it was a lovely achievement for my little girl. What has me concerned is that much of the information given was about de-sexing and that to have the pups done as soon as possible. The vet nurse then went on to say that the vet clinic frequently de-sexes animals from as early as 12 weeks old She was even encouraging all the larger breed dogs (a Standard Poodle, a Labrador and a Labrador x Poodle) to have them done before six months. I always thought (and from what I've read on the forums) that bigger dogs are better de-sexed later (after 12-16 months depending on size?) and that smaller dogs are fine around the 6 month mark. I was so shocked when some of these owners have their puppies booked in for de-sexing on Monday. At least she didn't try to convince me to have Kirah (Australian Terrier) de-sexed earlier than the 5 to 6 months I have planned. I was pleased, however, when she tried to talk a bonehead woman out of breeding her "precious" (read: pansy ar53ed and timid) Pomeranian x with her friend's "pure-bred" Pomeranian. Some owners just make me want to slap them What age would be suitable to have Kirah de-sexed? I'm thinking around 6 months because that's when the council rego is due by.

I always get so excited when I see posts discussing "Aussies" but am always disappointed because more often than not they're about Australian Shepherds rather than the Australian Terriers! To stop the confusion I've been referring Aussie Terriers as either Aussie Tees or ATs. The only real thing that irks me about all "-y" and "-ie" name endings is the lack of consistency. It annoys me how the grammar rule of "dropping the "y" to add "ies" is ignored so seeing references to "Staffys" gives me the sh1ts. And why all the difference? West Highland White Terriers are known as "Westies" rather than "Westys" so to me "Staffies" would be more grammatically correct. But now I'm just nit-picking! :D But hey, the Internet is all about being grammatically lazy isn't it! ;)

My heart breed (Aussie Terrier) only comes in two colours: blue and tan and sandy/red, which makes picking a colour easy. Red/Sandy litters are Red/Sandy only and Blue/Tan litters are only Blue/Tan so you have to choose the breeder depending on what colour you prefer. I definitely have a preference for Blue/Tan Aussies because I love the colour contrasts in the coat and although they're all great characters, I don't think I'd own a Sandy/Red because I love multi-coloured dogs!

David's an excellent specialist surgeon. He looked after Poochie's massive uterine tumour when she was 15 and a half and he was wonderfully kind and the whole family appreciated his honesty. He told us straight up that he was confident he could remove the huge tumour and he did and Poochie recovered better than we could've hoped. Tango's in good hands and I'm sorry he got such a crappy birthday present. Hopefully things go well and he'll be back running around like a nutter before you know it!

The clip on my DOOG belt is metal not plastic but I've never even thought about attaching a lead to it. I use it to hang my car key off when I take Zeus to the dog park. And I purchased mine from Pet Barn so I could see it before I purchased it!

I've just decided to start adding natural yoghurt to Zeus's diet (and the new puppy's) but I'm unsure as to which one I should be buying. Are there certain brands I should look at or doesn't it matter as long as the tub says "natural yoghurt"?

That's a gorgeous story; thanks for sharing!

I get waaaaaaaaaay to attached to my pets to even contemplate re-using a name. Poochie was (and will always be) my dog and to even think about giving my next pet her name just seems wrong to me. When I hear the name Poochie, I immediately think of her and all her memories spring forth and I don't think I'd be able to cope with trying to distinguish between two Poochies. And besides, the fact that she's been gone for over a year now still doesn't ease the pain of her passing so I know I wouldn't be ready to re-use her name. No way, nuh uh, no how!

There is no doubt about it but my goofball of a Zeusling would totally sound like a cross between both Napoleon and Lafayette from The Aristocats: Napoleon: Lafayette! Lafayette, listen. Lafayette: Oh, shucks, Napoleon. That ain't nothin' more but a little ol' cricket bug. Napoleon: It's squeaky shoes approachin'. Lafayette: Oh, cricket bugs don't wear shoes. Napoleon: Hush your mouth! Let's see. They're Oxford shoes, size nine and a half. Hole in the left sole, it sounds like. Lafayette: What color are they? Napoleon: Why, they're black... Ah, now how would I know that? "Cricket bugs don't wear shoes" cracks me up EVERY time!

