OSoSwift

I lOVE that ring :) Got some very groovy christmas stuff :)

GAwd I think you just cost me a fortune!

I wouldn't class that as a vegetarian dog myself, many people can't handle raw meat. I would think the vegies have been added to bulk out the dogs diet, maybe to assist with weight loss?

It does sound too bizarre to be true.

What a complete mob of wankers. They have obviously started believing their own propoganda. Lets hope it brings them undone!

hahahahahaha Give him his own sandpit with toys and bones etc buried in it and spray citronella on any places you don't want him to dig, that way he will dig in his spot :)

It can be a challenge and I do have a little chuckle to myself when people complain they have to pay freight on an item(usuallyt hose who live in a major city) and I think gawd I would like to be able to pay that little for any freight! Currently the freight on my pallets of around 700 kgs are around $300 which is a very good price. Freight on smaller items from people other than my usual wholesalers can be very expensive. Of course my cats only do well on a food that my wholesaler doesn't carry! A 10kg bag costs me around $15 freight.

Happy birthday Herbert :)

At the I Love Dogs Show last Sunday, I asked one of the Vets about vasectomy. The reply was no Vets do not do this in Australia. This was not for desexing at a young age either. I ended the conversation. That's bullcrap, my vet will and it costs the same as desexing at the same age My vet would do it - at $400 per pup!

Generally they don't like being pursued. Leaving your stuff in a pile in an offlead dog area is asking for trouble! I guess though if I was leaving stuff I would put it in a pile!!!

I do try to support Austalian owned, made, ingredient etc products. Even with our food there are certain things I just don't buy due to where they are from. However If i cannot find the right food for my dog that is Aussie owned, made, ingredients etc then I will buy the best food I can no matter where it is from. I am going to be watching with interest.

By the time it gets to that point you do whatever you need to do to protect you and your dog. I completely agree :) Agreed. You ask, you tell you do what it takes. If what it takes involves a kick then so be it. I have kicked a dog, and hard, once. It was an entire male Boxer who had hackles up and growling. I had an entire male Dobe who I had half lifted up and had his muzzle over my shoulder by this time, dog stood up on its back legs and lunged at me and my dog and its open mouth with teeth hanging out was inches from my face. I had nothing to lose so gave it as hard a kick as I could, it dropped, and ran back to its owner. I then got abused by anoteehr beach goer for kicking a dog - how dare I!!! Riiigghhhtttt! Needless to say she got a mouthful as well. My dog and I ended up with no bite marks just a lot of sand and slobber, thank god!

Pur family dogs were always Kelpie crosee type farm dogs. My dad was a big believer in having your work dog living as your pet. Many people scoffed at him but the dog slept on my bed or her sheepskin near the fire, then went out and would work all day with the sheep. Sometimes she got kicked out if she had rolled in something disgusting. I was a mad keen horse kid. So my dog - Snoopy wlaked, trotted and cantered on command on both reins and also jumped "show jumping" courses off ead and in some quite intricate patterns. I used ot make courses out of bit and pieces I found around the place. Looking back she was actually quite a well trained agility pup. She stayed home when I moved out - and lived well into her 16th year. My first dog buy myself was Rotti bitch - byb who we adored and had a wonderful temperament, however her body let her down badly. She was extremely well behaved, intellegent and easy to train. I had her PTS at 3 years of age as she was crippled with OCD. She is the reason I am so pro and vocal about health testing where possible and not breeding from animals with known issues. I so wish to have another Rotti one day.

I was quoted a minimum of $500 by 2 Vets. So does a minimum mean that it could of ended up to be higher due to anesthesia use difficulty of cleaning etc Quite often that is the quote for a basic clean/scale and a GA. IT goes upwards if they find any teeth that require removal or further work. If there is a tooth removal required, the time and cost depends on which tooth it is. A carnassial has three roots and a big tooth, a canine has as much if not more root below the gum line, than above the gum line. An incisor takes very little to remove.

If I tried to force feed my horse or Alpaca a steak there would be an uproar, why is there not for a dog forced to be vegetarian?? - unless for a valid medical reason. PS If you want a dog to run with, swing past and grab our BC. That thing runs multiple lots of KMs, by choice each and every day :)

How rural are you? What are Esperance and Albany like for sourcing pet food? Is it just your average supermarket brands? How costly is it getting stuff freighted from Perth? I imagine you buy in bulk? Esperance - where I ma has Woolworths, IGA and farm supplly stores and a horse feed store. One now sells Advance. We have a vet hospital that carry's advance and will order in other things and also a Pet shop that carry's Science diet and BARF Patties. I buy my dog food in my the pallet load. Albany has a larger range but getting freight from Albany to Perth is actually a little tricker than you would think. IT all goes via Perth.

I think for your own good you would want to xray because otherwise you could feel concern that maybe it wasn't Cancer? Agreed. I would ask for an xray so I was sure exactly what I was dealing with. So sorry, RIP Lucy. Our heart takes an absolute beating when it hapens so suddenly.

I would think Panosteitis or possibly OCD of the shoulder??

I think if a person is a vegetarian or vegan and will not feed a dog meat, then they shouldn't have one. They should have herbivores instead. If it is due to a medical issue then I have no problem.

Oh gosh, I wasn't having a go at you. More pointing out the instructor that told you that is a wally. With mine they have to have an off button in the house. They lie down on their bed/lounge whatever and there is no leaping around/pacing. When I am training them I have them amped, kinda like a controlled explosion. Interestingly I was talking to someone one day who said they didn't think they could cope with the energy of a Whippet - I was like huh?????? Then I figured they had only ever seen my three at training. Yes they are up, amped, bouncing and pushing for more. At home they are on the lounge and you are lucky to get an open eye if you poke them to get them to move!

Yes supply where I am can be an issue also. We get everything freighted from Perth

Yes that is a consideration. They do get raw bones. Unfortunately our roo supply is now through our local Woolworths and they don't like Red roo from up north and sometimes the Grey roo you get they turn their nose up at and it is very strong. I wish our pet meat place had not shut down I can get some fish but hate the stuff, the smell makes me gag. I could incorporate more raw meat, I am not really happy with the otehr food they were on, so would find something else anyway.

I think if they have done their research and can be put in contact with a very good supportive breeder then why not???? One question I often ask is do you love your garden??? As we know Labs love to landscape and I wouldn't recommend one for someone with a show garden. And also mention that Labs are a WORKING dog, they are bred to run and work all day. Yes they are lovely and yes they make great guide and assistance dogs, however they are working dogs and can be very energetic and require training to be well behaved. - Yes I have had people just think Labs are just well behaved - I kid you not! - and are shocked at the mini tornado's that rip through their lives.

And then there are the sighthound issues with recall, small pets and being a bit more sensitive, generally. Regardless of the breed, if the first time owner doesn't take the time to educate themselves, they're likely going to run into problems. What's easy for one person to manage could be a terrible choice for another so I don't think any particular breed is "best" for first time owners. Agreed

There are far too many variables to say a dog is just not suitable for a first time dogs owner. I had Rottis then Dobes, many may say not suitable for a first time dog owner. We had very few issues. Yep if I had them now I think I could be a better owner and get more from them obedience wise as I have learnt heaps since then, but I still made a good owner. Whippets can be arses too if you get the wrong one so not all of them are suitable for first time owners either