mrs tornsocks

went out to collect the mail, and guess who came trotting down the hallway and out the front door for ....... ZOOMIES no less !! Little bugger

I think it would probably be best for your dog's safety if you eat all the remaining chocolate in the house now. Well, the 75g that was left on the coffee table I only left so hubby didn't think I was a total pig (he's been away for four days for work). I guess I'll need to go buy a new block and eat three quarters before he gets home. Archie meanwhile is still lying down on his bed, even though I've called him out. He wags when I go to him and seems fine, maybe he's just sulking because I roused on him. It's been about 30 mins since he thieved the stash.

Thanks for those links guys. It was milk chocolate, I even upped the amount I think he ate & the toxicity calculator came back as 'none'. I will keep an eye on him anyway obviously, thanks for those symptom tips.

My 2.3yo 28kg lab just gobbled up about quarter of a family block of Cadbury chocolate. I caught him in the act & roused on him, sent him to his 'room' where he's lying down. I'm hoping his iron guts will mean he'll be okay but just wondering ?????

http://au.news.yahoo.com/opinion/post/-/blog/sallyeeles/post/28/comment/1/ We had to put our old dog, Tana, to sleep last week. It was cancer. Not that we knew. He had hidden it so well that when the pain finally became too much, it was too late. We spent a lot of his last few nights and days, lying beside him on the garage floor – wondering whether we’d done enough; whether he really knew how much he was loved. We’ve been through this heartache before. We’ve said goodbye to much-loved pets. We have a template for grief. We know the ache does fade with time. We know the void that exists, will eventually become normality. We know that one day we’ll look back and smile at fond memories. But right now, it just hurts. There is no one to nuzzle my legs as I peg clothes on the line; no one to drop a ball at my feet; no one to eat the never-ending stream of leftovers from the kids’ dinner plates; no brown eyes pleading at me through the kitchen window for a tidbit. Four-year-old Sassy Princess doesn’t cope with sorrow. She tells us off if we mention Tana’s name and yet, she’ll tell complete strangers the whole sorry tale. Oddly, all of the patients in her "play" hospital at the moment have cancer. Seven-year-old Junior SNAG set up a shrine with a photo and the doggy treats Tana never got to eat. Every now and then, sadness flickers across his eyes as a memory strikes him. I shall never forget the way his face crumpled when I told him he had to say his last goodbye… or his wail as Tana was driven away for the final time. And yet, our children are more resilient than the grown-ups. We’ve spent the past week existing in a fog. I’ve heard plenty of people say that their dogs are like family members. Well Tana was that, and more. He was part of a dream: my husband’s dream, which became our way of life. Since he was a child, my husband wanted to be a police dog handler. After lots of hard work, he achieved that goal, taking ownership of the adored Police Dog Oscar on 9 August 1998. Later, came the alert P.D. Tana, eventually followed by the energetic P.D. Quattro. Our house was designed to fit the dream. We’re situated right beside a large park – perfect for training and exercising German Shepherds. There’s a big backyard (i.e. canine playground) and a fenced off doggy zone, complete with lockable indoor/outdoor kennels. At one point we had three dogs (the past, present and future of policing), two cats, two kids under three, two full-time jobs and a household to run. They were crazy, exhausting times. But then, sadly, we lost Oscar in 2008. And early this year, we gave Quattro to another handler. My husband had reluctantly decided to leave the dog squad because the demands of the job and a young family were no longer compatible. Yet through it all, we had Tana to ease the loss and console us… in all of his many phases. A naughty pup that destroyed hundreds of dollars worth of plants in record time; that chewed through four brand new shoes (only the right ones): that nibbled the fur trim of a friend’s jacket while she was wearing it; that routinely broke through the fence to visit the dog next door. An agile and super-keen worker with an amazing ability to sniff out the tiniest of clues, and make sure offenders did not forget him in a hurry. A loyal mate and colleague that never let the side down – and in fact saved my husband from a number of precarious positions. A smart dog able to learn new tricks, read a situation and react appropriately. I’m still in awe of the time he edged between me and my then-toddler son in full-tantrum mode. He shielded me from the flailing arms and kicking legs, yet did not show a hint of aggression to the child. A mellow old gentleman that put up with the antics of two noisy kids, played with them and showed them nothing but love. Then 9 August 2011 came, and took Tana away too. Exactly 13 years to the day since it began… the dream was over. Now, none of the three doggy beds has a furry face lying on it. I was reluctant to welcome Tana at the start. I hated the idea of Oscar being replaced. But most of all, I hated the thought of knowing I’d have to face this day, when, after wheedling his way into my affections, Tana would leave, gouging a hole in my heart. So now we look out for the sunsets. My son is convinced that the recently departed are in charge of painting the sky each evening. We are inclined to believe him. Goodbye Tana – my "Tanaby Jones". I hope you and Oscar are playing chase in a grassy paddock somewhere. We miss you. Terribly. Sally

Well I got home & he spent at least 5-10 minutes greeting me and showing me his 'present' (ie toy) - in the end, I had to give him the command to go outside. Even then, he pottered around the garden until I told him 'quick' again and he weed. Thanks for input & good to know for emergency downpours !

