nickyp

I've put my hand up for a couple of these girls. I don't mind if they don't lay, or only lay for a short time (my current bantams are part-time layers anyway). We'd been thinking of getting a couple more chooks anyway and I'm just as happy to give these ladies a comfortable retirement as take on a couple of new girls (which I still might do, but don't tell the OH ).

SIL was walking home from school with her kids, aged 6 and 2, when a woman came walking towards them with a SWF on a lead. As soon as they saw the dog the kids went nuts, screaming, and the 2 year old nearly ran into traffic! The kids are scared of dogs (no bad experiences, just haven't lived with them) and SIL expected a reaction, but not like that! Apparently the poor little SWF was petrified by their carrying on and was cowering against a fence. The woman with the dog started to apologise and SIL told her not to, since it wasn't her fault. SIL then made a point of patting and making fuss of the dog to show the kids that it was fine. I can imagine that SIL probably looked pretty unhappy when she was contemplating the way her kids would react and even more so when it was worse than she expected and she had to grab her two year old before she ran on the road, but it was no reflection on the dog or the owner.

One of my dogs wants to greet every dog she sees in the vet's waiting room and doing so calms her somewhat as she hates being there (I'm sure she's asking them what they're in for). I always ask the person on the other lead if it's OK for her to meet their dog and, if not, I take her well away so as not to cause problems. When I choose a seat I try to put myself as far from others as possible so as to give every animal as much space as possible. I hate the people who will then come and park themselves and their critter right beside you without checking if it's safe or advisable. I've even had one guy from a wildlife shelter with a large box that made hissing noises put it down right beside my dog. I was dying to ask what was in it but was too busy wrangling my dog who was alternately terrified and fascinated by it to get a chance. I hope the poor animal inside wasn't too worried by the very strong scent of dog a foot away from it.

Jed, I should have known that the tribute to TBCSITW would be the one to tip me over the edge. I always enjoyed your stories about him so much that I felt like I knew him. Until now I've had tears in my eyes reading about the dogs you lost and your struggle to save them, but I've always been able to stop them from falling. Reading about Magnus just now I had tears pouring down my face and blurring my vision before I was half way through. Your love for him, and his for you, shines through every word you wrote. He was truly one in a million. RIP Magnus, aka TBCSITW. Keep a close eye on those inter-breed relationships over the bridge and make sure the smurfs don't overrun the place.

It's been a while since I checked this thread and to come in here this morning and find that you're posting, Jed, is fantastic! The tributes to your dogs have brought tears to my eyes. I can't begin to imagine how you must feel ... but you seemed so composed and strong on the news clip. I've been feeling a bit mopey today (have been mostly housebound for the week with a sick toddler), but reading this thread and reflecting on what you've been through and the grace and courage you've shown has given me the kick up the bum I needed. If you can cope so well with your loss, then I have no excuse whatsoever to wallow. You are in my thoughts and I wish you continued health and healing.

As a pup/young dog Em destroyed plastic and garden hoses - we went through quite a few hose fittings until I got smart and bought brass ones. For a long time as an adult she didn't chew anything, but in the the last twelve months (she's 9 years old now) she's developed a thing for paper and particularly books - especially hardcover, expensive ones. It's become part of her after-dinner ritual - while we're buzzing around putting children to bed and washing the dishes she finds a book to chew. We've started crating her until we're ready to sit down in front of the telly at which point she will come and sit on her bed, like a good girl.

That just might do the trick. My boy Cosmo used to be the 'spokescat' in the house - he would never miss a meal - but he died last year and Zelda hasn't stepped into the breach.

This happens to Indi regularly. She follows whichever of us goes in to check on the kids and gets left behind. We end up looking for her to put her to bed, only to find her sitting on the other side of one of the kids' bedroom doors. We forget to feed the cat sometimes. She's a timid soul and tends to hang out in our bedroom when the kids are up and about. If she doesn't get fed before they get up, she often misses breakfast and she tends to miss dinner on the nights when they go to bed a bit later than usual. We've forgotten to shut our chooks in their house numerous times and occasionally forget to let them out in the morning. OH now asks me about 3 times each night if the chooks have been put to bed. I have hollered at Emmylou for chewing on something in the next room, only to find that she's sitting on the floor behind me while I'm on the computer and it's actually Indi who is getting into something she shouldn't. In the cold weather the dogs go back into their crates in the mornings after they've been fed because they don't like being out in the cold. I usually let them out after I've taken my son to school. There have been days when I've had to go out straight after the school drop off and forgotten all about them. They've been shut in their crates for 3 or 4 hours. I don't think they mind much, though, because their beds are very warm and snuggly.

