mita

That doesn't surprise me at all, Dogmad. I've seen your standards at work for many years on this forum... & you and Denise sure are on the same page. (One day you might find a tibbie on your doorstep!) Thank you Mita! By the way - have been meaning to alert you, there are a couple of Tibbies at Sydney Dogs & Cats Home i think! Thanks, shall go look! (And check your doorstep :) )

That doesn't surprise me at all, Dogmad. I've seen your standards at work for many years on this forum... & you and Denise sure are on the same page. (One day you might find a tibbie on your doorstep!)

This is why I more than happily donate to Denise at Paws. The demand on them must be enormous but they manage to step up to help in so many desperate & sad situations. And that includes little ones where neglect, injury or illness require a lot vet work and/or caring rehabilitation. I'm so glad you found support from them. The little dogs are so fortunate you stuck on their case.

I agree with DDD & juice about contacting Denise at Paws. That rescue's knowledge & track record re smallies are excellent.

Thanks for that comment. Especially interesting that the issue of breed splitting is mainly being discussed in Europe because they're more open to US shelties coming in. I know I sound like a broken record but I can't understand why the US went for such bigger frames which goes right against the breed's origin. Your points about implications for the smaller Australian population of shelties, if there were a split, and also the position of the blended lines are spot on. And I'm cheering that you've said the UK standard is the one accepted in Australia!

I've said it many times & I'll say it again. I love your photos & the background stories that go with them. Best advertisement for adoption!

Again, as a pet owner, however did Shetland Sheepdogs get called 'English' anyway? It seems to have pointed away a bit from their origin where being finely built had good reason... same for the ponies & cattle of their home location, on the small Scottish islands of the Shetlands. Worse still, why did the Americans get in on their act, too. Our Shelties used to wear a little white rose on their collars sometimes because that's the symbol of the Scottish Nationalists who have their poem inscribed on the wall of the Scottish Parliament: “The Little White Rose” The rose of all the world is not for me I want for my part Only the little white rose of Scotland That smells sharp and sweet – and breaks the heart.

Just from a pet owner's perspective, I love the English (Scots, to me!) Shelties for their fineness of frame & sweet faces. So much closer to those little 'fairy' dogs (Peery Dogs) from the Shetland Islands. Would it be likely that the Sheltie breed would ever split into 2...like for the English Cocker Spaniel & the American Cocker Spaniel? We used to own p/b Shelties as pets & I loved them for that fine look. One we named Shelley after fine Shelley China. And I loved how the specialist at the UQ Vet Clinic used to say to our other, Danny, 'What's a fine young Scot like you, doing with an Irish name?' Danny was very much my fine young Scot! When we also got Tibbies, I was on an international Tibbie list where quite a few of the US Tibbie breeders also bred & showed Shelties. I was really put off by the American Shelties' big frames. I'd own an English (Scots!) Sheltie in a heartbeat but not an American one.

I hope that time helps Lily, Mita. After seeing an initial improvement, Stella seems to have come to a standstill. She is "okay", but not herself and I'm wondering if, because of her age and other issues, this is as good as we are going to get with her. That's kind of happening with Lily but she may be plateauing further back. She's now alert & focused & looks better in the face... and is eating about half normal. But her walking is very difficult. She has to be placed carefully all 4 legs square & she waits seeming to establish her balance and will go a few steps before flopping down. Her family worry terribly that she's stuck at this stage & they feel it's no life for her. But they adore her.

Good news for Theo! I love Qld Police Facebook page.... they have a wicked sense of humour. :) Like this bit they added...a poster was talking about the officer: Jen Davenport: Eye candy wish they all looked like him. Queensland Police Service: No need to wish Jen, most black Labradors do look like him.

Did you notice they didn't tell his owner to phone the vet's where they checked his microchip, but to phone the police station. Do you reckon they're holding on to their new pal until his owner collects him? He looks in great condition so will be missed by someone. It's school holidays & sometimes people go away & leave a neighbour or someone to come feed their dog. Notorious time for dogs going walkabout. Just might be the case. But I think those slurped police officers will keep him in their radar (!) until he's safe. Few years back I was leaving our vets at Everton Park, when a police car drove in, with a lovely, grinning yellow Labrador in the back seat. He'd been found wandering along busy Stafford Road. They'd come to check for his microchip.

There's quite a few Qld police officers with a soft heart for dogs. I love how the Wynnum District police write up a tongue-in-cheek report of an escapee they took into custody. And the officer got a slurpy thank you kiss. Lovely pics here: http://mypolice.qld.gov.au/wynnum/2016/09/26/lost-best-friend/

Lily, the tibbie next door is battling what's suspected to be vestibular disease. She's 11 years. Came on suddenly over 4 weeks ago & she's still not good. Her balance is really off & she sort of shuffle trots, but only small distances, then flops down. Worst, she won't eat well. Tho' did for a little while. She's been given Nutrigel to keep up some nutrition. She's a long way out of the woods & her family are so distressed. They fear the possibility of giving her, her wings. Lily's never had a sick day in her life, up to this.