Thanks so much for posting here because most everyone only has limited access to the Breeders' Forum. Congrats to both Fern and yourself and may I say your little Dalmation look-a-like (red collar) is stunning. I absolutely the perfect spot on her back! I've also never seen spotty greyhounds before -- mostly I've seen the brindle from the races and had no idea they came in such beautiful colours. Are the grey ones called grey or are they considered blue? I'm just curious. Congrats again and I also wish Fern a speedy recovery (no pun intended! ).

I'd just love to add my congratulations to your gorgeous permanent resident! He's such a beautiful boy and it makes me that he was once on death row. But I'm so glad he was, because now he's part of such a wonderful loving family. :party: Oh and give him a huuuuuuuuuge for me! :D

Hi all I finally brought Kirah home yesterday and she's been a bundle of bouncy joy! Zeus is being very gentle with her, which is fantastic since he's 15 kilos and she'd be lucky to be 2 kilos! She slept through last night with few dramas but today I'm having trouble with her crying in her pen when she's left alone. I know she wants to be free to run around with Zeus but that's just not going to happen and I know part of it is because she wants attention but she won't be getting that 24/7 either because tomorrow I'll be back at work. Anyhoo, it's just the end of day 2 so hopefully she'll start to settle once she realises she's stuck in the playpen if she's unsupervised. Here are some photos to keep you all occupied in the meantime: Standing on the retaining wall so I can photo her better! Front-on shot: Her "show" pose; Aussies are such quick learners! :D Kirah and her favourite toy at the moment; be better if Zeus stopped trying to steal it! Kirah commandeering Zeus's bed; he's being such a tolerant boy. I love Kirah's expression in this shot -- she loves to goad Zeus!! :D

I joined when I began my search for another Aussie Terrier puppy, but after signing up I found the novelty wore off and drifted away. Then one day, trolling through my bookmarks I opened the forum back up, just happened to remember my username and password and the rest is history. Now I'm just an annoyance!

This thread actually has me very, VERY confused! Poochie was NEVER vaccinated after her puppy shots and 1st yearly booster and she lived to a ripe old age of 16 but Zeus on the other hand I've no idea what he's been getting. I'm still new at dog ownership (Poochie was a family pet and I was about 6 or 7 when we got her so was my parents' responsibility) and since I know she wasn't vaccinated at all after puppy-hood I'm not sure what I should be doing for Zeus. He'll be 2 years old on Tuesday and from his records he's been given C3 and C5 puppy boosters in 2009 (puppy), and then a year later he was given ProHeart (heartworm injection) and 2 other boosters by Virbac called Canigen KC (kennel cough I'm guessing) and Canigen DHA2P (for distemper, infectious hepatitis and parvovirus. Does this mean he's right for another 2 years because I don't really know any of this stuff. I guess I should be sorting this stuff out now since I'll be adding another puppy into the mix as of Saturday and I want to do the best by her. And I understand a lot of people seem reluctant to use the heartworm injection due to numerous problems it's cause so I'm wondering if I should not bother getting Zeus done again in October when he's due (and not have the puppy done at all). I don't know ... maybe I'm just stupid. Edited to ask: What is titre testing (is it pronounce tie-ter?) and how does it work in regards to vaccinations? I'm of the understanding that it's a test to prove immunity but for what diseases and how?

