Skruffy n Flea

some days ago, i saw for the first time a young woman [late teens, early 20s perhaps] walking this gorgeous collie --- i'd not seen her or her dog before but we've had several homes go on sale and sold lately and i came upon the collie just this past week. i didn't even notice it as i walked past it until my boy pulled on the leash behind me and when i saw this beautiful dog, it made no sound nor did it appear defensive --- it casually trotted to the front gate just to have a look. beautiful! Not having a go but would like to say that if you walked passed my house you would see my dogs in the (fenced) front yard and you also wouldn't see them being walked. I drive my dogs to where I walk them and quite often I take one at a time as I do one on one training, so I am driving back and forward twice. Sorry, just want to put it out there that just because you don't see dogs walking in your area, doesn't mean that they aren't being walked somewhere. I have a SBT and a rescue mutt and live in a house we are renovating, so people often think that young 'bogans' live at the house, when we are a middle aged couple whose kids have left home. People are very quick to judge. :laugh: My dogs are kept out the back when we aren't home and left to roam around the whole house when we are there. We do lock the front gate. Quite a few people here leave the dogs out the front for security and I can understand why, but my dogs are too important to me to risk anything happen to them. my apologies korbin. i made an unsubstantiated remark without thinking too deeply about it; i guess because i don't do as you do, it didn't occur to me that others might do what you do. i'd be hard pressed tho to be convinced otherwise for let me say therefore, a *reasonably high percentage* of dogs residing in my area. Exactly. But maybe scruffy n flea has been sitting outside these houses for 24 hours otherwise how else could she make such an assertion? :D :D ya know, at first i just wanted to right here right now post a :raspberry: or maybe just flick you the bird or remark quite glibly in some other way, but i decided you're remark isn't worth any more of my time... perhaps if you were to offer something constructive rather than provoke with such nonsense i'd have some respect for you!

unfinished post for all the dogs i see behind gates on my walks, i would likely see only .1% [that's zero point one percent] being walked. very sad to say the very least... dogs bark; it's natural and in most cases, it's because they are protecting their territory and here's what i understand perpetuates it: when a dog, in it's own territory, sees or hears 'something' near its territory [whether this side, or that side of the street, or over the back or side fence], it barks to let whatever it is know that this is their turf. while the dog barks, the 'something' passes by or skitters off, and so the act of barking 'rewards' the dog because it's barking succeeded in removing the threat. it's natural! there are only three houses in my local walking area that allow their dogs in front yards [or close to] and each of them contain animals that i believe, from their behaviour, would do harm to my dogs if they had the chance. i avoid those houses. apparently the german shepherd just a few houses up from me jumped it's fence, attacked and nearly killed the small fox terrier type dog living diagonally across the road from me [as told by another neighbour]. the GS's owner occasionally leaves his electronically powered front gate open. i don't know what i'm waiting for... at another of those three houses, there's two dogs that go fiercly nuts and one of them starts to attack the other, so much so that one day i walked up and pounded on the fence to distract them, feeling afraid for the other dog. other dogs in the area are contained in back yards that have visual aspects of footpaths. those dogs bark too when we pass by. as for state legislation and local council laws, i do believe that in NSW it is an offence if your dog rushes its fence as you walk by, and there is also a 'dog barking' time limit and time of day constraint that if exceeded, provides neighbours opportunity to lodge legitimate disturbance complaints. my boy, a rescue, is reactive, and i do all i can to avoid situations that heightens his awareness level but it's certainly not always possible --- curiously tho, when he's allowed to greet the other dog and when he's at the park, he's as soft a cotton... efs

subjects such as this should be constructive and informative and not denigrate to a pissing match --- it's bloody annoying how some of you carry on! and for those generalised comments about swfs, GFY! irrespective... jules, i appreciate where you're coming from: just this past week while i walked my 2 swf, a medium-sized BCx was inexplicably out the front of it's owner's unfenced property! as soon as i appeared with my dogs, it rushed at full speed and as i grabbed my two by a very short leash and stepped forward yelling 'hey, hey, hey', it miraculously stopped at it's boundary and turned away --- but it didn't stop my heart pounding nor did it stop me hearing some male come to the front door of that house saying to that dog 'ooh, what was all that noise you were making you silly thing, come here, come back inside', nor did it stop another neighbour several doors away enquire with me as to what was wrong... edited: i clicked a button or something inadvertently

