Bjelkier

This ^^

Introducing my newest baby Karyme Dances With Wolves (pending) - Tyrion Lannister :D

So exciting Lhok. What breed are you looking at getting?

I have had 3 dogs PTS in my lifetime, all 3 were very peaceful with no visible fretting from the dog. I have also worked at a large pound and I have never seen a dog visibly distressed before being PTS. I wish I could say the same for mine dogs My eldest Samoyed screamed when they gave him the injection and continued screaming until his heart stopped. He had been in for surgery before, had needles and never had an issue. It absolutely broke my heart.

I counted over 30 CKCS breeders in QLD http://www.dogzonline.com.au/breeds/breeders/cavalier-king-charles-spaniel.asp?state=QLD&Submit=Go Also be prepared for breeders to question you about your living arrangements, family members, other pets, how you will raise the puppy etc. They're only trying to find the right home for their precious babies.

I've had numerous little kids ask if the Pyrs are polar bears, it's very cute :) If it had been a child it would have been adorable. From a 30 something guy, not to cute :laugh:

It's cruel to own Samoyeds in hot climates, they're Malamute/Sibe crosses, true Samoyeds can't have blue eyes. My absolute favourite was from a guy I suspected was off his face who told me Samoyeds aren't actually dogs, their descended from Bears! Hard to keep a straight face during that one.

If I pass away my partner keeps the dogs, the co owned ones would go to their other owners. If we both died the dogs would go to their breeders/my breeder friends and they would be rehomed by them.

Although I believe breeders should be trying to keep the purpose of their chosen breed alive (within reason) I think it is very unreasonable to expect puppy owners to do so. If I demanded every puppy person I had after my samoyeds sledded, herded reindeer and travelled around with their family living in tents I wouldn't sell too many puppies. Nor would I sell my dogs to working sheep or cattle farms, they're not built for work in extreme heat. So what am I suppose to do? Never breed a dog again and watch the breed die out or be selective about the homes my puppies find and make sure that the people owning them are prepared to give other forms of exercise and mental stimulation that keep and dogs happy and healthy in a modern setting?

I was tempted by that name when I was looking at the Havanese, mostly because of Silence of the Lambs but I figure most people wouldn't get the joke and just think I was a typical girly girl calling my little fluffy dog Precious :laugh:

Names that rhyme. I hate it. I had originally named my boy Beowulf Viserys when the litter was born, I had no intention on keeping a male so it didn't bother me that it rhymed with his sister, Daenerys name. But when we decided to run him on we needed to come up with something else. I also hate cutsie names. Even my toy breed doesn't have a cutie name :laugh: I also try to avoid names of other dogs in my breed simply out of respect for the other exhibitor.

...Farseer fan? :D Why how ever did you guess :p At the moment I have a Whitman and possibly soon an Aslan as well. I love naming my dogs after characters in books or in Whitmans case poets.

It happened in Samoyeds a little while ago too. Some poor people who got sucked in contacted the NSW club to warn us.

Some breeders do, some don't. I don't but I have bought puppies from people who do.

Not so much an old wives tale. I do know someone who did this after her divorce. Happily admitting that having an A name would put her at the front of the line up :laugh:

My boy is gold. I was all excited when I was able to get a breed with more colour and always wanted a black or a black and white parti. Naturally when the pups were born they were all gold. There's a running joke going between the breeder and I that as soon as I'm not wanting a puppy she will breed a whole litter of black puppies. Seems I'm cursed to have only white and gold dogs in the house :laugh:

You need something stronger then a hair dryer for a Mal. A good dog dryer is a must for anyone with a double coated breed. Dryers. Trying different shampoo's won't really help until you can dry the coat properly, the moisture will remain trapped and bacteria will continue to grow. If this was my dog I'd be getting it bathed and dryed by a good groomer who knows double coats and then if there is still an issue going to a different vet and getting samples taken.

Are you getting another Samoyed? No, going in a very different direction this time. Much smaller and less . . . arctic. I'm getting a Havanese :D Nice. How long til you get the puppy? A few weeks. It's been a long time coming. I've been waiting for a Hav for years and only recently managed to convince Mr Bjelkier it was a good idea :laugh:

Are you getting another Samoyed? No, going in a very different direction this time. Much smaller and less . . . arctic. I'm getting a Havanese :D

Hope you don't take this the wrong way but it happens all the time with double coated breeds. Are you drying the dog totally (with a high powered dryer) after it's been washed? As powerlegs says, thick coats are a heaven for fugal growths. I'd try a different vet. Sounds like yours isn't being very helpful at all.

Time for me to join this thread once again :D

I've been through a few vets in Canberra but not because they have been bad at what they do so much as I was looking for a vet that understood how I wanted my dogs treated. I've been going to the same place now for 5 years and couldn't be happier.

I agree ^^

My dogs and my partner are on equal footing. They're my family.

This is exactly the kind of thing I'm talking about. This is actually not an established fact as far as I'm aware. Unless you have some numbers no one else seems to have. These arguments can't be settled without it because obviously there are deviations and diseases and health issues in both pedigree dogs and non-pedigree dogs. Where there are people saying they have only seen problems in non-pedigree dogs there are others saying they've only seen problems in pedigree dogs. And those who have seen a lot of problems have seen them in both. I think it's irresponsible to make statements with such certainty when they are in reality uncertain. I think until an unbiased study is done all people can do is go of their own experiences. For me it would be in favour of purebreds. All the pedigree dogs I have owned have been healthy bar one that had a mild food allergy. Every mutt/petstore dog I've had multiple mental and physical issues. So if someone was to ask me which is the better bet I'd say pedigree.