tikira

I am so saddened by the loss of the beautiful Ness. My thoughts are with you and your family at this dreadful time. Run free, and fast Ness, your smiling face will be missed here on dol, you touched so many of our lives. Di

And Kira. For anyone who thinks that Border Collie Puppies are cute. Some puppies have to grow into their good looks.

Jingo from innocent to less innocent

Hi Bingo and welcome to DOL Toilet training can be very frustrating, particularly when the previous one was a dream. My first Jack Russell was fairly good, my border Collie female was a dream, she followed Tip, and went when he did....yay!. Jingo was a nightmare! We knew what to do do and how, etc, we set up playpens and crates, blocked favourite indoor spots.... we did it all and it still took months to trust him completely. He was and is tiny, so we had your problem, we had no idea when he was going, he did not seem to squat at all, so we rewarded when we saw him go, and made outside a fun place. He did learn, I think the big breakthrough came when he started to pee for longer amounts of time, so we could catch him in the act. What also helped us was spraying water with a lot of vinegar over all the inside surfaces he had access to, carpet, wood, lino etc, a couple of times a day. He seemed to avoid actually sniffing the spot, and thus found somewhere without vinegar water to pee- that was only outside for several weeks! It is a hard time, and a hard job with a determined puppy sometimes, but try not to get too frustrated, there will be times you simply seete, or cry, or want to scream, but it will all fall into place, and I agree that things may start to get better now that your older dog is playing with him. Dogs are vulnerable when toileting, so maybe he did not want to go where the other one had scent marked? Good luck, and by the way..... can we please see some photo's of the offender and his sibling???? Keep us updated as to your journey, as it will help the next person having the same problem. Di

I am so sorry to hear this Montall. I know all too well the guilt and blame you are feeling right now, I could not save my boy from a brown snake bite 2 years ago, and it still hurts everyday. I wish you well as you try to come to terms with this tragedy.It was not your fault. Be kind to yourself, I really am so sorry. RIP little Monty. Di

What a gorgeous lady Didi has become. Thankyou for sharing your journey thus far with us. It does warm my heart to see that we might not always get what we think we want, but we do ofteen get what we need. Keep the photo's and stories coming Terri Di

I think we will be calling our Jack Russell "Jingo Pup" forever. He is 18 months old and sometimes I think it is time to stop calling him a puppy... but he is my puppy! Treasure it and thank them for their compliment when anyone says your dog is "puppy-like", they grow up way too fast and you will miss that when they mature. At 10 months I would still be expecting this type of behaviour in most breeds, in some breeds it could be 10 years before they grow up! Enjoy the puppy years, they will be gone in the blink of an eye. Di

That should do the trick White Shepherd Mom.... just keep at him. People like us on DOL are simply not complete without a furry friend or two. Di

WOW, that was sensational tdierikx I agree it is the best rendition of Little Drummer Boy I have ever heard, I nearly blew up my speakers I had it so loud..... This will definitely be shared within our family, as tradition has it we play (and sing-badly) this Carol again and again. Thanks Di

DDD, I do like to share my ear worms!.... but it is my favourite carol

Merry Christmas from Jingo- "leader of the pack" and his humble servants Di

Great to hear this news Seren. It is hard to see a dog that has little real interest in food, and is a slow eater. Jingo is slow too, so we need to allow him more time to finish, meaning we have to have his bowl asafe from Kira. It was a shock to us as Tip was a gutz :) We find a small amount of sardines or other goodies mixed with his kibble works, unless it gets soggy....sigh Di

Wow Kirislin, that photo is lovely, and well done. Neko really looks like a reindeer

Yes, Jingo is a happy chappie, he loves to smile. It is not a matter of getting them to sit still, it is just a quick clicker finger, lots of yummy treats.....and putting Jingo in a containment system.... oh and velcro helps....lol The scary thing is last years photo's had Jingo in the bucket that Santa is in! Di

Gorgeous photo's everyone. Teebs, do you know how much I would give now as a 50 year old who has lost her mum, to have a photo of me with Santa_AND MY MUM? I think all adults should be in the Santa photo's with their kids, I can think of nothing better.It is a lovely photo Cin, and a special family moment. Riley James, "the brat" looks very worried that the antlers were going to eat him, it made me smile. Elsie is so patient.... are you sure she is real? :laugh: Thanks everyone for sharing your christmas photos. Di

