tdierikx

My friend's long hair would willingly get into the bathtub himself when it was his bath time... I'm pretty sure his purring was due to the fact that his owner was very gentle, and he truly enjoyed the one-on-one time with her alone. He was a weird cat... *grin* T.

For me, Labs and Rotties are "normal" sized... and pretty much anything under 30kg is "small"... T.

This is how a happy and healthy tiger in captivity should look... 23-11-2013-symbio 374 by tdierikx, on Flickr ... and how a well set up enclosure should look... 23-11-2013-symbio 404 by tdierikx, on Flickr T.

I had a friend that had 2 cats - the DSH washed herself fastidiously, and was thus a very clean cat... the longhaired boy, on the other hand, couldn't be arsed to clean himself (lazy bugger he was) - so he would get a bath every few weeks by his owner. He had been like that from the day she brought him home as a kitten, so had gotten used to sitting in the tub and being bathed... and I think he actually enjoyed the attention - he would actually purr while being bathed. T.

I don't think there'd be that may BYB's that would breed a dog with no hind legs either... it doesn't matter that the bitch is genetically sound and lost her legs due to a physical accident - but to intentionally breed from her? Not a good look for breeders... and we all know that stories like that tar ALL registered breeders with the same brush... grrr! Did they seriously not think what the outcome would be when they posted those pics online? T.

The eyes tell the story in the photos I've seen on Facebook... How can anyone keep such a beautiful animal in such revolting conditions - and charge people to view it in that state? How can ayone think this is right? T.

My 14 year old is a senile delinquent... *grin* T.

Now that is seriously WRONG on so many levels... Aaahhh... but therein lies the rub... think how much the rescue can get in donations by parading Duncan about and posting his "progress" online... My girl Pickles was on TV once as a part of a short doco about our rescue - but she played only a small role, and didn't get any more airtime than the other dogs we had filmed on the day. We could easily have focused on her mobility issues and how much we spent on her rehab, etc... but that just didn't sit right with our group - what was shown was her playing nicely with other dogs of all shapes and sizes, her friendly nature, and things like that... no focus on the fact that she walked funny or needed anything more than a normal home life and family of her own - just like every other rescue dog we had in our care. I have taken Pickles out to Doggie Days, and every time she simply loved all of the attention she got - I just use that as an excuse to talk about rescue dogs in general, and how much joy they can bring to our lives. Focusing on the hard and gory stuff tends to put some people off the idea of rescue, and can reinforce the belief that rescue dogs are "damaged goods" - which just isn't true in the majority of cases. We don't wear any advertising material alerting anyone to the fact that she is a rescue either, just go to have a fun doggy day out. T.

I always thought Fritz was the name of a cat... *grin* T.

Some dogs have that amazing zest for life... and don't realize that they are different at all. Personally I couldn't take on a dog with Duncan's issues, but there will be someone out there who will do so happily. I tend to wonder what sort of person would knowingly adopt a dog with extreme disability - so much so that when my foster girl with mobility issues was ready for adoption, I actually chose to adopt her myself... because I was completely aware of those issues and had been living with them for some months already. Never underestimate the joy that a dog with disabilities can bring... but you also have to remember that when the novelty value wears off, you will still have a disabled dog. T.

Fumo - spear, in Swahili T.

I likes!! Good thinking! T.

Fame, Fable, Felix, Finn, Floyd, Fido, Fudd, Fonzie, Farnsworth, Fluffy... *grin* T.

My Lab is nearly 8 - and is still crazy... lol! T.

Yeah - but it'a amazing when chatting to people on their way through the gates and asking which animals they especially want to see - they invariably reply "tigers and lions"... Well - on the upside - maybe Symbio will get more people through their gates to see their tigers... *grin* I must say that I'm especially enamoured of the tigers - at both zoos I visit regularly - but Taronga does have a HUGE selection of other animals to get to know too. Mary the Sun Bear is a complete crack-up, the Chimps are always good value, the Elephants are fun when they get playing (and you can see them getting their baths up close too), not to mention all of the Australian wildlife, the bird and seal shows, the farmyard animals you can actually pet, etc... way too many things going on to fit into one day really... *grin* I'm still trying to find out when the bloody Platypus at Taronga tends to make himself available for photos... maybe if I spent less time at the big cats, I might find and photograph him? T.

I'm sure there must be a rescue or a foster carer up your way that would love the crate Lhok... T.

One rule of containment for all pets should be the go... but somehow not all pets are looked at equally under the law... *sigh* It's not fair or right that Stan's Mum has to contain her dogs not only to her property, but to the HOUSE, purely because her neighbour thinks it's OK for her cats to wander wherever they please, and do whatever they please, whenever they please. I'm under no illusions as to what would happen to a cat coming into my yard... and I think the neighbourhood cats know it too, as they don't seem interested in dropping in... well - except that one cat that is no longer with us. And let me tell you now, just because I'm not a cat owner, it doesn't mean that I wasn't highly traumatised by what my dogs did to that one cat all those years ago - it was horrible to be holding a cat taking it's final breaths and knowing that I couldn't fix it. T.

Taronga's young'uns are a bit big now to get their heads stuck in the tyre toys - but I did notice that a couple of their tyres have actually been cut through at the bottom, presumably to stop anyone getting caught up in them? Luk Chai in particular loves to play with the tyres - especially when he has an audience... little show off! T. PS... run free little Sanook...

All of my Rotties - Woosie, Blossom, Rastus, Shadow, Punkin, Dexter, and Connor all went to the Bridge way before I wanted them to. Woosie was the oldest when she passed at nearly 12 years old... and even though her arthritis had thrown a clot to her spine and paralysed her back end on her final day, she was still wanting to chase a tennis ball... My Crossbreeds have fared somewhat better, but I think that is down to luck as much as anything else (like proper diet, regular exercise, etc) - Zeddy is 14 now and still tries to play zoomies... lol! T.

The problem with doing the upgrade at Taronga is that they are planning to move ALL of the big cats away to other places while they do it... and if they take as long about it as they have done with the still unfinished Lemur enclosure, then they may well see gate entries drop... most people (and their kids) want to see a lion or tiger when they go to the zoo... T.

Oooohhh! Sounds like fun! Don't forget your camera... and post some pics for us all to enjoy... T.

Of my 4 dogs, 2 are always restrained by a harness and proper buckled seatbelt attachment - I don't like the loop ones you thread the seatbelt through, but prefer the ones that look like a lead with one end having a clip connection for the seatbelt buckle. The other 2 dogs are older, and they have always travelled unrestrained - but they have also been trained to lie down on the back seat and not move about whilst the car is in motion. It can be done as long as you are consistent about it. If I have to take more than one dog with me in the car, one will invariably be crated in the back part of the wagon, and the other harnessed on the back seat. Peace of mind can't be bought really... T.

Have school holidays started early this year? Or does Zigster have some sort of affiliation with the "boarding kennel" in question? Seems strange that Zigster is a new member, and immediately resurrects a thread that's been dead for 3 months... T.

That sounds like heaven piper! T.

She looks so much like her mum.... gorgeous! T.