It is good to see photos of the survivors. Thank you for posting those, Steve.

Like everyone else I was hoping that Magnus would be found alive and would be there to help Jed through her recovery. Words fail me ... I can't imagine how anyone is going to break any of this news to her, let alone tell her that TBCSITW is no longer with us. Jed will be in my thoughts day (more so than the last couple of days) as she goes through her surgery.

Our dogs are afraid of thunder and fireworks. Em is particularly bad. We had her on Clomicalm for a while and used that CD to work on desensitising her to the noises. We also crated trained both dogs at the same time. They are both still scared of the noises but are fine as long as I bring them in and crate them ASAP. On NYE we stay home and have the dogs in their crates as soon as it gets dark.

Thanks Horts. Those are exactly the words I've been trying to come up with since yesterday. I'll be donating today.

Horts, don't feel bad about it. My parents did this for a couple of years with their old boy. Mum would ring me and say, "Tomorrow's the day..." I'd ring the next day to see how they were and she'd say, "He perked up and was happy again, so we decided it wasn't time yet." I can't count the number of times that happened. I think that this is just the way it goes with these oldies. One day they're down and the next they're up. There will come a time, though, when you'll be certain and, as you say, at least you'll know exactly what you need to do, so Kuges has given you a dress rehearsal.

Horts, first of all Anyone who has read anything you've said about Kuges would know just how much you've been dreading this decision. Kuges has had a wonderful life with you and no dog has ever had a more caring and attentive human companion. If it is his time, he will go knowing he has been loved to the max. If it's possible I would go for the mobile vet. We can't really know for sure what Ella will think and feel, but it seems only reasonable to assume that to allow her to see him would be fairer and easier on her than for Kuges to just "disappear". I think that, if Indi's time comes before Em's, I would do it that way as Em has been with Indi her whole life and I think she'd fret if Indi just went away and didn't come back. If the situation was reversed, though, I don't know. Indi is not as bonded to Em and Em is to her and I don't know if she'd be as concerned. More hugs to you and gentle pats for the grand old man.

I had my cat PTS last year. The whole family - OH, me and the two kids - went to say goodbye to him, then OH took the kids out and I held him while he was given the needle. Then vet left me with him for a while. I was so busy cuddling him and talking to him that it took me a while to realise he was gone. He was the first of my animals I've had PTS as an adult. The decision was easy to make as he was very ill and unlikely to get better and, even if he recovered his quality of life would have been much reduced. There was no way I was going to let him go without being there. With my other cat and two dogs aging, I'm facing the prospect of doing this again at least several times in the next few years. I can't imagine not staying with each of them. Everyone is different, though. In all the years my parents have had pets and had them PTS at the end of their lives, my mum has always stayed with them to the end, while Dad has never been able to. Dad doesn't love them any less, if anything he is always more attached to them than Mum, but he can't stand to see them go.

I'd tell your mother up front that while her dog is in your house, your rules will apply and that you will deal with his behaviour the way you would with your own dog. Also, if he doesn't settle, bites someone, or his barking causes a nuisance to you or your neighbours, you will put him in boarding kennels and present her with the bill when she gets back. She needs to take responsibility for her dogs antisocial behaviour and accept that you can't be expected to work around it.

He's such a gorgeous boofer! I love the shot of Rosie curled up neatly in her basket, while Earl is sprawled all over the place.

I wouldn't be so quick to make that assumption. One of my sisters, a highly educated and very intelligent woman and a rusted on ABC viewer, owns 2 'oodles'. One from a 'breeder' and the other an impulse purchase from a pet shop. Thus far she has persisted in believing the hype. This report would have been a big wake up call to her.

