Abby

Try not to take it personally. You wouldn't be the first puppy buyer who chose a reputable breeder, got a nice puppy and then heard nothing more from the breeders when you send pictures or email/call with questions. It is a shame really. Although I am sure if that same breeder got an inquiry from a prospective puppy buyer, they'd write back. Frank is very cute!

RIP little Chester. We had a guinea pig named Chester when I was a kid. I agree, guinea pigs certainly can touch your heart like a dog does.

Poor little Atlas - still just a baby! Run free.

Sorry to hear about the business. It is amazing how dogs know when you're upset. One of my dogs is much more tuned into these things than the other. It makes a tough time easier having your little buddy, doesn't it?

Sorry I don't have experience with that condition. But I just wanted to say that sucks. I love mini schnauzers. Your poor little bubba. I hope she does well on the medicine and lives as long a life as possible.

I think it cost about $100 - we took a relative's old GR for a full clip and bath (he was very patchy due to shaved parts from operations so they wanted him to look a bit tidier).

Thinking of you and Zoey. I know it is such a stressful time when your puppy is in acute care. I hope your pup makes a full recovery!

Lucy is an avid TV watcher. She loves animal shows, cartoon animals, and kids' shows. I think she is drawn to kids' shows for the music and voices. She used to love that ING ad with Billy Connolly - who knows why!? I can't watch Dog Whisperer or Bondi Vet unless it is in our bedroom where she can't reach the TV. In the loungeroom, she likes to stand up on two legs on the TV unit and blocks my view! She has a funny routine in the mornings too. I get up, switch on the TV news and go to the kitchen to make breakfast (my other dog Maximus follows me) but she plonks herself on the lounge and watches the news. (If the TV isn't on she usually follows me instead.)

Meningitis?

Miniature poodle and miniature schnauzer! ETA: Currently have lowchen.

Great news I hope she contiunes to make a swift recovery!

A clown of lowchen

Congratulations! I would love to do that with my two.

It was always my dream to have my own office/company so I could bring the dogs to work. Last year I did a temp contract for a PR company and the boss sometimes brought in her puppy - it was so cool! So my dream is still lingering - maybe one day it'll come true.

I'm not saying the vets are doing the wrong thing. I genuinely am curious how other professionals and small businesses deal with these situations and why they are able to recover debts regularly and many vets are not. In my business I only deal with a few clients and trust that they'll pay the invoices. As a vet, any random person can walk in and need your services and products, so I understand it is different.

That's a good point. I think in life generally people should have access to a few thousand in emergency funds (even if this is a credit card). I understand that vets have trouble with people not paying bills. But many professionals and small companies I know of invoice their clients after a service is rendered, and therefore chase bad debtors when they arise, then why can't vets?

Oh yes mine loooove to cuddle. They are very affectionate and just need to be near you. They come in the bathroom when I am in the shower, when I sit on the couch they are either on my lap or beside me or at my feet. Mine love snuggling on the bed too, shhh! Sorry to hear about the loss of your dog. It is great to hear you are interested in a pure breed dog. Before I knew about lowchen, I had adopted dogs from the pound, which is great, but I like the predictability of personality and the health guarantee of a pure bred.

Lowenhart has a very good point about allergies. I looked at these breeds because of my allergies, so I spent time with lowchen on several occasions to make sure I didn't get itchy. But my friend who is also allergic to dogs sneezes when she comes over and visits my doggies!

I have two lowchen and love them to bits (though they may not suit everyone). My parents have a havanese. I'm no expert but here's a bit about them from my experiences. The lowchen love to greet me when I get home and follow me around everywhere. I often joke there is an invisible three metre circle around me that they like to stay inside. They're very funny and clown-like and love people. Mine love to splash in their water dish and burrow into piles of clean laundry when they're being naughty. My parents' havanese (compared to my dogs) loves exploring things in the yard, may be a little easier to train and definitely barks more. The three of them all get on really well and these differences may not be totally indicative of these breeds. Are you considering toy or mini poodles if your aunt needs non-shedding?

Good luck. Our dog had seizures all of a sudden and was shortly after diagnosed with meningitis (after testing CSF). His was a treatable type of meningitis but until the lab results came in many days later, we didn't know what kind of meningitis.

Usually my holidays are overseas or require plane trips so the critters can't come. Although you have planted the idea now, perhaps this year we will take a trip with the dogs... Does anyone have suggestions near Brisbane?

I don't know about pricing, as that has never been my primary motivation for choosing a vet, but I recommend Belmont Road Vet for their professionalism, friendliness and dedication.

Sorry I have taken so long to answer this. No bone structure is not directly related to height. You can have both fine & heavy dogs of all sizes. Size of bone is related to the family, so those of fine bone bred to fine bone tend to produce more fine bone. There is also dwarfism in the breed, which causes shortened thick bowed legs in front and shortened thick legs in rear. This makes some small dogs look more hefty and robust. Thanks

Is their bone structure related to height? I have seen some lowchen are much more 'fine-boned' and others more 'robust'.

Great pics Lowenhart. This could be a silly question, but does the smoochen coat shed more than a regular lowchen coat? To a layperson it looks more like a short coated breed that may drop hair a lot.