tdierikx

Doesn't say if Max was allowed to "run like a maniac" during his formative months... Sure - Max may have started off genetically predisposed to certain issues due to the "breeder" not necessarily performing specific health testing of the sire/dam - but a lot of orthopedic issues in pets can be partly (or in some cases, completely) attributed to factors completely out of the control of the dog's breeder. How many times will a vet tell a distraught owner that their dog's issues are genetic, when the case may well be that the owner may have had some part to play in the issues that have developed. When was the last time any one of us had a vet tell us that an issue with a dog we owned was all our fault? I'm NOT supporting Banksia Park's breeding practices - but I still think there may be more to the story than the owner has told the media. T.

Call Dogtainers in Sydney - best service ever... explain your situation, and I'm sure they will be able to work out something for you. T.

A new bright star was seen in the sky last night - shining love down on all... Run free and happy sweet Roo... T.

I'm using a Canon 60D with a Canon 100-400mm L lens. Sometimes I will use a Tamron 18-270mm lens if I am too close for the big lens. The animals are a lot closer at Symbio than at a lot of places... and I'm loving that a lot! T.

It was pretty fun watching scaredy Cinta barrel straight up to the new clam shell pool... but the even better part was watching the face on her keeper... a huge grin that said we found something that Cinta obviously isn't scared of... lol! As far as we know, Cinta hasn't seen one before... ... and the keeper loves the nice big carboard boxes I brought too... of which I can get a pretty steady supply of from work... yay! The Tamarins and Marmosets were all given pretty coloured mobiles today too (the keeper brought them) - and they had a great time making them jangle... lol! You are going to love the latest Tamarin baby pics I got today grizabella - one little one has decided it can run and climb by itself! Too cute for boots! T.

They may not be "party people", bt they sound like they may be a lot of other undesirable things... errr! T.

With family/friends/acquaintances, I will always say something - but try to put it nicely... like "oooh, who's a well loved puppy then?" while giving said dog a cuddle... T.

I took some large cardboard boxes and 2 clam shell pools to Symbio today for the tigers... and they used one of the clam shells to hide lunch in for the tigers... Cinta was the one to get the treat... yay for Cinta! Cinta is usually a scaredy cat when it comes to new things - but she ran straight to the clam shell and checked it out today. Took her 2 attempts to find the food hidden under the scratch, but it was obviously worth it... lol! Jalur was slower on the uptake today, so Cinta got both of their lunches... lol! It's usually Mr Piggie who gets all the lunch... Photos coming later... T.

LOL!! Quote of the day there! T.

Me likes! T.

Thanks Kirislin... Mary's tongue is only about halfway out in that shot... Sun Bears have extrodinarily long tongues! I didn't even notice the spider on Jantan's chin - awesome spotting there! T.

After missing out on Tiger pics at Symbio on Saturday - got me a whole heap at Taronga on Sunday... lol! Latest pics are up at http://www.flickr.com/photos/tdierikx/sets - in the Taronga Zoo 13th October 2013 set. Here's a taste... Satu finding a tasty morsel... 13-10-2013-taronga 033 by tdierikx, on Flickr Tiger in a tree... 13-10-2013-taronga 170 by tdierikx, on Flickr Mary can sleep in the strangest places... 13-10-2013-taronga 283 by tdierikx, on Flickr Elephants in their moat... 13-10-2013-taronga 503 by tdierikx, on Flickr Giraffe tongues are fascinating... 13-10-2013-taronga 672 by tdierikx, on Flickr Tiger in the pool... 13-10-2013-taronga 720 by tdierikx, on Flickr He was actually yawning - despite what it looks like... *grin* 13-10-2013-taronga 766 by tdierikx, on Flickr Dixie the Whistling Kite catching and eating her lunch on the wing... 13-10-2013-taronga-dixie3 by tdierikx, on Flickr Enjoy! T.

