tdierikx

Because in most cases, the longer you leave it, the more chances for an accidental pregnancy to happen - complacency about a bitch in heat is probably one of the largest factors contributing to accidental pregnancies. Obviously not an issue if you are fine with making sure the bitch doesn't have the chance to be got at by a male - and knowing the signs that she is coming into season, etc... Then there is the mess aspect... lots of people have a hard time coping with that as well... T.

I'm sure her off switch is activated after a good romp with her new foster siblings who have similar energy levels to hers, yes? I'm sure after a few days at your place, she'll come out of her shell a lot more with regards to timidity... can't play coy at treat time, or you miss out, right? She's had a lot of changes recently - it is quite normal to be a little unsure for a little while - but under your care I'm sure she will really flourish. T.

I refused to talk about any settlement of property (house, etc) with my ex until he signed over the dog he'd left with me. He still got more than he should have in the property settlement, but I got the dog... T.

These are all great questions to ask the vet that you are considering using to have your dog desexed... From my experience though - after having many (read over 100) rescue foster pups desexed young, and a number of my own dogs done at more mature ages - most dogs don't have any issues with the surgery, nor do they have any of the issues afterwards you are worried about. I have noticed that the younger the dog, the easier it takes the surgery - ie. young puppies (under 12 weeks) don't even seem to notice that they have had surgery at all, and are running about and playing as normal the next day - older dogs may be a little uncomfortable for the first day or two, but soon recover just fine. May I also dispel the myth that dogs will get fat after being desexed... if you feed and exercise your dog to the weight and body style that you prefer, no dog will get fat - desexed or not. I have 4 lovely lean desexed bitches here ranging in age from 14 years down to 12 months old. Only 1 of my dogs had some complications after being desexed - she had a reaction to the internal stitches which caused a lovely big fluid bubble. We drained it twice over the next week, and she was fine after that - she was already on antibiotics after the surgery, so we let them do their job to make sure the reaction didn't get infected (no nasties in the fluid when we checked it). Within a week, the fluid stopped building up, and she healed normally after that. At no point were I or the vet overly concerned about the "problem" as presented. She was 3 years old when desexed and had had a litter previously. One thing I ALWAYS insist on before any of my dogs has internal surgery is a "scrape test" - this is a cheap and easy test to check clotting speed in the dog. They will make a small scrape with a sharp instrument inside the dog's cheek, and time how long before it stops bleeding. If it takes longer than it should (usually under 1 minute), the vet then uses an anaesthetic combined with a clotting agent when performing the surgery to make sure the dog doesn't bleed more than it should... easy peasy! If you are considering doing agility work with your dog, I'd say to get her desexed once she has physically matured and finished growing - purely because there IS enough anecdotal evidence that early desexing can result in a leggier dog - which obvioulsy isn't ideal for agility training and the stresses it can put on the joints. If you are not going to do high activity sports with your dog, this will be much less of an issue, and I'd get her done about 6-8 weeks after her first season. T.

I could see her bossing your lot around too... lol! T.

Wayrod (here on DOL) - might be able to arrange... PM him... T.

Doesn't look like they are to fazed by it though... she IS a pretty girlie after all... lol! T.

When I have to select dogs from pounds for the purpose of rescue, I talk to the kennel hands who have been caring for them - they tend to have the greater isight as to how the dog has been handling the pound environment, basic likes and dislikes, etc... T.

As much as it would be lovely to have a replica of our favourite dog, the scientists cannot give us that. Genetically identical does not correlate to temperamentally identical. As the article explains, environmental factors play a huge role in the development of certain traits - and as much of what we loved about our departed furfriends is based on those traits (as opposed to the physical "look" alone) - then as far as I see it, it's just a money making venture that plays on our emotional state. If it were possible to completely clone both physical AND temperamental aspects of an animal - I'd probably drop any amount of money to have my heart dog back again... T.

