LizT

Taking the dog out of the equation - what sort of person thinks it is okay for a child to shove a complete stranger? I am appalled that the adult didn't intervene. Sadly some parents of reactive kids that have to deal with these things on a daily basis either give up or become desensitised. Not an excuse but a reason.

Agree I would have been extremely pissed off if a child disabled or not shoved me hard. Extremely pissed off. I did have a disabled child break free of the person they were with and rush at me to pat my dog. Luckily I had Brock who was fine with it. Not sure how Amber would have reacted. It isn't so much the fact it was a stranger it is the noise and way the child moved. Would have given most dogs a fright. Had a very disabled child scream in excitement at my horse once, the child was in a wheel chair too and the horse was a nervy sort. Instead of getting a fright my horse let out this amazing whinny and moved towards the child. Was very interesting. I had my eldest Cavalier at an Vet eye clinic when she was about a year old. She was sitting beside me and I needed to go to the toilet so I told her to "stay' and went. When I returned there was an intellectually disabled teenage girl sitting next to Bonnie and patting and talking to her. I was very surprised at how well Bonnie dealt with it, as, for a Cavalier, she really isn't all that good with strangers. She seemed to sense this child was special. :)

I have a 58 year old workmate, she tells me her 26 year old Autistic son grabs her and pounds her and hold her by the neck and shakes her when he gets angry. The problem is there is no pattern to his anger, sometimes when he is told no he deals with it other times he flies off the handle. She has been told by her support person that she is to put a lock on her bedroom door so she can have some time out. Given the unpredictability the mother of the child should have been with him so as to try to avoid any unwarranted behaviour in public. She has a duty of care to her child AND to the public.

I had a similar situation when I was sitting at the school shelter recently waiting for my daughter and a mother and pre-schooler came by. The pretty little girl, about 4 I guess, flashed me a beautiful, angelic smile and walked up to me. I said "Hello" and the child then punched me, quite hard in the lower stomach area. The shock was probably worse than the punch. The mother walked past and the child turned to follow, I said, "I think you should say sorry" and the mother turned around and said "Oh, she doesn't talk". Well I was taken aback and realise the child must be autistic. Then I got angry and was about to yell out to the mother but she quickly looked over her shoulder and called out "Sorry". I was pretty pissed off at this mother for letting her child walk so far ahead of her she couldn't be there to control her or at least warm me. This child will only be getting bigger and stronger! I have known people with Autistic kids over the years. Some are now adults but have never had any of them thump me. I was just glad I didn't have my puppy on my lap that day.

True, but I doubt these kids are allowed to cycle that far, they were all around 10 years and under. ;) Or that their parents would even see it as necessary. They are the ones who let kids and dogs go out to play after all. Actually I know that these kids have no control over these dogs and I've had to bring my Rodeo ute and horse float to a complete stop before as the dog was casually meandering across the road in front of me with the poor kids calling and screaming because they thought he might get hit but I saw him on the side of the road and slowed down to a snail pace as he came onto the road and crossed in front of me and the kids, as expectd, ran in front of my Rodeo and pushed the dog off the road, by which time I had come to a complete stop. Hazards!!!

I too get annoyed by off lead dogs rushing at either my dogs when I'm walking or at my horse when I'm riding. Dogs need to be kept on lead because we now live in a on lead society and dogs do not know how to behave off lead anymore. Particularly in suburbia. Well not all dogs of course, yesterday I watched a group of kids playing on the side of the road in the housing estate opposite our acreage. The road is gravel with no footpaths and a large grassy verge where there is a paddock adjacent to ours. We are what is described as "Semi-rural". There were about 6 kids and three dogs, two off lead, milling around the kids happily 'hanging' with them, one was on lead, quetly sitting beside his kid. It was a Kelpie and the off lead dog appeared to be a working type cross breed. There was also a small JRT/Foxie type. It mad me feel a little sad and nostalgic that we can't have scenes like this anymore. It was very representative of my childhood in the late '60's early '70's. I know that I would have immediately upset the dynamics of this "harmless" group had I walked by with my dogs on lead and I too would probably be annoyed by their inevitable, curious approach.

What a beautiful and lucky girl she is. She is lucky to have been born a breed with an excellent nose and hearing. Which if all the stories of blind people are true will be even sharper and finely tuned than a sighted dogs. :)

In my own experience a 'visitor' dog if it gets along well rom the onset is tolerated for a period of time. After a while though a pecking order is established and often fights break out when there is a rush to greet family members. It's quite likely this is why a fight occurred on your return. Then there are those fights that happen for no reason we have been able to assertain, usually because we are not present with the dogs at the time. One night years ago we heard an almightly bang and the dogs were at each other (an entire Border Collie X bitch and a Male desexed GSD), by the time I got to the back porch it was over. In their fight they knocked over a heavy pine outdoor seat that smashed a hole in the fibro and I think the noise startled them both out of the fight. I'll never know what it was about? For the most part these two dogs got on well from the time the GSD was about 7 months old, but prior to that the older Border X bitch could not be trusted unsupervised when he was a young puppy. Hope your girls continue to get along and I know you are sensible enough to seek help if it continues. :) I just hope little Coco doesn't get caught up in it!

