tikira

Laci is looking beautiful. She reminds me of two little toys my nan won for me at a local show 45 years ago. They were white and fluffy and I loved them. One did get grey and dusty, so I washed him, and his fur fell out I hope Laci fairs better when you bath her :laugh: Gus and Rosie are looking stunning too- happy birthday to them both, and enjoy "yappy Hour" Di

Hi Mfch. Your dogs are gorgeous, and Ilook forward to sharing your journey with your new little guy. You have had such a sad few months that it is nice to see there is some happiness waiting for you soon. You are still grieving, so be gentle on yourself, and maybe do some research on grieving pets on the internet. One of the hardest things I have ever done is grieve my boy Tip. I simply could not function, was depressed and cried all the time. I really worried that I would compare a new puppy to Tip, or resent him in some weird way. Thankfully although they were both Jack Russells, Jingo is so different in so many ways that I have never had that feeling. Jingo is simply perfect in his own right. What gotr me through this time of grief was DOL. The people here become your friends, your supporters,and your "dump point" and we all understand the hard times, and we cheer with the good ones. Di

What your breeder suggested is what we did with our Jack Russell puppy. He sleeps in an open crate, but in a playpen made under our dining room table. Kira (border Collie) sleeps in the corner of the dining room on her own bed. Jingo was close to Kira, but could not bug her,or steal her bed, and Kira (a lot bigger dog), could not rough house him when not being supervised. The playpen is open almost always now, but is his little den, which he usually sleeps in of his own accord. We do, however, have them sleep in separate areas at times, so both are used to being alone. Nip any potential problems in the bud while he is young, don't let them become a habit you can't live with when he is full grown :) You really seem to have it all covered, just enjoy puppyhood, it doesn't last nearly long enough,and yes, we need pictures! Di

I agree that even the best trained dogs sometimes "lose it". Our Jack Russe4ll was very well socialised with livestock and was good with them- except once, when we had just moved out of town, and he escaped and chased the neighbours pregnant cattle through a fence. It was the hardest convertstion we have ever had, apologising and telling him if he wanted Tip destroyed he was within his rights to ask us to do this..... My heart was in my mouth as I waited for his reply. Thankfully he was a dog lover and has since turned into a good friend, but our dog did cross the line and could have lost his life over it. Needless to say none of our dogs have ever escaped to chase stock again, and Tip didn't show any interest in them afterward either! It can happen with all breeds.... once could be enough Di

Your girl is adorable, thankyou for sharing her photo. Adjusting to country life is a challenge, and I appreciate that you are trying to decide on a system you can all live with. We live on 5 acres, and this is fully securely fenced. However we would never think of allowing our dogs (border Collie and Jack Russell), free reign. We allow fully supervised roaming in the winter, as we have very good reason to fear snakes in summer. We built a fence around our back yard that is their yard, and this has full access to the house. This works brilliantly for us as our dogs thrive on human companionship, and the closer to their "family" they are the happier they are. No barking, destructive behaviour or hissy fits here . It can be expensive to build a fence, but for the safety and peace of mind it allows, it is worth every cent. Maybe look at recyclers, or Gumtree, or Buy swap sell, for cheap materials, put on a bbq and invite some handy friends/family over. You won't regret it, and your girl will love it. Even the smallest yard would allow more freedom than a chain. I am not sure about the area you live in, but the chances of dog theft would reduce so much with a fenced area for when you can't supervise her, and the added bonus would be the security of having a dobe protecting you and the house! The reality is that a lot of farm dogs are chained at times,maybe nothing bad will happen to your dog, but I personally know one that was attacked by the neighbours dog and killed while on chain. Sadly this farmer is still doing the same thing, but then, he calls his dogs his "stock", and treats them as such. I really hope you can find a suitable soluton, but whatever you decide, please keep us up to date with your Dobe. Di

Lhok, a year without our beautiful dogs does seem like an eternity. I am thinking of you and your brautiful Missy today. Wow, I too missed your post about the dream. How wonderful that Missy and Raiden sent you that dream showing that they are together in a place more beautiful than we can imagine, somewhee so beautiful that you can only get a hint of it in your dreams. Hearing about the dream helps reinforce my belief that they are happy and healthy, and always watching over us. What a special gift you were given, and I thank you so much for sharing it.

