silentchild

uuuuugggggghhhhhhh I'm really over this weather!! It's still stinking hot but now there's lightning and thunder everywhere, the dog is all watchful and tense she wouldn't even finish her dinner, I am so ready for this heatwave to be over!!!

Oh my heart goes out to you, so sorry to hear about your girl. I agree with Tikira about the photoshoot, I did it with my previous Rottie who had cancer and it was lovely to look back on the beautiful photos to remember her by after she died. We also did one of those DIY pawprint moulds and have it sitting on the mantelpiece along with a lock of her fur, a great comfort to have. Something else a friend told me to try was to just sit down with you and your dog and just tell her how much you love her and how much she means to you, just tell her everything in your heart that comes naturally, cry, grieve, hug her, anything - it sounds silly but I tried it and you do feel better afterwards, even if you just imagine she understood every word. I can only imagine your anguish, my current Aussie Shepherd girl is also my heart dog, I can barely imagine how devastated I would be if anything were to happen to her, they are such special dogs. Your pain must be unbearable. You and Ice are in my thoughts. She is a beautiful girl and is very lucky to have you who loves her so much.

awww TSD that photo is adorable!

Hm, I wanted to take my dog to the off leash park later at night (it's been over 40 degrees here in Melbourne during the day), now reading this thread I am a bit worried, will snakes still be around and active late at night when it's still warm? I'm thinking around 11pm at night.

I've got cooling mat, cooling bandanna, clam shell pool....... dog proceeds to ignore them all and chooses to bask in the sun. (Dog logic) There will be someone home all day for the next few scheduled hot days so air con will be working hard for both human's and pet's sakes.

Thought some of you might be interested - Susan Garrett's book 'Anti Aging Tips for Dogs' is free for download today on the Amazon store. It's for Kindle, but if you don't have a kindle you can also read it on your computer with the Kindle Cloud Reader if you have an Amazon account. Also works if you have kindle app. http://www.amazon.com/Anti-Aging-Tips-Dogs-Susan-Garrett-ebook/dp/B00HNTM6H6/

This happened to mine too, luckily we didn't miss anything either.

I saw this thread when I had my Photoshop open and tried my hand at a few options for you too. You can PM me or high res versions too if you like. I was not as good as tikira with cleaning it up and just got rid of the background! Sorry about Dolly, as well.

I received my order today!! It came in a huuuge box. :D However I found the stuff inside all coated with a mysterious white powder. Mostly on the JW Cuz toys. I managed to wash most of it off but was having a bit of a Shapelle Corby moment there. Does anyone else's order have this? The first thing Breeze did was to go bury her new Tugga Wubba in the yard... And the cat has hijacked the cooling mat...

I'm so jealous! Mine was shipped 18th December and the tracking has been stuck on 'Sorted through facility in Australia. In transit to destination' for ages and ages now. I'm getting very impatient for it to arrive! :laugh:

This thread is turning into a trainwreck!!

I also work full time and although I hate being away from my dogs, I have never had problems with it.. usually I can juggle my work hours with my partner so the animals are never left alone for too long. Of course if I had a brand new pup I would be a bit more concerned and would probably take some time off work at the start to help settle it in, but I don't see why full time work would get in the way of raising a pup properly if time and effort is properly managed. If you are ok with an adult dog going to a full-time worker, then why not a pup that will get used to the human being away for periods of time? Nowadays a lot of full-time workers get flexible work hours or other such work-life incentives that makes it easier.. and after or before work I always make sure my pets get plenty of exercise and mental stimulation... I find it highly unfair to bias against full-time workers, if we don't work where will we get the money to care for our animals?!

Make a pet resume, with a cute photo if possible, outlining how you look after your pets, how well trained they are, that they are registered, desexed, microchipped etc etc, to show that you are responsible pet owners. Also include references from neighbours, vet, obedience instructors, etc if possible. This site can help and also has templates you can use : http://www.petfriendlyrentals.com.au/ I've been able to find rentals that allow me to have my dogs and cats with this method, including my first rental with a Rottweiler and no previous rental history! I also include a cover letter. You may have to settle for older houses as well. I started out in a junk of a house but now am able to rent a beautiful house in a good suburb once we've proven that we're good pet owners and our previous landlord / real estate agent could vouch for us. edit : Also, the main concern landlords have is damage pets can do to their property, so I always include a clause saying that I will be financially responsible for any damage my pet causes, if any.

