megan_

It's great but I'm expecting a lot of noise when they all return at 3am. There were a few fireworks earlier, Lucy looked up and then went straight back to sleep.

Ho jay could you please pm me the name of the daycare? Thanks megan

It can also result in a civil suit. also, someone walking down your driveway is not trespassing.

If you are going to be outside unsoundly have her with you because she will also see the fireworks, have the 15 people to deal with etc. I'd get the Valium, cover her crate with a sheet and leave her in a closed room with the TV or music on. Eta: bloody autocorrect.... I wouldnt have her outside is what I meant

You can't just say that you don't accept liability. Liability can be shared (ad it was in the hunting dog case). The parents were liable for letting their girl roam but the dog owners shared a % liability for not properly securing the dog. I'm a bit surprised that so many people (not the OP who is fixing the problem) don't think they're liable if their dog isn't adequately contained (anything other than solid fencing and locked gates isn't adequate). I wonder how many people understand the legal and financial ramifications if your dog bites someone, regardless of how stupid they were being st the time.

Agree. Also, if one is wearing a muzzle they both must be muzzled otherwise the fight can still happen but one can't fight back. Even then, biting is only one part of a fight. If it was me, I couldn't live with my dogs permanently separated - I like my dogs TP be part of my family and I just wouldn't be able to spend enough time with them if they needed to be separated. My girl can be DAtowardscstrange dogs in the "right" circumstances however she lives happily with my boy. They have only had one tiff though and neither even had a scratch.

Someone walking down a driveway isn't intruding. I'd call the police re: the child and perhaps pleas ignorance as to whom the mum is

The precedent has been set - it doesn't matter that the chd is on your property uninvited. If the can access the dog then you are liable. I can't remember the name of the hunting dog case that sandra refers to but your husband should look it up - he'll be in for a shock!

If a child can access your dog from the street (or put their hand through the fence) then you are liable (at least in part). In fact, if a child wanders onto your property you are liable too (even N if they open a closed gate) - that is why locked gates and solid, tall fences are important. To the op - you can get this concrete sheeting stuff at bunnings and secure it against the fencing to make it more solid. It is ugly as sin but

personal question: do you work full-time?

Wow secretkei I though she would have been bouncing off the walls 24/7 - what you've described sounds manageable!

burn it....if you don't see the bill then it doesn't exist...

It is very hard to lose weight by exercise alone. After all, it takes a very long, very fast walk to even start burning off a full meal. Far easier just to cut back on food. If you worry about him starving (which he won't ) add cooked, mashed up pumpkin as it fills them but they don't absorb the calories.

Can we please move this to the abuse thread? I know we don't know whether there was abuse, but there are many horse lovers on this forum and it will show up in their "unread" views.

A mini schnauzer would definitely not cope with being outside fulltime. They were bred to be family pets (and ratters).

A schnauzer is a very different dog to a mini schnauzer - which is what I think you're recommending (ie the mini)? You'll need to explain this to them because many people think they're just the next size up but they are not dogs for first time owners.

Rehoming can be the best thing for a dog sometimes? I've heard plenty of breeders say they'd rehome a dog that they didn't bond with. I've seen people on this forum being advised to rehome for smaller things. Maybe the dog was constantly, constantly pushing the kids over?

Another thing to remember with mini schnauzers is they need regular grooming (not just brushing their back but beard, belly, paws etc) and clipping every 6 - 8 weeks. I find my girl needs it every 6 weeks to stay looking nice. This costs me $55 per visit, but I'm told that this is a good rate and you could pay $70+ depending on where you live. ETA: Just calculated that it costs about $1000 per year to get my two groomed! I could learn to do it myself, but I'm hopeless at that kind of thing and time poor (as I'd imagine a mum with young kids would be). ETA ETA: I have bruises on my abdoman from my boy - a mini schnauzer cross - jumping on me when I get home. He is well trained (does agility, clicker training, great with kids etc etc) but he is sooo excited when I get home from work he is like a jack-in-the-box.

Nothing with artificial sweetners or macadamias - very small quantities can be deadly. I'm kinda like Gayle - they just get their nasties-free regular food (and a pig's ear for Lucy who will be crated over lunch as it is hosted at my place this year and she hates kids' guts).

You can always donate the used toys to a local shelter - I have a "one toy in, one toy donated" policy

I'm kinda glad I'm going to have a post-Christmas-high present arriving in the new year. This order even has something for me in it.

better them knowing what they want over getting a dog that they wont groom and who ends up matted and horrible. I hate grooming and brushing and this is a deal breaker for me, i dont want a dog that has a long coat as i am not huge into brushing. Agree with Teebs - people are being responsible by thinking what they cancan't handle before they get a pup! There are plenty of nice short coated, wash'n'wear breeds too.

You can't open an account in a dogs name - that is a breach of international anti- money laundering laws

I think it depends on your definition of feisty. RS the black ones tend to be more feisty than the other collude. I have met a fair few dog aggressive minis (in fAct, most minis I have met have this issue) - they need to be properly socialized as pups. My two are very easy to train but I don't use traditional techniques. We use tug, clicker training with free shaping etc. Training sessions are a few mins max.

West st Kildare is also very good. You dog needs to have a great recall though because it joins onto an untended bird sanctuary where no dogs are allowed. It is untended and very big.