tikira

I too am very happy to hear your dog protected you without going too far- it is exactly how it should be. Congratulations on such a well balanced dog. I join with the others in urging you to call the police, they have the knack of helping you remeber more than you think. Also sleep with a notebook and pen for a while, as your memory may release more details. I would like to hope my Jack Russell and Border Collie would protect me, they certainly come between my hubby and myself when he gets too close Di

I am not an expert but dabble fairly seriously in my photographic hobby. I like this series of shots, and feel it reflects their personalities well. They are obviously at home on the farm. They look very much in love. Due to the fact that you said he was nervous, having them do something was very smart, and looking at each other is natural for engaged couples to do, thus eye contact with the camera is not so important. I particularly like the first one in each post, (pity his eyes look closed in the second though) and the Black and white kissing photo. Watch for little things like "chopping off limbs, particularly fingers and toes) and if a limb bends, bend it, otherwise it looks awkward. One of the best websites with rules of portraiture I have found is in the link below. http://www.lumitouch.com/benstudiotutorial/rules.html Well done on your first shoot, it was a pleasure looking at the results, and I am sure the couple will love them Di

Great work Kirislin. Once you have had fresh vegies "store bought" will never taste any good again, and obviously Puck thinks the same. We LOVE our vegie patch, but keeping chooks, cows, rabbits, rats and bugs out is a full time job, thankfully our dogs can't access it. Di

Hmm crossbred I guess just looking at them- but I am no expert and I am sure Miley loves them anyway..... Just too cute. Di

Good luck with your furkids Monah. Each hour that passes you breathe a little easier. I know because our Jack Russell Tippy is a snake-ahoholic. His last encounter was a brown. We didn't know if he had been bitten, but our vet was wonderful too. So far Tippy is up 3-0, but we know his luck will run out one day- we have as snake proof a yard as possible, but.... Yep Scotland looks good. Di.

As a child my grandfathers Border Collie saved me from stepping on a snake. He simply herded me away from it. Years later we were both 13 years old and my uncle came to visit. I was in the kitchen and Snippy let him past. But Ron was a joker and when he saw me spill milk as he surprised me, he made a grab for me to play fight. Bad idea. Snippy nipped him, then stood between us growling quietly until I called him off. I loved that dog so much it still hurts 35 years later. Thanks for the stories everyone. Di

As I said in the other thread, my Jack Russell gives as much or more than he gets, and he is fast too. I now have and even smaller dog living here, and he is very gentle, but the Border Collie and the little dog gang up on the Jack Russell and play HARD. But Tip knows that to stop the play- all he needs to do is roll on his back- that's it, game over The Border Collie is rough with Tip, but with Rollie (the little dog) she is incredibly gentle, it nearly makes me cry to see how nicely she plays with him. Jack Russell's are unbelievably tough, you will likely find you need to worry more about him/her rough housing the big dogs. You should see Tip take Kira down by pulling her hind leg out from under her, and then jumping on her head Di

Is there any chance you can add a small dog/cat door? Will your big dogs get on with a pup? My Jack Russell's best friends were a german shepherd, a white shepherd, 2 Golden retrievers, a bernese mountain dog and a huski. They played rough, and more often than not Tip would end up half way down a sheppie mouth as they tried to lick him to death, but he loved every moment. He loved agility, but obedience was a struggle if there were birds or rabbits around. He could have done okay in agility, he was fast and focused, and he loved it, but things changed and we stopped going. I was home with mine, and he toilet trained quickly, as he had access to outdoors, but the destructiveness took a couple of years to sort out, (and only got better when we got our Border Collie). Our house smelled of vicks vapor-rub for years, but he never touches anything that doesn't belong to him now- but then he is seven. Di

I love you Tip, but I really wish you wouldn't play Russian Roulette" every summer by attacking snakes. (We have our backyard as snake proof as possible, but still they come....) Di

The Exhibitor should have said "Certainly , but may I pat your child first?", and wait for the reaction. Ruger, I am sure your son is a lovely little boy, but strangers don't know his temprament, or what he has been doing recently. It is their right to ask about grubby hands, or even refuse to allow your son to pat the dog - their dog, their rules. Responsible parents, (just like responsible dog owners), protect their family, but must respect our rights to protect our family too. Di hmmmm, maybe our forum name needs a change- obviously it is not clear enough?

I quite often have a nap during the day. Tip (Jack Russell) snuggles under the blankets next to me. At almost exactly one hour later Kira (Border Collie) slips quietly into the bedroom and stares intently at me, tapping her tail on the cupboard. (Dog breath is such a nice way to wake up) If I tel her "5 more minutes" she goes away and returns 5 minutes later. Di

Oh Huga, my heart is breaking for you right now. However, as I know this decision was not made lightly, then it must have been the correct one for all your family. Try not to feel guilty- you made the toughest decision possible, but you were right there comforting him to the end. As hard as it must have been to be there, you were thinking of your boy, not yourself. Be at peace with it all, and remember all the good times (and I can tell from the photo's he had a great life with you). Di

I am pleased to see I am not the only paranoid one around here. Keep the stories coming, it all makes me feel more normal. Great to see there are lots of Lumpies around, Tippy has been my saviour, he saves on housework- I no longer need to make our bed (my excuse anyway. ) I always leave the Doona scrunched with a "cave" in it, to make it easier for him to burrow in. Di

