Michelleva

I just saw these at the local butcher, they were pretty cheap and looked quite meaty. I don't know if they would be too big for my sheltie though, does anyone else feed them? I wonder if the butcher could cut them in half?

I'd never heard of the operation before I watched the doco last night. They did get some cats out too, but it was mostly dogs. Both Nubs and Lava were beautiful, extrordinary dogs.

I watched a documentary about this last night, it was really heart-warming. I'd recorded it on foxtel, it was on animal planet and called "No Dog Gets Left Behind". The bond those men and women had with the dogs was just amazing.

Thats a good point, maybe I could rig up a roof onto it? I'm not sure how tall they actually are. We have our old shade sail sitting here, I could cut a piece of that and connect with cable ties. I'm not rushing into getting a pen anyway, certainly not before i've spoken to the vet.

I just thought I'd post an update on my girl. We went to visit her at the vet yesterday and took in some treats and her favourite toys. She was really happy to see us, but I can still see sadness in her eyes. Even my 5yo picked it up. We spent quite a bit of time with her and even took her outside to sit in the sun for a while, I'm sure we perked her up a bit. She's much loved by all the staff there, Georgia's busy wooing them all, she's not silly she knows who hands out the food. I asked the nurse to explain again what the vet told me after the surgery, because to be honest it was a really big blur and it was hard to take in. So she showed me a model of a dogs knee and she showed me the ligament that was torn. There is a ligament which runs in front of the knee cap from top to bottom, that was torn at the top, which is really bad. And she confirmed the news i was dreading, we're back to square one with her rehab. So that means 100% rest with only walking to the toilet again initially. Far out, this is like a nightmare I can't wake up from. Last time I borrowed two bigger crates and joined them together, I can't do that again because that friend has a new pup who is using them. So I think I'll go to Bunnings and get one of those compost crates I've heard mentioned on here, plus she has her own crate. Thanks for being so compassionate to me when I was nearly having a breakdown the other day. I'm still worried about my girl, but we'll make the best of what life throws at us.

Awwwe Emmy is a good girl.

Thanks so much everyone. What you're saying is echoing what my dear Mum just said. I've cried bucket loads and you are all right, dogs live in the moment and make the best of whatever the situation is. I need to learn some of that, but at the moment I'm in shock. In regards to the surgery she initially had, she had a luxating patella, it was graded at 3 to 4 and was slipping to the inside of her leg. She couldn't even walk on lead in the yard without it coming out, so we felt we didn't have much choice but to go down the surgery road. Thanks for being there when I needed some reassurance. I'll keep you posted.

My sheltie had patella surgery almost 3 months ago, she still wasn't walking properly and the vet wanted to put her under again to remove the pins. She's been operated on today and he's just rung to let me know the bad news. He said she's torn a ligament around the patella or something, it was all a bit of a blur. He doesn't know how on earth she did it and said he's never seen this happen before. So now she has her leg in a splint and he wants to keep her in over the weekend. This was supposed to fix her but now he says she'll likely have a limp for the rest of her life, she's only 1. My heart is breaking and I can't stop crying. I just want my little girl to have a long happy life, not be in pain and uncomfortable. This is so not fair, and i regret doing the surgery at all. But when 3 different vets tell you she needs it, what are you to do?

Bundy's right, its www.cat-world.com.au

Well how about some pics... :D

Awwwe Wally, you dear old boy.. It looks like he didn't mind those pups climbing all over him though. Thanks for all the info Indi. We might see some more at the pet expo on the weekend and we get to drool all over again.

I attended one of these programs last year with my son when he was in 4yo kinda, it was fantastic and taught him a lot about how to treat dogs and how to approach a dog you don't know. It was also good at teaching the kids how to treat your own dog, in a very simple way. I've used the knowledge I learnt to educate other kids who come running up to meet my dog.

They certainly look like fragile little dogs, do they get injuries easily? Indigirl, the way you describe them, they really sound cat-like to me.

Indigirl, I'm saddened to read this news. Wally was a beautiful old man, even if he had you tearing your hair out. You showed him love, compassion and patience when he needed it most. The tears are flowing freely here. RIP Wally