Bah, I forgot that I wanted to get a Kong Wobbler in my Clean Run order! Anyone from Melbourne still doing an order? omg and now I want an isqueak and a foam ball as well. OK somebody just lock me away from the site please, I've already spent too much.

Done mine, waaaayyyy over the minimum spend. I tried so hard to cull stuff from my cart....... Why do I have to be a crazy dog lady, SIGH

Zeph loved meeting Breeze yesterday. She is gorgeous. It was great to see you. :D :laugh: I don't think Zeph really got the chance to say hi properly to Breeze. He was too busy being swamped by admirers in his awesome elf costume!! Breeze could only look on in awe. :D Maybe next time she can tart up to him. It was lovely to see you too, out and about spreading Rottie cheer as usual!

Everyone's photos are gorgeous!!! I did our Christmas photoshoot today. I tried very hard to get the cat and dog to stay still long enough for a photo together.... but unfortunately failed, LOL. This is the best I could get :

Seven is a natural water baby, I've never seen a dog so in love with water. :D Maybe you can teach her to surf next. :D Funny girl!

We use the hydrobaths at PetStock, there's one just near my house so its easy and convenient. They are raised so I lift her into the bath. It's got a good high pressure hose that's great for getting coat out. My girl is deathly terrified of the blow dyer so we just skip it, not worth the stress. She gets a good towelling and great zoomies going in the garden to dry off instead, much more fun. That being said we've only bathed her a small amount of times since we got her. She will probably only get bathed once every six months or something, unless she rolls in something really stinky! I'm sure she approves of this arrangement as she hates bath time. :laugh: I will have to try the shower bath like so many others in this thread do. :laugh:

:laugh: This video is a familiar sight in my house even though cat doesn't even blink an eye at dog - she's a sweetheart.

Wow this thread makes me prick my ears up, my dog had been itching like crazy for a while not that long ago and I puzzled and puzzled over what could be causing it, after reading this thread it dawned on me she had a bath with the Aloveen shampoo not long before the itching started... I can't say for sure that's what caused it, but it will be interesting to try a different shampoo and see if she doesn't itch from that.

Probably not helpful, but my Rottie girl also broke her leg as a pup. She went straight in for emergency surgery and they had to put a pin in the leg (no amputation). She healed fine, the leg never really grew out quite as well and long as the rest so she had one quite stiff straight leg but she coped ok. She could still walk, run, jump etc but she would have mild arthritis for life in the broken leg. I would say the chance of developing arthritis on a broken leg as high, even if it has undergone surgery. Later on in life she did her cruiciate on her other leg, and then even later on one of her other legs got cancer so she more or less never really had full function of all four legs in great working order. It can be a bit hard for large breed dogs, the hardest for her was the cancer as she barely put weight on the leg so she was about 50-60% tripod for the duration of it. You just need to keep them really lean and reasonably fit as extra weight will of course put burden on the remaining joints. She could still go for walks and runs but nowhere near as much as what a fit, healthy dog would normally do. You have to be careful not to damage the remaining legs to minimize the risk of further injury, like cruciate problems or anything. I would recommend lots of water therapy for healing as well - swimming, underwater treadmill, things like that. Edit to say after she was cremated we were able to recover the metal pin that was in her broken leg.... it was an amazing memento of what had been a rough start to her life. Sorry that wasn't much help. I hope your pup recovers ok. It is such an awful thing to experience.

Ooh I can finally join in this thread! :D I only just got my new Aussie in the second half of 2013, so 2013 was all about building relationships and learning to work together. For 2014, my goals for Breeze are: Obedience - get our CCD title! This is my main focus for 2014. Rally - Start working towards Rally Advanced and hopefully enter a trial or two. DWD - Start trialling, looking to get our HTM Novice and/or Freestyle Starters title. More trick training too. General - Build up more of her confidence and socialization with strangers.

Pugs certainly sound like they are full of personality. I've found that Rotties are very adaptable and easily adapt to suit the lifestyles of their owners.

I'd be interested to know too! I'm having the same problem. Breeze will cover her muzzle for a good second (our cue is 'Stinky!' :laugh: ) but I just can't figure out how to get her to hold it there. She also will only do it in a drop, as that's how I taught her initially so I am having trouble getting her to do it in a sit or stand as she confuses it with marching, which we do in those positions.