tdierikx

Spot on there LG - although "very intelligent" is subjective in this case... lol! Next time you are in Sydney, come on around, and I'll give you a crash course in suture removal... I will even give you a couple of suture cutters to keep... hehe! I can show you the quick and easy tablet insertion technique too... works for large or small dogs... T.

Well - the iPhone is really only designed to take pics for sharing over the internet or viewing on a smaller screen than a computer monitor... for stuff you may want to print up large or have better resolution on, you really need at least a higher end point and shoot camera - or if the OH really loves you, a DSLR... *grin* The Canon SX model point and shoot cameras take some lovely photos - and they are a lot cheaper than a new iphone too... If you are looking for a reasonably priced DSLR, the Canon 1100D is a good starting point - or even the 600D is reasonably priced nowadays. Go for the twin lens kit option which gives you an 18-55mm and a 55-250mm (or the 70-300mm) - or for a single lens option, go for the Tamron 18-270mm one for best value and quality. For the price of a new iPhone, you could get the Canon 1100D with the Tamron 18-270mm lens... *grin* T.

The link they have on their page links back to a DOL thread that doesn't exist any more... T.

The only time I take my dogs to a vet is when they need something that I can't give them, or they have something wrong that I'm having difficulty pinning down the exact cause of. I usually know which tests I want done, or which medications I need for a certain issue, but don't have on hand in my dog medical kit. Take for example a rescue foster pup with diarrhoea - I will need a fecal float to determine whether we are looking at coccidia or giardia - very similar symptoms, but very different drugs needed to treat effectively. Having been involved with rescue for some years now, and having grown up on a farm where vet assistance isn't nearly as readily available as in the city, one develops a fairly broad range of animal illness diagnostic skills - and one invariably ends up using a vet only to confirm or deny a diagnosis and to put a treatment plan into place. The vets I use understand that I'm not the average city pet owner, and are happy to work WITH me to the benefit of my animals - in fact there have been occasions when a vet has called ME for help with diagnosing an illness in another client's dog. Being with rescue sure opens one's eyes to the myriad of interesting cases that can crop up, that's for sure - and I've seen and helped diagnose and treat a number of things that a regular suburban vet may never see in their entire careers. So when I say I "train" my vets - I mean that they are fully aware of my experience base, and we work together to diagnose and treat the animals in my care. Most of them appear to appreciate a client that takes such an interest in the work they do actually. T.

The RSPCA in the ACT isn't a pound though - they can be selective about the animals they take in, and when. Much easier to be no-kill when you aren't tasked with having to take in everything that comes through your doors. If you want a great pound to make comparisons with, take Renbury Farm, or Hawkesbury Pound in Sydney as examples of how a well run pound works - they both work extremely well with rescue, and have lower kill rates due to that fact. Renbury is privately run, and Hawkesbury is council run - but both strive for lower kill rates by actively working with rescue to get as many rehomable dogs and cats out with a chance to find a new life. T.

$26 entry for an adult was pretty reasonable I thought... you can spend all day there, swim in their pool, actually get up close and personal with lots of the animals, and the food isn't anywhere near rip-off prices. I've actually yet to find a cheaper day's entertainment for myself... *grin* T.

The punishment should befit the crime IMHO... stick a tight collar around HER neck and let it get into the same state... T.

I have 2 dogs that Capsicum spray doesn't work on - and we found that out the hard way... luckily they broke up their fight before the police pulled out the tasers... but they did have guns aimed when I had to take one of the dogs inside after the fight - luckily the other dog realised they were there and sat nicely wagging her tail until I came back to deal with her. None of my dogs are human aggressive or dog aggressive in any way - just 2 of them don't like each other is all. T.

A vet clinic I used to frequent was bought by Greencross... the upselling push has gone through the roof, and costs have soared. The staff are pretty much the same as before, but are "advised" to upsell at every opportunity - it's even part of their KPI's to make more profit for the clinic... I don't go there any more, and neither do a few other long standing customers. Another local vet clinic is a single owner operated clinic - his standard of care for the animals and interactions with owners is second to none... and he's cheaper and closer that the clinic I used to frequent. He is now my vet clinic of choice around here. The vet clinic that the rescue I'm with uses is an hour's drive from my place, but I have no hesitation taking my dogs there for anything they need that isn't terribly urgent - they have reasonable rates (even better rates for rescue), and they have awesome vets and great equipment for tests and the like - which the local vet doesn't have. As far as I'm concerned, anything over a $45 consult fee is a bit steep - especially when most visits for normal stuff take about 10-15 mins at most. Everything else they do is added on top of that, so keeping the starting price reasonable is a big one for me. $180 for a triennial plus CC is WAY over the top! I'm happy to pay a bit more than cost for the vaccine - and considering a C3 vial costs about $30 for the vet to buy, and syringes/needles are dirt cheap (say total to $35 for vaccine/syringe/needle) = about $80 to have it done at a vet clinic is reasonable. As for microchips - I know we can get them for under $5 each... so there's some markup at vet clinics there from the prices I've been quoted. Don't get me started of the prices vets charge for basic Clavulox - which cost them about $1 each to buy (for 250mg ones) - I got charged $75 for 20 tablets once... never again! T.

I wouldn'r call it "talent" really... I point the camera in the direction of something I find interesting, then I take as many photos of whatever it is that I can... that way, at least a few come out looking pretty good... lol! Take the most recent trip to Taronga for example - I took just over 1900 (yes you read that right) photos... and then pulled all of 38 that I thought were nice enough for public viewing... funnily enough, I'm not all that likely to show off the ones that weren't so nice... *grin* T.

I really AM quite jealous Kirislin... these three are seriously some of the cutest things on 4 legs... T.