hello :) i hope i'm posting in the right place! this is not an overly vexing situation; i'm just trying to understand the dynamics between my girl and boy. i thought 'hierarchy' in a pack was generally clearly defined. bella [JR/malt; 4 last july] was here first; byron we brought home 12 months later [malt/tibby[?] not much older than bella, we don't think]. bella seems to be the one in control of the two most of the time [or it might just be her exuberant nature]; during play, herding him, correcting aberrant behaviour for example. i've always put bella's food down first and then byron's without delay. this food is in their respective bowls. bones, however, and other chewables that i provide all go into a central bowl and from there, they take their pick. here is where i'm confused: food is primary and i understood that hierarchy determines who gets to eat first. bella will NOT chew a bone until byron has had his go at it! there is no resource guarding of any kind between the two and IN FACT, they happily share. here's how it goes: byron will go at the bone [or whatever] first and bella very calmly lays about a foot away waiting and then when byron moves off from it, bella calmly moves in for her turn and then when she's done, byron will return to it and so on. it was so glaringly obvious to me this afternoon when i gave each of them one of those [not 'greenies' but those other green] dental chews [that i'm wanting to use up]. byron eagerly took his and started to chew but for all my worth to convince bella to chew hers, she took it yet refused to chew it and at some point soon after, made her way back to their communal chewing mat where bryon was and when he, part way through his, got up for a drink, bella moved in and started happily chewing his partially consumed dental chew! i'm just trying to understand this shift! can anyone help me? tia :)

*like*:) eta: smiley face!

i doubt you'll be disappointed but just remember, it's a tool for trimming [even if it does do more]. it's quiet, running on 2 AA batts, i've not found it to overheat, and i've been satified with the results... i've done quite a bit of grooming, successfully, on my two longish-haired dogs using this trimmer.

i got this one for xmas last year and it's really good --- very happy :) it does everything and more!

that's really good! when i get thru my 250 gms for $7.50, that's where i'll buy --- beats a minimum $50 order with $10.50 postage!

how's it going erny? is mandela managing on the augustine formula? you're welcome btw :)

firstly, byron's okay :) and i'm so sorry for the delay --- i read your answers saturday morning and rang the vet and when i tried to get time thru the week to answer i found time was against me... when i rang, the vet surgery had a nasty set of emergency circumstances on foot so a vet [they have several] spoke with me about byron's condition and behaviour over the phone to gauge whether his was also an emergency; determining from what i explained to her about his plight, i was told, amongst other things, to monitor his behaviour and if he didn't improve by sunday morning, to call again. given what i told her she said, according to his behaviour, he had a nasty tummy upset and that it would likely clear within 12 to 24 hours... he did improve and come sunday morning, he was as close to his normal self as possible, with sunday evening being like nothing had ever been wrong! given that it's dangerous to go into too much detail, i've left out certain information because it would be remiss of me to provide such information should another's dog behave in a similar way with similar symptoms... all is good again in byron's world :), thanks for your interest and concern...

i woke up this morning [friday] with my wee boy being somewhat listless --- he refused his brekkie and sensing from his behaviour that something was up, i kept a close eye on him. at one point i noticed him skittering [unusual] to the back yard and upon following him, i saw him straining to poop watching as he moved from place to place still hunching but producing very little and what i removed from his wee butt with tissue was wet, soft, pale and stinky... his tummy felt a wee bit tight and a tad swollen --- i kept an eye on that during the day and found that over time his tummy tension had softened and he seemed less bloated... he had no interest in play choosing instead to sleep and i took that as a good sign that his body required rest so as to repair --- he was up and about spasmodically during the morning and so i resolved that walkies should wait 'til early afternoon. the word 'walkies' elicited MUCH much much less than his exuberant self because normally, he's all up in my face, bounding about like an over-excited child! i've read where the smells left by other dogs during walks produce enzymes that elicit elimination in other dogs and so i took my two on a gentle, short walk in the hopes that those enzymes would go to work and byron would poop --- didn't happen... back home and he sparked up for a ahort while during the afternoon, but at one point i found him consuming a hearty amount of grass and i know it's a type of natural tonic, but his behaviour seemed almost voracious! he had an appetite at dinner; eating heartily, gnawed at a bone and enjoyed his snack box too --- but then he slumped again... he's been up and down over the past few hours in varying resting places, attempting to poop, straining so hard and finally squirted and i can only hope that provided him some relief and i think he was so very at odds with how he's feeling, he parked himself inside one of the kennels [which is highly unusual] --- he's back inside now but his little bottom was dirty and i think a bit tender!!! what's different? nothing! commonly: pork bone [2 or 3 times a week] one of which he devoured yesterday [thursday] and, while the raw diet defrosts in the fridge, nature's gift [last night and tonight] --- this routine occurs every week or so, so it's not alien... at this hour of the morning and preparing for their brekkie, i'm cooking brown rice, i have bbq chicken in the fridge and i have psyllium husk... is this an occasion where one would feed such food? by the time anyone replies to this it might be past their brekkie time so i might not include the psyllium husk jic --- of course, i'll be off to the vet with him if he doesn't improve significantly... thanks for your time :)

