Little Gifts

I think you could go two ways. You could do a serious routine, trying to get say audience members to distract your dog while you are giving it commands. This would show the audience how strong that bond can be and how it is possible to have your dog do as it is told if people persist with what they have learnt. Or you could make it funny and do a skit perhaps like say you were trying to walk but your dog kept weaving between your legs almost tripping you up, dropping your car keys and your dog keeps taking them and putting them in the bin. Does he take his cues from you verbally or in hand signals? If in hand signals then you could verbalise 'sit' but give a different hand signal so he plays dead or tries to shake when you tell indicate to fetch. Could he fetch multiple things like say you were almost doing a juggling act together? Make it look fun and silly but it would also show how possible that bond is between owner and dog and you would be showing basic commands that anyone can teach their dog, so you can verbally talk about how simple it is but how it can be made fun for both of you. Just ideas as I'm trying to think of how to wow the audience while keep it to things your boy already knows.

My surgery and the one used by Peiradise all shut during surgery time (or at least don't take appointments during that time) and I'm assuming it is so all staff are focussed on surgical procedures and patients during that important time. What would be more important for someone to be doing than be fully prepared for, present and actually doing their allocated role during surgery? Poor practice if the nurse left the pup for anything other than a greater emergency. She left the room, for what and for how long and on whose instruction? The line between life and death can often be very fine and if complications arise, Murphy's Law is that they will happen quickly and unexpectedly. Very sad for the owner. I hope they pursue it with the relevant vet association.

With all the BSL issues in Vic I think it is an awful risk if the dog or it's parents look like the restricted breeds. Perhaps look at the identification process they are using and consider that in relation to the dog they are interested in. If your dog doesn't look like the dogs they are using as a guide then you could make a call on it. The awful thing for all of you would be if the dog got down there, couldn't be registered because it was identified as a restricted breed, and got stuck in limbo land. Here are the standards they are using to identify restricted breeds: http://www.dpi.vic.gov.au/pets/about-pets/legislation-and-regulation/standard-for-restricted-breed-dogs

I tell you if we weren't already at our maximum dog numbers I would drive down there myself to meet her (to make sure she lubs me too!) and bring her home. She'd have to get used to wearing zinc cream though. You and LP better make sure she goes to a good home for me!!!!

Is Pixie the one who has a mutual lovefest with Harper? You must crack up when you go through all your photos - there are some fantastic out-takes! Of course Nyx was the most beautiful. I so want to covet her!

I used to wonder about this too. I had a mother and son SBT foster failures when I first moved into my current house back in 2000. In the summer at the end of that year 3 men broke into my house while I was in the back room with the dogs watching tv. We'd had a big day out and the dogs were comatose. Suddenly they jumped up and ran to the front of the house making barking noises I have never heard before. On instinct I followed them then realised someone was in the house, grabbed the phone and ran out into the back yard. The front screen door was open and window flyscreens had been ripped out in 3 parts of the house. The dogs chased those 3 men from my house (one fell from a two storey window and broke his ankle) then returned immediately to my side in the backyard. They never ran outside or chased them across the lawn or up the street. Nor did they bite them. Just got them out of the house and returned to protect me. Those two have passed on from old age but my sister's dog (husky/shep cross) is considered and encouraged to be our guard dog now. She remains on guard with strangers, looking to us for confirmation they are ok. I don't have any doubts she would scare someone off if either she had a bad feeling about them or we expressed concern in their presence. My SBT girl would throw herself at anyone for a cuddle but if she sensed I was scared or upset I'm pretty sure she would act protectively towards me as she is very in tune with how I feel. As for our pei girl, she would give off her deep barks whilst hiding behind the other dogs or me! :D

I know which legs I like best!

Oh Goddess Nyx! I have a terrible weakness for pieds and if we didn't already have 3 (one of which is a pied SBT) then you could've very easily have found me on your doorstep hoping I could take her home with me. She looks so happy and alert and already knows sit and smile! Big feet though so she could end up Harper sized!

