Alyosha

:laugh: After Andie's pre-dawn antics (escaping into the paddocks, running amok, jumping in the river, needing another bath...) I almost could have given her away!! If I'd met you at 6am I might have put her in your car myself! :D For show involvement, first step is to join Dogs NSW (if you haven't already). Everything else goes from there. http://www.dogsnsw.org.au/about-dogs-nsw/join-dogs-nsw.html You can also join breed clubs even if you don't own one of that breed. For example through the Borzoi Club we are planning less formal events like Picnic Days. In cooler months these might (hopefully!) include some fun things like lure coursing as well. You'd be welcome to come, and even bring your greys if you were happy to. For your OH - Deerhound people will be invited as well as they don't have their own club in NSW... Extra incentive??

Oh CaseyKay, such beautiful girls. No words really, just thinking of you and sending hugs.

Well said Little Gifts.

I grew up with a newfie and GSDs. But I met a Borzoi as a kid and always wanted one. And since I got them as an adult I will always have them. :D

We have not only got over apparent morning sickness and getting appetite back in a big way, but we also seem to have a belly!!! :happydance:

Hi Brandiandwe. :) It would be lovely to meet you. Come find me - I'll have two light red/orange & white borzoi, and one dark red & white one. Anytime other than breed judging - I'm pretty laid back with grooming and can groom and talk... or maybe just after judging if I'm completely out of breath!! And the Borzoi people have a Club meeting at around 230pm so won't be available then either. Deerhound people will likely be with us or nearby. Cheers, Natasha

Awesome job Hankdog!!

Link worked for me, story copied below: Vets told to hand stray dogs into council or risk $700 fines READERS are backing Victoria's vets and criticising councils and the State Government for using a little-known law to raise revenue from stray dogs. The law enacted at least a decade ago requires all stray animals to be sent to the council pound, but vets normally scan any pets handed into their practices for microchips and call the owner to pick them up. On February 25 the Department of Primary Industries told vets via email they would be fined up to $700 unless they contacted councils to pick up strays. HAVE YOUR SAY: Should vets be allowed to reunite lost dogs with their owners? Tell us below or email [email protected] Danielle Herrera said targetting vets was "disgusting and ridiculous''. "First of all, it is another way for councils to make money. Secondly a lot of dogs that are not claimed go to the lost dogs home where they will be more than likely put down,'' she said. Alison Telford also said she was disgusted to hear of the threat from the department. "Honestly the government want community groups to do more, while the government do less. However when it affects revenue raising, they step in and demand the opposite,'' she said. Graham of Hoppers Crossing was "100 per cent'' in favour of the vets. "Too many animals are put down by pounds.'' he said. "The system has to change. Too many decisions made in ivory towers by bureaucrats with no idea of the real world.'' The department is also cracking down on vets rehousing cats for a fee and running puppy schools unless they register as domestic animal businesses. Most vets locate owners as a free or low-fee community service by scanning stray dogs for microchips and keeping them overnight if needed until the owner can pick them up. Casey Council charges a $143 release fee and can impose a fine up to $282. Neil Harding from the Berwick Springs Veterinary Hospital believed it was revenue raising and said in over 15 years as a vet he hadn't heard of anything like it. "To me, it's just ridiculous,'' Mr Harding said. "This is something that most vets have done as a service to the community and now we'll be fined for something we've done pretty much forever. "There's going to be a lot of resentment because we'll have to say to people who do hand in strays, 'we're just going to have to call up the pound'." In most cases, Dr Harding said dogs only escaped once and often it was because of noisy events such as council-funded firework displays. Vets can accept the dogs if they have a s84Y agreement with their local council but the Victorian branch of the Australian Veterinary Association confirmed very few if any of its members did. Australian Veterinary Association Victoria branch president Trish Stewart said vets dealt with stray pets every day and was hopeful her discussions with the department would end in a resolution shortly. In its email, the department justified it's warning by saying if councils were not made aware of stray animals, "they cannot take action to help owners prevent this from happening in the future". But DPI spokesman Alan Everett said the legislation had been in place for about 10 years. "Vets are being advised of their legal obligations," Mr Everett said. "The Bureau of Animal Welfare recently implemented a new system of engaging vets following a survey asking them what information needs they would like from the Department. "They responded that they needed more information on the Domestic Animals Act and other legislation relevant to their practices." Casey Council manager of community safety Caroline Bell endorsed the department's actions. She said since 1994 the law had stipulated any stray dog must be handed over to an authorised officer of council as soon as practicable. Ms Bell said the council could cope with the extra demand on it services. She said revenue raised through the council release fee would pay for the safe keeping of dogs at the pound. The law requiring strays to be sent to the pound was enacted in 1994.

That's why I recommended a "Vet chiro" which is a vet that also does chiro work. :) Oh Zug Zug I'm sorry to hear about that. It used to be an accepted thing for some dogs to "go in the back end" as they got older. But now we know why. Hopefully now that it's easy to test for it will happen less and less.

I knew Goldies had legendary appetites but... :laugh: http://au.news.yahoo.com/world/a/19225878/us-man-reimbursed-for-mutt-ilated-bills/ A man who painstakingly gathered and reassembled parts of five $100 bills eaten by his golden retriever has been reimbursed by the US Treasury for the damaged currency. The Independent Record reports that Wayne Klinkel received a $500 cheque on Monday. His 12-year-old dog, Sundance, downed all but half of one of the bills in December. Sundance snacked on the cash in the family vehicle while Klinkel and his wife ate at a restaurant. Klinkel says he carefully picked through the dog's droppings to recover parts of the bills and his daughter recovered more when the snow melted. Klinkel cleaned and reassembled the bills, put them in plastic bags and sent them to the US Treasury in April.