Oh - and when something happens suddenly, like the 2 tigers having a rumble at Taronga Zoo last week - fussing and farting with camera settings and focus would never have gotten me the nearly 200 great photos of which the following few are representative of... 18-10-2013-taronga 258 by tdierikx, on Flickr 18-10-2013-taronga 256 by tdierikx, on Flickr 18-10-2013-taronga 248 by tdierikx, on Flickr 18-10-2013-taronga 239 by tdierikx, on Flickr 18-10-2013-taronga 226 by tdierikx, on Flickr 18-10-2013-taronga 213 by tdierikx, on Flickr 18-10-2013-taronga 295 by tdierikx, on Flickr Don't poo-poo the power of the preset... *grin* T.

Using the presets isn't cheating... especially under the conditions you describe. The following shot was taken doing exactly what you were - throwing the ball, then trying to whip the camera into position to get the shot. I had the zoom and focus point set to where I wanted the dog to be, then I threw the ball towards that spot and just held down the button in continuous shot mode... got lots of blurries, but the one really nicely focused shot was worth it, yes? T.

Not all rescues have the 'dog sleeps inside' criteria either... T.

I'm sure that Cyclone Juniper will take lessons from your gorgeous pack koalathebear... and will love your training regime that will keep her mind nice and busy. T.

How does one tactfully offer such advice to a grieving owner? It's good common sense, but not easy to impart under those circumstances... T.

Heard from a reliable source about a house being targetted in Gymea the other week - owner rang the council about painted arrows on fence and driveway, thinking they aere going to do some sort of work... council person he ended up put through to simply asked him if he owned a particular breed of dog, and when he told them he did, he was asked to lock the dog inside if he went out, as there have been a few thefts of that breed in that council area. It does happen - but I don't think it's as rampant an issue as social media will have us believing... T.

Yay for Bronte!! ... and Cyclone Juniper... *giggle*... you certainly pick the easy ones, don't you? T.

I had friends over on the weekend (who have a fat Labrador of their own), and the husband asked me what breed Trouble was... when I told him she was a Labrador, he said "you could fit 3 of her into Ralph" (which is sadly true)... All the while, the wife is saying "we'll take you to our house and fatten you up"... aarrgghh! Note to self - don't ever let these particular friends mind the dogs if I go away... errr! T.

For my zoo photos I have my Canon 60D in the Sports preset mode... it seems to be giving me pretty decent results... *grin* T.

How did you go today in sunlight? Don't underestimate the presets your camera has just because you want to play with manual settings... sometimes it helps to use them to get the basic settings the camera expects for the scene you are trying to capture - then you can fiddle with those settings in manual to get the shots you want later... T.

Yeah - what Noishe said... lol! T.

I wonder what recourse owners of pet shop bought pups have over the dog's life span? Who do they chase when the pet they have bought develops some condition due to bad "breeding/genetics"? Willing to bet that no-one has actually tested that via consumer law 6 months or more down the track... How - when so many conditions will have myriad environmental factors contributing to the development of some "genetic" problems - can anyone give a LIFETIME guarantee that a pup they sold will be perfect for it's entire life? Because that is what it sounds like some of the general public are expecting when they buy from a registered breeder... *sigh* My parents adopted me - and it now becomes evident that I have a number of genetically predisposed medical issues... who can they sue? Or for that matter, who can I sue for my medical expenses? It's only 46 years later... but they were given a "perfect" baby girl all those years ago... *grin* Why is bad luck always someone else's fault? T.

She's doing great, isn't she? I bet she has all of your other dogs wrapped around her little paw in no time... Love the pics playing with Tag... she's got it all worked out there... and he'll get used to her style in no time by the looks of it... *grin* T.

Thanks Lasareina! T.

There will be a small piece of your soul that has gone with Roo on her journey... that is why you hurt so bad right now. Over time, the scar that it has left behind will always remind you of the wonderful times you and Roo shared... how special both of you were together... Roo will always be with you in your heart... she has left you in body only... but the amazing memories of all the great times you shared will help you heal. Remember her doing all the funny things and smile - she would like that. T.

I cropped in on a photo that shows the baby's rear end... what do you think grizabella? babybutt by tdierikx, on Flickr T.