di_dee1

Oh how horrible! That vet should be censured in some way!

Mine also wake early and hubby puts them in the pen then he falls straight back asleep. I often do not even hear it. I am VERY grateful he does this and manages to fall back asleep. If I had to I know I would stay awake.

I do a form of scary monster thing with my Grand kids, they have to poke my "off switch" on my forehead, shoulder etc. The place varies. They now call me Nana monster and I love it. Love the looks people give me and them when out in public too and they call me that. It was at its best when I was bald from chemo but now I have hair again. lol.

My 2 females are desexed and I will soon be desexing my 11 month old male ACD. He can be quite exuberant. I don't expect him to calm down from it and am doing it for the prevention of possible testicular cancer which my last ACD developed at age 10. Cured with surgery. I wanted Bandit to have his growth mainly done before doing it. His female litter mate was desexed at 6 months.

I too am on a farm and have 3 ACDx. Our house and yard can not be fenced so we made a huge pen for them incorporating shady trees and used the unused garden shed as their shelter. We do not keep the fence taught as with my dogs it makes them feel insecure to climb. I think we got our wire from bunnings, not sure or it could have been a fencing place and used star posts. They do not dig out, do try to at times or the dog on time out with me tries to dig in lol. Our wire is angled inside on the dirt.

Like the rest I have been regularly checking here. I am so glad they are ok.

Ohhhh I hope it goes well. I am so pleased you will be possibly doing this for him. My son leaves for Afghanistan on Tuesday but is only on a 6 week operation, not a 6 or 7 month tour of duty like he did in Iraq. Please please keep us updated.

PMSL at theses stories. About 10 years ago I went to pick up some people who were going to stay a couple of nights. Got back to find my ACD had raided the on farm tip down the back and ripped to shreds a used pad on the front lawn. I burst out laughing and said..."welcome to the farm."

Never heard of them but can now guess, lol.

My pups were 6 weeks old when I was diagnosed with cancer and about 3 1/2 months old when I started treatment. (I took on a pregnant bitch a couple of weeks off whelping and kept 2 of them. The other two went to good homes, one as a working dog.) Their mother is of calm disposition, an ACD (blue heelerxBC). Pup's sire is a papered stumpy tail. They are now 11 months old. A male and female. They live outside in a huge pen, shady trees, a shed for sleeping. Before that it was a smaller pen. As you can imagine, a working breed can be very boisterous and over the top. Whilst the male at times on initial contact is still a bit like this, the female has calmed. I had one dog inside at a time with me. Male in morning, female in afternoons and the mother evening and all night. We still do this. I used the word gentle if they were too boisterous. Gave treats for good behaviour. My dogs now know that inside with me means calming down, cuddles, chew toys etc and they zonk out on the floor. Outside in the pen they can be as boisterous all they like and they roughouse play with my husband at times. It takes consistency and patience but is doable.

I agree as well on the supersoaker as well as screens for the windows. I too think that in time the pup will sort out the cat but it can be a worry. One of my 2 cats scratched the eye of one of my pups who was 3 months old, ulceration occurred very quickly and a costly op followed.

I really don't give a rats how my 3 (bitch taken in when pregnant and a male and female pup kept..ACD x) sort their pack. I do see when their litter mate comes here, sometimes to stay a few days that she is very submissive for the first few minutes. I yell OI or EXCUSE ME if spats get out of hand and this settles them. Whilst human dominance may be seen by some the only way to go, for us here it is integration of the dogs and us that is acceptable for all, that matters most. They are dogs, we are human, they listen to me (mostly, and I pick my battles and don't sweat the small stuff) I watch their body language etc. Works very well. I don't think they see me as another dog as I don't think they see the cows here as dogs.

I am so very sorry and have everything crossed for them and you.

Some swear by balloons filled with water or spraying water to distract. My dogs would adore that though. Some have even tried a rag soaked with tobasco sauce as a deterrent. If my 3 were clothesline pullers I would be keeping clothes and dogs separate. I did once have a poddy calf that only sucked my clothes on the line.

Oh Gees. Fingers crossed they will soon find out for sure and that he gets effective treatment.

Any dog of any breed that attacks to that extent, then goes for a policeman IMO should be shot. It hopefully was quick and clean. I think it would cause more stress to the dog to be impounded then euthanased. I hate the fact though that so many are labeled a pit bull. I have met wonderful ones. I feel the same about dogs attacking livestock, even my own dogs. That is a very real possibility should they get out.

We are farmers but my 3 ACDs are pets. I don't teach tricks, just the basic commands as I prefer them to be themselves. They occupy each other inside the house or out so they do not lack for stimulation.

I just can not comprehend cruelty at all.

Saw that on the other 2 threads. It is great news indeed.

Done, remembered I had a second email addy, lol

Wonderful news that he has been found.

Fantastic news!

My only first hand experience with rescue was when I took on a pregnant ACD, kept 2 of the pups, had homes lined up for the other 2 and one fell through...just as I was to start chemotherapy (diagnosed when they were 6 weeks old) I contacted a local rescue as I would be unable to screen for a good home. I surrendered him to them at age 12 weeks and he was placed in a great home. Even though, legally I had no rights to ever hear about him again I was told by the rescue of his placing ( general geographical area) and the new owners emailed me a couple of times with pics. I do not know what hoops the person and his daughter had to go through to get him but all I know is my pup was placed well and by the pics seems very happy and fit with them. My 2 are now 11 months old. They helped me (along with their mother) all through chemo, radiation and out the other side to remission. I am so very grateful to that rescue.

My two, now 11 months old have always slept outside in a pen with a snug dog box. Now they are older and thy have a huge pen with trees and a garden shed with sofas in there they sleep there. Their mother sleeps on her bed on the floor beside ours. In over 30 years of having my own dogs away from home I have never used a crate. I can see their value but ealy on, being in the laundry then graduating to the bedroom has worked well when having a single dog.

The term "flogging a dead horse" comes to mind in this thread as the OP has been hounded away.