I can see Tempeh's bed being more expensive (and fancy) than my own!

Fortifying her crate last night didn't make a scrap of difference but I couldn't find my wheat bag (think I loaned it). I think she just has no idea how to warm herself. She curls up in a ball on top of my shins and buries her nose, which is hardly going to help spread body warmth around all that exposed back. I did manage to get a blanket over the top of part of her last night for a bit by rubbing her then adding the blanket and rubbing with that but of course she moved at some point and we were back to her shivering and shaking the bed. So I'll borrow a wheat bag until my snugglesafes arrive. I'll keep persisting with the blanket rub cause you never know, she might come to accept it. Not like it doesn't have her smell all over it already!

The crate is all rugged up (pending the purchase of 2 snuggle safes) so we'll see how she does tonight. I could use a wheat bag in the interim as well. I think she will be ok once it gets cold enough for me to put the air con heater on at bed time as that takes the nip out of the air for all of us! Ash I can't believe your dogs have their own room! Mind you it is actually very practical if you are a multi dog house! I have plans to build a large laundry off the back of my house so the dogs always have somewhere more comfy to hang out when I'm not home!

Her soft crate is in my bedroom and it is only one of the crate doors I leave open for her to come and go - not a house door. So no cool breezes! When it gets really cold I will have my air con heater on to keep the room warm. I've just made an offer on 2 snuggle safe's on ebay - $30 each plus $9.50 post. If they don't accept the offer they are only selling them for $34.50 each anyway (plus post). It is the cheapest I have found and they are in Brissie so I wont have to wait long for them. Often Temp takes herself to bed early so I might put one in early on cold nights then put a fresh one in later when I go to bed to see her through the night. I've already pulled out a big dog doona and some fleecies to line and cover her crate a bit better from tonight.

My dad made me a mermaid letterbox out of marine ply using a similar technique and I could probably get him to do me a pei one if I ever get sick of mermaids! I hang beads around her neck and even though she has wooden/painted hair we also have air fern hanging off her. I still want to hang some sea shells from her though. I got the idea for her from the tv show Weeds. Nancy's old high school teacher had one.

Thank you Pers and Ams - why did I not think of these given I've seen them at your place Ams??? I'm so blonde some days! I can put them up one end of her crate and if she gets too warm she can move to the other end. Ams would 2 be too many or should I just get 1? Thank you for the suggestions everyone. I think this could be my best option and I can also put it on my bed if she decides she wants to sleep there instead some nights.

Nope, she is terrified of even light fabric over her back or face but is fine about being touched and massaged in those areas and I can hand brush her fur in the opposite direction. She wont let me use the grooming glove on her though on any part of her body. She became a FF due to exhibiting fear aggression in response to a traumatic incident so I am not willing to do anything to take her back to that dark place. She trusts us with everything we need to do with her and to her again now and her coat issue is not just a dislike but an expression of fear and flight from that fear so I need to look at other options. Wheat pillows will go cold so I will put blankets on the carpet under the crate (we have timber floors under the carpet so they are not overly cold) and I will create a blanket buffer around the inside as well as put more over the top to try and keep warmth in the crate. I'll also check out the heating pads and probably just keep on a low setting to keep the heat generating through her without causing overheating. But if anyone can think of the brand name for the heating pads that would be great as I don't want to electrocute her or buy something that wont last.

She panics T and runs, even if she is sleepy or asleep. Nothing over her head and certainly nothing touching her back. I can't even accidentally drape anything on her back. Maybe it is uncomfortable on her sticky outy spikey hair? She even wears a step in harness because of the head thing (even though she loves face and head smooches). I will keep trying coats and blankets as winter progresses as she may get desperate enough to give it a try but I really don't want her to develop new fears as she can be a nervous nelly and we have worked hard to keep her balanced.