I'm sure that my 4 all have their own versions of a sense of humour... they will do the silliest things, then look to see if you are laughing at them yet... if you aren't, they repeat until you do laugh... T.

Hi misha&milo - my camera is a Canon 60D, and most of the photos have been taken with a Canon 100-400mm L lens... some have been taken with a Tamron 18-270mm lens. I'm no pro by any stretch of the imagination either - I shoot in the preset Sports mode and don't shoot RAW - what you see in my gallery is all what the camera/lens gave me (except for a little contrast editing when there is a bit too much glare on the photos from shooting through glass). If you go to the Sets section of my Flickr page - most of the shots in the "Symbio Zoo 7th September 2013" were taken with the Tamron 18-270mm lens - can you tell which ones were taken with the more expensive Canon 100-400mm L lens? All of my Taronga Zoo photos are taken with the Canon 100-400mm lens - mainly because I need the extra length due to the animals usually being that much further away from the public there. At Symbio, the animals are a LOT closer. While it's really nice to have an expensive camera and a professional quality lens, you don't necessarily need them to take nice photos - my Canon S5 (8mp point and shoot camera) gave me very nice photos at the zoo a while back too... http://s6.photobucket.com/user/tdierikx/library/S5%20Zoo%20photos?sort=2&page=1 T.

What I've also found is that quite a few of the more reasonably priced clinics are actually open longer hours than the more expensive ones... interesting, yes? T.

I'm seriously jealous Kirislin... those babies are getting more stunning by the day! T.

The 2 babies hanging from the ropes? The girl on the right was giving the poor boy's diddle a tweak! I'm not too sure he was laughing, but she certainly was... lol! T.

One needs to be a savvy consumer nowadays... Personally, I like to train my vets - that way they understand exactly what I want, and what I don't - upselling will always get a big fat "no" from me, and I could care less what they think of me because of it. Thankfully there are enough good vets out there who truly do put the care of animals before the almighty profit margin. I'm happy to pay a fair price for services rendered, but I'm not looking for unnecessary "extras" thanks. I have a nasty habit of countering with my own list of products that I prefer to use, and why... *grin* Funnily enough, I've never been knocked back vet treatment that I couldn't afford right at that moment - the various vet clinics I have used over the years have always been happy to extend credit if my animal needed care urgently - which has ALWAYS been paid in a timely manner, and thus makes me no risk to extend credit to in the future... The worst vet experience I ever had was from a specialist clinic. I had a dog that was extremely claustrophobic and freaked out if placed in a crate or cage - the the extent of explosive diarrhoea and huge amounts of slobber. The specialist clinic refused to allow me to bring him in and stay with him until his procedure, and then to stay with him as he came out of the anaesthetic - they insisted that he would have to be dropped off, placed in a cage crate at the clinic until his procedure, then be fully awake and mobile (also contained in a cage crate while recovering)... I refused to accede to those conditions, as I knew my poor boy would have been a complete wreck for days after his cage experiences. In the end, I convinced my local vet that I trusted them to do the procedure, and I got to stay with my boy when he needed me before and after... and all was well with the world again - and it cost me a fraction of what the specialist quoted too. Funnily enough, the vet that I convinced to do that procedure now works in a specialist clinic... lol! She's an awesome surgeon, and has THE best bedside manner with both the animals and their owners. T.

Still need more rangers to enforce the legislation in place... and for the public to actually report incidents that happen... otherwise it will be yet one more thing that won't work as intended. T.

Sunday's pics are now up on my Flickr page... http://www.flickr.com/photos/tdierikx/ Here's a taste... 08-09-2013-taronga 035 by tdierikx, on Flickr 08-09-2013-taronga 154 by tdierikx, on Flickr 08-09-2013-taronga 395 by tdierikx, on Flickr 08-09-2013-taronga 1082 by tdierikx, on Flickr 08-09-2013-taronga 1120 by tdierikx, on Flickr 08-09-2013-taronga 1206 by tdierikx, on Flickr 08-09-2013-taronga 1607 by tdierikx, on Flickr 08-09-2013-taronga 1849 by tdierikx, on Flickr Enjoy! T.

Updates on the big fires here... http://www.rfs.nsw.gov.au/dsp_content.cfm?cat_id=684 Getting updated roughly every 5 to 10 mins - just refresh to get the latest... T.

Crossing everything that SOS stay safe and the fire pisses off in some other direction - or better still gets under control soon! T.

Road closures around the area are being extended as I type... The Northern Road between Londonderry Rd and Richmond Rd - and extends down Cranebrook Rd also Richmond Rd from the M7 exit all the way up through Blacktown Rd all the way to Richmond Not looking good for anyone trying getting in to help get animals out. T.

Jill from JRT Rescue has posted on her Facebook an hour ago that they are safe at the moment. As for Londonderry, it's going to be impossible to get in there - they've closed all the roads leading into there... feeling bloody helpless right now - I'm at least an hour's drive from there with no traffic, or I'd be on my way to see if I could help... http://livetraffic.rta.nsw.gov.au/desktop.html NSWAR are at Bringelly - and luckily the RFS got the fire at Greendale under control just a short time ago... Come on and rain already!!!! T.

Looking at the RFS site and the livetraffic site - they have closed The Northern Road in the area that Save Our Strays have their kennels... and there are 2 out of control fires bearing down on them... Fingers crossed that the firies get the fires over there under control soon, and Tracey and everyone else there is safe. Not sure how far the fires have to travel to end up near Hawkesbury Pound, but in these conditions - who knows? They are probably covered by the smoke from the Windsor/Londonderry(Castlereagh) fires right now in any case... Thinking of everyone over that way right now and feeling bloody helpless that I can't get over there and at least help transporting dogs if needed... grr! T.

Yep - know of her... hopefully she'll spend it desexing them... T.