Lhok

Well Skyrim was short lived I got on played a bit then noticed the dog companion thought I can't do this, Think I will go play some Guild wars noooope as I play a ranger and I have a wolf pet. Decided to try and do some reading first book on the pile was an Akita book.. so I just went and hid in bed. --Lhok

I really suck at waiting On monday I was told that puppy pics would be sent to me annnnnnd now it is Wednesday and no photos. My hubby is saying just be patient and I tell him it's hard to be patient when I am this excited.. I still don't even know for sure I have a pup yet.. gah going to try and distract myself with some Skyrim. --Lhok

So puppy questionaire was sent with the photos of our house minus bedroom photos of course (as if anyone would want to look in there :laugh: ) I got a reply that she will be taking photos for me to have a look at so I am taking that as a good sign :) --Lhok

It doesn't seem real still that you are gone. I found the photo I took of you after I had put your new collar on as the old was was destroyed by you rolling in raw sewage. You really didn't like going "naked" as my mum put it you always liked wearing your collars and would get so mopey when we took it off you. I still feel like I catch glimpses of you running around my bed to wake me up in the morning and shadowing my step around my parents home. You sitting after the collar was put on and you wanted the treat I had. You rolling in the mud breaking in the new collar while trying to score a tummy rub :) I miss you Missy --Lhok

My goodness.. What a lovely poem. I'm sitting here with tears. Thank you for sharing it, I think that it would be a wonderful children's book too LisaCC. --Lhok

Another step closer to puppy, just spoke to the breeder, She has a puppy that sounds like he would fit what I am after perfectly. Just need to fill out the questionaire and we go from there. I'm excited but also a bit sad. I wish I still had my Missy dog here and I feel sad when I think about how much she loved playing with puppies. --Lhok

Akita :D --Lhok

I'm going to dip my toe in this thread. Not sure if I have one or not so will most likely update when I know for sure. --Lhok

The rainbow bridge gained another Angel today but it also took my heart. My beautiful girl Missy. I got you when I was 16 from the RSPCA while doing work experience and my father was so adamant that I wasn't to bring home any animals. Little did he know I had befriended a large black Labrador x Kelpie and had snuck her out to meet mum who also became smitten with her. On the following weekend we tricked dad into going to the RSPCA as mum was driving and the centre is near the airport so we told dad we were headed to the aero club. An hour late we were driving out of the RSPCA with you in the back. Dad was so impressed with you and your manners that he couldn't help but take you home. Little did we know that you were houndini and could escape any fenced backyard that you put your mind to. If you didn't jump the fence clean you just climbed it, or in thunderstorms just ripped the gate clean off it's hinges causing huge damage to your teeth and my wallet in the process. I would often have to run you down on foot during the storms if one hit and we weren't home. You always headed to the beach where we would walk in the mornings and afternoons. You loved it there from running around in the shallows as you didn't like water past your knees to rolling in dead fish and seagulls to playing fetch with sponges I loved watching you race around like a madman. You were my constant during my most troubled years as a teenager and I loved coming home and heading straight back out the door with you. It didn't matter what we were doing or where we were going you just loved being with me as I loved being with you. As I grew up and moved out of my parents house you stayed behind then when I came back home you once again became my shadow it was like we just picked it back up where we left it off. I then moved out again and you came with me this time however as you were older and were suffering arthritis I had to let you move back to my parents as you didn't like the stairs where I was living and you preferred the flat open plan house that you had lived in for many years. I once again moved back in because I didn't like leaving you behind every time I visited. More years passed and I had a baby and you loved her just as much if not more then you loved me. Whenever she cried you would eagerly rush to get me to attend her. If I moved too slow for you liking you would nudge me with your cold wet nose on the back of my legs. My baby learned to crawl and eventually walk under your ever watchful eye you always were watching her like a fur coated nanny. Then as time went on you suddenly aged overnight.. You no longer wanted to do the things you loved to do like playing tussles and chasey or fetch the ball. You no longer wanted my daughter to pat you or come and nudge the back of my legs with your cold wet nose. Instead you would pace around the yard and bark at nothing, sometimes snapping at invisible flies or just standing staring off into space. We took you to the vets and they told us it was the on set of dementia. We put you on Vivitonin and for two months we saw improvements you became your old self again it was wonderful to see. However it was to be short lived, your pancreas didn't like the drugs in your system and you became very sick. We took you back to the vets and they kept you in hospital for a while and you got a little better but no where near what you should have been. We took you off the drugs and the dementia came back very quickly and you started to go down hill rapidly. You also couldn't keep weight on and were loosing too much I tried to rally you but I found a huge lump on your side that when I went to touch it you snapped at me. I took you to the vets today to try and get their help but you also had fluid around your heart and the vet said there wasn't much else they could do for you. We agreed to give you some sedation but as the needle went in you tried to bite the vet and you flinched hard. While I was waiting for the sedation to take effect you slipped away never to come back. I miss you already the house is too quiet, I miss the clicking of your nails on the floor as you shadow my steps. I miss almost tripping over you as you lay at my door. I miss your tail thumping on the floor as you wag it. I miss you grumbling in your sleep as you chase the rabbits you never catch... But I miss most of all my best friend. Rest In Peace my beautiful lady, and thank you for always being there, for the lessons you taught me and for loving me always. I will always love you. --Lhok