Tempeh is a Tang style, horse coated shar pei. This means she has a very fine coat which gets finer down her legs and her undercarriage is basically bald. Being a Tang means she only has wrinkles around her head so there is not fat protection on the rest of her lean zoomy machine of a body. She is almost 1 but wasn't surrendered till she was 5 months so I expect she spent last winter snuggled up with her littermates that were surrendered with her. This winter is going to be another story. Temp likes to sleep in her soft crate at night and likes lumpy bedding. It is a little cooler at night now so I have put the sides down on her crate and added a fleece blanket. The side door stays open all the time so she can come and go. Even though we are yet to have a really cold night she is already getting on one of our beds during the night shivering. I usually give her a bit of a rub down and she settles between me and my SBT Stussy for warmth. If I try to cuddle her she jumps off the bed and we start the process all over again. If I try to lay a light fleece over her she panics - even if fast asleep, jumps off the bed, then comes back and we try and warm her up again. The best I have been able to manage is to kind of bunch a blanket around her legs and face. Anything around her back and she freaks. Stussy on the other hand can be wearing pj's AND be under a doona and blanket and still be perfectly happy! My house is pretty temperate so before winter really kicks in I'm going to need some other options to try for poor cold Tempeh. I was thinking of a heating pad for her crate. Does anyone have suggestions on good/safe brands and can they be temperature controlled like electric blankets? What about stuffed toys that can be heated up to replicate a litter mater - anyone tried one or know of a good brand? My other thought was that I could fold back the open crate door half way (triangle shape) to trap warmth and wondered if you can buy heating rolls which I could wrap in fleece and put around the inside edges of the crate so she could snuggle into them. Again does this exist, has anyone used it and can you recommend a brand? The crate itself is already covered but I could put more blankets over the whole thing if that also helped. I have no problem with her sleeping on my bed but unless she chooses to snuggle/cuddle her back area will still be exposed to the cold and she will just keep shivering. Even this morning, when I got up early she was crying for me to come back to bed and keep her warm. Poor bubba. Any advice from others with a dog who is scared of being covered but who suffers from the cold would be appreciated. No idea how she will cope during a cold winter's day if I have to go out if she wont dig into those blankets!

Hilarious! One of the few things my sbt wont wear - headwear.

I still feel she is alive and in NSW with someone who picked her up a couple of days after the accident. I haven't said anything on the FB page but I think the possibility of a hairless pup surviving this long in the bush from predators, thirst, hunger and cold is highly unlikely. I had also felt they would have an outcome by the end of this week (ie would have a firm lead on her). I am still hoping my feelings are true. I don't know how the owners are coping with this situation. At least Waggit has made an amazing recovery from her injuries.

Based on the title I'm assuming Gracie faced problems greater than her body could handle. So very sad for you JA and of course Gracie didn't deserve this. XXX Posted at the same time. Shitty, shitty, shitty original owners. You deserved so much better Gracie. Run free over the bridge now beautiful girl.

Kismet's name suits her brilliantly with that cute eye patch!

The other day I changed the sheets and doonas and throw pillows on my bed and the dogs immediately got up on it and made nests, looking at me like "About time you changed that stinky linen on our bed!"

Even when they are being their most hideous I wouldn't swap my fur kids for Johnny Depp! (But that prize home I desperately wanted to win last week; that could've been touch and go....)

Ah Rozzie! We may not be able to top that one! The crate is exceptionally clean but my bed normally has chewed tug toys on it, chewed empty toilet rolls and chewed sticks (see the theme?). One day I found a very large stick on there - about 7 foot long. More of a tree really. I needed help to get it back outside.

We went to a Brisbane based one and she was very helpful with our pei girl. She may do things by phone or email. If you are on FB do a search for IntuitiveConnections3 and her contact details should be on there. If you are not on FB then let me know and I can PM you the phone number and email addy I also have.