Tornado

I live in Brisbane and have some neighbours who are looking for a dog. They have three kids who are often in their backyard and who love playing with dogs (they've borrowed ours before!). Their mother also likes to go cycling for a few kilometres every day and would like a dog who could accompany her. They want to make sure it's a dog that's good with kids but isn't going to need exercise all day and is happy to sit down with them for a while. Also, their nextdoor neighbours have chickens. They're hidden behind a wooden fence, but probably a dog that isn't going to go nuts trying to get at them would be a good idea. :-) She'd also like a rehomed dog, rather than buy a purebred puppy, as she wants to give a good dog a home. :-)

Yes, we'd ruled out basenjis because I know they can be difficult. :-) I had thought a Cav but I wasn't sure about the brushing. I'm not sure they'd have another Lab because they were so heartbroken at the loss of their last one but it might work out well. I had considered a Staffy. Any dog we get would probably be at least two years old and I've been keeping an eye on the DOL breed pages for available older dogs because I want to make sure they get a good quality animal. I'll keep looking there. :-) Thanks everyone for your help. :-)

We had considered a GAP Greyhound but their sites specifically recommends never taking the dogs to an off-leash park. We considered Whippets but it seems breeders don't recommend it either. I think cattle dogs, kelpies, etc, are too high energy and I'd prefer not to get them a dog from the pound as you can't be sure of its background or how it's going to behave.

Hi, everyone. I'm interested in a bit of advice. My brother, father and mother live in a townhouse complex where they are allowed to have a dog as long as it's not disruptive or loud. They had a beautiful old Labrador Retriever but he passed away in December and now they're thinking of getting another dog. However, we can't decide on the best breed. The dog would rarely be alone as there's nearly always someone home and it would have access to both the house and a small yard (bigger than your average townhouse yard but still not massive). The yard has a concrete fence about six feet high but it does border the road, which is busy on occasions, and as they're not far from a park and an off-lead area, numerous people walk/ride past, many with dogs with them, so whichever breed they get would need to be one that wouldn't go nuts at the mere sound/smell of a dog or person passing by on the other side of the fence. My parents are now both over seventy so a boisterous dog is probably not ideal. My father likes to walk a dog but he likes to take it to the off-leash park so he can watch it run around while he sits on the bench. My brother, who will also walk the dog, will take it on longer walks as well, but my father does like to visit the dog off-leash park so it would be good if he could keep doing that. The one thing they're all really terrible at is grooming a dog, so they would appreciate something that isn't a heavy shedder and didn't require a lot of brushing although they might be able to cope with a bit. I've been wracking my brains to think of a breed that will work for them but I can't find one. Can anyone here help?

I have an English Cocker Spaniel who is almost three years old. He was rehomed with us almost a year ago. The reason I am posting is that he growls and barks aggressively at other dogs when I take him for a walk. The problem seems to be getting worse. I tend to be a nervous and anxious person, and I'm sure this has contributed to the problem, although there's not a great deal I can do about that. I have tried offering food rewards to distract him, but although it works sometimes, other times it doesn't. I'm on the point of just giving up and trying to find a new home for him with someone who has a stronger personality than me, but I don't want to fail him, especially after he's already been rehomed once. Any advice you can give would be appreciated.

Hey Jed! I'm glad to hear that you're at least out of hospital now. It must be so hard with the pain, both physical and emotional. But keep on. You'll make it.

Just saw Jed on TV!! Wow! You did such a brave thing! You are amazing!

I'm so sorry Jed. They were beautiful babies. At least they knew love with you.

Glad to hear Jed is doing a bit better!

Just popping in to see how Jed's doing...

So glad to hear Jed has stepped forward a little. Hopefully, there will be lots more little steps over the next week, or even some big ones!

Just poking my head in for an update...I'll look back in later.

Oh, that's no good. More prayers this morning...

So glad to hear that Jed is doing well!!

Hey there, Jed! Just wanted you to know I will be praying for you and your recovery. I hope things will get better for you. Tornado.

I'm so sorry to hear that, greytmate.

So sorry to hear, but at least she is out of pain now. Give our love to her family. Lynne.

She was very beautiful... Try and forgive yourself. I'm sure she would. Lynne.

So sorry this had to happen... Lynne.

What a sweet, sad story. I'm so sorry for the loss of Pippin. Lynne.

What a lovely boy! It was good that he had such a long time with you. Treasure all the good memories. Lynne.

Sorry to hear of Razor's loss. It sounds like he was a wonderful boy. Lynne.

Sorry for your loss. I'm glad you were able to give her happy years. Lynne.

What a tragedy is the loss of such a special boy. It's wonderful that he had such a long life, but a dreadful thing to go the way he did. At least he made the most of his time. Lynne.