mita

I hope you get to see Ralphie, the bobby dazzler, in a year, two years & three years ahead....at least in photos. He looks fantastic now, but he's on his way to becoming a stunner. A smart gentleman tibbie in his tuxedo. His dads must be so proud of him.

Coming late to the celebration party for Ralphie! And you deserve champers and chocs, LMO. You shepherded that little beauty out of serious neglect to a fantastic home with two doting dads. Tibbie pet owners group picked up his story from DAP when he came in. Whoever called him Bobby Dazzler then, is a prophet because he became a bobby dazzler...large thanks to you. He's an amazing looking Tibbie with the lovely tibbie nature let free!

Your heart seems to have been taken by the Papillons. Lovely looking little dogs. Years ago, a Papillon was a member of the Pal SuperDog Team that used to put on agility displays at events. It was the lone small dog among the team of Border Collies who'd zip around the course, going over hurdles & obstacles. The Papillon would run last and would adapt for its all size...going under hurdles, along tunnels etc at great speed. It was brilliant and was the crowd favourite.

I second Wiz's Mum's suggestion of a Tibetan Spaniel ('Tibbie'). Their breed traits make them excellent therapy dogs. My first Tibbie, Angel, was selected in the first 5 therapy dogs for a children's hospital. The university behaviourist overseeing the program, said that her breed got her onto the short-list. Angel was assigned to a young boy with a terminal illness with palliative care at home. The two became so close, loved peacefully chilling out together. Tibbies seem to know how to adjust to the emotional needs of their 'person'. They're little Zen dogs. Tibbie boy next door has had no special training, but he's devoted to his dad who has a number of severe illnesses. My own Tibbie, Annie, is like Wiz's Mum's girl...she has love to give all.

https://nationalpurebreddogday.com/looty-the-pilfered-pekingese/Here's a photo of 'Looty', the little Pekingese taken by British troops from the plundered Royal Palace in Peking. Looty was taken among 5 other little dogs who'd stayed near the body of a lady, thought to be an aunt in the royal family who'd committed suicide at the approach of foreign troops. After being taken back to Britain, Looty became the pet of Queen Victoria. This article gives information on what happened for the other little Pekes.

All 4 Tibbie girls I've had were from registered breeders who wanted to retire them to a good pet home. Our neighbours presently own a magnificent Tibbie boy who came to them likewise.

Excellent advice from others, especially matching suggestions to your stated preferences.... and to the context of your family and home. On the subject of wanting a dog that would alert you to intruders.... I'm not suggesting this breed as it's not in line with your size/type preferences. But I know from our experiences with Tibetan Spaniels how valuable it is to have a doggie-alerter. Twice our Tibbie girls have alerted us at night that: 1. A thief had come up on the back deck on way into house (with a bag full of items nicked from downstairs storeroom). 2. Someone was breaking into a car parked in the carport. Both times, the (usually sweet) Tibbie girls let loose ferocious barks that meant business... and the thieves fled. In the first instance, the dogs tracked him, in the dark, to the driveway next door & I got a good look at him as security lights turned on. Last year, the Tibbie boy next door who sleeps in an annexe to the kitchen, woke his family with ferociously loud barking. Husband got out of bed and searched house and garden & found nothing. Next morning, the wife found her coin purse was missing from the kitchen, seems the thief had got that far when he'd walked into the dog. They were relieved he'd got no further because the husband's wallet was on a table in the next room, containing tickets, passports & money for a trip to New Zealand. In both our cases and in our neighbours' case, police told us that the thieves had 'hit' a few other homes in the area, but these were the only ones where dogs sounded the alarm which sent the thieves off. I'm sure other DOLers would tell similar stories involving different types of dogs. They can offer great security.

A few years back, we had friends who had 2 English Setters. Beautiful, dignified dogs that were very much loved. Based on what I saw of them, they're a hidden treasure of the dog world.

https://www.poodleclubofqueenslandinc.com/poodle-rescue The Poodle Club of Qld has a Rescue with rescue contacts on their website. But they say that due to C-19 they're not doing any rescue work at the moment.

Here's some SE Qld Rescues that often have smaller dogs. I know because I have to monitor them for any Tibetan Spaniels needing help. 4Paws Animal Rescue in the Sunshine Coast region; Chihuahua Rescue Qld takes in small breed 'honorary' chihuahuas (they've had Tibbies, for example). Tails of the Forgotten in Gold Coast region (I've seen lovely small dogs there) Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Rescue Qld. All above have Facebook Pages. Poodle Club of Qld has Rescue services. One person takes care of the Standards & another looks after the Toy and Miniature. Contact details on their website.

This says essentially what I'd have said. I'd add that the Tibetan Spaniel (show) breeders mine have come from, also socialised their tibbies well. Giving them access to being housepets and plenty of socialisation. I've come to respect those breeders for their knowledge base & how they continue to add to it. Also how their little dogs' happiness & welfare continue to be their highest priority. Wouldn't be confined to my present breed, I saw exactly the same in the Qld Sheltie and Poodle breeders. I'm sure others would point out positives with their breeds, too.