We wanted another dog as soon as Tip passed, but knew that we needed to grieve first, we did not want to feel like we "replaced" Tip and find we resented the puppy for not being Tip, or for being too much like Tip. ( yeah, my thoughts were a mess) We were forced to wait for 6 months as we had a pre booked holiday in September, and did not want a young puppy's routine interupted. Trust me, it was hard to wait that long, on hindsight it was the best thing we could have done. We fell for the puppy in his own right straight away, and he is the best- totally worth the wait, and in the meantime, Kira got spoiled and she learned to be more independant, and is fine when we take puppy away for a while!..... and Kira has gone through a puppy stage again- she remembered how to play, on her terms, of course :laugh: Good luck with a behaviourist! Di

I am so sorry for you, your family and your remaining dog Tobie, and you have my condolences. We went through this last year, when we lost our 9 years old Jack Russell to snakebite. His "sister" had only ever known a home with Tip, but we sometimes looked after our nephews little dog Rollie too. Kira suffered grief and depression quite badly. She went really quiet, hardly ate, and kept looking for Tip. We tackled it by "borrowing" Rollie for a few weeks, then slowly weaning him from her, and this helped so much. We upped the training and games with Kira, took her to special places, and for really long walks, basically we "molly-coddled" her a bit. It was only when we got a our new puppy that things really improved, but that was still difficult, Kira did not take to him immediately, but time helped. You know your dog better than anyone, so you need to think of how she will best be helped. I agree that professional help may help, especially as you have children who need to be kept safe too. You are grieving, and so is your dog,and this takes on different forms for us all. Be kind to all of you, and do whatever it takes to help you all. Good luck, and keep posting on DOL. We understand what you are going through, so many of have similar experiences, and have little tips that have helped. Di

Thankyou for that Puggedforlife. It makes a lot of sense, and good to know I am not the only one thinking it strange that the passing of my boy last year was harder than any other grief I have ever experienced. Simply- THANK YOU More hugs to you at the moment, but it seems you are trusting your feelings about urns and the like, and going with them. Good on you for that- I found my initial "gut" reactions were the right ones for me, so if you feel like it- do it! Di

Oh yes, I well remember the first time the dreaded "I can't even take a photo" thoughts washed over me. I think it happens with everyone, and is a natural progression when you realise how little you know about this "thing" that everyone seems to have mastered quickly. That is simply not true though, and as Perse said, to get that one half decent shot that you are willing to share there are sometimes dozens of attempts noone else will ever see. Even the Pro's only ever share a small fraction of their shots, and most people do some level of adjustments to make them look better, even if it is just a crop and sharpen. Don't get discouraged, get determined to experiment some more. The hobby is worth the effort, and so far you are doing great. :D Di

Your little friend is gorgeous- have you given him a name? Enjoy your camera, it can be very theraputic to pit yourself against all the dials and different conditions and potential subjucts to try to get the picture that is in your mind. Everyone starts photography as a beginner, but practice and knowledge are your friends, so keep practicing, and keep posting anything you can think of, I will look forward to watching your journey through the lens Di

Hugs to you Lisa, it is so hard to believe it has been a whole year- so many tears later Sam is still looking over your little family, and no doubt planting ideas in Nova's head to help you through the day. Di

Nice clouds . I hope they build into something more for you.Di

I am so sorry to hear this I can see from what you have said that you are obviously shattered. There really are no words that will help you at this time, but you were with him, and he would not have wanted to be ion any other place but your arms in that moment. Di

Hi Beth Yesterday as I was thinking of Tip's passing, I also thought of you, as the first anniversary of your beautiful dogs going over the bridge came around. I hope you were able to find some happy memories to smile at amid the tears, and that your current Pupsters helped to make this time a little easier for you, I know it did for me. Di

Thanks Perse, Lisa and Clover. Posting this tribute here and the "safety" of being able to express my grief within the DOL community, where we have all either been through this, or will go through it is a healing thing to do. I do find "that look" you get in non pet owners eyes if you should try to bring up something from a year ago hurtful- they seem to think I should have moved on by now. I hope by posting my thoughts here, they may in some small way help others too. The emotionnal roller coaster we are on after this sort of thing happens sometimes crashes big time, and I guess the first Anniversary is one of those times. I am so grateful to have Jingo and Kira here at this moment, though I think yesterday they thought I was a little over the top, coming running to check on them if they made any noise at all :laugh: Di