Oh Seren, it is so hard, but realising you have been bottling things up is a great step, as putting your feelings into words will somehow make a little bit of difference. That is why DOL is such a help. We understand the emotions, and the depth of your heartbreak. So come here as often as you need to. Spill everything into your book, the good, the bad and ugly..... it will help, and be a forever keepsake. I have also now finished finding every photo/video that anyone ever took of Tip, and re-processed them in as many ways as I can. He smiles at me from most rooms of the house,and on my computer screen. The memories come flooding back, but I welcome the memories now. Harry will never be Lace, and you will always wish Lace were beside you as well, but she is there, only now in a different way.... "sleeping in your heart" Take one step at a time. Time does not heal, but it does allow your head to find ways to cope. Di

That is sad, White Shepherd Mom. Don't give up just yet though, the stars will align one day for you and you will welcome a new friend into your family. I believe these pulls are stronger than us, and that people such as us, who have known the fulfillment of our pets, are destined to experience that again. It might not be this Bella, but Christmas miracles do happen too! We do understand, and are always here for you when you need to vent, or share memories of your dogs. Di

We are Catholic too, and hubby went to a Catholic school. We were both taught as LisaCC was. However, it is great to hear that the Pope has re-enforced our firm conviction that animals do go to heaven too, as I too would not want to be anywhere that did not have furry friends! Anyone who has looked into a dogs eyes cannot believe for one second that they don't have a soul, in my opinion Di Di

Tay, with a model that beautiful, who needs props????? Agree, I love seeing the creativity of the photo's, and the looks of disdain on the dogs (and cats) faces. Kepp them coming Di

Our efforts today. Kira is a little less into Christmas than Jingo! Merry Christmas everyone Di

Without a doubt I believe! What I believe even more strongly is that our passed pets "choose" a new addition, when the time is right, after all, they know the love their people have to offer, and the hole in their hearts. The question is- "Are we listening?" I was, and am so happy with the result. Good luck if you are thinking of taking the next step in the journey Di

Yep, my boy Tip jist woke me up once again! Thank you so much for sharing that, I too totally believe every word of it. I cherish the times he wakes me up, for it is then I feel really close to him, even through the tears. Di

Seren, I could have written every word you have.... it is truely uncanny. We were not looking to bring Jingo home, but he just kept sitting at my feet, staring into my eyes, he was soooooo insistant, and patient, like he was waiting for it to come into our thick heads that we were meant to be together, the other puppies were falling over themselves to attract my attention, but no matter what was happening, Jingo held the position until we caved! He is also a Jack Russell, but different enough in looks, and so different in personality, so easy going, and so loving. Sometimes, though we say (with a smile now, instead of floods of tears....) "your channeling your big brother again" The only thing you can do is love Harry for the personality he is, and honour Lace's memory by smiling (or crying) at the good and bad things she did. If you have not done so already, I urge you to write down EVERYTHING you remember, everything she did, how you felt while she was alive and now. It helped me beyond measure, and I am finding that nearly 2 years down the track I am still remembering things I had forgotten, and writing them down too. Yes, it brngs tears, but sometimes howls of laughter!, and he will not be forgotten if I have written stories of him down. I am doing this for the other two as well now, as they happen (much easier)! It is a rewarding and worthwhile little thing to do, as my worst nightmare is that I will forget Tip, this way I remember the tiny details of the dog that changed our lives. Part of the reason I have struggled with Tip's death (he was bitten by a brown snake), is that I could not save his life, Losing him was truely the worst grief I have had, human or otherwise, but I let Jingo into my life to kiss the tears away, and that has bonded us so closely it scares me.... in a good way! I know it will be the same with Harry and you through the years. I totally believe that we get what we need in this life, when we need it...... it might just take hindsight to see that.. Yes, I know it sounds wierd, but Lace did choose Harry for you, your last post proves it! Happy days with Harry and Holly, and beautiful memories of your girl who watches over you all. Di

The tears tend to come frequently after a new family member enters your life. I know it did for me, they were tears of sadness for what should have been, but guilt feelings because (in my case) there would have been no Jingo if Tip was still here (two dogs are enough at one time for us), so guilt and sadness all around....again. What helped me most of all was the very strong feeling that Tip had chosen, approved of and orchestrated us meeting Jingo. He knew what we needed, and when, and I know he wanted us happy again. and we are....thanks to the stars aligning and Jingo coming to us. I know that Lace has carefully chosen Harry to help you and Holly and all your family to heal and be happy again. But the tears will still come. Embrace the sadness, because it is a sign that you had unconditional love for a time, and how lucky were you that made saying goodbye so hard? AND more importantly, embrace the happiness that a new puppy has bought to your house, that is what Lacy would want. I look forward to hearing more about Harry. Cheers Di

Brilliant, if somewhat unco-ordinated! I don't feel so embarrassed now knowingI am not alone with my girl Kira. She simply CANNOT catch :laugh: ( I like to think she takes after me! Di