Little Gifts

Not Sammy! I had an sbt (adult) eat his way through a gyprock wall. It dried on his face and he had hard, white poos. Some dogs have guts of steel.

Well I'll be. I did not realise that. Actually Brookestar is wrong, my friend was diagnosed with cancer which was so advanced & given her age, she couldn't have any medical treatment. They told her she had 6-9 months to live, she died eight days later. My 23 year old SIL went in to hospital for severe morning sickness. On her second day in there she started to get mentally confused. Less than a week later she was dead from brain tumours without even knowing what was happening to her. There were about 30 in there the day of her death. Her cat was lovingly cared for by her mother even though there was no opportunity for discussions with her about her final wishes due to her mental capacity. At her young age, newly married and newly pregnant, death was the last thing on her mind.

I will also be doing made to order dog coats, including onesies from May and all proceeds will go to Peiradise -Shar Pei Rescue QLD. I've got loads of lovely fleece already stockpiled. We are also currently hand knitting dog coats and they will also be for sale with the proceeds going to Peiradise. There is a link below to my FB page and email details given the coats aren't going on the site till May.

They are both mythological Greek goddesses and were just used in the House of Night books so would be known by mythology likers.

WOOT! WOOT! I do love those two names even though most people wont know how to pronounce Gaia! Go little Goddesses!

I guess as an animal lover I simply couldn't agree if a family member or friend asked me to even pts their healthy dog. If they asked me to do everything in my power to ensure their dog led a happy and healthy life after they were gone then that I would most definitely agree to, even if it wasn't me keeping the dog long term. My mother has a stray tabby cat that she tamed (I got him desexed and keep him wormed and vaccinated) that she adores. The cat adores my mum in return but as a stray he spends most of his time out in their covered verandah rather than as an indoors cat. He is afraid of dogs so we have stopped taking ours over as he disappears into the attic for a couple of days after we visit and that stresses mum out. Mum is getting dementia and the time will come when her beloved tabby (who is not yet 2) will need a new home. He can't live with us with the dog situation. I've already been putting feelers out and would be prepared to pay for his upkeep with another cat lover - he is at least used to being around lots of other cats and an outdoor enclosure set up. I have told my mum this because her cat could live for another 20 years and she may not be in a situation to care for him for even another 2. I don't want her to worry or think having him pts is her only option. I want her to simply enjoy his company for as long as it lasts. If our fur kids mean that much to us we should be having these conversations with our loved ones. We will all have different perspectives on this issue but I have fostered a dog with a broken heart after losing his owner and he has learned to love life again with a special family. Dogs have a resilience I don't think us humans do. I just can't support the pts of healthy companion animals (regardless of age) without consideration given to other options because it is not something I am personally comfortable with. If after all or other options have been pursued and it is clear the dog is still suffering needlessly from the loss of the original owner then pts might be the final option. For me, I'm just not comfortable with it being the first and could never make that promise to someone knowing I couldn't go through with it. I'd rather change my life to look after that dog than change my life by doing something that would hurt my soul.

Why not just call the girl Red and Pinky? There is a series of teen vamp books by PC Cast (House of Night series). The main character is Zoey (Redbird) and her Night Goddess is Nyx. Other 'non-evil' girl characters are Stevie Rae, Shaunee, Erin, Dallas, Aphrodite, Kramisha and Lenobia. Nala is Zoey's cat. Another goddess, the Earth Goddess is Gaia. What about Mojo, Nyx and Gaia (pronounce as Guy-ya) if you want mystical?

This is terribly sad but having owned an sbt who went blind and deaf in old age I actually didn't find it that much harder to manage her. I know that she would've already known commands, routines and her home environment but she did still come on walks and we even took her camping and she adjusted, with the aid of the other dogs as well as us. Maybe her other senses heightened? I know we touched, handled and physically assisted her more but it just didn't seem a major burden on our lives to do it. This koolie dog wasn't pts because maybe the current owners did feel they could manage? Hopefully the dog has learnt some skills at it's current home and hopefully some canine skills are inherent. So given he exists I hope there is someone out there willing and able to take him on rather than see him pts. It is not his fault he was born like this and left to survive. I hate that some dogs suffer because of the failings of us humans.

Yep I have to get a piece of bone stuck across the roof of the mouth out of my old sbt girl. She was scratching at her mouth and her jaws kept involuntarily closing trying to dislodge it (she was very scared) so I'm lucky I didn't get accidently chomped on trying to get it out. Very scary for you though Kirislin having to do it several times.

