tdierikx

Those eyes get me every time... he just loves you so much perse... T.

4 is my magic number... T.

I hope the wife is the one in charge of toilet training the kids... T.

Oh - and you REALLY need to buy and read this book... http://www.fostermanual.com/ Worth so much more than the asking price... and written by someone who has many years of experience in the field of rescue. T.

Seriously, I can't recommend Steve's MDBA Foster Carer course highly enough... should be mandatory for ALL prospective carers... it covers EVERYTHING you really need to know! As for rescuing Staffy types... have you ever seen one in fight mode? Are you able to separate all dogs if the worst case happens and you end up with a dog that simply will NOT get on with YOUR dogs? Quite frankly, I wouldn't take a pound Staffy into MY home straight from the pound... and I have extensive dog handling skills, and a number of years of actual foster caring under my belt. Can you effectively quarantine a dog coming straight from the pound? It's not as simple as making sure your own dogs are vaccinated - there are some diseases that can come to your home with a pound dog that you really don't want to have to deal with... Parvo is the main one, and is a complete nightmare to get rid of effectively. Kennel Cough is scary for new carers, and it's also highly contagious. And there are many more really fun illnesses, infections, and parasites to contend with too... you REALLY want to know you have great backup if you end up with a dog with ANY of those, as vet bills can get out of hand really quickly. There is a very large presence/group operating via Facebook who you REALLY need to steer clear of if you are looking at taking in the Staffies they advertise... there have been a number of horror stories about them. May I suggest you contact either Staffy rescue or the Animal Welfare League, and offer to volunteer with them for a while - both have shelters where you can get a feel for the dogs in care, and can then maybe move into foster caring as you gain more experience... win-win for everyone IMHO... T.

Cowards like this fellow probably wouldn't have even attempted to attack a larger dog that might have been able to defend itself. T.

What a "hero" - pummelling a 3kg Papillon nearly to death just because it shat on the carpet... T.

So great to read this tdierikx - I bet that guy needed to change his pants after that hey?? Good little man - I bet you hugged him close after that. Woosie was her name... and she was my one true soulmate... She chased my 6'4" Maori flatmate out of my room once when she was a wee pup too... poor bloke was just letting me know there was a phonecall for me. She took her guarding mummy while she sleeps job VERY seriously... lol! She stood between me and another crazy flatmate who was waving a knife about one night too... T.

Moved into a new rental in a less than salubrious neighbourhood - and the first night I heard someone trying to open a window from the outside... One 10 week old Rotti pup up on my bed and making the most amazing big dog growl soon saw the intruder off... they obviously had no idea the actual size of the dog... lol! T.

Hmmm... funny that... one of my co-workers came to me this morning wanting to offload her 10 month old Lab boy... the lady's name wasn't Thelma, was it? I advised my co-worker to contact Labradog Rescue for rehoming him. T.

Labradog Rescue are awesome! T.

Cute... *grin* T.

This may sound kinda strange, but we are all crazy "dog people" here, right? Go out into the back yard - sit down and get your other dog to sit with you where you can cuddle them... then get that completely primal grief howl going on... and bugger what the neighbours think! Works for me if/when things get a little hard anyways... I think you are going through a really bad case of the "what ifs"... the decision to let Lace go to the Bridge was not an easy one, was it? There is guilt (unfounded, yet real for you, yes?), and you are dwelling on the fact that you maybe could have made different decisions if a number of external factors had aligned to allow you to make those different decisions, yes? You made the hardest decision an animal lover ever has to make - and IMHO you made the right one for Lace given the circumstances you found yourselves in. Please don't beat yourself up about it. T.

I used to have a Rotti that used to take any food out of her bowl and spit it onto the floor before she would eat it... dog only knows where that habit came from... ?? Made it rather messy if she had rice or kibble in the bowl... T.

I second this... great offer Steve! T.

Next week is the 10 year anniversary of my beloved Woosie's passing... and it still hurts. A piece of my soul went with her I think... Time doesn't necessarily heal, but it does allow us to develop coping tactics to deal with the intense loss we feel when a furry soulmate leaves us. T.

We had an old Goldie surrendered to us a few years ago... who we ended up transferring to Goldie Rescue, as they were originally going to take the dog, but the owners were suss that GR may call the RSPCA on them for his condition. GR did contact the RSPCA, who were actually aware of this particular dog and it's owners - and they were given a fine for neglecting him. They had taken him to the vet and were given a treatment plan, etc, but never followed it up... thus the dog got worse, and they ended up surrendering him rather than be caught with him on the premises when the RSPCA turned up. The RSPCA had followed up with the vet clinic involved, etc... Rescues CAN contact the RSPCA or Animal Welfare about any dog surrendered to them - and not have to surrender said dog to their care before action can be taken. T.

Funnily enough, the only bed that Pickles hasn't eaten yet is mine... *grin* Probably because that's where SHE sleeps too... Harper's not allowed on the bed because she tends to use it like a trampoline and keeps everyone awake... *sigh* T.

Such beautiful eyes... rest now sweet girl. T.

Oh Kirislin! Run free sweet Penny... T.

When I had shingles type nerve pain caused by my spinal lesion last year, I found that Neocort gave me a whole 30 mins of relief... *bliss* T.

I had a stranger actually reach into my car and pat Harper while she was doing one of her fear displays... brave or stupid, I don't know - but she let him pat her... *sigh* I know that Harper will not bite - at least that is some small consolation. She's more likely to shut down completely or capitulate than bite - even if cornered. If she's met someone before, she's also more likely to jump all over them for another cuddle next time she sees them... she's a complicated one... T.

Would look awesome adorned by a Crestie or two methinks... T.

It wasn't your thread in particular that prompted this discussion Terri... just that there have been quite a few similar ones - and it got me thinking about why we are reacting so strongly about what would have once been construed as "normal" doggy behaviour when placed in a stressful or frightening situation... as though NO dog should ever react at all to a stressful or frightening situation it may find itself in. I have 2 dogs here that are about as "bombproof" as it comes - but I'd still expect them to let me or anyone else know that what was being done to them hurts or is stressful. I also know it's MY job to ensure that they aren't subjected to unnecesaary stress or pain if at all possible. If one of my dogs was backing up from some stranger in a vet clinic leaning over it with a strange object, I'd not be asking what the dog was doing wrong, but why the hell someone who is supposed to have more sense when handling animals was being such a dick. I hear you loud and clear about the fear thing, as I'm pretty sure one of my other dogs has a worse case of that than your Didi... funnily enough she is also part Dane... T.

If only I could afford you huski... lol! She's usually fine once she's been patted by a stranger - dog help you if you come to my house and get past her initial backing up barking and shaking... she has a nasty habit of turning into a 30kg lap dog pretty quickly... *sigh* T.