Snoopy21

Sleep peacefully beautiful Willow. So sorry the outcome wasn't better Sway.

Poor Zeus. Rest easy lovely boy.

Oh. That is really sad. It's hard isn't it? They seem to be very full out there at the moment. I wonder why the owners didn't show?

Yay!! I was out at the RSPCA Hobart last week and they have a pit x pup there for adoption and an adult staffy x also. They obviously don't have the same harsh prejudices that the dogs home do.

It wasn't Chris Brown. Alistair someone. Apparently Mini Schnauzers and 'somethingoodles' are low maintenance grooming wise. Hmmmm.... He didn't even mention black labs, get a golden because chocolates are 'schizo' . And pugs will get you out and about??

Thanks for your input everyone! There are too many gorgeous dogs in the world, it makes it hard to choose.

Ok.....so narrowing it down. We are down to Aussies, Lappies, Pointers or Corgis. I'm off to do a bit more research on each. I have never met a Finnish Lapphund - I'll have to get to a show and have a look. Are there any being shown in Tassie does anyone know?

That's great amypie....thanks. To be perfectly honest my DH doesn't like the Mannies but I do, so they aren't perfect for our situation. I'll put them back on the one day list I think. Inside is no problem. Willow is currently upside down in the sunny patch on the couch snoring a little. She spends most of her time inside and has an extensive wardrobe of coats for the chilly Tassie winters. Wouldn't want the delicate little possum to get cold.... ;)

Can't I just steal Kivi corvus? He sounds perfect. I really don't have much time or patience for grooming. I have come to love my wash and wear dog. I also appreciate that she doesn't shed much. We do collect enough fur to cover a small chihuahua when we shampoo the carpets though. Your corgi sounds great too. Any reason you chose a Pembroke over a Cardigan?

Thanks Nevafollo. Laid back sounds good. So does recall (our girl's is very unreliable - not for lack of trying).

Any Corgi people out there?

Don't give me more options!! I already can't decide! I love the GSPs. What differences would I notice between the Pointer and the GSP? Rightio......goldies off the list - the dust bunnies thing put me off. Is this going to happen with border collies and aussies too? Curly coats back on. Scarlet - not wanting to offend, but do CCRs have a particular smell? I knew some when I was a child, and they did, but I wasn't sure whether that was just the dogs in that household, or a CCR thing.

Thanks Jacobite. Deerhounds are just beautiful. I think too big for what we are looking at atm. Willow's best friend and walking buddy is an Irish Wolfhound, so I'm sure she would love a deerhound, but she doesn't get to pick ;) . Thanks Nevafollo. I think Willow must have a bit of Pointer in her, she also loves to hunt the birds in the yard (and the lizards, bees, wasps, flies, wallabies and her latest attempt - an echidna who escaped with no damage). Pointers sound lovely. How do you go with training things like recall?

Awesome Gayle. Thanks. How much grooming would I be looking at with a border collie dancinbcs? They are a breed I hadn't really considered. They don't need a huge amount of stimulation?

I thought that might be the case. I used to walk a couple of collies for a friend, and they were much more sensitive in nature than my big ole boofhead. Lovely dogs though. Staffords are not my favourites sorry Lisey. Thanks for your input though.

Willow has yoghurt mixed in with her kibble or mince a couple of times a week. She loves it. We use the Easi-yo yoghurt too. She normally gets the Greek-Style Yoghurt but goes nuts for Vanilla.

Willow only weighs around 40kgs, so she isn't massive. She's about 26 inches at the shoulder. Aussies are sounding good. How do they stand as far as tangles and burrs in the coat go Gayle? Are they mostly good with kids?

The list of breeds I like is too long Lots of breeds I love don't tick all (or any!) the boxes (Newfoundlands, White Swiss Shepherds, Great Danes, Bulldogs (French and British) Curly Coated Retrievers and Bull Terriers). Others I think tick the boxes - but I'm just not sure. I really don't want to end up with an unhappy dog whose needs I can't satisfy. I like Boxers, Manchester Terriers, Aussie Shepherds, Collies (Smooth), Golden Retrievers, Corgis (Cardigan) and Pointers. I'm sure there are more, but I just can't think of them right now. Boxers are cool - are they too nutty? Too big? Mannies are beautiful - I've never had a terrier and am not too sure what a "true terrier temperament" is like. Aussies - not too sure about the amount of grooming and exercise. Collies - timid? Too big? Goldens are lovely of course, but what about grooming? They're also big. Pointers - not sure about giving them enough exercise, and they are very similar to Willow size-wise. Corgis - will they keep up with Willow? Labrador would be on my list, but my OH doesn't like them.

We are looking at a second dog for our family. We are a family of 5 with three older children (16, 9, 7) and one other dog. Willow is a large goofy cross breed we got from a rescue organisation 3 years ago. She is very social but likes to play rough, so any new dog will have to like to play (we understand that a pup will need to be kept separate from her at first). We don't have any other pets. Basically we want a friendly, easy going dog that will play with the kids, snooze on the couch and enjoy a good run around with Willow. The dog will be an inside outside dog and we have an acre of bushy backyard that is fully fenced. I am not keen on a lot of grooming, but don't mind brushing through weekly. Future dog will go to obedience classes and possibly agility/flyball, but I'm not looking for a trialling dog, we just go for fun and socialisation. Ideally the dog would be fairly manageable as far as training/grooming/walking goes as I hope that the 9 year old will be able to help out with more with those things (we could walk together eventually for example). Dogs will be walked daily and there is plenty of scope for offload bush walking nearby. I have breeds that I love of course, but I'm not sure which would be suitable. Would love some suggestions!!

Followed by a little "Is my butt still attached?" Priceless

The government appears very concerned about the number of serious dog attacks that have been happening, and yet when a dog bites someone, action is slow? It seems crazy. This dog needs to be off the streets now before it hurts someone else.

Maybe a letter from the doctor who saw your son as well, just saying what he saw and did, and receipts to show that you are out of pocket because of this bite. I hope your son is ok and that no infection results from the bite. Why on earth would you leave your gates open so your dogs could run into the street?

That is awesome!!

Thanks again Rusky. What a gorgeous boy Chief was. Thanks for your reply gsf, but I really need news articles I can print. I want to be able to show that the language and images used in articles reflects the views of the author and impacts the reader.

Thanks Sezz. That site is great!!