Our first dog was a Jack Russell, and I was paranoid. Hubby wanted him, but I didn't know if I could handle the lifestyle change. I had it all worked out- he would be an "indoor on invitation" dog, and I had even cut up blankets to put on my lap when I nursed him (Yep that bad- but you should see me now- I saw the light quickly). .... Fast forward a few days, and I lost my puppy- I looked everywhere, but Tippy had somehow (so I thought), escaped a closed up house. In tears I went to the bedroom to phone Hubby, and saw a lump under the doona. OMG it was Tippy, and he must be suffocated.... I slowly pulled the Doona off the bed, expecting the worst- NOBODY had told me Jack Russell's love being under covers. Thus one of his nicknames is still Lumpy, and even in the middle of summer I have to put his blankie over him (he sleeps on the lounge) every night. Yep, things have changed a lot for the better. Di

Golly, it doesn't seem like 12 months since we helped you out by photoshopping hats on your doggies. Well done on actually getting the shot this year, and having them looking happy about it too. Great work, I know everyone who gets a card with your doggies on it will enjoy it. Cheers, and Merry early christmas.

Congratulations Huga Yes, "Nikki" is gorgeous. You will love her. Wayne has her twin, and I have the baby d60. We have so much fun with that pair. The d300s will be a bit of a learning curve again, there are a few differences, so play a lot and have fun Di

Experiment. You will know when you find it. Our Jack Russel was the most unreliable puppy with recalls. He just loved to chase bunnies etc. He is food addicted and we had tried it all- cheese, frankfurts, warm chicken, home cooked liver, cheezels (a friends dog would do anything for them) all of which worked really well for training, except the Recall, until in desperation we tried bits of left over party pies- he didn't leave our side, just stared at the treat. Try Takng two different treats in your hands so the dog can't see either. Offer them both, and see which hand he chooses until you have a clear winner. Sometimes warming them slightly will increase the smell of the treat. Good luck Di

Arash and Mrs Arash, I am so sorry to hear of your loss. The beginning of your story mirrors ours, but thankfully we still have our boy, even though he dices with death each summer (He is a snake-fighter) You have done the best thing you possibly could by posting here, as we all understand your grief, and can offer you our support via the forum. It can be hard for people who don't have a special relationship with animals to understand that your loss is very real, and you will get the "he was just a dog, get over it" attitude from some people, but ignore those type of comments, they really don't know the depth of your feelings right now. I know our two are the most important souls on earth to us- we have nurtured them and in return they give us unconditional love. Talk to those who understand, and check out the internet. There are a lot of good pointers in coping with your loss. The Rainbow Bridge section on DOL has some sites pinned at the top, and these are helpful. As you feel more able to, please come back and show us some piccies and share some happy stories with us. Our thoughts are with you Di

We too have rented our "convenient to town and work" house out, and bought a much smaller house on 5 acres purely for the dogs lifestyle. The rural farmer neighbours think we are crazy, as the first things we did were add a doggy door, fence a back yard in, and add a dog exercise area complete with agility equipmant (they had no idea what that stuff was). Yep- addicted Di

I totally empathise with your problem Tokkie, as Tippy (our JRT) has had run- ins with them too. I have become adept at relocating them to safer areas, and I find a mower catcher is the best thing to use. It is a safe place for the lizard (dark), and I just encourage them in, and then pick it up and move it. PS- I really enjoy seeing photo's of your lovely doggies. Di

These are great quality clear photo's for their age and must be so special to you. Coming from a family history perspective they are invaluable. Almost everyone would have had special pets back then, as we do now, but you see very few reminders of the pets themselves, and mostly never named. I know you all feel the same as I do about our dogs, and would hate to think that in 70 years time there was nothing to remind my descendants of the special place they had in my life- thus I try to ensure some of my photo's last the test of time, and that are all named. Thanks for sharing- I love old photo's, and always pay special attention to the "non human" elements. Di

Angel was sending you a message. She loved you, and knew you were in pain, so she worked out a way to comfort you. Accept her gift without doubting it. Di

Trust me, it is easy to tell when Tippy (Jack Russell) is simply being stubborn. He gets a look that says- "uh oh, no way, not today Mum". He is well trained, food orientated and intelligent and STUBBORN, although these days we know how to handle it. Di

We rescued 30 chooks from the University here 2 years ago. It was the BEST feeling- (I can totally understand how people get into rescue). These girls were almost featherless, scruffy, and had no idea what grass was, or how to roost (they couldn't jump onto the 6 inch high roost either). They were let out of their transport cage and one stretched, stopped, looked confused and then tentatively stretched a bit more. She could not believe that she could strech that far. They settled in quickly, and soon learned to be chooks. The first day we let them out of their pen to freerange was one of my best memories- they were overcome. Some are still laying, a few have since died, and desperate foxes broke through wire netting and got a few, but they are so grateful , friendly and happy that the friendship value they give is worth it. Whatever people can offer them is better than being stuffed 4 to a very small cage where they fight and de -feather each other and themselves. I can't imagine never seeing sun, feeling rain, or the feel of grass beneath my feet- can you? I hope all these girls get to live the rest of their lives the way they should have lived all their lives. They reward you with devotion and the best tasting eggs you will ever eat- there is no comparison. Di

Yuk, yep, gut instinct says "gotta go". Great shot, though. I would have had to crop a LOT more than you needed to Di