tdierikx

Oops... me made a typo in my excitement at seeing the cute video... lol! T.

Dog no! I've already got 2 of those... * grin* The rescue I contacted have a good relationship with the pound she is in, so she'll most likely be with them very soon. T.

I friend of mine summed up what it takes to be able to survive without going insane in the rescue world... you need to be able to be dispassionate with compassion... Sure - in rescue, you will see some of the worst things that people can do to their pets - but you will also have lots of opportunity to meet many other people who are amazing and awesome human beings. It balances itself out nicely if you go at it following the above summation of how you operate. We humans are a funny bunch really - we do so love to elevate ourselves to something higher than the somewhat advanced primates we really are deep inside... and if supposing the worst about previous owners of animals coming into care is what does it for you, then you probably aren't going to last very long before you hit burn out - or just go mad... Successful and ethical rescuers will think with both heart AND mind, and simply focus on what each individual animal in their care needs for the best future - not focusing on what it's past life or owners MAY have been like. T.

Well - I DID post it as a thumbnail sized pic - to see the full detail you had to click on it... lol! I can vouch for the fact that ALL the boys at Taronga have one, and aren't afraid to show it off at the slightest opportunity... just like their human counterparts... hehe! T.

Has rescue interest... *grin* Email sent to Wollondilly re this girl - hopefully she'll be in care soon. T.

I just want to say how my heart breaks for you Jelly... it is never easy to say goodbye to our four legged friends... even when we know that it is the kindest and most selfless thing we will ever do for them. Between now and then, enjoy each other and know that the love is truly unconditional going both ways. Roo will be in some awesome company while she waits for you at the Bridge... tell her to say G'day to my girl Woosie when she gets there, OK? Know that she will forever be in your heart, and keep the bestest memories of her there where they belong... Gotta go now - it's getting hard to type through this water dripping from my eyes.. *sob* Sending you cyber hugs... T.

Here's a male chimp showing off his willy Kirislin - grizabella, I don't know his name... Samaki maybe? See... it IS somewhat distracting, yes? T.

That is sooooo sweet! Gidget is just a big puppy herself, right? Look at the chubby butt on Boy 1... lol! T.

I'm pretty sure I have some pics of Furahi's boy bits somewhere... *grin* Check out his physique though - one seriously well proportioned boy there! One of the keepers on Sunday told us that Furahi is like Lubutu's 2nd in command... and that if there is ever going to be a challenge for the alpha position, they reckon it will be Furahi that makes the challenge. Right now though he appears to be happy enough as number 2 boy in town. T.

You can also pay for Shelter Manager to be hosted by the developer - then you can have multiple users able to access it... *grin* Once you get the feel of how it all works, it's a very effective database to use. T.

Hot damn grizabella! What lens did you use for those photos? You got so close! Every time I go to Taronga the darned orangutans are hiding in the day room under blankets... grrr! Hopefully that will change as the weather warms up... T.

She is seriously too cute for boots! T.

I'm still grinning like a loon... Will wait until after the school holidays before looking for favours like getting close to the animals though... I think they will be pretty busy for the next 2 weeks and will need all hands on deck supervising rampaging children... the last thing they need is to be babysitting a person who wants to take photos as well. I'm thinking of asking my boss for a week off sometime after the school holidays anyways - that may be a better time to get up close to the animals with the minimum amount of bother for the staff. T.

I got the coolest email last night... from John Radnidge, the owner of Symbio... He's just come back from leave, and has looked at the photos I've dropped off on my visits to Symbio... and he likes! He's offered to get me even closer to some of the animals for some photo opportunities... SQUEEAALLL!!! I'm still grinning like a loon this morning... Symbio is expanding too. In the next 9 months they are going to be building their lion, cheetah, and lemur enclosures. The new reptile house is nearly finished, as is the koala breeding sanctuary. Their tiger exhibit only opened earlier this year, and has already won awards for it's setup... Seriously - if you are in Sydney, you really need to visit Symbio... you won't be disappointed... it's a really lovely place completely free of the argy bargy and rude crowds of the bigger and more famous zoos around. T.

My Lab girl gets called skinny - but at 28kgs, she could lose 2kgs before I'd be more happy with her condition. I tell her she's got "booty"... *grin* She has a nice tuck and well defined waist line - but she will be shifting some of the "winter weight" soon... and then I'm sure I'll be told that I'm starving her... Just because Labradors have no eating "off switch", doesn't mean that you feed them until they stop asking. T.

Pickles is the only one of my dogs that will go for birds - but she's only caught one to date... probably because her mobility disability makes her so uncoordinated... lol! T.

I used check chains on my older 2, a harness for Pickles due to her disability issues, and use a check chain for Harper the horse puppy. The older 2 "graduated" to flat collars once they had the obedience thing worked out and no longer need any correction. T.

Sunday's Taronga pics are up... http://www.flickr.com/photos/tdierikx/ Here's a taste... 22-09-2013-taronga 125 by tdierikx, on Flickr 22-09-2013-taronga 177 by tdierikx, on Flickr 22-09-2013-taronga 302 by tdierikx, on Flickr 22-09-2013-taronga 447 by tdierikx, on Flickr 22-09-2013-taronga 585 by tdierikx, on Flickr 22-09-2013-taronga 669 by tdierikx, on Flickr 22-09-2013-taronga 861 by tdierikx, on Flickr 22-09-2013-taronga 888 by tdierikx, on Flickr Enjoy! T.

Yesterday I and a friend went to Symbio again... Photos here... http://www.flickr.com/photos/tdierikx/ The Cotton Top Tamarin babies are now about 3 weeks old, and are starting to get bigger and more active... too cute for boots! 21-09-2013-symbio 114 by tdierikx, on Flickr The Tigers never disappoint - check out their reaction to their dinner being secured up a pole... Cinta... 21-09-2013-symbio 419 by tdierikx, on Flickr ... and then Jalur decides he'll have that thanks... 21-09-2013-symbio 440 by tdierikx, on Flickr ... and this little guy decided to say hello on one of the paths... 21-09-2013-symbio 1120 by tdierikx, on Flickr Oh - and you know Aleksandr from the Compare The Meerkat ads? 21-09-2013-symbio 022 by tdierikx, on Flickr Enjoy! T.

The fines for repeat offenders can get pretty steep. Some councils have a scale that starts off hefty enough, but gets more expensive each time your dog is picked up for being at large. $960 sounds about right for 2 dogs that have been picked up numerous times... T.

OMG - do NOT show those pics to Katdogs!! Nelly is a dead ringer for her failed foster Jodie... Aaahhh - what the hell, I'm gonna email her the link to the pics... *grin* T.

Baby gate or some other barrier between you and the bubs while you clean up their messes. Simples... I had a litter of 9 large breed rescue foster pups during winter here a couple of years ago - had to keep them in the lounge room with the heater on low. The mess they made was phenominal, and they were also very play oriented when I wanted to clean up. I have a few crates - travel and cage - that I would pop the naughty little buggers into when I had to clean up. T.

At least she's getting a response... if my dogs don't want to listen to me, they don't even acknowledge that I'm talking to them... *grin* T.

Sage advice there from one who does the "job" exceptionally well... T.

The dogs could have been run over by a car instead of being picked up by the rangers too... who's fault would that have been if the dogs have a history of being at large? There is obviously "fault" on both sides of this particular situation - the owner for not securing their dogs and having them escape numerous times - and the RSPCA for not communicating to ALL staff that those particular dogs were the subject of a negotiation with the owners to pay the fee to get them out. A simple notice on their kennel(s) may have averted the mistaken euthing in this case... T.