Not all vets have access to the registries.

Oh she is a bit young for DM - I must have mis-read sorry! If she was mine I would give her some more time without invasive tests - so long as she is not worsening. Do you have a good vet chiro in your area? Or even better, an animal Bowen therapist? If she has pinched or bruised a nerve it will take more time than if it is muscular.

Has she been tested for DM? Does she drag her back toes on the ground when walking? http://www.caninegeneticdiseases.net/DM/basicDM.htm

It does look like a lovely place CC. Very pretty. Yours might be a Torresian Crow, or an Australian Raven. They do look alike, but differ in calls and habits. The Raven has longer, more pronounced throat hackles and their beak is sort of finer. The Raven does a drawn out "ahhhhh-ahhhh" call, with the last note drawn out. The Crow is a "uh-uh-uh" sort of staccato call. http://www.birdsinbackyards.net/species/Corvus-orru http://www.birdsinbackyards.net/species/Corvus-coronoides Edit - forgot links.

:laugh: I've seen only a few hit by cars, but they always seem to be youngsters, which figures... Maybe a bit too daring before they wise up to the world...

Yep. :D I'm 3 of the 7. Will be more borzoi people than hounds - we're doing a lunch and AGM for the club. I got my numbers yesterday - hopefully yours won't be far off. Will be good to catch up.

Total Entry = 223 Breakdown as follows: AFGHAN HOUND 24 BASENJI 15 BASSET FAUVE DE BRETAGNE 1 BASSET HOUND 4 BEAGLE 14 BLOODHOUND 1 BORZOI 7 DACHSHUND (LONG HAIRED) 3 DACHSHUND (MINI LONG HAIRED) 13 DACHSHUND (SMOOTH HAIRED) 6 DACHSHUND (MINI SMOOTH HAIRED) 19 DACHSHUND (WIRE HAIRED) 2 DACHSHUND (MINI WIRE HAIRED) 5 DEERHOUND 2 FINNISH SPITZ 1 FOXHOUND 4 GREYHOUND 4 HARRIER 1 IRISH WOLFHOUND 11 PETIT BASSET GRIFFON VENDEEN 5 PORTUGUESE PODENGO (SMALL) 1 RHODESIAN RIDGEBACK 36 SALUKI 8 WHIPPET 36

Mine are normally 7 to 8 at 8 weeks too.

Australian Ravens. There are no crows around Canberra, there are only Ravens. But there are the Choughs, that live in family groups and are black with white under their wings. They can get mistaken for crows too. Ravens and Crows - Corvids - are credited with being some of the most intelligent of all birds.

Check legislation because I think that dog carting is still illegal in some parts of Australia. Relic laws of the days when dogs and goats used to be mis-used in mines etc.

And calling Masked Lapwings "Plovers"... Grr! :laugh: I met an awesome Raven once, although I've rehabbed a few and raised young uns. This one was brought into the clinic I worked at, and hopped straight out of the box onto my forearm. Those feet were so big and powerful, and she was heavy! She just looked me in the eye and sized me up, then seemed to decide she wasn't going to try and eat me so she'd be civilised. She was awesome. I named her "Quoth". But the pair that prowled the grounds of the wildlife centre were like a pair of dinosaurs - massive and powerful, and ruthless hunters. They seemed to know that aviary birds and poultry couldn't really escape - and if they saw an opportunity they would try and take off a head. Shudder...

Huski I think the Mals would have a different level of human interaction to most sighthounds though wouldn't they? Sighthounds being high prey drive and also independently minded to degrees that vary from mild to extreme. Mine will call off live prey too. But only if past the initial massive drive & energy burst (ie starting to tire, prey drive lessening), and if there is some greater incentive. That incentive is rarely reward - with my dogs that is. Because nothing I could offer is even close to as rewarding as a gallop or a chase. But they will come back for a negative - being left behind. They are pack focussed, once I call and walk away they will come. I think if they lived in suburbs with little exposure to small fluffy things running it would be different, but I would find it pretty sad to redirect their love of, and reward from running into something else anyway. There was an old saying about training an Afghan to fetch an inanimate object, the dog's way of thinking - "Why would I go and get that? I can't eat it, and if it was so valuable you wouldn't have thrown it away in the first place!" Sorry - OT. Back to proper training advice!

Makes more sense now! :D

Yes - a generalisation that doesn't always ring true. I have brother and sister from my last litter with no issues at all. I had two brothers go to another home together with no dramas (except that one was a bit naughty sometimes - just him, his brother was more of a calming influence than anything!), and a brother and sister go to another home together with huge success. Depends on the home, the owner, the experience and the individual dogs. Yes they stay close, but not inseparable. And yes they can be mischievous, what young dogs can't?? My two older half sisters - 4 & 5 years old - are just as close, and yes sometimes just as naughty...

Sorry, just have to say this is a pretty massive generalisation. Strong prey drive is not "easily" redirected onto anything so dull as toys or food. My dogs have low interest in toys or food at their most focussed - they respond best to affection, which is fine. But if there is a rabbit running, or a possibility of a rabbit running, somewhere in the vicinity - any food or toys (or even affection for that matter!) may as well be on Pluto... Doesn't matter if on or off leash. I can have a smidgen of attention, but redirecting that prey drive?? Nothing is more rewarding to them than that potential chase. That is far more engrained than anything else. Less OT - clicker training works for many people. But for folks that use it, can you tell me how you use it in multiple dog situations without distractions etc? I don't just mean to your dog. Am genuinely curious, as recently at a dog event one person had quite a loud clicker for use on their dog - which seemed quite effective. However everyone else's dogs kept turning around to see what the noise was and it was quite distracting. Do other clicker trained dogs also get distracted by someone else using one?