My tibbies' security is my priority re strangers/tradies coming in to the property. Not all people are dog-security conscious. We have high side gates to keep the back area where they're kept as secure as possible. In the past there were 2 incidents where tradies came back to collect or drop in tools (& I didn't know it), and they managed to leave 3 gates open. One tibbie took herself off to attend a meeting at the real estate office over the road. The other time, the two tibbies turned up scratching on the door of a day-care mum down the road... they wanted to join the children. When I know strangers are there, I gauge what their attitude & experience are with dogs. If they're dog people, it always starts with them asking about their breed... & best of all... talking about their own dogs. Tibbies seem to have the knack of looking for attention at first... & then retiring to their nearby day-beds to watch proceedings. Bit cat-like that way.

I love how she's been tested as a therapy dog at an aged care home... & did well. I'd imagine the facilities would have good internal security. Problem might be solved by Honey getting a job!

As instructors...when we have beginner classes in agility, we carry a golf umbrella...never had to use it yet, thank goodness. Thank you for that. I just went & checked our golf umbrella. And its pop-up button worked a treat, went up really fast with a Whoosh. Sure would offer plenty of shield.

Someone sent me an article from a central qld newspaper, with story of how a heavily pregnant young woman was walking her little tibbie. She tried to avoid 2 dogs roaming loose but they went for her tibbie that she desperately tried to protect. Real horror was likely prevented when an older couple driving by, intervened to help her. http://www.news-mail.com.au/news/pregnant-emma-is-scared-to-walk-alone-after-dog-at/443484/ I heard of a tip to take a pop-up umbrella with you...one that really goes up fast with a swoosh. The noise can startle an attacking dog in such a situation & the open umbrella provides some shield.

Thanks. That is really useful information. I've passed it on to the Tibbie community. ADDED: It's sparked an interesting conversation about using that taped owner's voice function (combined with items with owner's scent) in cases of separation anxiety. Also a Tibbie person mentioned a system if you want to add the visual: I have a system called Arlo (can buy from office works, etc). Easy to set up, small cameras. Operated through an app on the phone. I have 5 cameras, two with microphones. I find it very handy with fosters, and also as I have an older girl who is sometimes unwell I find it gives me peace of mind.

They are not sooking. Do you have any idea how annoying a constantly barking dog can be!!! I concur. I also thought it was pretty poor form to say the neighbours are sooking! Whatever the neighbours are doing, the OP is trying to do something about the problem the dogs' barking is causing. I hope useful advice can be got from the Albury vet previously mentioned in an old DOL thread, re the position in relation to NSW law and also any implications if the OP actually lives on the Victorian side of the border.

This thread about debarking was on DOL in 2010. Scroll down to see a post from Trisven who names a particular vet in Albury who does the debarking procedure & who was also, at that time, an office-bearer with the area RSPCA. If the situation still is the same, that could be the information you want. Albury is fortunately in NSW where the law is different from Victoria. But, check carefully, because a couple of years ago, a breeder resident in Victoria took some dogs over the border into NSW & had them debarked (legally according NSW law). Then found herself charged with not complying with the Victorian law. That post by Trisven alludes to that. http://www.dolforums.com.au/topic/196337-debarking-issues-again/

Very similar thing happened to me & my 2 shelties. I was walking them on leads & we went past a house where the front gate was wide open. A blue heeler came barrelling thro' the gate, straight at my shelties. I automatically put my arm protectively in front of my shelties... & the dog ran straight into it, and I got the bite that he meant for the shelties. If a dog could look embarrassed, that blue heeler did. He turned & bounded back inside. The owner was in the front garden & with blood running down my arm, I said 'Your dog should be contained. He's bitten me!'. She ignored me, turned & went inside. When I got home.... after having a tetanus injection... I phoned the council. The ranger was great. I said I didn't want anything bad to happen to the blue heeler.... he hadn't meant to bite a human. I'd put my arm in front of a bite meant for my dogs. It was the owner who was at fault for leaving a gate wide open. He thought that was funny... first person, he said, who got bitten who stuck up for the dog. He said it was rotten behaviour by the owner to turn away after her dog had bitten someone. So, he said, he'd go call on her to let her know it was a serious problem she'd caused.

I don't know about skin discomfort but there is definitely the issue of skin pH. Bringing down skin pH may kill off resident bacteria, creating a niche for more pathogenic varieties to move into. I'd be wary of any advice from Mercola. There is the odd bit of common sense but mostly, it's very questionable "science". Agree.

Pet Cafe (dog supply store) at Albany Creek, Brisbane, is having a birthday celebration Sat 10 Sept 9am-4pm. Come & meet Animal Rescue Qld, Great Dane Rescue & Furkids Animal Rescue. There'll be a Dog Wash with proceeds to Animal Rescue Qld. And a sausage sizzle. Prize for best dress up, theme any animal. Shop 21 Woolworths Market Place Cnr Albany Forest Drive & Old Northern Road.

Just want to add something about bones. Our sheltie, Danny, had severe pancreatitis. We were guided in his diet by vets at UQ Small Animal Clinic. Then, once, even tho' I'd stuck to his diet, he got a nasty attack. Vet checked every bit of recent food. I'd given him a nice, fresh bone that had not a sliver of flesh or fat on it. Vet said, 'That was it!' She told me to go get a similar bone, put it in a pot of water, & boil....then look what comes out. Enormous amount of fat.

Given it's an uncommon breed (in this country....there's piles of them in Scandinavia!) ... I can often see what people are seeing when they make guesses about Tibbies. Even those who say...'Bit like a Koala!" Just look at Pavi the Tib (click enlarge):