Kira was only ever away from Tip for one night in her 7 years, so we were really concerned too. We "borrowed" our nephews dog for a few weeks,before slowly weaning him off her for a few nights at a time, and that helped a lot. We also upped the amount of training and fun things we did together, and she adjusted really well, but she has always been laid back. Good luck Di

My morning this day last year showed no sign of the pain to come, we shared toast, we danced together, we baked in the autumn sun. Then the unthinkable happened, Tip and the brown snake both lost their lives, there was nothing I could do, and he passed quietly in the back seat of the car, just as I reached the vet... I was not holding him as he passed, and that haunts me. Tip was our first dog, the first living breathing soul we were soley responsible for, and it was a learning curve at 40 years of age. He was stubborn, and opinionated and perfect for us, we still miss him everyday. But the awful depression I felt has finally gone away now, I knew that when the time was right Tip would once again make our lives whole, and he did that in September, when we welcomed Jingo into our family.Tip knew exactly what we needed, a different dog altogether, but in some ways so much like Tip, and we welcome those times when Jing "channels" Tip, it is those times that melts my heart.... The hardest part is knowing that every time I wish Tippy back, it feels like a dis-service to Jingo, because I know that if Tip was still here, I would not have the deliciously warm heart beating under my computer table right now, Tip chose my new boy perfectly, and I thank him for that gift. It’s time to send you a gift He wandered towards them, there was excitement in the air, He said “I have a special friend, and I need someone to care” As He chatted at the Rainbow Bridge while sitting on the ground, One Dog listened carefully as He spoke, he didn’t make a sound. Tippy thought hard, considered it, before he finally spoke up, “I think I know the perfect family for this little pup. My humans are grieving me since I was called back home, But I know they need a friend, so they are not alone.” They need a companion, they have so much that they can give, And this dog needs a family, for as long as he shall live. This puppy needs a strong, loving, gentle and steady hand, Truly I can think of no better home, in the whole of the land. I know it will be hard for them, they loved me through the years, But honestly, I can’t stand to see them sad, I hate to see the tears. They may not think it now, but their heart will expand with love, When they meet this gift I want to send, straight from Heaven above. Tikira 2013 Run free....Run fast.... catch those bunnies my beautiful boy. Di

I don't think I could have handled letting my Border Collie see Tip at that time, the nightmares I have at the moment are enough (Tip was taken by a brown snake, so his passing was sudden though). However, it did take Kira a really long time to settle, for months she would grab her toy, and "guard" it from him, he had to be around that corner, right?, and any lump under the blanket she would nose for him to come out to play. It was sad, and perhaps seeing Tip after would have helped her accept it? I don't know, it is such a personal thing. Di

I quite like them, but for two examples, when hubby tried to rescue one above me when i was in the bath , and more recently when I was sleeping, and felt a movement - I realised straight away it was a Huntsman, but still whacked Hubby really hard to wake him and "liberate" it. :D Di

Great pack piccies everyone. This is our current Pack. Kira, Rollie (We share him with our nephew)and our 7 month old pup, Jingo, celebrating Rollie's 9th birthday. Di

WOW is all that is needed. you are right Pers. Di

Brian, I know Kirby knew you loved him and that you treated every moment with him as special. I lost my boy Tip about this time last year suddenly, and I feel you pain about not being able to say goodbye, and to be holding them to ease their way to the Rainbow Bridge, but I think maybe he did that one last selfless thing for you. Talk about him as much as you need and don't be afraid to shed tears. He was obviously a huge part of your life, and was a loved famly member, a companion and a confidant. Sadly those who have never known the unconditional love of a dog may not understand your level of grief, but we do here, so keep sharing your feelings with us. Run fast, Run free, go chase the bunnies, birds and penny lizards Kirby Di

I feel the pain of everyone who has a dog like this. Jingo ( 7 months old) has rarely seen wet grass, and is very precious about it. He has a dog door too, but we have to do as Yvonne does, and it is frustrating, as you never can relax in wet weather. I look forward to hearing more hints on this, but for now we just have to take him out regularly if we ever get rain. Di

"Morning has Broken" This is absolutely stunning light captured well. Thank you for brightening a dull morning here in Armidale. Di