Can you have a Doggie Door put in? Then he can come and go as he pleases..... Not really just due to access to our house. We are moving/building in the not-too-distant future & he will definitely have one there.

yeh, I think I'll leave him inside today. I have managed to work from home til now (10.45am) so less time for him to hang out anyway, and it's POURING ! Plus, he's taken up his position in the beanbag looking at me pleadingly as if to say, I'm very comfortable you know.

With all this rain in Sydney, I don't like leaving our boy outside as it's normally around 8am - 6pm. He has a kennel, and shelter, although it's not extensive, but he never seems to stay in/under it, & is a drowned rat when I get home. When I let him in, he goes & lays on his bed and cleans himself and generally gets cosy & comfortable. I'd really like to leave him inside but is that too long to expect him to hold on ? He's been for a morning walk & peed/pooed & I'd get him to go again on command before I leave. He hasn't soiled inside the house since he was a very young puppy and he happily sleeps from 10pm-7am or so without a break.

Okay, well he doesn't have this problem but I wonder what that active ingredient is ?

I was going to give my boy a bit of the pulp from the juicer after making some fresh juice for us humans. I'd read some people feed apple as part of fresh diet but wondering if pineapple and orange are also ok ?

Laura, definitely a good decision to make now rather than later. I am sure the breeder, with good pups, will not have any trouble finding a lovely home for the second pup. First, let the breeder know of your decision. There may be other buyers that have a preference for colour; if you are literally on the fence, that could mean your decision is made for you. Alternatively, if you can visit the puppies at 6-7 weeks while you are on holidays and the breeder still hasn't found a home for the 'other' one, you may find meeting the pups helps make the decision for you (the right puppy may choose YOU). For your other questions, this is our experience:- - we had Archie desexed at 1yo, want to let his bones develop a little more - furminator they don't need until they get their adult coat, and then only once a month or so. I use a mitt with a soft rubber side with teeth to help get rid of his excess/coat coat. Rubber gloves will work fine too for more regular dead hair removal Our boy has recently turned two. We are now considering a second lab, haven't decided the sex yet. I have a hunch you are making the right decision for you, the pups, and your family. Good luck, keep us posted.

Error by the sounds. She called it a 'labrador' later in the story.

Ahem. I think what most may have failed to realise is that labrador puppies have kept an entire toilet paper company in business and therefore helped us all to have clean bott botts. I think that counts for alot.

Thanks guys, no is definitely just temporary. It was more of a retch than an ongoing cough, definitely an irritation rather than something that's been hanging around for days. He drank a bit of water with honey and it seems to have cleared it. Yes he's a scavenger but he was playing with an old fluffy toy earlier and I think it may have been a bit of that caught. Thanks !

Archie has got something stuck that is making him cough intermittently, he is trying to bring it up. It may be some cotton, or fluff from a fluffy toy he had been playing with. I gave him a banana, which seems to have made it slightly better but he's still dry retching. Any suggestions ? I tried to encourage him to have a drink of water but no go.

Thanks for the ideas guys

Hi everyone Someone I know has been asked to deliver a speech (to adults) on World Veterinarian day. Need to run about 5 minutes but obviously want it to flow well. Although he owns a dog, and of course have used a vet, it's something he's a bit stumped on. I have suggested recognising the work of vets at rescue, pound, RSPCA and also I know there's a vet equivalent of Doctors sans frontiers, perhaps mention them. Can anyone help with other brilliant ideas ? I realise it's a bit of a loose brief but if there are any brilliant animal minds, they will be here on DOL ! edited for spelingz

Thanks everyone for your answers ! I think it is dead coat - I had just never seen this before. I gave him a good go with the furminator yesterday and it got caught a bit on those patches but with some extra goes, they seem to have improved. Will furminate again in a few days and hopefully that will get rid of any excess dead hair. Soon he will be rich chocolatey and ready to eat !

I will give the furminator another go ?

Over the past 3 weeks or so, Archie has developed these light patches on his coat. He's been shedding a bit (more than usual anyway) lately, what do people think this may be ? He is two, both sire & dam are chocolate but not sure what the dominant gene is ? He's a pet, not a show or breeding dog but just wondering ... Any thoughts appreciated !

We are away on holidays for NYE :D but our 18 month old lab is being minded by a very good doggie minder (been away less than 24 hours, miss him terribly already!). He has never seen/heard fireworks before but not bothered at all by storms etc. The doggie-sitter was just going to put him in his kitchen as we discussed/agreed before we left. I noticed that two people posting in here with labs mentioned they don't react - I doubt fear of this type of stuff would be a breed thing but you never know ?? Maybe it's just that labs like sleeping so much that CBF taking any notice of the fireworks.

Hehe, I didn't film it but we tell him to go "outside for your ablutions" .... he gets the 'quick' command, does the business, then trudges back in. I love putting him to bed, he is just so super duper cute. We are going away tomorrow for 3 weeks, gonna miss him so much !!

I was just playing with hubby's little flip video camera and as a test, shot our 20 month old lab boy being put to bed. We have always put on this (slightly silly) tone of voice and told him all the puppies in the world were off to bed - and off he trudges. Just thought I'd share !

Crate if you can - and this is why I'm such a fan of crate training. We took our fella to a beach house when he was about 5-6 months and although he could see us (unlike your situation), he was very settled and loved it, especially beach time !