I'm actually starting to feel a bit of P/B dog deprivation. The dog park I frequent is full of cross breeds, however, I'm pleased to report that the majority of them are rescues so I feel privileged being friends with their owners -- they're such wonderful, loving people! We're all a part of a dog walking group who get together every afternoon to take our dogs for a spin around the park (we do laps of the park whilst letting our dogs play) and it's so much fun for both owners and dogs. We do have a couple of pure-breeds though: 2 Cocker Spaniels (the black male has THE MOST funky 'do in the history of hair dos and the tan female is a real sweet-heart ), a black Standard Poodle (Angus -- he's a really gorgeous boy! ), 2 white standard poodles whose owners I don't know yet, and a gorgeous Weimaraner who has since moved away. And of course there's always the Labs and GSDs and a little beagle called Peanut! Zeus loves her!! :D

I find it interesting that people are saying most labs are overweight because they love to eat. Isn't that the case with most dogs? I know Zeus could eat and eat and eat if allowed and Poochie certainly loved her food too and was a garbage can. ITA with all the comments about how most people think that labs are supposed to be porky but I can't help but wonder at poor Sampson's owners. At what point didn't his owners see just how uncomfortable and fat their dog was getting and surely during regular vet checks their vet would've mentioned something about him weighing too much and that they should consider putting him on a diet (or at least cutting down on his food intake). It's the same as obese humans (and I lump myself in this group). You don't just wake up one day 50 kilos heavier so where do you draw the line? Surely you'd notice over time that your clothes don't fit and that maybe you should do something about it and the same goes with pets. This weight wasn't put on overnight so why didn't his owners see? Rose coloured glasses? I don't know. This just makes me angry. :

Oh yeah she's already full of personality at 6 weeks when I met her. She wanted to attack my toes and was strutting around in the usual Aussie manner. Her look is completely priceless in that photo; it screams "oh noes, he got me"! And you also pointed out my most favourite reason for loving this breed; they're the most expressive dogs I've ever met. Poochie used to tilt her head from side to side when you were talking to her pretending she was listening intently and understanding every word said. So damn cute!! Oh and update: I'm picking her up on Saturday not Tuesday because the breeders will be out of town! 4 more sleeps to go!! :D

I've never heard of this breed and my brain automatically thought "a big, chocolate, strawberry and vanilla dog".

She's absolutely delight Cavvy!! And Willow is a gorgeous name :D Hope she brings lots of love and laughs to your life and give her a huge squishy hello hug for me!!

Oh boy do I totally understand your dilemma! I've been waiting for 2 years for my puppy and have only just now settled on her name (I'm picking her up on Sunday). She's called Kirah but other names I was tossing up between were Iliya and Kora (it's Aboriginal for companion and since she's an Aussie Terrier it was at the top of my list for a long time!!). If you've currently got Caesar you could stick with the theme and the names I like are Julia, Aura (short for Aurelias -- also the end of my user name ), Cleo and Octavia. Hope some of these help but yes, go with a poll because then we can vote!! :D

I've always loved the idea of house-sharing provided everyone gets along. I'm still living at home with the folks and am about to get my new Aussie Terrier pup on Sunday. It took a bit of convincing as it's their house but eventually they came around to the idea. As it stands I'd love to move out but I only work part-time and don't make enough to support myself but am completely open to renting with friends (or random strangers!!) as long as I can find somewhere dog friendly. I wish you luck with your search and I hope everything goes well for you. I'd always seen myself as a cat person but now I can't imagine life without a dog and especially an Aussie!!

The media just can't help themselves with these types of stories. Even if it was a little Chihuahua type dog that mauls a kid "OMG it MUST BE A PIT-BULL!" Is it any wonder loads of people fear dogs; sensationalisation and disinformation, my two favourite things!

Hi all, As promised I come bearing puppy photos (well the few that turned out!). Visited little Kirah on Tuesday and she's the most delightful little girl ever; I almost brought her home at 6 weeks (and her brothers!). I didn't end up getting a choice of the two girls because the other owners visited before me and thus got first pick, however, I wouldn't have chosen the girl they picked so it worked out really well. Turns out too that the breeders are keeping a boy because they see a lot of show potential in him (to me he just looked like the rest only much, much porkier!!!). She's an absolutely delightful darling and I really can't wait to bring her home. Dad trying to hold Kirah still so I could photograph her; didn't work so well!! Kirah licking my face whilst I was trying to hold her still for a photo. Youngest brother J. holding Kirah "still". J. again and a nicer close up of her face. What a little bugger!!!