Little Gifts

Here is what upsets me. A good breeder has fans/followers and every dog they have bred or kept means something to them. If they fell on hard times and had to let go of some dogs they would probably find pet only homes for them to go to fairly quickly and easily. They'd probably also have other breeder friends happy to step in and help. If the animals were sick they would choose a euth process they were comfortable with and they would bury or cremate appropriately and with some respect. But this person was breeding 3 very different breeds under conditions she didn't want anyone else to notice and her problem solving skills equated to just disposing of her excess like it was vermin or garbage. If she had an ounce of love for any of her dogs she would bend over backwards to help them find homes. If she was proud of her breeding achievements then again she would be seeking alternatives that included those dogs going to new homes or even to a rescue for rehoming. If they were miraculously all sick and needing to go to the rainbow bridge at the same time then they would have ended up in more than a shallow grave. I think it is clear she didn't care about the animals in her care on multiple levels and even if it is an ex providing information I wouldn't dispute it because it sounds perfectly feasible that she did all these things. She should be investigated to ensure the safety of all animals still in her care because that kind of neglect doesn't just suddenly disappear. Why even have dogs if they are such a hassle to look after and you are so bad at caring for them or keeping them alive?

I was just wondering about mental stimulation. My pei girl hates leaving the house so we've had to find other ways to wear her out. She now gets all her meals through puzzle solving aids. Some we bought and some we made. It took a while but she is disappointed now if she only gets her kibble in a bowl. It has really made a difference to her calmness. My other dog was a real destructo till she was about 3 and seemed to grow out of the desire to stick everything in her mouth. My house still doesn't gave anything on low surfaces. Her remaining weakness is anything soft and stuffed. I still lose a doona every now and then while I'm showering. She is always so proud of her efforts!

Love Maddie's pics, especially with her small fluffy friend!

Adorable pics Huski! Since Tempeh is our youngest and has digital baby pics this is what I came up with for her. She is the front puppy in the duo pic back when she was our foster child and had another name.

I found this on Facebook and it brought a tear to my eye! I have never thought to recreate an old shot to do a comparison on any of mine. Plus any puppy shots I have would be old school photos (hard copies) and I'd have to find them first! Has anyone done anything like this with their doggies? Want to share the pics here? http://www.suggestedpost.eu/how-dogs-get-older/

Stussy is obsessed with smaller critters and vermin but luckily struggles to ever catch anything. Over the years I have discovered quite a few dead rats in my yard which has caused me no end of panic because I also assume it has been poisoned by a neighbour. But strangely she has never tried to eat any of them. It is like she knows something is wrong, probably by their smell. And I know this because I have also found just their sunken unchewed skeletons in less obvious spots in the yard.

There is just so much back story that goes with Secret and it is a very unique name. Inky seems a bit too predictable for a black dog. Inky pinky ponky, daddy bought a donkey...

The dog posts that wind me up the most are the people who want a quick/cheap fix on a health issue (because how could vets possibly know more than strangers on the internet!) and the idiots who make unhelpful blanket statements about a breed (like all pei get entropian) which then just confuse the original poster further. I try to ignore a lot of it because usually someone else points out the obvious but sometimes I can't help myself.

We've recently used Jane Harper and she has been amazing. She gave us loads of suggestions and has kept in contact and made further suggestions as things have changed. She's also visited twice. She is Sunshine Coast I think but drove 2 hours down to our place on Brisbane Southside. Her suggestions have been quite easy to implement and the changes have been positive. She was recommended to me by other pei people. Edited to add link: http://www.dogsontrack.com.au/

Certainly not having a go about Thistle's bare botty but when I was making dog coats and had my market stall people would bring me their little dog wearing expensive designer coats made of nothing remotely warm that ended around their bellies, complaining they were still cold. Well hello! That's like us going outside in winter in a polyester crop top!

What an amazing experience! It is on my bucket list. Thank you for such amazing photos of it Huga. We are so lucky to live in a country like this with that on our doorstep! Oh and I'm also very sad about the low numbers. I hope it turns around and that it isn't a sign of the health of the environment those babies are being born in to.

Just some advice on dog coats and bedding, particularly for outside dogs - if something is made from 100% wool (knitted or sewn) it will stay warm even if it gets damp or wet. Keep your eye on your local op shops in the warmer months and old style wool blankets (sometimes with a little damage) can often be purchased very cheaply. I've had no problem washing them in my washing machine either. As for my dogs - I have one that has practically no coat and no body fat and she really feels the cold. I can usually tell by how unsettled she is trying to sleep whether she is feeling cold. She normally has a double layer coat on (specially designed to cover as much torso and belly as possible as she wont wear pj's), a blanket over the top with only her nose poking out and a couple of snuggle safes for her to lie near on my bed.

Sad but it is in his best interests to get a handle on his bad behaviour. Plus it will allow the other chicklets to blossom and of course we wouldn't want Neko's confidence as a mum battered by a naughty son. It's good that you even had this option for him really. Sad but all good!

Tempeh has discovered the art of tapping me when I am in a deep sleep. Tap. Tap, tap. Lick. I watched a video on FB of another pei who taps her mummy while she is trying to sleep and all of a sudden Tempeh started doing it too. Little B must've been watching over my shoulder! She is also an ambidextrous tapper. I just have to learn how to get her to use this new skill for good and not evil! Stussy has a psychic ability to know if something edible has been dropped on the kitchen floor. Granules of sugar. Uncooked rice. Crispbread crumbs. It's kind of handy!

