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Ha! You only think its funny because she doesn't live with you!!! I really could strangle her sometimes...if only I could get my hands around her fat neck!!!! But then she does stuff that makes me go all gooey....the way she plays with Gus is so sweet. She is gentle and kind and sooo patient with him!

CB...your little cavs are sweet! If I did have room (which I don't Tlc!!!) I could see little Chanel curled up quite happily between Fat Guts Jane and Gus the Good! BTW Janes diet has been going well until tonight when she apparently raided the fridge! She can open the fridge door with her nose unless we put a stool in front of it (with all the energy she expends trying to get food she should be skinny!!!) and miss 12 year old got home first and appears to have forgotten to replace the stool. Anyway she snaffled some low fat mince and some shredded cheese. Must of been a smash and grab as there were quite a few things she didn't take!!!!

I think you should only consider getting a second dog if YOU want another dog. We had Jane for 14 months before we welcomed Gus into the family and knew by this time that Jane was a pretty social girl with dogs but that she really wouldn't cope well with an overly dominant dog. We also knew that she was a full-on highly excitable dog by then and so while we wanted her to enjoy having a doggie companion, we also needed a dog that did not match her exurberance but would enjoy and not be overwhelmed by her. Gus is everything that Jane is not in that he is quiet, calm, gentle and placid and yet they get on together sooo well! She loves him to death but he is much more focussed on people than she is and in some ways needs us more than she does. Gus isn't here to 'fix' Jane as we do love her for who she is. He is here because we needed him with us, he needed a home and the added bonus is that they enjoy each others company.

No doubt Tully is going to look pretty special on her (almost) birthday!!! it dosen't rain!

Hey JJ...if you can come tracking it would be great as not only a spectator but also a helper as we need extra people to help hold the dogs while we lay the tracks. I took a friend last time and we took in turns which was good! Btw...I'll be with the (fat) black dog who won't be looking very snazzy with the borrowed harness, yellow collar and red lead! Which is all good as she will be with the equally unco-ordinated (fat) handler who will be lucky to have a matching pair of socks on! Tully may not want to have anything to do with us Tenties...sad news about Ruby but congrats on her son!

She is very very pretty! I'm also thinking that Gus is part greyhound when I look at Bosley as they look alittle similar (he's in my siggy). He was labelled a Golden Retriever cross at the RSPCA but I can certainly see greyhound in him too now (Yeah!) Good luck with finding her new home. Her new family will be very lucky to have such a beautiful girl! How old is she?

Loose lead for us but OK with beside or in front as long as they listen to where I want them to be. I do some heel work and obedience stuff like sit, drop, come around (so Jane goes from my right side, behind me to my left side) and bring it back (Jane slows down so she goes from ahead of me to beside me) as well as leave it, then we have times where its just a relaxed walk. Young Gus...lots of encouragement to heel but mostly I just want him to stay tuned into me. He's abit timid so I don't mind some in front walking as long as there is no pulling!

Cool...the only thing I can do well is take blood so maybe we could have a little pathology corner in the shop!!!!

Easy mistake to make, as she may become extinct too, if you don't get some weight off her! You're right about that J.J but we are full steam ahead with the diet! Mind extinction is still possible if she keeps stealing the bloody remote!

Great pics Tlc...Looks like a great place to spend time with dogs and friends! Nice that the weather held out too! That is one cute pup...how old is it? Don't stress about the harness. When Jane and I went tracking last year, Trish had a good supply so we were able to have a lend of one for the time we were there.

Having Jane who is half Lab and half crazy has made me realise that the labby is a puppy for a long long time. At 16 months she is still more puppy like than Gus who is 18 weeks old. At dog training, all the full on dogs are the labbys...beautiful lovely dogs but all high energy high excitment and full on extraverts. The ads on TV showing cute gentle lab puppies should come with a disclaimer saying something like "the lab you see here is NOT what a normal lab puppy does MOST of the time!" Consistancy is the key I think and maybe try some clicker training to harness that enthusiasiam!

Know exactly what you mean Mrs Rusty Bucket...Jane takes any little slip up by us and runs a mile with it!!! Often we only know she's up to no good because A) She is suspicious by her absense...meaning she is already enjoying her little stolen reward or B) she is caught in mid bolt past us in which case we do a quick servalence and realise the remotes missing!!! I'll give the Vicks a go and see what happens!

Nasty looking thing...and not something I want looking back at me as I walk behind my dog!!! Whats the cause BTW???

I agree J.J...she is very very cute. Best of luck to finding her next and last home. seems that who has her will be very very lucky!

Opps, Yep Tassie tiger. We already have a devil with Jane

Don't worry Tlc...I'm sure your dogs won't mind the change in diet. Janes main food has been dry from day 1 and she seems happy enough. Lets face it, when you add in the bones and vegies and occasional sardines its still pretty varied. Lacey and Bron wouldn't have much to loose anyway as they already look pretty fit and they certainly have a high energy lifestyle. I agree with you Pandii, a lite dry would be ideal but I had just bought a large bag of her normal one at $100 odd dollars plus added Gus to the pet insurance and paid for the vet visit ect so I'm abit strapped for cash at the moment. Jane is going to have to cope with smaller portions with pumpkin until I'm abit more financial...Damn my crap paying job!!! Jane dosent seem at all worried about having a much leaner chicken frame tonight. I even cut off the teeny tiny bit of fat that was on it so I'm kinda looking forward to her weigh-in in two weeks to see how we go!