By the way was it the two Huskys fighting? Do be cautious as I know one is a recent adult addition and you may have upset the dynamics of your household somewhat. Stay alert. :)

I think with a dog bit there is more concern of infection than tetanus. Being around horses we try to keep ours up to date JIC, at least every 10 years. The only dog bite I've had was when I was 16 years old and my Mini Poodle got hit by a car. My fault. When I picked him up he sunk his teeth into my hand. I still have a puncture mark where it was. He spent the whole car ride to the vets licking my hand. Poor fellow must have been in a lot of pain as he had smashed his hip joint and the vet wanted to put him to sleep but I begged him to try to save him and next day my boss gave me a months advance in my pay for the vet bills. The surgery was sucessful, the joint rewired, teh leg saved and the boy lived to 17 years of age. :) Did I ever learn my lesson about off lead dogs at parks that day. Incidently I never had any treatment for my bite, I was too busy worrying about Benji, luckily it didn't get infected. Benji's first aid (constant licking) in the car probably did it good. :laugh:

I overheard the lady who imports IOD saying she tried it out on her kids. :) Given that dogs skin is more sensitive than peoples it couldn't hurt could it.

Take the puppy out as often as possible when you are able and use either newspaper or pee pads for the possible need to go nows that you will inevitably miss. :)

Well if that happens they'll have delays due to the high demand! ;)

Our dogs sleep on our bed but some nights I just want it to be OH and me! ;)

I really don't know why they are making such a big deal about not accepting "pending" for a baby puppy. If they are going to be all serious about it then they may as well join in the Challenge Line up. ;)

Never mind the fact that poor Lady was banished after the arrival of the skin baby....one newbie never to set their foot inside the world of DOL again lol But not by her people, only that "meddling Aunt". Personally I could never go away and leave my baby with anyone!

No. it is not "fairly common". Given the number of Cavaliers in this country it is actually quite rare, but not unheard of, and has cropped up in a number of UK imported lines, hence many having imports MRI'd before coming out here. It is cheaper to have an MRI done in the UK but can cost up to $1000 here, and with many lines showing no sign of the disease the demand for MRI is fortunately not high. It is nowhere near as common in comparison to other diseases the breed can suffer from, but yes, like any disease it is devastating when it happens. My MRI was $1,700 last January. I beg to differ, if the dog is in pain then it is WAY TOO LATE. The dog then actually will live with permanent pain, not tingly sensations - actual constant pain. The disease needs to be caught BEFORE any episodes of pain. And I'm not sure what vets are 'diagnosing' the disease without any proof because I had to wait a year while they went through ALL other alternatives. (Meanwhile the disease was progressing) So sorry to hear your dog has suffered with this terrible condition. I think the problem is the high cost of an MRI makes vets look at all other possible causes and conditions before resorting to making a client pay such a bill if not deemed entirely necessary. I can't understand why it would take a whole year to get a confirmed diagnosis, and to implement a treatment plan, unless, they were waiting for more symptoms to develop? Unfortunately MRI of breeding stock cannot guarantee that they or their offspring will remain clear and not develop the condition either.

puppy farm... Or the pound adopting Stitch out to a fmily with a young girl despite being obviously bad tempered... lol Except they were not going to sell any of the puppies! Yes, and Stitch's adoption, especially as Pound Worker didn't recognise the 'dog' and they had no paper work on him. Maybe the 'real' world isn't that bad after all. :laugh:

Yeah, that had me worried even as a kid in the 1960's. It's typical Disney humanising of a "Story". What really had me worried though is the 101 Dalmations all living happily in a dalmation plantation!

It can be so hard not to judge a breed. I had a very bad experience with a black Lab as a child. It attacked me and bit my foot as I walked past a house on the way home from school. I used to go out of my way to avoid this home. The dog would always come running out of the driveway and scare the bejeezus out of me. It takes all of my rationale not to go cold when I see a black Lab even today. Logically I know the truth, I mean I don't even feel the same chill when I see yellow or chocolate labs, but emotionally there is still a scared small child in there.

I love how this thread hightlights the shortcomings/endearments of the different breeds. :)

I have my girls scanned at 28 days. Last one was $75.00 and I got a free scan a week later with senior vet to confirm it was in fact a singleton puppy. They also gave me another free quick look see on the day she had her Prog test which incidently was also the day the pup was born. I do have alot of dealings with these vets and a relationship that spans 20 plus years.

I love Lady and the Tramp! Ryan bought it for me for Valentines day. In the movie they refer to her as a cocker spaniel but she LOOKS like a cavalier except for the little tail. I always thought she was a CKCS. I would love to read the original book! Did you know Bellackcs that the breed standard allows for the tail to be docked 1/3 of it's length! (Of course docking is now illegal in Australia, but that's a whole different tale! ;) )

That just about covers it Mags although my two have yet to stash a whole pumpkin in their treasures :laugh: I would disagree and say do get a grey if you love your lawn and garden, I've always had a lovely lawn no matter how many greys I have. They are usually a great dog for garden lovers to own compared to other medium to large breeds. Not all of them tend to shed much either, some are very sparse coated. I would add: Don't get a grey if you want a dog that can endure hours of exercise. They have very little endurance, and too much exercise can cause problems. Don't get a greyhound if you want a dog to let off lead in public areas. They enjoy running so much, and can cover a large distance very quickly. Not the easiest breed to teach recall either. They greys I cared for (had to feed them every afternoon weekdays, belong to a 'professional couple' who had no children and both worked in the city (over an hours commuting) and they got a second Grey to keep the first company. The first dug HUGE holes in the yard and now they have two greys who dig MASSIVE, HUGE holes in the yard. Is it any wonder? Boredom I should think. Greytmate, clearly your greys get the correct amount of attention and stimulation the breed requires.