I have dog/cat flaps that have a clip at the top. When I want the pets to go in and out, I clip it up. When not, I clip it down. Your new girl looks gorgeous & very happy in her new home. Enjoy!

https://www.petrescue.com.au/listings/753573?utm_source=petrescue&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=alerts&fbclid=IwAR3djCgIr0jJzzv7zPtr8op_SU6SsTO5Rk4TR_uIZp1nZ96v3u6gs6TvLkc I don't know if you'd be interested in Buddy, Tibetan Spaniel X, for adoption from SAFE Inc in WA? He's small, manageable, reported as having a lovely nature, is very true to the breed....including being King of the Teefees (the classic Tibbie underbite).

Dogs vary within the breed. Like, I've had Shelties & in recent years, Tibetan Spaniels. In one unrelated pair of purebred Shelties, one never barked and was so excellent in every respect, his nickname was Saint Danny. The girl, Shelley, had something to say about everything (even a leaf falling!), and her nickname was The Mouth from the South. She was flighty about everything...as one neighbour said, 'She's so awful, she's loveable'. Same with the Tibbies (all unrelated purebreds). Some breed characteristics the same, but so different in individual personality. One would alert bark, another was never, ever heard to bark in her 17 1/2 years (no, not debarked). One was biddable, another would have a strong mind of her own. Same with coats. Our Australian-bred Tibbie (Aus Ch) didn't have a dense coat (bit like a Golden Retriever), the Swedish-bred one has a very dense coat. Maybe adopting an adult dog from a breeder who knows his/her dogs well, would give an idea of what that dog was maturing into. Same with a rescue dog who'd been fostered by an astute carer who'd also know the individual personality, behaviour and coat grooming needs well. Hope your search goes well. The lucky dog that matches, would get a great home with you.

One of our Tibetan Spaniel pet owners, just recovered her Tibbie, Chalice, who'd been missing for 9 months. The daughter of a friend (who knew Chalice well) spotted someone walking her. Checked out the person's address, then told the owner. Owner said she went to the address, expecting it wouldn't be Chalice...but to her amazement it was. She'd taken along posters that she'd put up, 9 months back, with very clear photos of Chalice. As she said, it didn't give the residents any choice but to hand her over. Chalice is now happily back home. Another Tibbie, on Qld's Gold Coast, TJ Malone, went missing for 8 months after gates blew open in a storm. The owners searched & searched for months, but no luck. But T.J. Malone's dad contacted his chip registry & got the word 'MISSING' added to the data base. If anyone scanned him, that was an alert that his family was looking for him. After 8 months, someone surrendered him to the AWL, saying they couldn't look after him any more (giving impression they were the owner). AWL scanned for chip as part of their routine. Up came TJ Malone's real owner & the magic word MISSING. AWL phoned his family, who piled into the car & headed for the shelter. As soon asTJ saw his family, he flew into their arms, squealing with excitement. AWL said there wasn't a dry eye in the place!

Our vet recommended Polaramine for our sheltie, Danny's, allergies. He said the veterinary medicine version of Polaramine was the same, but cost more. So he told me to get it from the chemist to save money. He also said Polaramine has a side-effect in humans of making them drowsy... but this doesn't seem to happen with dogs. This was some years back. It went well for Danny.

I am so happy for you and Agi. All your persistent and thorough coverage paid off. So many people were keeping an eye out....& called in sightings. Best of all you got there fast, with what Agi was familiar with.... George & the car. You've earned a rest!

Put some dry food/water together with items that have your scent on them (like old unwashed socks) in areas she's been sighted. The list of things you've done already is brilliant. I'd only add put a pile of kibble at your own front gate. Also put a big poster on your own front fence. People going by tend to be locals & that may jog their memory if they later notice a dog like that. I notice people who've seen her, report she goes into flight mode ears down, tail between legs when seeing people. Tell people, if they sight her, to crouch down on the ground, get low.... even lie on the ground. Friend trying to catch a mini-foxy running loose, lay down on the ground, arms around his head, and made squeaky noises (like a small animal). Curious mini-foxy came back to sniff at his head... and got grabbed.

Check with legal experts re requiring Rescues to reveal who adopted their dog. It needs running past legal eyes how this would sit with the strict privacy laws. As it would be the Rescue passing on the new owner's information, they'd bear the onus if there's any breach of privacy laws.

They really hammered the Westies, didn't they!

Boronia, did you notice if any Australian Tibetan Spaniel breeders were listed?

I'd put in a vote for a Cardigan Corgi. Great all-round versatile, sensible dogs. Have a look at the Breeders' notices on Dogzonline Purebred Community where they advertise adult dogs they're seeking to retire to good pet homes.

Thanks, LMO!

Thanks, RP.

You're a good person! So glad Sooty's responding well. But you're also giving us great information how we might help a little one in the same condition. I love your idea mixing homemade bone broth with the Nutrigel. I've found not all doggies like & accept the gel. Adding the broth would liquify it & make it more do-able, especially in feeding by syringe. Do you have any special tip for making the broth.... or is it just basically simmering the raw bones in water?