tdierikx

Awww... what a totally handsome lad! T.

I have 2 bitches who will fight to the death at the slightest trigger - they could be fine together for ages, then something would set them off and it would be on. I have successfully been able to separate them for the past 4 years... but I live alone and don't have to train other family members to follow the strict no contact rules for those two dogs. The fun part is when I have to be away for more than a day. I have to board at least one of those two dogs so that whoever is feeding and exercising my dogs doesn't have to work the swapsy schedule. I couldn't rehome either of my two dogs due to knowing exactly what they are capable of when pushed - so I had to choose to do the separation thing or euthanaise one or both dogs... T.

The only real difference between having small or large dogs on the bed is how big a bed you will need... I have a queen sized bed, and we all fit quite nicely... *grin* Then again, got rid of the ex so I could fit more dogs on there... lol! T.

I had a Rottie boy who used to do that regularly... 4 times in 6 months was his record. I used to put a piece of non-stick gauze over the toe, then pad with plenty of cotton wool, then bandage... until we could go to the vet and have it fixed up properly. The padding from the cotton wool made it easier for him to bear weight on that foot until we could have him seen to. T.

One day at a time skyefool... one foot in front of the other... This particular time might not have been right for you, but one day it will be, OK? T.

Hmmm... maybe I'm speshul, but for a distance "give" I use "leave it"... T.

I resize my photos to web friendly sizes before I upload them to Flickr or Photobucket also... faster uploads that way... *grin* My photos are resized to 1024 pixels on the longest side - which I do with a free program called Easy Thumbnails. I save the resized photos to a different directory than the originals so they don't overwrite the originals with the smaller version... alternately you can add a prefix or suffix to the filename so they save nicely in the same directory and leave the originals intact. Can't wait to see your pics FF! T.

I've always used "give" to signify that the toy or whatever is in the mouth is mine. I think I trained my dogs too well though, none of them will actually play tug with me, they all spit it out as soon as my hand touches whatever they have in their mouths. T.

I like the bling one very much... maybe she can alternate them? T.

So the breeder is disputing your claim that the pup contracted Parvo at their premises, yes? As sad as it may be, there is still the very real possibility that the pup contracted Parvo AFTER leaving the breeder's premises. The incubation rate for pups in that age group can be as little as 2 days after exposure. Parvo is also one of the most virulent and hardy diseases known to affect dogs - it takes the most minute traces to be able to infect them too. I am currently living the aftermath of losing an entire litter of rescue foster pups to Parvo. They contracted the disease sometime shortly before arriving at my place for foster care. I now cannot have a pup anywhere near my place for at least 12 months, and I must be extremely careful if I'm going visiting anyone else's pup as well. Parvo is NOT something to mess about with - you CANNOT bring another young pup onto YOUR premises for at least 12 months now, OK? I understand your pain and distress - honestly I do - but it may not be the "fault" of the breeder at all. Sometimes these things just happen, and we feel the need to allocate "blame" for it happening. It's most likely no-one's direct fault that this happened to your pup... even though it may hurt like a bitch to admit it. T.

Definitely 3 and 5 are my faves... love the black ones... T.

Blacks for me... gorgeous! Especially the little chunky monkey sitting near the bucket... *swoon* T.

Staffy Rescue maybe? http://www.staffyrescue.org.au/ Big Dog Rescue - Mina and Anthony used to run Staffy Rescue previously and still has a soft spot for the little tackers... http://www.bigdogrescue.org.au/ 0425 243 517 T.

Depending on age, vaccination takeup of the individual pup, etc, Parvo can incubate for as little as 2 to 4 days... that said, the Parvo may not have come from the breeder's premises at all. Also, if the pup had been vaccinated within the previous 7 days or so, the Parvo test can show positive due to the vaccine... As kelpiecuddles says, you will now need to be very careful if you are thinking of getting another pup within the next 12 months - as Parvo can take at least that long to be gone from your house/yard - and any new pup could become infected as soon as you bring them home... regardless whether they've had their first or second puppy shots. To be safe, if you want a dog earlier than in 12 months time, I'd be looking at something over 12 months old that has had it's full adult booster shot. What did the breeder say to you when you reported to them that your pup had become ill with Parvo? T.

Either build a secure concrete floored run in the yard for her, or maybe you are going to have to crate train her for when you go out and can't leave her in the back yard due to the escapism. Roaming AmStaffs are not looked upon kindly in Victoria... T.

I'm thinking that as you haven't received the papers in a timely fashion, and you are having difficulty getting any response from your pup's breeder even though you have tried ALL methods, I don't think you are ever going to see his papers. T.

Alternately, if you can get an old used T-shirt or the like from the new family and pop it in her crate for her to get used to the new scents, that would be cool too... T.

Gratuitous puppy photos are always good... *grin* T.

Benny and the Pets... love it! T.

Ben went to Belmore Vet? OK - I haven't kept in touch... T.

Biggest hugs from me to you Caz (and Leah)... T.

Pickles is definitely Muttley from Wacky Races... *mutter mutter*... and always plotting the best way to get under your feet... T.

Ain't that the truth! It's the best feeling in the world when it all comes together and we know we've played a part in helping a dog get to their perferct forever family. Well done Michelleva! T.

Mortdale Vet Clinic used to have a couple of Bulldog breeders as clients... not so sure about that now they have been bought by Greencross. You could probably try Ben Acheson at Kogarah - he worked at Mortdale Vet Clinic for a while before going out on his own, and would have seen a number of Bulldogs in his time. He's also a really lovely man who truly cares about all animals. T.

Depends what you call "expensive"... Factor in how much you would pay a vet to vaccinate, desex, thorough health check and fixing any little thing that came up on that check, microchip, then factor in feed, exercise, basic training (both house and obedience), etc, etc... what would you expect to pay for all that? Then factor in an entire litter of pups that require all of that, and numerous older dogs that may need even more that the above before they are available for adoption... I think that $500 for a happy, healthy, and well socialised pup of ANY breed or mix is quite reasonable, don't you? Crossbreed dogs are sold for much more than that on Gumtree - with NONE of the above things done already... now, that's expensive! T.