Simply Grand

To the gorgeous doggies who didn't make it, and to Jed and the survivors who absolutely will With love, from me and Saxon

I managed to make it through the whole day at work holding back the tears that kept welling up as I read, but as soon as I walked in the door at home and saw my gorgeous animals the tears came. I just can't imagine Jed's devastation having lost so many of hers What an amazing person she is to have touched so many people, even those of us who haven't been around for long. She WILL be ok, has to be. And Magnus, please be there to greet her when she gets home.

I think a candles thread would be very nice Fran. I'll get my camera out.

A candle and raised glass at 9pm here too. And probably a tear or two.

Thanks Erny . Phew.

I'm sure you're right. I hope...

Oh no, I feel sick. Please don't be the worst news.

The thread in "In the News" has the most information in it. Last update was that Jed's condition is critical. Not good but lets hope that with all the love being sent her way she gets much better quickly.

That video seems to be blocked at work. A good thing I think, I was scared to watch it, I think I would definitely cry.

There's a picture now in the News.com story: http://www.news.com.au/breaking-news/woman...0-1225865541628 Is that an actual photo of this fire, or a file photo? It looks horrific, I really hope that isn't Jed's house

Just said this in the OT thread, but wanted to say it here too - I'm finding this horrible so I just can't imagine how awful it must be for those of you who know Jed personally. My thoughts are with you all as well.

What you said I agree, what you said. Please pull through Jed.

Oh god, is that what would have happened? Thank goodness you are there to give the poor things a suitable resting place. This is just too sad.

Oh my god, that is just devastating. Poor Jed, poor doggies (and horses) ;) Just too sad. My thoughts are with her. I will make a donation, wish I could do more.

boxerfamily, I think you should try for some help before you rehome the dog. This could well be a very serious issue for your daughter that requires ongoing treatment BUT it could also be something that can be fixed quite easily and quickly. Really, you may find that with the right help, your daughter can talk it through and figure out what exactly is causing her reaction. It may 'click' for her after one session and once she understands it, she may be able to overcome it quickly. If you find that it is a longer term problem then you can look at rehoming the dog. I also wouldn't jump straight to the conclusion that a different/older/smaller dog would make any difference. It may, may not. Unfortunately I can't recommend anyone, dog or human, in Sydney. I'm in Canberra, and haven't used a dog behaviourist (having only had a dog for 8 months!). Any behavourists in Sydney who would be willing to see this family as a first step? Or anyone people could recommend?

Oh, boxerfamily, what a difficult situation. I actually agree with FlyingFurball, a good dog trainer could go a long way in helping with the situation. Interestingly (or maybe not?) the psychological research and theories behind human and dog behaviour are not that different, at least at the more basic levels, so someone who has a good understanding of motivation, behaviour, conditioning, body language etc could really help both the human and canine members of the family understand each other and fit in together. Maybe try that first - and it could take a few sessions for the whole family - but if that doesn't work, quite possibly a session or two with a psychologist could help as well. Don't feel too woried though, all sorts of things can interact to manifest in a fear of a particular thing/situation, it will probably be quite easily fixed, just a matter of understanding.

What about working dogs? I don't know anything about this but have heard about "good working lines". How do agility, obedience, tracking etc titles fit in with this? Also, just out of curiosity, do you have to actually have a dog (male or female) to do the exam and become registered with the kennel council?

Aaww, what a good boy! But seriously, chocolate vs kangaroo (or anything pretty much) - I'd go with the same choice!

D'oh, I want Portugese Water Dog as well, there's too many!!

Ooohh, this is fun! I'm starting without knowing if I have 10, and not necessarily in order: Mini poodle Sheltie Aussie Shepherd GSD Rottie Doberman Lagotto K, that's 7 off the top of my head, HANG ON forgot... Pug Siberian Husky 1 more... hmmm... Lowchen And that's not ruling out any others for sure! Before DOL I wouldn't have known most of these, and would have said, I dunno, a cute one?? Edited coz I said the same one twice! Again, no particular order.