some would say there's a reason and for that, you have been and will always be his shining star :) i won't even try to explain the emotion that is coursing thru my veins right now at the wonderment for the time, effort, love and attention you have given this animal --- you MUST at some point in his life achieve a balance and at that point, you have a book in you :) but DAMN, that was informative! thank you :) i have terrible misgivings for i too admire horses and despite understanding the reason for your post, all i can picture in my mind is my own [now departed] pony, those of my brother's stock horses, those of my aunty's pacers and those i saw performing dressage at the recent london olympics... a lesser person would have given up; the universe was speaking the day you decided to bring him home and still, after all this time and trouble, you affectionately refer to him as 'my boy' and look now at how much you know about caring for a dog that another might have cast aside for all that time and trouble, the cost, and effort... and also, thru your trials and tribulations with mandela [not to mention your own health concerns], you are here sharing your information and experience with us, so that we all might learn something new or different about the health of our own dog/s... thanks erny and i wish you the very best of luck during this next phase of mandela's life... *bless^

soooo frustrating when you lose ya post! anyhoo, what i wrote was: hello :) boronia, you are a star for going to such lengths --- i refer peeps to that fizzy powder lolly stuff that came with a similar type spoon; some say they know but i reckon most are just trying to shut me up ;) sooooo, i was doing some substantial trawling of the interwebz tonight, sourcing alfalfa and kelp powder and i found this site! and then i found this! it's the same stuff!!! i had to register in order to see how much it cost, sooooooo i took a screen cap: what does everyone think? is this our answer? i'm worried sick every time i order from the uk --- if this IS the same stuff [cuz swedencare says its product is 100% natural, with nothing added], look how cheap it is!!! for the full picture: orders must be over $50 so i don't know yet how much postage is, or will be, or not at all...

thanks for the info cavNrott --- should i decide to buy some, i've made a note to use ebay cuz that postage charge on the aussie link renders the whole exercise prohibitive! damned annoyed that it's not available in australia...

thanks everyone for your replies :) thanks again everyone --- greatly appreciated :)

dayum, you're welcome :D so glad i could help :)

my girl suffers a mild recurrent yeast burden and while i'm dealing with it by reducing sugars in her diet, i've been periodically bathing her with malaseb and pyohex lotion to ease her physical discomfort --- i'm therefore on the hunt for a gentler wash and i came across zymox! click here for the manufacturer's site and it's available in australia too! does anyone here use it? tia for your input :)

i'm glad you found those pix and yes, they do look exactly the same as what i have in my cupboard [interceptor spectrum tasty chews for small dogs 4-11 kg] and except for the varying mg content amounts, the label wording printed on what i have in my cupboard for 'small dogs' is exactly the same as what is printed on that depicted in your pix.

hi pomtwins :) it's a shit when the product you become comfortable using becomes unavailable and you have to source it from elsewhere... from the posts, i believe you reside in the US, that the product you've been using is not currently available to you, that pets1 has told you that you can't source it from australia because of export/import restrictions and that you've found what you believe to be a similar or the exact same product in canada that matches what you've been using for your poms but it's described differently and you'd like someone to help you determine if the canadian product IS the same product you've been administering to your poms ... right?!? i'll assume i've got that straight :) this link is to the interceptor spectrum page of the online shop i use to purchase my pet supplies --- for dogs up to 4kg [nearly 9 lbs], the package colour is described as brown [but it is in fact, orange (per novartis, australia)]. you'll see on their site there's a pic of the actual chew but i can't show you that from what i have in my cupboard because each chew is encased in a foil bubble. does that help you!??! i hope so :) edited: grammatic oversight *eyeroll*