I remember two young and healthy rotties were pts when their owner died in an accident. Rescue tried to work with the family but they decide the dogs wouldn't be able to live without him. I assume they weren't in a position (as people familiar to the dogs) to take them on either. Very sad train of thought. I'm sure a guide dog would grieve for not having a purpose as much as not having an owner they had bonded so closely with. I wonder if the owner had made that decision thinking the dog would be old by the time she left this earth? Or perhaps she didn't want to be in the afterlife without her companion? You have to think the dog could've served some purpose with someone else and learnt new behaviours. Or at least been given the opportunity to try. Even if my dogs were really old I wouldn't expect them to be pts just because I was gone. We are separate entities and I don't consider them my property (even though legally they are). I have arrangements in place for their care if I have an accident now and it is something I will continue to revisit as myself and the dogs age.

Well then if you have a Mojo you might have to have some other Austin Powers names! The other 2 are girls? You have Felicity (Shagwell) and Foxxy Cleopatra. There is also a Mojo Stage at Bluesfest. The other stage names are Apra, Crossroads and Jambalaya. So I don't know but maybe you could have either Felicity and Foxxy (or Cleo) or Apra and maybe Jamba or Laya if you were looking for something themed but different?

For me it has been whether someone else can provide more than I can and the obvious one - if the dog bonds immediately and shows parts of itself to potential adopters so quickly that it has taken weeks for them to show to me. Pei tend to pick who they want to live with, which is how we got our FF. And I don't have kids, don't live near the beach or on a farm or take my dogs camping or to work with me, so when I say 'more' these are the things I'm thinking about - giving that dog a more enriched life. It's a subjective one, but when you see a foster in their new forever home just devoted to the kids or waiting at the door for their new dad to arrive home you know you did the right thing.

I got my dream dog, an OES as a teen. I called her Phobie because that is how I thought you said the name Phoebe. Makes sense if you pronounce Moet 'moey'!

Plus it would be getting chilly at night. Horrible situation all round. Hope they are safe soon.

Oh Lhok this is just so sad. Big hugs to you. RIP Missy - you were so well loved and I wish the end was easier for you. XXX

I'm so sorry Anne. Having had a dog with epilepsy I know how much we want to protect them and make it all better. RIP Monte.

I wondered if any of the white angels were going to be deaf. And tell Harper to harden up!

My dogs picked their own names or they'd all be something girly! I do like to give them extended/full names on paperwork though - probably for pay back. Like Temp is recorded as Tempeh Soya-Bean Dean (Dean being my surname) at the vets! One of my previous fosters is still commonly known by the extended name I gave him - Oscar de la Wrinkles, as opposed to just 'Oscar'. The only put off for me is what I consider bogan names because I feel like they were chosen to get the owner attention rather than suit the dog. D-Fa would be one. Fark another. One of my previous FF's was called Bundy (as in rum) which I hated but never really changed because I mainly called him by nicknames anyway like Budda-Boo. Speaking of which, I've noticed Tempeh is now coming to her nickname Doodle Bug! I'm so proud! Now if I can only get her to wear that bumble bee hat for a photo....

Happy birthday Ziggy! I love all the wonderful things your mummy tells us about you and how you are with the foster kids. You have a very important job you know!

I'm not sure I'll be able to cope with any more cuteness! I might have to hop a plane to Sydney! Although I am going out to see Ams this weekend and I hear she has some new kids for cuddling too!

I'll log in later and check them out. I'm always after recycling ideas for Peiradise!

Ah puppy nails and teeth! How quickly we forget! I love it when pups try and be all grrrrr at some strange noise outside. Not many of the pei I have had here barked at all so I nearly spat my drink out when I first heard Tempeh. Her bark is deep like a rottie. Her sooky la-la voice totally gives her away though.

Mac hasn't quite got the hang of it there! I must admit I put the fluffiest cushions in Tempeh's soft crate and as we leave the side door open on it she is usually sleeping in her little donut shape but with half of her butt hanging out in mid air. Coogie if we don't have his measurements we could do her a thank you gift voucher and she could choose the fabrics and give me the sizes and decide what style Bart would wear. Up to you what you'd prefer!

Well I have just shopped all the fleece out of Spotlight so if you need new inside beds before Spring just let me know and we'll work it out! Some of the new fabric will make vey funky beds - I was thinking I should do some for here except I already have loads. We also have to sort out the pei-jays for Bart soon. As for outside beds - a friend gave us all the old seat backs from her outdoor furniture - perfect for the dogs outside and easy to hose down and hang on the line! Maybe you should check out garage sales for something similar? I used to buy kids sized mattresses for $10 from Ikea for the dogs and cover them but cleaning them was painful. Even worse was when someone decided to eat them.

It is the oil type that is good for their coats. The tomato flavour tastes nice but doesn't give the same benefits. I'd stick to the basics - the dogs love them regardless!