Hey Aidan, you mentioned in my clicker training thread that you can teach the dog and the cat to be best friends Ok, maybe not but to accept each other as part of the same pack. I know it was complicated, but care to try and explain to us tormented cat owners?

I said way back on page 1 that I don't think you could ever be sure that a dog will recall 100% of the time, even though you may be lucky and never come across the situation where they don't. I was referring to the dinosour / humans 'mating' on the oval ( ) situations. I'm sure it would be possible for most dogs, with the right training method and effort, to recall every single time for their entire life, but to me that still wouldn't guarantee 100% recall. It's excellent recall every time, until they come across their dinosaur (which, as I said before, they may never come across!) Sorry I know that's a bit confusing (and pedantic). I guess it comes back to what Aidan said, 100% of what? Reading all the posts has been very interesting and has made me think, but hasn't in the end changed my personal opinion from what I said at the beginning. I guess in applying my opinion to real life, it means that I wouldn't have my dog off-leash in a high-risk area unless there was a very good reason for it (outweighing the risk of him not recalling), even if he came every single time I called him. And I wouldn't test it in a high risk situation to know if it was effective there anyway .

I took the first week I had my puppy Saxon off work to be with him. He stuck to me like glue the whole time, the first few days he would whimper even if I went around the corner into the kitchen before him and he couldn't see me for a second. He was only a baby though and in new, strange surroundings, and I was the only common link between his "before" family and this strange new place, so I figured if he wanted to be with me, he could. After the first few days he settled in and didn't seem anxious any more but still followed me everywhere. He's 10 months now and mostly he still does follow me everywhere when we're at home. It has only been the last month or so that he won't jump up even when he's sound asleep in the living room and follow me to the toilet - but he still moves a few steps so he can look up the hallway towards where I've gone, then lies down again with 1 eye open until I come back Even though he prefers to be around me when I'm home, luckily he seems to cope just fine when I go out. He slept in the bathroom behind a baby gate for the first couple of months I had him, so he was by himself but could hear and smell me across the hall, so he wasn't actually ever right next to me 24 hours a day, which might have helped (don't know your situation though). After the first few days I started building up to when I had to go back to work, so went out for say 20 minutes a couple of times one day, leaving him in the bathroom with lots of toys to play with, bed, blankets, water and something to chew, and not making a fuss out of going or coming back. Then the next day I went out for about an hour. Then next day a couple of hours, then again later for an hour or so... building up over the days until I had to leave him for work. I'm lucky to work close to home so the first few days I went home at lunchtime to check on him but he was fine so I started leaving him all day (8 hours-ish). He hasn't shown any separation anxiety, not been destructive, and the neighbours tell me he doesn't bark or whine, and he doesn't make a fuss when I leave. So for you, I'd say start now building up the time he is alone (as in you go out), make sure he has LOTS to do, including something yummy to chew on, while you're gone, make sure he's safe and comfortable, not too hot or cold etc, and don't make a fuss of going or coming. Hopefully he'll quickly realise that you'll always come back and that he can do lots of fun playing and sleeping while you're gone. Good luck!

I so love reading this thread and hearing all the stories, and especially seeing the photos! Everyone's puppies are so gorgeous Nic, Oreo is such a cutie, and what a little smarty pants, learning all his tricks so quickly. I can't wait to see pics of the new arrivals in the next week or two BF - so sorry to hear about little Sasha I hope your daughter (and her family?) and little Miley are coping ok. I hope Zoe is continuing to heal up too. About Zoe and the cat - in another thread I started about clicker training, I mentioned I wasn't sure how I could teach Saxon to leave my cat alone and Aidan (he's a trainer) commented that you can apparently train them to be friends. We didn't go into detail about it but he said it can be done! Maybe start a thread in Training asking about it. Or maybe I will... ETA - here's the post I was talking about above: http://www.dolforums.com.au/index.php?s=&a...t&p=4507985

Thanks everyone for the responses. Cockerlover, I think actual floorboards (if that's what you have) are a bit harder than floating timber so maybe hold up a bit better, does that sound right?!? I was just talking to them about it, I suspect the floor will be sacrificed for the sake of a dog :D