I don't like Spyder or Thumper! They just don't capture his gargantuan-ness! Maybe he needs a rapper name like Byg Boi (Byggie for short) or Kong (as in King or Donkey)?

My decision would be to move somewhere where I could have all my dogs, which might mean a different state or council area even. But I am single, have no children and am ok financially - my dogs are my main commitment. If I had a family and we had to live somewhere specific to earn a living and send the kids to school then I agree that I would consider rehoming the dog/s who would most cope with having a new owner. We just lost our oldest dog unexpectedly last month so are now down to a dog who chose us (and would not do well being rehomed - us abandoning her is her greatest fear) and my heart dog. I would readjust my entire life to ensure they both stayed with me if I had to but that is because I can. You absolutely have to put the needs of your children and overall family over those of your pets but I hope you can come to some arrangement so none of your pets have to be rehomed.

Well that is much better news and thanks from me to Renbury staff for all their efforts over the years. I must admit I never understand the whys behind purpose built facilities closing under one group and then someone else coming in and re-opening to do the same or a similar thing. It all seems silly and wasteful and I've seen it a few times in my years with the state government (closing group homes for young people and people with intellectual disabilities). It all seems silly.

I'm sad about this news (just saw it on FB). Was it all so bad that it couldn't be turned around or was everyone there just too exhausted from trying and still getting beaten about the head? What are the options for that area now? Will they put it out for tender?

I recline kind of sideways while I watch tv at night. I made the mistake when Stussy the SBT was still a puppy of letting her lie on my chest and sleep while I patted her. Now some 8 years later she still likes to lie on 'mummy'. Due to both our sizes these days she drapes across my right thigh most nights but she puts her head back to rest on my tummy so I can rub her ears and face while she sleeps. Not terribly comfortable for me (dead leg!) but she looks so cute I can't stop her. The worst is when I'm trying to knit or read (or play games on the tablet) and she makes it politely clear that it is very inconvenient. She is also a fan of being under the covers. in summer I tend to just throw an empty doona case over myself rather than a top sheet. Since she has chewed off all the buttons and clips on all my doona covers (she has a doona eating issue) there have been times when she has crawled under and into the doona cover and gotten stuck there. A month or so ago I was watching a video clip of a shar pei who taps her owner to make her wake up. Guess who must've been watching over my shoulder! Tempeh! She taps me with both paws and has recently added in dry licks for good measure. Tap. Tap, tap, lick. Repeat. I can't be mad at her for waking me when she is being so cute! She is such an odd dog though - even though she is almost 4 she is still coming up with strange new habits!

I use Picasa for my work photos. I'm a terrible photographer and it helps with the end result. Quite simple to use too.

I'm sitting here crying for you. I often look at my heart girl Stussy and feel that it doesn't matter how old she is when she passes over the bridge it still wouldn't be long enough for me. So to have a beautiful animal in your life for 32 years, right from when they were born, even that doesn't seem long enough (even though to some it might sound like forever). It's the unfair part of the circle of life.

Ridiculous really - how is the puppy supposed to make the connection between peeing indoors and wearing pee on its head? It performed a necessary bodily function, just in the wrong place! I still remember when I was a kid that we were told if a dog killed a chicken you hung the dead chicken around its neck for a week and it never did it again. We tried it once for maybe half a day In a Queensland summer!) but realised the dog didn't have a clue why it was attached to the dead chicken so took it off. I'm sure there are people who still rub animals noses in their pee (and maybe poop) but again, how are they supposed to make the link?

I loved that first article! Peiradise used to have 'peinics' at a small off leash dog park near the water. At one of my early peinics there were probably around 30 pei there most who had never met each other before. There was not one scuffle or fight, even when treats were being doled out. I was amazed because some people are wary of pei and think they are an aggressive breed. I think the reason there were no fights is that pei can be so focussed on their owners that they don't give a toss about the other dogs around them so there is none of the carry on of rude, unsocialised dogs invading each other's space. They just go about their business sniffing and exploring (while keeping one eye on where their humans are) and should they bump into another pei it is like "Whoops sorry about that! My bad! After you!" When my pei plays with my stafford they are equally crazy, bouncing off furniture and flying over stairs while doing zoomies and covering each other in slag from bitey face, so it's not like they don't contain the potential to be in your face and over exuberant. They just choose to do that kind of thing with friends and not strangers! Oh and I don't think I've never seen a pei try to air hump another dog either. I think a lot of dog owners can't tell the difference between play and rude behaviour. Probably because they let their dog off the leash the minute they arrived at the park and are never close enough to it to correct bite inciting behaviour. I will say that if I had a dog who was a rusher, always running to 'meet' strange dogs then that dog would not be going to an off leash park until I had that behaviour under control. I never even let mine off leash until I've sussed out who else is in the park and where they are. Why can't other dog owners exhibit some basic sensibility too?

That last pic was See no evil, Hear no evil, Speak no evil!

Really glad you found a house. I was worried about how you would do in that environment during your treatment. You have done such an amazing job with Jonah too! He has more fun outings than me!