tdierikx

Well - some of the test photos turned out OK, some were barely so-so, and some were downright nasty... lol! I think I'm just going to have to play around with the lens and settings a bit more - the new lens works differently to my Canon lens, but I've noticed that the new setup is definitely faster in decent light on Sports mode than the 450D - the whole thing is also a little heavier than my 450D setup, so tracking it about is going to take some learning... I'll pick out some of the better shots to post and be back soon, OK? T.

Puppies can be as much work as you make them really. The other thing you need to be mindful of is your own dog's needs - she is a toy breed, so larger crossbreed pups may be a bit much for her - they can be really rough when they play! Small breed pups could be a goer though... she'd love bossing them about... lol! I've fostered entire litters of large breed pups while holding down a fulltime job - the trick is spending as much quality time with them as possible, so that they learn that human contact is a good thing, and also a little bit of basic training goes a long way too. My own dogs are larger breeds, so they really enjoy getting silly with large breed pups - they can do all the crazy play stuff with impunity when they have some pups to entertain - we call it "socialisation training"... *grin* If you are hankering for another foster, maybe give varicool a call and see if she has any more fosters for you. I'm sure she can find something... T.

Thanks Snook and tlc - just downloading some test pics I took just now... they looked quite nice on the camera screen, so I'm hoping they will also look nice on my 23" computer screen too... I need a new card reader - this silly one has suddenly decided that whatever it's plugged into is USB 1.1... takes forever to load photos. I know it's not the USB ports on the PC because every other device recognises them as USB 2.0... T.

Thanks KumaAkita... a girl needs some retail therapy when she's just hit "middle aged"... errr! T.

While there is absolutely nothing wrong with my Canon 450D, I decided that as I have just had my 45th birthday (last Sunday), I was going to get me a new camera. Was tossing up between the Canon 600D with twin lens kit plus a 50mm 1.8 lens and a carry bag - or a 60D with a Tamron 18-270mm lens... ... ended up coming home with the 60D and the Tamron 18-270mm lens, and a whole lot lighter in the hip pocket... errr! Battery is charging now... and have a new memory card ready to pop in and format once that's done. Can't wait to try this beast out!!! T.

I guess it's one of those instances when all the wonderfulness you put out there can come back to you sometimes... a wonderful gift for a wonderful lady (and family)... It's totally gorgeous! T.

Seriously... these pups are good looking AND appear to be extremely temperamentally sound... I'm thrilled with how they have turned out. I'm sure that they turned out nice partly because their mum Storm was such a nice natured girl - even though she really didn't want them, once her calcium levels were sorted and she had enough milk to feed them, she did a great job for a few weeks before letting us know it was our turn to do some of the work... lol! T.

We need a "Like" button for posts like this one... well said! T.

Petey's lovely new forever family are totally besotted with their little man - and he has a big sister to play with too! Nice choice Petey... can they come back and adopt me too? T.

I love Easy Thumbnails... http://www.fookes.com/ezthumbs/ T.

Our dog on the farm was named Goose - he had an identity crisis when we got him, and that's all he would come to... he was known as The Goose by all our neighbours... 2 of my female Rotties were named Woosie and Blossom. My current 3 girls are Zeddy, Trouble, and Pickles. T.

Fingers crossed... T.

For sure the Petey tart will turn on the charm tomorrow... he is such a trollope! They won't be able to resist his charms... I think their biggest issue will be leaving with only one of these pups - they are such nice little munchkins in every respect. T.

Way to go Clancy!! Don't worry PS - this is a GOOD thing - you have done a brilliant job with him to get him to the point where he plays the tart with strangers... *grin* T.

What an amazing looking girl she is turning out to be... simply gorgeous! T.

I keep looking at the munchkins and am seeing a lot more of the BT build going on in them - but on a shorter scale... they are all built like little tanks though. Most of the pups have a bully styled face, but with shorter snouts - a combination that works very nicely too, may I add... Sasha is obviously the female - she is slightly more finely built than the boys. We have the remaining 6 pups split into pairs of an evening - Charlie and William (the 2 largest), Petey and Sasha (the 2 smallest), and Jack and Joe (in the middle). During the day, we have Petey, Joe, Jack, and Sasha in one play run, and Charlie and William in the run next to the others. William pushes Jack around a bit when they play, and Jack starts (then loses) a scrap... *sigh*... Jack doesn't get narky with the others, just with William for some reason... I'm not surprised that Bones is responding well to treat rewards - all of these furkids LOVE their tucker! And we have ears all over the place - never know what they are going to be like from one day to the next - Jack's are both leaning in the same direction of late, a bit like an old bald guy with a bad comb-over... lol! ... and Petey's prospective new family rang today to change their appointment time - they are coming tomorrow instead of Saturday... T.

It's hard to describe the pain of losing a 4-legged soulmate... think how it would feel to have your heart ripped out, run over by a Mack truck, then handed back to you... sorta like that... I still can't actually speak out loud about my heart dog who passed in 2004 without choking up - even typing about her has me teary... I had 2 days off work when she passed - simply because I was a complete and utter mess and wouldn't have been useful to anyone. I loved my Grandmother with all my heart - but even the grief I still feel about her passing completely pales in comparison to that I still feel for my beloved Woosie. T.

Does it help if I tell you the person coming to see Petey sounds really lovely? T.

I put the boys up on PetRescue this morning... and someone is coming to see Petey on Saturday... It wouldn't be you huntrox... would it? Here's another pic of him for you anyways... T.

He is simply stunning PS... please give him a cuddle and kiss on his nose from me... T.

Stunning!!! Maybe she'd like to try some of the "mud bunny" Tag photos next... *grin* T.

They just get more stunning... how cute are they?? *squeeeaaallll* T.

Fostering a deaf puppy has it's challenges... and is certainly not a job that one would want on a regular basis. With proper management, a deaf puppy can grow up to have a happy and healthy life, but it's not just about the overall health of these animals - deaf dogs cannot hear a car coming at them, can't hear you trying to call them back if they ever get out of the yard (even by accident), can't hear warning growls from other dogs, etc... they are going to need an owner who is constantly aware of things that the dog is not - and those are few and far between... I understand that Bartok's suggestion was made in good faith - but maybe a bit more thinking could have gone into it... rescue is NOT an overflow backup for breeders to "place" unregisterable pups brought about by mating dogs unsuited to producing full litters of "acceptable" pups. My deaf BC cross foster pup is perfectly normal and healthy in every respect, but being deaf is definitely not a big selling point... and I'm sure that is why he's not had a lot of interest yet. He is also as cute as all get out, so I know people are looking at his PetRecue profile... lol! He would probably do really well in an obedience/agility trialling home, but again, those are few and far between, and they probably prefer hearing dogs too... T.

Awww... he's a handsome little devil, isn't he? T.

I'll second that! These two ladies are so accommodating and pleasant to deal/work with... I aspire to be like them actually... *grin* T.