OSoSwift

I live on acerage and the house yard is 5 acres. My dogs are not dumped outside as we have livestock fences and I don't want them nicking off-not that they have ever tried, but they are not going to get the chance!. We are also building a yard attatched to their dog runs wich is 12m X 10 metres so they can have access to that and their dog runs when they are locked up. We are outside quite often during the day and my dogs do race around and play with each other, Lewis in particular races around with his horse ball flat out all over the place. I throw toys and balls while hanging out washing, doing fencing etc. I also take them for leash walks thorugh the farm for an hour or more most days. They go to dog club once a week (on summer break at the moment) they sometimes come with me when I take my son to school, but not if it's too hot. They also come to town sometimes again depending on weather and what exactly I need to do. They see lots of visitors, play with the kids play with mee and we do training every second day at least if not every day. I do not feel they are missing out on anything, they do get to see stuff and they do get socilaised, I am not to worried about them playing with other dogs as I do not see that as important, they play with each other. They are very fit (there heart rates are the lowest our vet has heard), muscley and have no fear or aggression issues. I do not need to drive them to town 3 or 4 times a week to walk on a lead on bitumen for them to have a more fullfiling life than they have now. I sometimes take them in the car and then take them to check the mailbox or something.

Good to hear. I would imagine you would need to tread carefully.

Sorry to hear about the loss of your hosr fetchingdogs, I recently had to put my aged Clydesdale mare down so I can fully sympathise. My young 5 year old is lost without her so I am thinking it may be in his best interests to go and live at my frineds where he will have horsey friends and get some work. It breaks my heart, I bred him and have had him since day dot and we love each other, but it is breaking my heart that his is broken. I think horsey friends will help. No human love will ever make up for his lost equine friends I don't think. He has never been alone.

Out of interest, did you report them????? I also believe some people/maybe many, do it because they like it, they know it is wrong but they don't care. disgusting.

very good, yep I have had similar conversations myself!

If she is weeing often she may have a urinary tract infection infection. I would confine her more and take her to get looked at. If you can collect it a urine sample to take with you is a good idea (sterile ideally) If it is hot or she is running around more she could be drinking more therefore urinating more. But first thing a vet visit to make sure there is not an infection.

Good to hear Jed Definately not disease ridden that one. Great to hear a good story.

The dogs were inside watching the lounge didn't get away at the time It was 9.15 at night and I had gone down to the shed to get some more christmas paper from the storage room. I shone the lights of the car into the shed at high beam towards the switch thinking it has been warm, need to be careful - sure enough there was one right where I needed to walk! Made me jump as I saw it after I had got out of the car and was carefully walking towards the door and light switch. The shed is near the orchard which houses the chooks so my FIL is on the look out.

Great job Willow. You have put the time and effort in and it shows. It is a nice feeling when it all works. HAd a similar thing happen with my Dobe. Makes you very proud of them.

I knw exactly how you feel Pers, exactly what I have been thinking

So sorry to hear what younhave been dealing with. RIP Comet, a bright little man who was here for a short time - yep your name fits perfectly.

Lots of good advice also get a remote vibration collar. When you have trained her to it, the vibration replaces your voice to get her to recall or get her attention. This would be the first thing I would be doing with a deaf dog. Highly reinforce her looking at you. We have a not quite completely deaf dog (but just about!) at dog club she is trained with hand signals and is about to embark on her first trial. She is a Stafford

Goodness me that is some wind. Hope you are all okay and sorry to hear about destroyed fences and sheds. We had a very mild day and apart from one snake encounter late on christmas eve, very run of the mill. Hope everyone had a great time and all the doggies and you got spoilt.

My Christmas dogs

Hope you get your dogs with no hassles.

OR THAT THE DOG COULD HAVE DIED under the anesethic, all done without the owners knowledge or CONSENT. no vet can do that but the rspca can and will and DOES. Yep ASAL that is exactly what I was getting at. The dog could have died from the GA for something that didn't need it and without the owners permission. If they had of waited until they had spoken to the owner the owner would have told them the dog had had it's tail docked. I would have been beyond furious

Have a great one!

Heres to 2011, have a safe and great Christmas and see you in and quite possibly before 2011

Thanks for the update Jed. HAve a great CHristmas, I will be thinking of you and your little ones here and waiting at the bridge. Great to hear you are driving and needed a hair cut Heres to moving into your new house early in 2011 (I know they haven't started but thinking positive!) and all your babies will be back with you running the house again - well Chi Chi will be anyway!

Thats my one day lotto dream, but will be a Whippet from Sweden

:D I could barely even figure out what you were saying!

Just the smallest bite and the stupid man will be wearing the scars forever - hopefully scared s***less for the rest of his life, too. True, but I still hope he got a really good full mouth bite just to make sure the bloke remembers!

Poor dog for having such an idiot owner. I know someone with a similar problem - although they don't leave them near traffic in town. They leave them on the back of the ute and tell them to stay there. They hop off within seconds, piss all over the place and I usually go out and yell at them threaten them with death and they stay there. They think they are well behaved and they just are not! Now they actually tie them up - well mostly! The last straw was when they came into the garage and pissed all over my ironing board which was near the door and pissed all over the quad bike wheels when they were also parked in the garage. They will also posture at the old Stafford and I will not allow him to get in a fight, so I have to mae sure he is in. Funnily enough when I took my dog to their place and I let her out of the car for a little run around (on purpose) they ran around flat out trying to catch her and put her back in the car so she wouldn't chase any chooks or doing anything naughty. I called her she immediately came back and hopped in the car. They insist on taking them EVERYWHERE be it a BBQ, birthday party, quick visit - anything. Drives me nuts!

Yep how to break a leg or two and some ribs in a few seconds. I shudder what some of these dogs themselves go through! Sasha has comfort all sorted! When you are puffed you recline on a park bench until such time as you feel the strength to go on! I have never taken my dogs to play with others at parks or anything so not sure of the exact reaction, but I know the Stafford gave up a couple of weeks after an 8 week old Whippet came to live here! Rommi roo roo's and carries on as well - love it!

Well done the the Shepherd - love it. Hope he really got his teeth in!