tdierikx

I'm starting to think Taronga might be giving up on the merging of the 2 groups now... some of the girls have it in for the new girls, and Furahi and Kuma could do real damage to Lubutu if Furahi decides he's going to be the alpha of the whole lot - there aren't many that will take on Kuma - and that means all the boys too - she's scary strong and not afraid of anyone or anything... I'm just hoping that Mogo changes their mind about having chimps and our mutual friend gets to do what she does best with a bunch of the Taronga chimps... that will take a huge load off Taronga... so that's my Christmas wish... T.

Zombi is doing an awesome job, isn't she? Two perfect happy and healthy young ones... and good looking too! The latest from Taronga is that we should have ourselves another little one very soon - Lani is about to pop any day now... and fingers are crossed that there may be a couple more pregnancies happening too... Samaki has been a very busy boy... *grin* T.

Wonder if the breeder knows about the Gumtree ads? T.

Seeing as the ad is posted word for word twice... and has some glaring spelling/grammar issues...and the photos are of adult dogs, and other coloured dogs... I'd say it was a scam ad... T.

Keep your grass short during tick season... as short as you can keep it. Also be aware that you can bring things back from your own travels... one of my dogs managed to get a tick that had hitched a ride home with me from the northern beaches where I'd been bushwalking with a friend... luckily it was only a grass tick, as she had a rather nasty allergic reaction to it... grrr! T.

Pip, the littlest one, is still smaller than everyone else... Fern, the one with the white face is still deadly cheeky, and not too big... and Rupert, the white one is about 3 times the size he was in these photos. T.

On the farm, we used to treat demodex with sump oil and sulphur powder- mix into a paste and smear it on... it effectively smothers the mites and the sulphur promotes new hair growth. Sarcopses and other nasties can be effectively treated with Revolution spot on... Ringworm can be treated with Canestan - get the once a day stuff from the chemist, and it works faster too... All the above can be sourced without needing a vet... but if you want a confirmed diagnosis of exactly what it is, a vet visit would be first point of call on my list... T.

If you are going to the vet, check for demodex mites, and for ringworm... may as well rule out all types of nasties. Ringworm doesn't always present as a circle... as I found out when I got it once... ewww! T.

He could also have shoved his head into something causing small wounds/abrasions... as the first photo looks to have at the site of the larger balding patch... Staffords are inquisitive buggers... *grin* T.

* waits patiently for baby Rotti photos * T.

Such a pretty mummy! T.

Zeddy was a "late bloomer" to the storm phobic club... she was about 5 or 6 when it started. I noticed that Zeddy's trigger was definitely the drop in barometric pressure before a good storm, and thunder and lightning certainly didn't help when the storm hit... she also had the noise phobia as well... *sigh*... fireworks were also a scary thing. The noise issue abated when she started getting hard of hearing, but the storm coming thing did not... so it was definitely the pressure that triggered her there... I'd know a storm was coming hours before it was obvious! She used to get extremely clingy, trembly, and flighty. Her "safe" place was the bathroom... I'd pop her in there with a blanket, and she'd settle down and sleep through. If I wasn't home, I'd leave the bathroom door open for her to go there if a storm looked possible that day. T.

Try not soaking the kibble... leave it dry so they have to chew... and there will also be less liquid in their feeds. Stools should firm up pretty quickly... At 6 weeks, they should have no trouble chewing kibble... no need to soak it down. As for the worms... it's fairly normal to have/see worms when feeding raw meats...just stick to your regular worming schedule, and all should be fine. T.

Much love and hugs for Leo, the Boss, and you... he sounds like he'll be sorely missed... Look at Ash... all growed up and working! Jeebus! The horns on those goats! You have some pretty fearless dogs tackling those for sure! Holmes (my foster dingo pup) met some of our farm goats at work the other day, and wasn't too sure about the ones that put their heads down to show him their horns... but he and the cows were trading kisses... lol! T.

You have the most handsome dogs perse... How did Don like Bo in his bed? Lol! T.

NIIIICE!!!! T.

Such a handsome and well social little man... T.

... and that is why I steer well clear of thoe crowd funding sites... *sigh* T.

Don has helped his fave human through so many things... and for that he can be considered pretty darned perfect despite the odd hiccup in focus methinks... Is Don... is ALWAYS good! T.

I used to have a fave vet clinic reasonably local to me (15 min drive each way) who were great, and all my dogs loved going there - even when they were feeling poorly... then they sold to Greencross and the upsell started. A couple of the good vets eventually left and went further away because they couldn't stand the upsell edict from the company either. I have since been going to a vet even closer to me (5 min drive each way) who isn't as flash or has the latest equipment, but he works with the owner and the animal to get the best results. He's not into upselling anything - even Harper loves him - and she's scared of everything! He also gives discounts for any fosters I have, and is open to bouncing around alternative treatments with me, as I'm a bit of a bugger like that... lol! All that said... I'm a nightmare for most vets who like to think that their way is the only way... been in rescue for too long, and seen (and treated) way more than the average pet owner... and I have a few tricks up my own sleeve when it comes to quite a few ailments... *grin* My mother likes to say that I go to the vet for a second opinion, rather than a diagnosis... *giggle* T.

Chocolate Pudden... my fave sort... lol! T.

My brother trained his own assistance dog... and I'm pretty sure it cost a LOT less than $30k... Now he is legally blind, he has a guide dog, which cost him nothing. T.

When I would have my foster pups desexed, I'd request that they NOT be tattooed, as the vet students would sometimes be a bit heavy handed and one too many haematomas made me leery of having them done. When I was a teen, I worked on a friend's goat stud, and we used to tattoo the goats' ears as opposed to putting in those plastic tags - the goats were show animals, so I'm guessing that the plastic tags would detract from the proper set of the ears when being judged? T.

One of my own dogs has a crap nerve... she's frightened of anything she's not encountered before, and even some things she has encountered before. Thankfully, she is not fear aggressive - or aggressive in any other way. If she were at some point to start to display any aggressive tendencies, I'd have her put to sleep pretty darned quickly - as one doesn't faff about with a Dane cross with bad attitude! She is a rescue foster failure, and I've known her since birth - so I know there has been no abuse in her background... but if she ever ended up in the hands of some of the resccues out there, they'd be inventing all sorts of colourful back stories to "explain" her behaviours for sure! T.

Not all dogs (and especially not all those in rescue) go "bad" because of abuse. Rescue and rescue adopters likes to play on "abuse" as a scapegoat for a dog whose behaviour is unacceptable. Some dogs are just born with bad nerve/temperament... so let's just acknowledge that fact... and if we can't fix the issue, then maybe the dog needs to be "rehomed to god", rather than foisting an animal with dangerous issues out into the public domain. Not everything with a pulse "must be saved"... grr! T.