Gus's dad might have been a Tassie devil...he's a very stripy boy!

Our dog had gooey eyes as a pup too and her poos were abit lose as well. We changed her to a good quality dry food and both problems cleared up very quickly. Her eyes alway had gooey white matter in them before we changed her diet.

Ahh...well it seems I'm not alone in the chubby pooch department Lots of good ideas so the lovely well padded Jane will be model material again soon! Thanks for the input everyone! Yep...Tlc...it is lot in two months and I'm at a loss to explain that level of weight gain in that period of time. Since we have had Gus, Jane has really been active at home hooning around the backyard with him and her sprinting both in speed and endurance has been awe-inspiring. We have actually been giving her far less tidbits and treats too as we didn't want to encourage Gus BUT the frames were awfully fatty when I think about it so maybe they were the culprits. When she was weighed last time, I was surprised that she did weigh 22kg as I was pretty sure she would be around 25kg but even so... the same scales were used this time and I definitely saw 30kg! ...but not for long! She really isn't much of a guts either...has never been frantic for food like young Gus is and has been on one meal a day for ages but she is half Labby. Its time we picked up our act though and make it impossible for her to acquire any 'free' stuff!

Wow...43kg to 28kg is some weight loss! What sort of loss was that a week or month Shell? Pumpkin...great idea and easy to cook so thanks! We'll give it a go tomorrow!

Hadn't thought of vicks vapour rub for the counters...but if it got on her paws and she licked it, wouldn't she be destressed??? Toilet paper rolls...check! Thank god we have a constant supply as both doggies love em! We have only had Gus for a month. Prior to his arrival, Jane would bury rather than scoff food and we would go around and pick up the stash from her favourite hidey holes. Having Gus around makes her much more likely to eat what she takes. gotta love the timing of the vomits...mind you, if Jane vomited more often she wouldn't be so bloody fat!

Hmmm...I kinda knew Jane had put on alittle beef lately but 8kg in 2 months Jane went to the vets today for vaccinations and a check up. She is 16 months old and a high energy full on dog who has 2 x 45 minute walks aday and numerous play sessions with our 18 week old pup, Gus. Last night she thieved a loaf of bread minus 4 slices and ate the lot. Now one of Jane's strengths is thievery and we have noticed that she has been able to...er...lets say...acquire things from places she wasn't able to reach previously so she has had a growth spurt in the last few months...BUT...2 months ago she went to the vets for an eye problem and apparently weighed 22kg. Today she weighed in at 30kg. She still has a waist and a 'tuck' but she is far too fat and I am responsible Now apart from what she steals...and mostly its inedible stuff like remotes, phones, glasses and cushions ect, she eats a good diet of Advance kibble alternating with chicken frames and chicken mince, occasional whole eggs and sardines but she has been in a good paddock long enough! I couldn't believe the weight gain and have been thinking all day about what I need to change to help her drop some of this weight! My first thought is that the chicken frames I was giving her had too much on them so have now changed to much much leaner ones. No more chicken pet mince as this was from the same supplier and was really just minced up frames with the same amount of fat. Half the kibble...one small handful a day on the days she dosen't get a frame and then maybe some brown rice cooked in low salt stock to help bulk up her daily intake. If anyone has any other ideas I would love to hear them. Also what sort of weight loss should I be aiming for over lets say a 2 week period and if anyone wants to flame me...go right ahead...I deserve it ;)

You poor love...so hard to know whats right when there are so many unanswerable questions right now. Just remember that you know Dexter best and how he will cope or not cope with surgery. Is there any chance that you can talk with someone who has a dog with similar temperment to Dexters who has had the surgery? Hopefully the specialist will be able to put you in touch with someone! Also if you have a good relationship with your vet, could you have a chat to them as well. When my last dog was going downhill fast with arthritis and reached a crisis, I looked my vet in the eye and asked her what she would do if this was her dog...and why? IMO our dogs are here for a good time...being here for a long time is an added bonus but only if they are still MOSTLY having a good time!

JJ...congrats on the nuptials...Mrs JJ will officially be Mrs JJ soon! How exciting I can highly recommend Tlc as photographer extrordinaire for your new future siggy. She took some amazing shots of my two and even though I lov them to bits and think they are gorgeous, They are not the most photogenic pups so her photos are awesome!

Tlc...Thank you sooo much for my beautiful updated siggy! I LOVE IT!!!! BTW the rest of the photos are fantastic too. Gus has really blossomed over the last 3 weeks and you have captured both him and Jane prefectly! As cold as it was, all the doggies look like they had a great day and Lacey looked very posh in her coat and scarf. Dressed to impress and jumping through hoops as well...what a Gal!