grabit

I am not a dog breeder however have been involved in showing and breeding other animals. I would hold off a bit on the puppy list thing after 5 years you may get forgotten. Why don't you contact a few breeders and express your interest in learning showcraft. Many breeders would be happy to have an extra set of hands at or even on the day before a show and will give you a chance to pick up the ins and outs of preperation etc. The added advantage of this is that it will stand you in good stead to get a top quality pup when the time comes, after all I know when selling an animal which will represent my name, I would always give preferance to someone who I know will present that animal the same way i would.

I would also keep in mind that some vets will charge more for a mature spey than for a dog under the age of one don't know if this is an issue for you though, personally I dont think it is worth waiting if you are going to do it anyway as mentioned before once they come into season the incidence of mammary tumors etc is already significantly increased.

I remember when I brought my dog home, he is the first dog I have owned and I had spent huge money on a dog bed for him....................within five minutes of walking in the door he had claimed the beanbag I remember looking at my daughter and saying, "I think i have lost my beanbag" I don't think I have sat on it since

You could look into envirosafe fly traps, they are relativley cheap and although not suitable for inside work well outside to reduce the number of flies hanging around. They stink but i have found that putting them several meters from the house is ok and works well to reduce fly numbers

I'm not sure where I got them from. They either were the straps from some older harnesses I had or I bought them seperately. They are made from seatbelt type webbing with a heavy bulldog clip at one end for clipping to the harness and a metal clip at the other which is intended to be inserted in the seatbelt buckle but I use a mountaineering typ clip to secure it to the child restraint bolt. It is much stronger than a leash and you can adjust its length. Hey Kei try looking at baby seat anchors/ extensions I know you used to be able to get them In a few different designs with clips at both ends .... and they will be safety belt strength too.

CW i remember reading your other thread about charlie did they do an MRI or ultrasound on him to rule out a parathyroid tumour?

I could be wrong but my guess is that in this situation they where quoting for different techniques, some of the higher priced repairs are more successful long term than the cheap surgeries, so what you think is cheap now may come back to haunt you in a few years time when your animal has ongoing problems or requires further surgery as the result of having cheap surgery now which fixed the symptom rather than the problem. I work in a surgery that is by no means the cheapest around (but neither is it the most expensive) however I can tell you that they pay their staff fairly as well as promoting and paying for continuing education. This translates into happier and more experienced nurses and vets. The end result being that they are more compassionate and care for the animals better than some of their peers who work elsewhere. I would also question the cheap vet about their experience with major surgeries such as cruciate repair ...have they done it before? They may be using your dog as a guinea pig to learn on. The vets i worked for did heaps of CR ,most of their clients are farmers dogs,although i trust them implicitly with my bloodhounds.They also paid for and encouraged going to seminars and further study,paid more than the award and we all received bonuses of $1000 at the end of the financial year as well as xmas.If their was something they were iffy about,they normally directed the owners on to specialists without hesitation. As for paying staff more equals more compassionate staff-"crap" -i have seen some from big ,expensive practices that i wouldnt hand over my pet mouse to,others whose animal handling skills are non existent,or extremely poor. I have seen my vets do extremely complicated ,life threatening surgeries,spend all night sleeping next to the cage while they recovered,sat there with snake bite cats on oxygen all night ,done CR and seen the dogs go back to working sheep and have no further probs for years.They make only enough to cover expenses,never refuse emergency cases and if someone in an emergency situation who is unable to pay upfront-will let them pay it off.I have told them often enough that they need to charge more,but they are happy doing what they do. Have also seen some vets from "big" practises that are the most arrogant,blow hards you will come across,that have botched simple surgeries. To me ,expensive is not necessarily the best and i will quite happily drive 300 kms and spend $50 in fuel to get there.My CHEAP vets are worth their weight in gold. I think you misunderstand what i am trying to say centitout i am not saying that expensive vets are always the best vets ...just that these factors should be taken into account. You are right money does not automatically= compassion, however i do feel for some of my colleagues who with 20 years of work study and highly qualified earn less than a checkout chick at Big W, vet nurses have the right to be paid fairly too!

