Kirty

Google leather half martingale. I found some on Ebay with this search.

I'm hoping to attend this one but as usual, won't know for sure until closer to the day.

I had a cat called Milkcat (she was white). I have a dog called Champa which was named after a friend's mother. I used to have a budgie called Egg because she was white and had no wing or tail feathers!

We have a problem barker behind our house. It is outside 99% of the time and it barks, howls and whines all day every day. I won't report it, but I know others have. Nothing has changed in the several years we've been here though! It is very annoying! We had a problem barker next door in our old house too. That one would bark madly at all hours of the day and night, and it would do it just outside our window. We spoke to the neighbours about it nicely several times, I even offered to walk it for them ("Oh no, he doesn't know how to walk on a lead"). After my daughter was born and I was incredibly sleep-deprived, I resorted to going outside and hosing it every time it barked. I would be in tears some days from the non-stop barking.

How long do the dogs need to be minded for? I know someone who might be able to take one or two but it would only be short-term.

I know in cats there are genetically several ways for a cat to be born white. In some white cats, the white masks another colour, so genetically the cat could be black, red, whatever. Some of these cats are deaf, some aren't. Blue-eyed white cats are often deaf, and odd-eyed white cats are often deaf on the blue side. However, the gene which causes Foreign Whites (white Siamese) to be born white, does not cause deafness. These cats are pure white with blue eyes. There is also apparently a dominant white gene which is very rare. I have had a few white foster cats including a white hearing mum who had four white kittens (three deaf, one hearing). It's all very interesting and I'm guessing that there are multiple white genes in dogs too. A friend of a friend is a BYB of white Boxers and to date, none of their pups have been deaf.

Maisie, Champa and Stevie are all water babies. If there's water, they're in it! Pia doesn't mind going for a dip if the conditions are right. :) And Toby prefers MUD!!

What kind of dog is he? Uveitis in dogs is often idiopathic (no real known cause) and once treatment is completed, hopefully that will be it. :) http://www.animaleyecare.com.au/aec/uveitis.html

I'd suggest a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. Gorgeous happy little dogs, not overly demanding but very bright. :)

Pers, she is always very cautious and tentative at first which is why I am only letting her meet dogs that I know are friendly! I don't want her to have any bad experiences! Once she has met the dog and feels comfortable, she usually offers up play. :) And once they are playing, she is like a normal dog. :)

Wanted to share some pics of my blind foster pup Stevie playing with my friend's Aunty's dog Boris. Boris was also a rescue and had a rough start. These two hit it off immediately and had a great time tearing around the waiting room at work. :) Stevie has been very nervous of meeting strange dogs recently, so I was thrilled with this encounter. :)

It shouldn't be more expensive to vet all entrants. The vets donate their time to do it. All cats are vetted at cat shows prior to entry, and the vets even get to pick their favourite cat in the whole show for an award. :) My cat got Vet's Fancy twice. :D

Sorry but that is really poor form. How on earth does it cost $330 to neuter a male pup??? Cost price would be barely anything - a bit of suture and 20 mins of the vet's time. $350 for 3 vaccs??? Vaccinations cost $15 each to buy (even in small numbers), chips are about $30... This vet is just trying to make money. ETA - They can charge clients what they want for these things, however this is supposed to be a rescue operation. You don't make money off rescues, especially at the expense of a foster carer!!

Where can you buy $5 chips? We buy them (with reg included) at cost for about $25.

I was told pork bones were not suitable for dogs? We recently had 50 pig legs at work and I wanted to save some for the dogs but the butcher said pork bones shatter.

My 7mo GSD foster pup seems to have weak hind-quarters and quite a 'roached' back. I know that some show line GSD's can be quite slopey though and to be honest I'm not sure if its normal or if there is something wrong. I am hesitant to walk her too much but is there something else I can do to strengthen her back end? Would swimming be OK?

Yep a good dryer is the best thing thing you'll buy/use for a coated dog. :)

That's what I find baffling too alpha bet. Dogs get tested for things but then what? Ethical breeders of course do the right thing with that info, but other breeders will claim their dogs have eye certs (which might say they have problems), hip scored (high scores), etc. What is the point of testing if the breeders can still do what they want regardless of results?

I don't have any experience with patella problems, but my girl did her cruciate and had surgery on it last year. It has never been 100% since then and less than six months later, she did her other cruciate. I feel that the instability on the first leg may have weakened the second leg. She has not had surgery on the second leg as I have opted to mange it medically. When it first happened, she was very lame but now she is about 95% sound on that leg. Symptoms of ruptured cruciate can vary but if your dog is back to normal now, I wouldn't panic. More than likely the patella just popped out and took a while to pop back in.

Hahaha that is so cute!! I can see Greyhound in him too. :)

Not sure but I suspect the owners will have issues of their own with two female Amstaffs of a similar age in the house. My male dog is a target for dominant/aggressive dogs. One dog slipped its collar from 100m away to race down and attack poor Champa (who was on lead minding his own business at the time). Some dogs just seem to give off a certain energy/persona/whatever which offens or stimulates certain other dogs.

Don't have it for several reasons. 1. I have too many animals to make it feasible! Guaranteed that if I took it out on some animals, it would be the non-insured ones that developed problems! 2. I think they are great if you insure the animal from the day you bring it home, but otherwise they will try to weasel their way out of paying. They pick through vet records and do anything they can to try and find a 'pre-existing condition'. 3. Too many things are not covered.

There is certainly lots of anecdotal evidence that colour affects personality, in lots of domestic animals. People call tortoiseshell cats 'naughty torties' because they are often feistier than other colours. And red (ginger) cats are known for being mellow and gorgeous. :) And people always say that black Pugs are crazier than fawns!

Easiest way to do it is to set up a photobucket account (www.photobucket.com). Upload the photos to photobucket, then copy and paste the image link into your post. :)

Can you arrange the puppy pen in the laundry so he only has access to his bed? Hopefully he won't want to toilet on his bed. And on the mornings he does hold on, I would take him outside and praise like mad when he toilets outside.