thanks everyone for your replies and sorry for taking so long to come back. only a couple of you have referenced the use of *safe* plastics and because i don't spend a lot of money on pet bowls, it's unlikely that a great deal of care has been taken in their production, so the plastic type water bowl upstairs is probably the biggest no-no in this house [even if i do change the water in that bowl every morning]... my dogs don't chew their bowls and it's only when i've *worked* the fluffies on a rigorous walk that they *dig* in their inside water bowl [at which time i redirect them outside to the clam shell]... colour is a big motivator for me; the plastic bowl upstairs has a funky colourful design and their food bowls are both see-thru but tinted bright pink [for bella] and bright blue [for byron] :) GORGEOUS but at 2 bux a pop, they are probably the worst plastic available i love Love LOVE the gummi brights [with a metal insert] and one day i'll have them :) i like the idea of ceramic but the shape concerns me in that the crease between the bottom and the sides creates a haven for build-up surely! i can see me having to brush that crease rigorously BUT as some of you have said, i can put them as well as the metals in the dishwasher *happier* i had my own personal reasons for starting this thread, and neither of my dogs nor my cat have suffered [or appear to be suffering] from having been fed from plastic food/water vessels. having said that and wanting to avoid compromising their health in the short and long term, i'll be changing from plastic to stainless steel and [despite the perils] ceramic :) again, thank you everyone for your comments :)

i've used all three including melamine and now it's plastic for food and metal for water... lately i've read that plastic food bowls aren't necessarily healthy for our pets because the 'whatevers' leach out of the plastic and into the food [in this house, food doesn't sit in the bowl very long] but upstairs i do have a plastic type bowl for water [while those downstairs are metal]. what do you use and what's the theory behind your choice? is there a valid argument for one material over another? tia :)

If I was you I would contact Black Hawk direct and I'm sure they will happily answer these questions. As far as I know they are trialing a lite? Plus a chicken based food. I will buy the lite for my two Labs when it is available. i'm really looking forward to the lite variety --- my 2 are on a supplemented diet in that i add 20gm of dry to their raw each meal because i'm suspicious that they both gain weight rather easily! as an aside, bobbie the cat has increased her intake and likely due to the cooler temperatures --- she's been happy on a 30gm serve of dry per day and that i would top up to 30gm each morning [she also gets 80gm of raw per day ] but this past week she's been consuming ALL her dry component leaving nothing in her bowl. is there a lite variety on the table for our kitties!??! i would very much appreciate that also!!!

... I don't think anyone ever looks to see who is on & who is not. i do! not that it matters!!! besides, for the time it takes for me to post and if i were visible, it might be indicative as to my relative slowness and that would likely provide fodder... just sayin'

ooohhhh, so very adorable that i wished i'd bought the ones i'd seen on thursday! have a happy and safe easter everyone :)

my earliest pets, being a girl on the farm, were lamzy [a lamb obviously] and poddy [an orphaned calf] and when they grew up, they were replaced with another lamzy and [less frequently] poddy... as kids growing up we had two female undesexed cats named samantha and tabitha; they had numerous kittehs... dad had a number of working dogs but i can't recall their names --- my brother tho had a gorgeous tan and white BC called deefa [as in 'd' for dog]. we had quite a few horses; 4 pacers, a family pony called taffy, stock horses called quinta, jackal and ceefa [as in 'c' for charlie]. the first house dog we had we called froofie and i later had a cat i called beau chat. as a young adult, me and my OH had 2 red factor canaries named john and mary and when they died, we got a ginger cat we called thomas o'malley kat esq [he survived 19 years of life]. a year or 2 after tom, my OH bought me a siamese fighting fish that i called kosta fyva and then, having buried him ceremoniously in the front garden, we bought a tank and kept native freshwater fish; 2 archers we called archoo and archee, several blue marin that were collectively known as 'bluey' and numerous feeder gudgeon, all of which went unnamed [for obvious reasons] bar one that we had to name lucky because it survived everything else in the tank for quite a number months. we now have bella who as a pup i nicknamed dopey dora [so glad she found her brake pedal] but today she is babygirlbella, bellaboo bubbalu missymoo and she responds to all. we also have byron; lord byron if ya don't mind and his nicknames are babyboybyron, handsome, beedie bear and buddy. and then there's bob, who went to the vet one day and came home a girl; bobbie therefore wasn't a stretch and she responds to bob, bobbie and precious. :)