With any luck it will be at least 5 years before we'll be looking for another dog. When that time comes the dog's origins will depend upon who will be the primary owner. If we decide to get a pet for our children we'll look for a rescue, preferably a young adult with a stable temperament that can help me teach them about pet ownership. This dog will come from an organisation that fosters it's dogs in home situations and temperament tests, so that we have a level of confidence in what we're getting. While a cute puppy would be nice for the kids, I don't think I want to go through the traumas of a young pup with my kids. If I'm looking for a pet for me, it will be a purebred dog from a registered (not necessarily ANKC or on DOL) breeder who does all the appropriate health testing for the breed and provides excellent follow up and support to their puppy buyers. I have two or three breeds in mind at the moment and that choice will be influenced in part by the attitude of the breeders. Although it's most likely I'll get a pup, I'll be just as happy with anything up to an oldie. DOL has influence my decision in that I now know that there are more rescues in Melbourne than the RSPCA & LDH and I have a much better understanding of what constitutes a reputable breeder than I did before I joined.

We have two crossbred dogs, one crossbred cat and two crossbred bantam chooks. We had only very basic requirements in mind when we got these animals so didn't need to go the purebred route. For our next dogs and cats I would like at least one purebred of each. The next planned pet purchase at this stage is a kitten for my son in a several years' time. I'll be researching cat breeds to try to find one that would be suitable as a young boy's pet. When the dogs cross the bridge I'll look for a purebred or a very specific rescue to meet our requirements. As for the chooks, I'm very tempted by purebreds, but have a brother who breeds his own crossbreds and is always happy to give them away. Every time I talk about buying some more chooks, all I hear is "Get a couple from R." They're great little chooks so it's hard to say no.

We have Emmylou, Indiana, Zelda, Winifred and Lovely. There's also Cassie, Rosie, Charlie, Merry (Christmas), Coco, Maybe, Nita and Muffin in our extended family.

Thank you all for your kind thoughts. I made arrangements this morning for Cosmo to be cremated, then we'll find him a tree to rest under in our backyard. I might try to pick something that will attract birds - he'd enjoy that.

Cosmo, our 12 year old tabby boy, was put to sleep on Saturday after developing respiratory problems. He'd been unwell in the previous week and I took him to the vet on Monday where he was diagnosed with asthma and a possible respiratory infection and given an anti-inflammatory injection and antibiotics. He was looking a little brighter over the next couple of days, but I took him back on Thursday when he started have some trouble breathing. He was placed in a cage with oxygen pumped in and given more anti-inflammatories and antibiotics. On Saturday morning the vet rang to let me know he wasn't doing as well and get permission for a second chest xray. We were passing so dropped in to see him. His breathing was much worse than when I'd last seen him on Thursday and, although I agreed to the xray, I couldn't help feeling that this was the beginning of the end. The xray showed a marked deterioration in the state of his lungs and the vet felt the the anti-inflammatories had allowed whatever was ailing him to progress rapidly. The next step would have been an invasive test that he might not have survived and the best case scenario was that he had and aggressive bacterial infection, which could potentially be cured with more specific antibiotic, but it was highly possible that the damage to his lungs would mean that he would never regain full health. I couldn't let him go on as he was so I asked the vet to euthanise him on Saturday afternoon. OH, the kids and I went in to say goodbye, then OH took the kids out while I held Cosmo as he went to sleep for the last time. I feel so empty without Cosmo here. I got him as a 6 week old whirling dervish of a kitten at the end of the first year that OH and I were together. He has been the constant in our lives through all the many changes that followed: moving house, changing jobs, the arrival of another cat, two dogs and two children (all of whom Cosmo thought should just go to wherever they really belonged, since they certainly didn't belong in HIS house). Through it all he was there and he was my boy. I find it hard to imagine how we'll do anything without him along for the ride. Goodbye Cosmo, aka Comso, FatBoyCosmo, Fatty, Catty Mo, Cosmonster, Mr Fluffybum. We miss you.

Chewbacca, I had to let my 12 year old cat (the tabby boy in my sig) go today after a short illness. You know this already, but I can tell you from very, very recent experience, it hurts like hell and it's terribly hard to do, but when I felt his body free of tension, completely at peace I was sure it was the right thing to do. Hugs to you and your family, facing this hard, hard time. :rolleyes:

Huga, I love your chooks. We had 2 brown ones for a while but they died last year. The bantams we have now are lovely and petite, but nowhere near as friendly as the bigger birds. We took the kids to the Collingwood Children's Farm today. It was really a bit hot for it, but we all had a great time. I should have taken photos of their chooks. They have a few rare breeds and they're all beautiful birds. Instead we took lots of photos of one of their a sow called Moira and her 5 piglets. My photo for today is of them. Not a great pic of Moira, but it's the only one where you can see all five of the piglets and two of them are even having a tousle in the background behind her.