Wow! With Oscar the iggy it is always the other way round The little one sounds like a real sweetheart They are a breed that has totally stolen my heart. My boy has me well and truely got me wrapped around his paw. He is mischevious and naughty and but so sweet and cuddly. I don't let Oscar offlead anywhere unsecured as his recall is terrible, as are most iggies (being basically a little sighthound). He will approach people with great bravado but often backs off if they go for in for a pat. Once he knows you (give him 10 mins) he is a friend for life. All our visitors are subjected to Oscar's constant requests to play fetch. Various ones I know are a real mix, some are very shy, others are very brave. They vary in height alot too. Oscar is a biggy iggy at a bit over 7kgs (but he is over standard) but Iggy Rescue has a little girl at the moment who came into care at 3kgs. Thanks for the insight. The guy was small, I'm not sure if he was fully grown but he was definitely smaller than my sheltie. He was offlead where there were lots of other dogs wandering around, when called, he did return to his owner. Admittedly he didn't run up to anyone, but he took a special liking to my daughter. Anyway, this little guy was bootiful. Pop into the iggy thread whenever you want to talk iggies. I am always up for a chat It was love at first site for me - first one I saw was prancing around a show ring. They are certainly not a breed for everyone but they are very special. Even my oh who is not a small dog person at all (and admitedly I never was), loves Oscar (except when he is chewing a shoe or standing on the dining room table, crying because he can't get down). I find him curled up with him snuggling or telling him how gorgeous he is. Will do, even to have a squiz at all the pics..

Wow! With Oscar the iggy it is always the other way round The little one sounds like a real sweetheart They are a breed that has totally stolen my heart. My boy has me well and truely got me wrapped around his paw. He is mischevious and naughty and but so sweet and cuddly. I don't let Oscar offlead anywhere unsecured as his recall is terrible, as are most iggies (being basically a little sighthound). He will approach people with great bravado but often backs off if they go for in for a pat. Once he knows you (give him 10 mins) he is a friend for life. All our visitors are subjected to Oscar's constant requests to play fetch. Various ones I know are a real mix, some are very shy, others are very brave. They vary in height alot too. Oscar is a biggy iggy at a bit over 7kgs (but he is over standard) but Iggy Rescue has a little girl at the moment who came into care at 3kgs. Thanks for the insight. The guy was small, I'm not sure if he was fully grown but he was definitely smaller than my sheltie. He was offlead where there were lots of other dogs wandering around, when called, he did return to his owner. Admittedly he didn't run up to anyone, but he took a special liking to my daughter. Anyway, this little guy was bootiful.

So what I'm wondering is if the one we met is the exception to the breed, or is the breed description way off? DD is now dreaming of owning an iggy one day...

We took Georgia to the beach yesterday, there were dogs everywhere, and they were all having a blast. A lady came walking towards us, and probably 100 metres in front of her was this tiny dog. When it got closer I realised it was an Italian Greyhound and it was TINY. Anyway my daughter was sitting on the beach and this little iggy ran straight up to her, sat on the towel next to her and then crept onto her lap and stayed there till the owner got closer. DD and I were in love and could have easily have dog-napped the little one, it was adorable. I'm not sure if this one was a fully grown or not, but I thought they would have been bigger. I just had a look on the DOL breed pages and the breed is described as aloof and fearful of strangers. I think the one we met broke all the rules.... :D

Great, I can't wait to get it and get this problem sorted.

What do you mean by a marker word? She has a martingale collar on.

I just did a google search of the game you mentioned, it sounds like just what we need. Then I found my local library has it, so I'll be able to get it next week. Thanks for the tip. Ok, I won't give her the command just wait for her to look at me, then treat her.

I've never done clicker training, and I don't know a lot about it. Feel free to pass on any informative websites that could help. She does know the look command, and I understand what you're saying Cosmolo. We'll give it a go tomorrow. I'll look up that game too, it sounds interesting.

I'm hoping someone has some suggestions for me. There is one particular house we walk past sometimes, its on a corner with a big high fence and what sounds like a big dog lives there. Everytime we approach the corner Georgia is nearly ripping my arm out trying to get there. Then when we get closer she will lunge at the fence and make a racket barking at this dog. As we get further past the house you should see the cocky look on her face, completely full of herself for telling the big dog off. She's a 1yo sheltie and can be reactive to certain dogs, usually big ones. I do my best to stay calm and relaxed, but its not easy. I think Georgia is the one setting the other dog off, and of course once he gives his big roaring bark, the whole street gets started. I think I need to find a way to get her to focus on me, which so far I've had no success with. She turns completely deaf when she's in the vicinity. I've walked on the opposite side of the road and she doesn't react at all. I know the easist way to fix it is to avoid the street, but I want her to learn that I'm the leader and I can walk where I want to, and she needs to get over it. She starts getting excited/worked up before we've even reached the corner. Otherwise our walks are fun for both of us.

She hasn't done anymore since last night. She's been eating some iceblocks, because its so damn hot here. And she thought my lunch smelt really good.... she's seems ok in herself. She's currently barking at something outside.

Thanks Kasoo. I'll wait and see what the vet says, she may have an issue with a particular type of food. At the moment she's on royal canin dry and raw meaty bones.