No tiger pics on Saturday - Kato was out in the morning and refused to come back inside so that Cinta and Jalur could come out and play... Jalur was not happy and made it known by roaring a few times during the afternoon. Naughty Kato! Even a huge leg of venison wouldn't tempt the old bugger to come in - he just looked, then rolled over on his back and went back to sleep. Someone may be too well fed methinks... lol! No biggie - there are plenty of other cool animals at Symbio to get nice pics of - and I got to pat a few Koalas as well... *grin* Pics can be found here... http://www.flickr.com/photos/tdierikx/sets/ in the Symbio Zoo 12th October 2013 set. Here's a taste... Millie having a drink... 12-10-2013-symbio 021 by tdierikx, on Flickr Joeys are getting bigger! 12-10-2013-symbio 039 by tdierikx, on Flickr Kelly doing what Kelly does best - chillaxing... 12-10-2013-symbio 174 by tdierikx, on Flickr I think this is Lone Wolf... 12-10-2013-symbio 184 by tdierikx, on Flickr Ani leading the Kangaroos off to the iso area after one of them was injured... 12-10-2013-symbio 231 by tdierikx, on Flickr Ash watching Izzy approach him (it's mating season)... 12-10-2013-symbio 298 by tdierikx, on Flickr Young love - Izzy on the left, Ash on the right... 12-10-2013-symbio 301 by tdierikx, on Flickr Enjoy. T.

Daisy Ninja does kinda suit her, doesn't it? Poor Puck - has his nose out of joint over Mummy's new little friend, does he? Maybe when she's bigger, he can teach her the joys of playing in mud puddles... lol! I want Penny snuggles photos... T.

Very nice for a practice run... *grin* T.

People who keep certain types of dogs for fighting don't usually keep them inside the family home though sandgrubber... T.

First night cries are heartbreaking, aren't they? Well done for not succumbing... I have found that pups tend to settle better if they are in a crate in my bedroom - positioned so they can see me on the bed. I also put a teddy bear of a slightly larger size to the pup in their bed for them to snuggle up to like a litter mate. I love the little jacket - gorgeous! T.

Awww... Penny playing surrogate mummy... so sweet. Need pics of Penny snuggles... T.

Love the taste test with the horse poo... lol! T.

My mobility challenged girl Pickles weighs in at 14kg, but needs to be fed as much as a 28kg dog to keep her condition. Her mobility issues mean that she works much harder at getting about than my other dogs - and she's a busy little bugger at the best of times anyways. People tell me she is skinny, but she is also muscled dfferently to most dogs due to her mobility issues and how she gets about. She is kept lean, but not skinny, due to her isses - if she was to carry too much weight, it would negatively impact on her quality of life enormously. I got into a fight with a new vet at a local vet clinic once about her condition - she said Pickles was proportioned wrong, and I pointed out that the reason she has no discernable chest muscles is that she doesn't actually use them like other dogs... her walking style is "unique" to put it mildly... *grin* Her regular (read treating) vet is more than happy with how she is proportionally and health-wise - Pickles is perfect for Pickles basically. My old girl Zeddy is 14 years old now, and apart from a little bit of arthritis and some greying about the face and feet, doesn't look her age at all. She is a Rotti/Pittie mix, and weighs in at 28kgs - perfect weight, and she has a lovely waistline/tuck. Most people and vets put her age at around 7-8 years old - and then are amazed at finding out her actual age. The only real hint that Zeddy is older than she looks is that she doesn't run too good any more, and takes a little longer to get out of bed in Winter... *grin*... but she still tries to play zoomies... *sigh* If either Pickles or Zeddy were to carry any extra weight, I'm sure they wouldn't be with me much longer... so I do regiment what they get fed. Funnily enough, I'm not as fussy with feeding myself as I am feeding my dogs... lol! I could probably drop 10kg, but I can't be arsed... *grin* I have a friend who has 2 larger than life young Labs - she says she only feeds them the same amount of food I feed mine, and she takes hers for a lot more walks than I take mine - but her boys are easily in the 40kg range, whereas mine is only 28kgs... I just tell them they look well loved when I see them... they appear to be really healthy in every other respect, their activity levels are normal for crazy Labs, etc. T.

*waiting patiently for news and pics of new puppy fun* T.

Run free and healthy at the Bridge sweet Rosie... T.

This is my Lab in her prime... at around 4 years old... She is now nearly 8 and is carrying about 2kgs more weight than in the above photo - so still nicely proportioned - but I tell her she has "booty" and think she's a bit chubbier than I'd like. Funnily enough no-one else thinks she's chubby... This is a photo taken around January this year - to me she looks a bit more portly than I'd like... T.

I am vicariously getting my puppy fix through your gorgeous photos Kirislin... I can't have pups here for some more time yet... so thank you so much for sharing your gorgeous little new addition with us. Looking forward to the looks on the Whippets' faces when she meets them... they are going to be looking at her as if to say "she looks like us, but is so TINY!" Mini Me time methinks... lol! Have you settled on Neko as her name yet? T.

Woohoo!!! Puppy day today!!! T.