I could be wrong but my guess is that in this situation they where quoting for different techniques, some of the higher priced repairs are more successful long term than the cheap surgeries, so what you think is cheap now may come back to haunt you in a few years time when your animal has ongoing problems or requires further surgery as the result of having cheap surgery now which fixed the symptom rather than the problem. I work in a surgery that is by no means the cheapest around (but neither is it the most expensive) however I can tell you that they pay their staff fairly as well as promoting and paying for continuing education. This translates into happier and more experienced nurses and vets. The end result being that they are more compassionate and care for the animals better than some of their peers who work elsewhere. I would also question the cheap vet about their experience with major surgeries such as cruciate repair ...have they done it before? They may be using your dog as a guinea pig to learn on.

Are you aware of the horse farms in Europe that I'm referring to?? Meat rabbits already live like battery hens, milking ones will be no different. Yes I am aware of these farms... unsure about how i feel about such practices I was acctually commenting on the disaproval of the practice of culling newborn animals by several posters..... why is there a percieved difference between culling a newborn and culling an adult .... a life is a life is it not? I have to say the statement about rabbits raised for meat is a broad generalisation, there are farms which raise "free range" rabbits for human consumption they are raised in large enclosures, not all that different to the barns some egg producers use. It does however raise other issues as rabbits often fight, males often castrate each other and sometimes will fight to the death. please do not take this as a personal attack, I am merely trying to show that the answers which are often percieved as the easy ones bring about a whole set of new ethical dilemmas.

My mothers Lab has done this to her twice now both times with live brown snakes and she is petrified of them( more so than your average person)! How he hasn't been bitten is anyones guess!

There is acctually a domestic breed of rabbit that has been bred specifically for meat and milk for human consumption it is known as the Giza white and originated in Egypt in the early ninteen-thirties. Rabbit Milk is highly concentrated and rabbits carry few diseases that are able to be transfered to people ...I would suspect that this may be a reason for the choice in using rabbits.

I love that the vet I work for has sunken scales covered by a mat in the waiting room , my dog is petrified of scales and wrestling with him whiletrying to get an accurate weight is no fun but with these he doesn't even know they are there

I found that so helpful when I was looking. Saved hours of scrolling through each rental to see if they were dog friendly. Big thumbs up from me. Hope things work out for you grabit ... must be a scary time for you. A little scary ....but mostly just angry .....when i moved into this house (co-op housing) they knew i had animals and told me they where a pet friendly co-op. The first problem that was raised with me was the number of animals i have which "surely would upset the council," I knew this was not the case as i had already checked council regulations before moving in. I have since been blamed for the Rats living in the back yard ( which i have since erradicated) even though the neighbours where prepared to put in writing that they pre existed me by several years. There was also a huge ruckus about a few square feet of lawn dying, again blamed on my pets but infact due to poor drainage in winter, (is now regrowing). And after all that when i offered to sit down and talk about it with them and see if we could work work out what the problem was ( after asking many times and being told there was no problem with noise, smell or hygiene), and how we could fix it I was given a letter that stated they would not be renewing my lease , my rent is always paid 3 weeks in advance and the place is kept neat and tidy....I have never had a problem with private landlords and agents and have fantastic referances ....I really can't understand why I am being kicked out

What a pity ....don't suppose you could just move the house for me I have to stay in the area because being a single mum as well, i am currently reliant on one particular friend to care for my daughter while I am at work. She won't be able to continue if i don't keep my daughter at the same school as herswhich would result in me losing my job.....catch 22

Thanks, will try them

I am a veterinary nurse living in southern metropolitan SA. I am looking for a rental property around the Ascot Park area for under $300 a week it must be pet friendly with a medium to large back yard and long term, I am a responsible animal owner with a long list of references to back this up if you know of or own any properties that fit this discription I would be very greatful for any help. My daughter (11) and I as well as our animals are at risk of becoming homeless in the near future.

I know but i don't know how to move it can you help?

I am a veterinary nurse living in southern metropolitan SA. I am looking for a rental property around the Ascot Park area for under $300 a week it must be pet friendly with a medium to large back yard and long term, I am a responsible animal owner with a long list of references to back this up if you know of or own any properties that fit this discription I would be very greatful for any help. My daughter (11) and I as well as our animals are at risk of becoming homeless in the near future.