I can't help but think it will be used to spy on properties, You can get a lot of useful information from the air, like the lay of the land, exit and entry points, places where you won't be seen etc. Doesn't matter if you aren't doing anything wrong they won't care and with today's editing tools that are available you can pretty much make a case from anything. I also can't help shake the feeling dog breeders, well any animal breeders will be lumped into it as well.. This is not a good thing. If they want to run around playing Batman they can do it in their own backyard (I'll even buy them a cape) and leave other people to enjoy theirs. --Lhok

I think the one problem I have with them living in suburbia is that you can't 100% guarantee that they can't escape their enclosure if the neighbours have birds and they decide to go and check them out I love foxes for their adaptive nature but one wrong/forgetful move/moment and if they are keen they are gone. I honestly don't think tame or not that a fox can resist captive birds. --Lhok

Foxes can make great pets. I have had one myself. However the fox that they said couldn't be a indoor pet should be made to live in a roofed pen with weld mesh that goes into the concrete floor. That's the only way you are going to keep a fox contained. They are incredible climbers and will hunt and kill animals as large as a cat. If the person next door to you has birds of any kind you can be sure that a fox is going to find that incredibly tempting. Males smell more then females and have no problems stinking up the place marking, Basil was a boy and he did this all over the place, removing the anal sacs so they don't smell is abhorrent and shouldn't be done and unless things have change (and they might have considers it's been years since I owned a fox) no vet would treat a fox let alone desex and vaccinate. Another thing I remember is that Basil was more active of a night then during the day so that would have to be taken into consideration of anyone wanting one. After owning Basil and as much as I love foxes they shouldn't be pets, there are some that take well to living with humans but overall if the fox wasn't selectively bred like the silver foxes from the fur farm in Russia I wouldn't ever have another. --Lhok

So your dog hate fireworks and thunderstorms. --Lhok

Love how he is juts sitting in the middle of it. --Lhok

R.I.P Buddy. Reading that story brought tears to my eyes, Sorry for your loss. --Lhok

I really like wolf grey or any type of grey really but not 50 shades of grey.. --Lhok

I know my dog prefers to be in her soundproof covered over dog run when there is thunderstorms and fireworks going on. My dad built it specially for her and she runs into it before we even know there is a thunderstorm coming. If none of the other suggestions work maybe a covered over crate or something might help. --Lhok

It's not only just health but temperament as well. Mixeduppup by you said that one aussie bulldog was enough to tell you that pretty much all bulldogs have health issues. I could say that all kelpies are thunderphobic (which is a serious thing to deal with) as the one of the vets I worked with has a kelpie and myself and another vet I know has to sedate our lab kelpie crosses as they are that thunderphobic they require it. --Lhok

Another thing to think about is that some of the pictures in that video are drawings and that fact alone isn't a good thing to base a decision on about the dog breeds changing as artist interpretation and skill come into play. The list of health problems that each breed has is a diversion tactic as when the breeds were being developed we didn't know hardly anything about canine health and lucky last is that how many people could actually live with a dog of their chosen breed if it was still being bred for the work they originally were bred to do? It's not just the outside of the dog that may have changed but also the different temperaments have changed as well. All those who say the long coated border collies aren't used for work and couldn't possible do the work they were bred for because of the coat do you understand that they were bred for working in the highlands on the border of England and Scotland so while they might not be fit for function working in the Australia they sure as hell can work in their native land same could be said for the other long coated breeds. It's kinda why we developed the Kelpie and the Aust Cattle dog both bred to work in our own land fit for the function for our conditions. Having said all that the video does point out some problems that do need addressing like the Neo Mastiffs etc. --Lhok

I met a Whippet today while I was at the Vets. Are all whippets attention seekers? this girl was so lovely she jumped around wiggling her bum trying to get my old grumpy bum to play then when she couldn't she came up to me and shoved her head in my hands for a pat, I couldn't help but get stuck patting her for a while I loved it :D . --Lhok

Sounds like what happened in New Zealand with Dairy cows. --Lhok

For Akitas I would recommend Barbara Bouyet's Akita, Treasure of Japan. And for an interesting look at the Akita's history you can't go past, Dog man An uncommon life on a faraway mountain by Martha Sherrill. --Lhok

yup otherwise known as a Karaman. --Lhok

here it is

Icelandic Sheepdog --Lhok