tdierikx

Well... long past due an update... *slaps wrist* Trubs is still kicking along... still lumpy, but still enjoying life. She chews her food well before swallowing now, which is a sign she's now aware that something's going on in there, but she'll be darned if she's gonna miss out on her chicken frames and the like... lol! She snores like a freight train... but I'm a good sleeper, so it doesn't bother me... good thing too, as her head shares my pillow! Looks like the DOL 'hang in there' vibes are working really well, as we originally didn't expect to see out Winter, but here we are at Christmas... keep those vibes coming peeps... Trubs' 13th birthday is on 9th February - let's see her get there, yes? As she's determined to keep eating just fine, our main concern is the large tumour interfering with major veins/arteries in the neck and possibly causing a stroke... fingers crossed that doesn't happen... Trubs sends Christmas woo-woos and slobbery kisses to all her DOL aunties and uncles... and super special ones for aunty @crazydoglady99 T.

Jody sounds like a Welsh Mountain Pony I had the misfortune to trust while riding... lol! Face first into the bottom of a tree... grrr! She was soooo naughty! At least the trip to the ground was a short one... and I was wearing a crash hat that took most of the impact with the tree... T.

Staff and animals had a great time... T.

The problem I have with RSPCA NSW is that getting them to investigate/attend actual cruelty cases is virtually impossible. Either they don't have enough staff to cover the number of calls they get, or they are too busy going after the "easy" targets - ie. animal businesses/breeders who have a whole raft of extra criteria to cover to remain "safe" from RSPCA actions compared to the regular Joe Public. I work for an animal business, and we asked the RSPCA if we could have a liason officer appointed so that we could work together for a common goal of compliance, etc... nope... not happening. Why would they not want to work together with animal businesses rather than against them? Our business has regular DPI audits in order to keep our license... and every audit finds that we are operating well above all animal welfare standards as set out by law. We are highly aware of all standards (and monitor them regularly, as they can change without notice). We comply with POCTAA and its various regulations also. Yet, if the RSPCA turn up and find an animal with a small amount of discharge from nose or eyes, or a bit of diarrhoea, that is grounds for seizure. Not withstanding that our animals are young farm animals - goats, sheep, cows, etc. - and they will stick their noses in chaff and loose hay, which inevitably causes a bit of irritation now and then... and goats are notorious for eating things they shouldn't and diarrhoea is their natural bodily function to rid itself of such things. Simple to treat mucky eyes, noses, and bums without having to run off to a vet for each and every case, but if you haven't done so when the RSPCA turns up, those animals can and will be seized and you will be charged and taken to court... then the real nightmare begins... The RSPCA will lay a number of charges relating to any seized animals... and drag you through a long and expensive legal process... and usually just before you are all due in court to fight same charges, they will "magnanimousy" offer to drop most of those charges in order to get you to plead guilty to at least one. This way they are guaranteed a "win", and you will cop a hefty fine for that charge (which the RSPCA pockets), and a conviction will be recorded against you... along with a nice little newspaper article confirming your guilt on animal cruelty charges (and no mention of any dropped charges). Funny how anyone who has had dealings with the RSPCA NSW seems to have a fairly low opinion of them in general. T.

She doesn't leak urine when she's asleep, does she? If she does, then I'd be looking at an internal issue like a shunt of some sort... T.

But the percentage will be fairly low... so nowhere near purity, and less characteristics would be coming through... T.

My Lab has a particular Dingo trait... she can turn her wrists... she can open round door handles! She came from Moree, so could be a possibility of a Dingo somewhere in her lines I suppose... but she looks exactly like a yellow Lab. If you want to be 100% certain of any Dingo in your dog, then go to the university or Dingo conservation types, and offer to pay for a DNA test... no other way really. T.

I'll bring the vitamin thing up with our vet next week when he visits... he's actually an Alpaca specialist, so he will be able to give Cadbury a good going over. Cardigan tends to just lie down and makes the exchange take as little time as possible... but I've noticed that Cadbury is actually humping him less lately. Cadbury is a single desexed male. T.

What is it about alpacas lying around like they are dead... Cadbury, the one at my work does it all the time too... lol! When he's not humping Cardigan the sheep anyways... errr! I bet the Boss is really chuffed with these 2 boys perse... hopefully they'll turn into really productive workers for his team. T.

Even 10% of that money would make a huge difference to the recue that did all the work for none of the recognition... T.

Ouch!!! I've noticed that PR emails have been coming to my inbox at a rate of knots lately... grrr! And I've not been active there in years... T.

They are both stunning AND smart... will be HUGE assets to the Boss's team! T.

Considering the type of applications and phonecalls we used to get at the rescue I worked at leading up to Christmas... I'd say it was a fairly good idea actually. School holidays were also interesting... amazing how many calls you'd get for a small dog or puppy where they were primarily interested in the 2 week trial period as opposed to the actual animal in question. Basically, some people were looking for something to entertain the kids over the holidays, then returning it when it was no longer needed... *sigh* Phonecalls on Christmas Eve desperate for a pup for the kids on Christmas Day... it's scary! T.

Dags looks so fit and healthy... you guys raise gorgeous pups perse... Watch out Smoke... puppies might try to steal that occypuss! T.

Short answer is probably... yes Maybe you should not take your dog there any more, as it has already shown you what it is capable of with smaller animals. T.

Watch out daddy Pud... those little critters will latch on to daddy "boobies"... and bite if no milk ensues... T.

Your working dogs throw the most stunning pups perse... and the Boss is a huge softie for his mates, isn't he? T.

Gorgeous!! T.

Nawwww... how precious is he? Glad to see he got better so fast... and he's looking great now. T.

I've fostered more pups than I care to mention, and a large number of them had kennel cough. First thing is don't panic... it sounds really bad, but usually they are actually just fine about it. If pup is lethargic or has yellow/green snot coming from it's nose, then you definitely need to see a vet... but otherwise, you just need to ride out the 2 weeks of it sounding like it's hacking up a lung every now and then. Also be aware that your pup will be contagious for 2 weeks AFTER the coughing stops... it can give kennel cough to other dogs... so keep it home for at least 2 weeks AFTER the cough stops, OK? An otherwise healthy and hearty Labrador pup should not be feeling "unwell" with a dose of kennel cough. Is pup eating and drinking normally? Playing with toys or your kids? If so, then think of pup as a kid with a bad cold and treat the same. Pup will cough more after drinking cool/cold water, as it irritates the throat... room temp water is best, OK? Of 200+ foster puppies, around 75% had kennel cough... and of those, only 2 actually needed antibiotics and monitoring...

I'll third Jane... she's awesome! T.

I have 3 bitches here of different breeds/mixes... 2 get on fine with each other, but the 3rd one doesn't get on with the other two... deal with any issues as/when/if they arise I say. Just be aware that if 2 bitches do start niggling at each other regularly, the best action is to separate them when they can't be supervised. If they are getting on fine, don't worry about what other people say, OK? T.

Nawww.... poor bubba was tired and wanted a nanna nap... lol! T.

Baby Rotties!!! Squeee! T.